The Thane Municipal Corporation has allotted an amount of Rs 100 crore to improve the happiness index of its citizens, a year after becoming the first civic authority in the country to introduce the concept of happiness index (HI). The thrust of this allocation is on health, education and environment under this index for the year 2019-2020. Apart from improving the livability conditions, the HI is meant to help residents lead happier lives. For instance, a sum of Rs 9 crore has been kept aside to improve greenery and air quality. Forty canopies will be erected at Ghodbunder Road and Pokharan Road footpaths to check carbon levels. Projects have been proposed to improve the city's air quality through 25-50 vertical gardens, which communities can adopt. School students will be encouraged to adopt a sapling for a whole year under the environmental social project. Moreover, four mist sprayers will be installed in polluted areas like Teen Hathnaka, Kapurbawdi, Bramhand and Kasarwadavli. "These sprayers will combat particulate matter," said TMC boss Sanjeev Jaiswal. To boost creativity among students, a 6-to-12-month programme is proposed for slum children where they can learn music and the arts. A mobile library to make books available to slum children is also an initiative under the education category. The TMC also plans to have a mobile app to connect parents with schools. Through this app, parents can track students' progress and also interact with school authorities," Jaiswal said. A sum of over Rs 8 crore has been kept aside for education category under HI. Resident Sanjiv Datta slammed what he called "new ways to squander public money". "They just come up with new projects to waste taxpayers' money. First, the TMC needs to collect over Rs 1,000-crore dues pending under local body tax and Octroi from various businesses." HEALTH ROUTE TO HAPPINESS A milk bank for infants, 50 mohalla clinics to provide healthcare at subsidised rates, neonatal intensive care units (NICU), dispensaries to provide subsidised medicines, a thalassemia centre are some of the projects under the health segment.

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