India, June 17 -- After a delay of nearly five years, the National Capital Region's development plan was cleared for approval on Tuesday, setting the direction for how 55,000sqkm of area across Delhi and three states will grow, get connected, and be governed over the next two decades.

The Regional Plan 2041 was cleared at a meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) in New Delhi, chaired by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Chief ministers and ministers from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan attended the meeting.

A sub-committee of senior officials from the Union government and NCR state governments has been constituted to submit a final report by August 15. The plan will then go ...