New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) on Tuesday decided to formulate a scheme that would incentivise state governments to increase green cover across the region, including through the participation of private citizens and companies, at the 42nd meeting of the Board.
According to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the Board discussed the Regional Plan 2041 in great detail and decided to retain the existing geographical extent of the NCR, with no changes to its current area.
It was decided to encourage the use of innovative instruments like green canopy credits and non-financial tools like transferable and saleable Special Development Rights.
The meeting held on Tuesday in New Delhi was chaired by NCRPB Chairperson and Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Manohar Lal. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Urban Development in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, Jhabar Singh Kharra and Arvind Kumar Sharma, respectively, along with other senior officers of the Central Government and NCR States attended the meeting.
The National Capital Region spans 55,083 square kilometres across the NCT of Delhi and 27 districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. It is home to 230 urban settlements and 11,784 villages, contributes about eight per cent of India’s GDP, and is the world’s largest urban agglomeration, the press release said.
The region is on the cusp of near-doubling in terms of population. From 7.86 crore today to 14.73 crore by 2041 — close to seven crore additional residents to absorb over the next fifteen years. Most of the population growth will be in the urban centres, and especially the larger cities within the NCR. The RP-2041 is an important step in meeting the challenge and planning for this growth.
As per the press release, the Draft RP-2041 has been comprehensively consulted. Public notice in December 2021 drew over 4,500 comments. It has undergone elaborate state and central government-level discussions and reviews through 2025. The updated draft was shared with all four constituent States in January 2026, and the responses have been incorporated.
Speaking in the meeting, Manohar Lal said that the NCR Planning Board is a unique example of inter-state and inter-agency coordination and regional development in the country. The NCRPB Chairman also said that a cooperative, collaborative and coordinated approach is essential to make an economically prosperous, future-ready NCR with citizen-centric infrastructure.
Meanwhile, under the Regional Plan-2041 for the NCR, four semi-greenfield cities are proposed to be developed as mixed-use TOD at selected existing and proposed stations on the Namo Bharat (RRTS) lines.
They would be described as “Namo Cities” and will be identified through a competitive process among the NCR participating states. The scheme will include a performance-linked incentive of Rs 5,000 crore as a blend of grant, loan, and guarantee, including a Rs 1000 crore grant. The NCRPB funding is intended to catalyse the growth nodes, the release noted.
The Minister of MoHUA also announced that the central government scheme of replacement of old bus and truck fleets will be named Program for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air-Pollution and Network Emission (PARIVARTAN).
The scheme is a time-bound fleet modernisation scheme aimed at reducing vehicular pollution in NCR by incentivising the replacement of BS-IV and older trucks and buses with BS-VI, CNG, or Electric Vehicles (EVs), the release said.
It was also decided that the RP 2041 would be notified after examining the issues raised in the meeting and completion of the administrative requirements. (ANI)
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