The compensation stems from revenue losses incurred by urban local bodies following the nationwide implementation of GST on July 1, 2017, which abolished entry taxes, octroi, local body taxes, and other levies that municipalities previously collected under Entry 52 of List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Of the total sanctioned amount, certain deductions were made before disbursement. A sum of ₹3.44 crore was recovered from 25 municipal corporations toward the operation and maintenance of High Capacity Suction and Jetting Machines with Water Recycling Facility — equipment being provided to urban local bodies for the health and safety of workers who clean underground drainage and sewage collection systems. Additionally, ₹49.96 crore was deducted for outstanding payments to EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited) for LED street lighting for 15 municipal corporations, with dues pending up to November 2025. After these deductions, the net amount actually disbursed stands at ₹5,532.28 crore.

The Additional Secretary of the Urban Development Department has been designated as the Drawing and Disbursing Officer, responsible for drawing the full amount from the Pay and Accounts Officer in Mumbai and transferring it immediately to the respective municipal corporations and the Directorate of Municipal Administration.

Here is the breakdown of funds allocated to each municipal corporation for April and May 2026:

Nagpur has received ₹318.63 crore. Chandrapur has been allotted ₹12.62 crore. Amravati gets ₹23.27 crore. Akola receives ₹18.34 crore. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) has been allocated ₹78.12 crore. Parbhani receives ₹1.75 crore. Latur gets ₹1.38 crore. Nanded-Waghala has been allocated ₹22.48 crore. Nashik receives ₹269.54 crore. Malegaon gets ₹44.46 crore. Dhule receives ₹28.28 crore. Jalgaon gets ₹31.74 crore. Ahilyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar) receives ₹25.24 crore. Pune has been allocated ₹485.05 crore. Pimpri-Chinchwad receives ₹457.54 crore. Kolhapur gets ₹35.78 crore. Solapur receives ₹57.52 crore. Sangli has been allotted ₹43.16 crore. Mira-Bhayandar receives ₹58.40 crore. Vasai-Virar gets ₹94.16 crore. Bhiwandi-Nizampur receives ₹68.02 crore. Ulhasnagar gets ₹51.48 crore. Kalyan-Dombivli receives ₹59.82 crore. Thane has been allocated ₹221.52 crore. Navi Mumbai receives ₹316.28 crore. Panvel gets ₹90.42 crore. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has received the largest share at ₹2,587.55 crore. Jalna receives ₹10.86 crore. Ichalkaranji gets ₹18.82 crore.

The expenditure is being charged under Demand No. F-4, Major Head 3604, Sub-Head 0998 of the 2026–27 budget.

Also Read: CIDCO Puts 20 Plots Up for Auction in Navi Mumbai: Includes Bungalows and Warehouses for Lease

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What Were Smart City SPVs?

When the Centre launched the Smart City Mission, each selected city was required to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle — a separate company incorporated under the Companies Act — to plan, appraise, approve, and implement Smart City projects. These SPVs had their own Chairpersons, Boards of Directors, and Chief Executive Officers, typically drawn from senior IAS officers, functioning independently of the parent Municipal Corporation. Maharashtra had eight such SPVs operating across Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Solapur, and Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar).

What the GR Orders

The GR is sweeping in its scope. It orders the following:

The Chairpersons and Directors of all eight Smart City SPVs are relieved of their positions, and their powers stand transferred to the respective Municipal Corporation Commissioners. The CEO role of each SPV is similarly handed over to the Municipal Commissioner or Additional Commissioner of the concerned corporation.

All contractual officers and employees working under the Smart City SPVs are to be relieved and their charge transferred to regular Municipal Corporation staff — with a compliance report to be submitted to the government by April 30, 2026.

After the transfer of SPV assets to the Municipal Corporation is complete, the CEOs of each Smart City SPV are directed to independently initiate the process of winding up the company incorporated under the Companies Act for the Smart City Mission.

Who Gets Charge of Which City

The GR names specific IAS officers as the new custodians of Smart City powers. For Nagpur, Commissioner Bipin Iyenkar takes over from MMRDA Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee. In Nashik, Commissioner Manisha Khatri, who was already holding additional charge as SPV CEO, now formally holds full authority. Pune’s Smart City powers move to Commissioner Navalkinshore Ram, while Pimpri-Chinchwad’s go to Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi. Thane’s Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Kalyan-Dombivli’s Commissioner Abhinav Goyal, Solapur’s Commissioner Sachin Ombale, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s Commissioner Amol Yedge round out the list.

Why Is This Happening?

The GR’s preamble is candid about the reasons. The Smart City Mission’s operational period ended some time ago, and the Centre has made clear that no further funds will flow for the mission beyond its concluded tenure. All Smart City projects were to be completed by December 2025 — a deadline set at a meeting on April 7, 2025, and communicated through an official memorandum. With the project pipeline wound down and central funding ceased, maintaining parallel institutional infrastructure in the form of standalone SPVs no longer serves any administrative purpose.

The Maharashtra government had already directed the transfer of SPV assets to Municipal Corporations through a letter dated March 27, 2025, and the current GR is the logical follow-through — dismantling the human resource and governance layer of the SPVs as well.

The Larger Picture

The Smart City Mission, launched by the Centre in 2015, was one of India’s most ambitious urban transformation programmes, injecting funds into 100 selected cities for infrastructure, technology, and governance upgrades. Maharashtra had eight cities selected under the mission. However, the programme has faced sustained criticism for delays, incomplete projects, and the creation of parallel bureaucratic structures that sometimes operated at cross-purposes with the parent Municipal Corporations.

By merging Smart City powers back into the Municipal Commissioners’ offices, the Maharashtra government is signalling a consolidation of urban governance — streamlining accountability and reducing institutional duplication. The move also means that any pending Smart City works or assets will now fall squarely under the Municipal Corporation’s responsibility, with no separate body to either credit or blame.

Also Read: Shutdown Impacts Renovation & Interior Work In City

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The “Sampanna Ghar Abhiyan”, launched by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in partnership with Nashik Zilla Parishad and the Quality Council of India (QCI), is no ordinary rural housing scheme. It blends skill development with shelter, empowering more than 1.5 lakh families under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin to become homebuilders in the truest sense.

Led by Ashima Mittal, CEO of the Nashik Zilla Parishad, the initiative reflects a bold, community-first vision: to build not just houses, but capability and confidence.

“We’re not just constructing homes,” Mittal says, “we’re constructing futures.”

At the heart of this mission is a simple yet powerful idea — that housing can be more than just a roof over one’s head. It can be a catalyst for dignity, skill, and self-reliance. NSDC is standardizing training modules and coordinating the deployment of certified trainers across Nashik’s rural blocks. Partner NGO Shri Ramkrishna Arogya Sansthan will oversee the actual on-ground training, equipping families with safe and cost-effective construction practices.

For many villagers, especially women and young adults, this initiative opens new doors.

“I never thought I could be part of building our house,” says Meena, a 28-year-old mother of two from Igatpuri. “Now I’m learning how to mix concrete, lay bricks, and even understand what makes a good foundation. It makes me proud.”

The campaign has mobilized a vast network of support — from CREDAI Nashik Metro and Nashik Citizen Forum to local architects, solar energy experts, and sanitation specialists. The Maharashtra Solar Manufacturers Association is promoting clean energy solutions for rural homes, while the Indian Plumbing Association is helping design low-cost, hygienic sanitation systems.

And it’s not just professionals — students and faculty from institutions like K.K. Wagh Engineering College, Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj, and Maratha Education Trust are stepping in to help with everything from technical guidance to community engagement.

“It’s inspiring to see such a large, coordinated effort for rural empowerment,” says Kunal Patil, President of CREDAI Nashik Metro. “This is how sustainable development should be — rooted in community, led by the people, and backed by expertise.”

The project is also taking steps to make construction materials affordable. Partnerships with local suppliers ensure that families can access essentials like cement, bricks, and roofing sheets at factory prices—bringing down costs and boosting accessibility.

A detailed roadmap is being finalized this week, and construction is expected to begin within the next two weeks. The hope is that Sampanna Ghar Abhiyan will become more than just a local success — it could become a national blueprint for housing with heart.

“This initiative is about more than bricks and mortar,” says Jitendra Thakker, Convenor of Quality City Nashik. “It’s about dignity, ownership, and the confidence that comes from knowing: I built this with my own two hands.”

In the months to come, as homes rise from the red soil of Nashik, what will also rise is something even more powerful — a generation of rural families who have learned not just to survive, but to build a future, one skill at a time.

Also Read: Mahindra Rural Housing Finance and Habitat for Humanity India collaborate to build sanitation units in Tamil Nadu

The post Brick by Brick, Skill by Skill”: How 1.5 Lakh Families in Nashik Are Learning to Build Their Own Homes appeared first on Square Feat India.

By Varun Singh

Owning a house is the dream of every common man. However, buying them in the open market is not what all can afford.

MHADA has been assigned the task to meet the demand of the rising housing need in the state. In order to cater to this, a lottery of 24 homes will be held on August 10, 2020.

Of the 24 homes, 12 are for Lower Income Group (LIG) and 12 for Middle Income group (MIG).

The LIG homes are 1 BHK measuring between 41.96 – 43.75 sq mts. While the MIG homes are 2 BHK with an area of 60.09 – 60.14 sq mts.

Price for the LIG homes has been pegged between Rs 13.47 -14.05 lakh. While that of the MIG homes are Rs 20.23 – 20.24 lakh.

Applications for the lottery are being accepted from June 29 to July 30, 2020. The building where these 24 homes are located has six floor and a parking.

For people to apply under LIG they have to have a monthly income between Rs 25,001-50,000. While that of MIG the applicant should have an income of Rs 50,001-75,000 per month.

The MHADA building in which these flats are being sold via lottery is located in Kalanagar, Nashik.

The lottery will be held on August 10, at the Nashik office of MHADA.

Mumbaikars will have to wait some more time for their turn. Meanwhile, the housing body has got homes in some good locations in Mumbai.

In September 2019, eight flats with two car parks each landed in MHADA’s kitty.

These flats are located in Tardeo area of Malabar Hill Division. Each flat measures around 1,500 sq ft.

Another four flats in Juhu were also received by the housing body last year.

Also Read: Approvals in 60-days from MHADA, SRA: Minister

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