Weeks after the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) decided to retain the existing geographical extent of the National Capital Region (NCR) under the proposed Regional Plan-2041, the Centre has updated the list of Rajasthan districts and tehsils that form part of the NCR, bringing it in line with the state’s new district boundaries without changing the overall development plan for the region.A notification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on July 2 has amended the Schedule of the NCRPB Act, 1985, replacing the earlier description of Rajasthan’s NCR areas with the state’s newly constituted districts and tehsils.The notification recognises the newly created districts of Khairthal-Tijara and Deeg as part of the NCR and updates the description of Alwar and Bharatpur districts. It also redraws the position of the newly carved Kotputli-Behror district by retaining Behror, Neemrana, Bansur, Mandan and Narayanpur within the NCR while excluding Kotputli, Viratnagar and Pavta tehsils.The changes do not amount to an expansion of the NCR. Instead, they legally align the NCR’s notified boundaries with Rajasthan’s district reorganisation undertaken after the previous notification.The new notification assumes significance because it follows the June 16 meeting of the NCRPB, where Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the existing geographical extent of the NCR would remain unchanged under the upcoming Regional Plan-2041 despite discussions on restructuring the planning framework.While the statutory boundaries have now been updated, the Centre has left intact the ambitious planning proposals unveiled during the board meeting.Under the proposed Regional Plan-2041, the NCR will absorb nearly seven crore additional people by 2041, with development shifting away from Delhi through a decentralised regional growth model.Four Namo Cities are proposed as semi-greenfield, mixed-use transit-oriented development along the existing and proposed Namo Bharat corridors. The cities will be selected competitively from proposals submitted by Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, backed by a Rs 5,000-crore performance-linked incentive package.The draft plan also envisages concentrating future urbanisation around high-capacity public transport corridors instead of allowing unchecked outward sprawl, making the Regional Rapid Transit System the backbone of future growth nodes.Officials had also indicated that the Regional Plan proposed dividing the NCR into three planning zones, with pollution-control restrictions expected to be focused primarily on Delhi and the adjoining Central NCR, while peripheral districts farther from the Capital would not automatically face identical restrictions. The board, however, rejected Haryana’s proposal to remove five peripheral districts from the NCR, reiterating that the region’s geographical extent would remain intact.Alongside urban expansion, the board approved a framework to increase regional green cover through innovative mechanisms such as green canopy credits and transferable special development rights, while also announcing the proposed PARIVARTAN scheme to replace ageing BS-IV and older commercial vehicles with cleaner BS-VI, CNG and electric alternatives across the NCR.The Regional Plan-2041 itself has not yet been notified. The board had resolved to complete the remaining administrative formalities before issuing the final plan. The July 2 notification therefore serves as a statutory housekeeping exercise that updates Rajasthan’s legal NCR boundaries ahead of the rollout of the new regional planning framework rather than altering the vision or geographical footprint of the forthcoming Regional Plan.* What’s changed in Rajasthan’s NCR mapAlwar: The entire Alwar district continues to remain part of the NCR, but the notification updates its description to reflect the district’s current tehsil boundaries after Rajasthan’s administrative reorganisation.Khairthal-Tijara: The newly created Khairthal-Tijara district has now been formally included in the NCR. Earlier, these areas were part of Alwar district.Kotputli-Behror: The notification splits the newly formed district for NCR purposes. Behror, Neemrana, Bansur, Mandan and Narayanpur tehsils remain within the NCR, while Kotputli, Viratnagar and Pavta tehsils have been kept outside the region.Bharatpur: The entire Bharatpur district has been reaffirmed as part of the NCR, with the notification updating the list of its tehsils.Deeg: The newly created Deeg district has been formally recognised as part of the NCR. It was earlier covered as part of Bharatpur district before Rajasthan’s district reorganisation.* What hasn’t changedThe notification does not expand the overall geographical extent of the NCR or alter the proposed Regional Plan-2041. It only updates Rajasthan’s notified NCR areas to match the state’s new district boundaries.