The Centre on Monday offered no clarity on the delay in launching the National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM), with the scheme yet to see any spending two years after its announcement, during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.
Though the scheme was announced in the 2024–25 Union Budget, no expenditure has been recorded over the two financial years ending Tuesday, as per the disclosure. Budgetary allocation for the mission has also been reduced to ₹300 crore for 2026–27 from ₹1,150 crore in 2024–25, while ₹1,250 crore had been allocated in the previous year.
The centrally sponsored scheme is aimed at enabling “efficient citizen-centric governance, increased ease of living, optimal utilisation of technology and data-led governance”.
In a written reply to Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu said that a revised contour of the scheme is under deliberation with stakeholders in the ministry (MoHUA).
A parliamentary standing committee report on MoHUA, tabled on March 12, flagged concerns over delays in finalising such schemes. It noted that announcing schemes, making budgetary allocations and running pilot projects for indefinite periods without statutory approval and clearly notified guidelines lead to uncertainty in implementation, under-utilisation of funds, frequent revisions in budget estimates and lack of accountability in outcomes, citing the prolonged gestation of NUDM.
The committee recommended that “proposals such as NUDM, DJAY-S, Industrial Housing/PM–NIWAS and Municipal Bonds, which are currently under consideration for approval, should be placed before the Cabinet/EFC at the earliest, with a clearly defined timeline for their operational roll-out”.
{{/usCountry}}The committee recommended that “proposals such as NUDM, DJAY-S, Industrial Housing/PM–NIWAS and Municipal Bonds, which are currently under consideration for approval, should be placed before the Cabinet/EFC at the earliest, with a clearly defined timeline for their operational roll-out”.
{{/usCountry}}It also said that pilot initiatives must have clearly defined objectives, evaluation frameworks and clauses, and that their learnings should be formally incorporated into the final scheme design before scaling up.