In a bid to instill a sense of competition among aspirational urban bodies, the Yogi  Adityanath Government in Uttar Pradesh is set to introduce a range of performance-based awards.

The top 3 outstanding civic bodies will be rewarded with incentives ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore, serving as a driving force for the acceleration of development projects within these urban bodies, officials here on Thursday said.

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The rankings of these urban bodies will be determined through comprehensive assessments conducted by monitoring committees, considering various parameters. It is noteworthy that, on the instructions of CM Yogi, the Aspirational Urban Bodies Scheme has been started on the lines of Aspirational Development Blocks. In the first phase, 100 urban bodies have been identified.

The three leading cities will be given incentive amounts of Rs. 2 crore as first prize, Rs. 1 crore as second prize, and Rs. 50 lakh as third prize every year.

Cities excelling in specific sectors will be rewarded with incentives of Rs. 50–50 lakh annually.

The projects eligible for prize money will be approved by the Urban Development Department based on the joint recommendation of the concerned body’s Chairman and the District Magistrate

The 10 best-performing fellows will be given priority for certification, and offered opportunities within the PMU of the bodies, in addition to potential outsourcing opportunities.

Officials and personnel of the best-performing cities will be provided the opportunity for national and international-level exposure visits for the purpose of training.

This scheme will be applicable in the selected 100 municipal bodies till March 31, 2026, and after that, these municipal bodies will work self-sufficiently, but their monitoring will continue through the dashboard until March 31, 2028.

Before March 31, 2026, another 100 municipal bodies will be selected in place of the currently selected 100 municipal bodies, and this scheme will be applicable for two financial years from April 1, 2026, after this, these municipal bodies will become self-reliant.

In all of the aspirational 100 urban bodies, it will be ensured that all vacant posts are filled. Besides, it will also be ensured that once deployed, they are given a minimum tenure of 3 years, and in cases of transfer, they are relieved only when new personnel are present to take charge in their place.

The concerned District Magistrate will ensure this by coordinating with the concerned departments at the government level. Apart from this, senior officers are nominated from time to time as nodal officers by the Planning Department to review the implementation of schemes for all the districts. Nodal officers will ensure to review the aspiring municipal bodies on 32 parameters while visiting the districts.