Even as good news kept trickling from Maharashtra, the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh spent most of Saturday morning working on more good news for the State. Following up on his statement in Mumbai that the city must develop to become a global metropolis like Shanghai, Dr Singh chaired a two-hour meeting of senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office, the Union ministry of urban development and the Planning Commission to discuss details of the proposed National Mission on Urban Renewal.

Dr Singh sought practical ideas for Mumbai's transformation "into a Shanghai". He said he wanted to do "something big for Mumbai that will capture the imagination of the entire country." He instructed the urban development ministry and the Planning Commission to come up with specific ideas and proposals in this regard. The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia also participated in the meeting.

The Prime Minister also suggested that apart from all metros, at least one big city and one medium sized town per state should be identified by the ministry of urban development for a programme of infrastructure renewal. Dr Singh directed the Planning Commission to work out a funding plan that would draw on public and private funds for specific infrastructure and urban development projects.

The urban renewal mission will focus on slum development, facilities for the urban poor, construction of roads and footpaths, development of urban facilities including sanitation, drinking water supply, power and public transport, public parks and public spaces, legal reform, new construction projects and environment management.