The Rural Development Ministry is trying to breath new life into the much-talked about but nearly-dead PURA project. In it's new avatar PURA (Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) will morph into a public-private-partnership (PPP) project for which the ministry has already invited an expression of interest (EoI) from private players.

The pilot project itself will carry an estimated cost of Rs 248 crore during the 12th Plan period. Interested parties will have to submit the EoI by May 10 following which the government will shortlist the eligible ones and ask them to submit the request for proposal (RFP).

“The entire process should be over by December and we should be able to launch the restructured scheme by next year,” said Arvind Mayaram, additional secretary with the ministry.

PURA was envisioned by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, but it failed to take off, prompting the government to restructure it for the 11th Plan. It was launched in 2003 and aimed at bridging the urban rural divide. 

The scheme envisages a holistic and accelerated development of areas around a potential growth centre in a gram panchayat or a group of gram panchayats in a PPP framework.

The scope of the scheme would be to develop livelihood opportunities, urban amenities and infrastructure facilities such as water supply, sewage, roads, drainage, street lighting, telecom, electricity generation, development of economic activities and skill development in a panchayat or a cluster of panchayats.