The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) feels that Dakshina Kannada district can take maximum advantage of the Budget proposal on a scheme to augment the city bus service network in urban areas.

Stating that Dakshina Kannada district has a century-old public transport system, Isaac Vas, President of KCCI, said the region should make best use of the provision related to city bus system in the Union Budget for 2021-22.

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While presenting the Budget on Monday, Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister, stated that the government will work towards raising the share of public transport in urban areas through expansion of metro rail network and augmentation of city bus service.

She had also announced the launch of an ₹18,000-crore scheme to support augmentation of public bus transport services. The scheme will facilitate deployment of innovative PPP models to enable private sector players to finance, acquire, operate and maintain over 20,000 buses. She had stated that the scheme will boost the automobile sector, provide fillip to economic growth, create employment opportunities for the youth and enhance ease of mobility for urban residents.

Vas felt that it is time for the region, which is known for its public transport system managed by private players, to take maximum benefit of this proposal to further improve the system.

The minister had also announced the implementation of ‘Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0’ with a total financial allocation of ₹1,41,678 crore over a period of five years from 2021.

Vas said that since Mangaluru and other towns in Dakshina Kannada district have been working on the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ more aggressively than many other civic bodies in the country, the region needs to make best use of this allocation in the Union Budget 2021-22.

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