The Rurban concept

Gujarat will implement its Rurban concept in 50 towns of the state this year and, for this, waste water treatment and solid waste management projects will be launched in the selected cities, said chief minister Narendra Modi on Monday. He was speaking at a panel discussion held at Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) building in Ahmedabad on the topic, 'Rurbanization-Changing Face of Modern India'. The discussion had been organized in the run-up to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit-2011 that begins in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. "Waste water from the cities, after treatment, will be distributed to farmers for irrigation," Modi said. "This will reduce the overall consumption of water. Moreover, the solid waste collected from cities and villages will be used to produce fertiliser. Organic crops produced from this would be sold in the international market by the government because organic food gives better returns." The chief minister further said that farmers should be encouraged to use organic fertilizer. Money spent on giving subsidy on urea should instead be used to give better facilities to farmers, he added. Under the innovative Rurban concept, rural areas would be provided infrastructure facilities and public amenities equal to urban areas.