Urban Update August 2022

Quality is just one of our strengths

AIILSG has begun skill development programmes in Rajasthan and Jharkhand. The institute with its 90+ years of experience in the field of capacity building would impart training to youth living in rural areas of these two states to make them employable in various emerging sectorsApparel, Beauty & Wellness, Electronics, Healthcare, IT-ITEs, and Renewable Energy. As per Mou singed, AIILSG will train 16,000 youngsters.

AIILSG IS comm I tted to bu IL d empowered Ind IA w I th S k ILL ed hum A n workforce

For Details, email at delhi@aiilsg.org

UrbanUpdate

A

Ranjit Chavan

Dr Jairaj Phatak General-AIILSG

Ashok Wankhade

Abhishek Pandey

Ravi Ranjan

Hitesh Nigam Sub-Editor

Ayesha Saeed Upadhyay

Pushpender Singh

Arjun Singh

Meenakshi Rajput

Volume VIII - Issue IV

Printed and published by Ranjit Chavan on behalf of All India Institute of Local Self-Government.

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European Union AIILSG

The project is funded by the Union. project implemented by the AIILSG.

Dr Jairaj Phatak Editor-In-Chief | dg@aiilsg.org

T India@75Leading world to a sustainable future

he ’Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign mobilised citizens across the country in an unprecedented manner and one could see the Tricolour on roof tops, terraces and balconies of millions of homes and business establishments all over the country. Over six crore selfies of citizens with the national flag have been uploaded.

India is celebrating the 75th Anniversary of its independence in a fitting manner with huge participation by citizens. While it is an occasion to look back with satisfaction on the achievements of the country since independence, it is also an opportunity to build upon the past and create a leadership role for India on the global stage. India and Indians have been making increasingly greater contributions to build a better life for people all over the world. Among the most impressive recent examples is the COVID-19 vaccine leadership role played by India in developing, producing and efficiently distributing vaccines for the Corona Virus within the country and across the globe including the developed world. This leadership role drew applause from world leaders and organisations such as the WHO. This achievement in the field of science and importantly in the area of life saving intervention is a matter of pride for every Indian. Another area where India is emerging in a leadership role is in the renewable energy space. Government policy framework is driving large scale public and private sector investment in the sector in traditional wind and solar, as well as the new green hydrogen spaces. One can see rapid scaling up in the size of projects to create world class capacities. We are well ahead of the targets agreed upon at international forums. India already has achieved over 40 per cent of renewables share in its installed capacity of 400 GW, beating the 2030 deadline. The new enhanced target is to achieve 500 GW or 50 per cent share of renewables in the energy mix by 2030. Clearly India has a leadership role to play yet again, this time to enable a sustainable future and a greener planet for all.

The ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebration and the clarion call for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ have served to unleash the potential for innovation and creativity in various spheres and place the country in a strong position and equip us for meeting the challenges of the future. The challenges could be in several areas including clean air (pollution), sustainable mobility, environment protection, water security and above all, meeting the aspirations of a growing population. Cities are likely to bear the brunt of these challenges and at the same time also produce, lasting, innovative solutions. Policymakers and city managers must gear up and marshal all their resources in crafting effective, lasting solutions in order to create a sustainable future for the world.

In this issue of Urban Update, we cover several aspects of the 75th Anniversary celebrations as well as some of the challenges the country could face. We believe that this issue could serve as a memorable one with valuable insights.

PIN POINT BUZZ

The relationship between population growth and sustainable development is complex and multidimensional. Rapid population growth makes eradicating poverty, combatting hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage of health and education systems more difficult

UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

GIFT city is India’s aspiration for a global financial centre. Singapore, Hongkong, Dubai, London are examples of the transformative role of financial centres. I look forward to further development of GIFT city

Erik Solheim President, Green Belt and Road Institute @ErikSolheim

From using 1000 Kgs of wood per day to relying entirely on solar energy for their cooking needs, Bancha village in Madhya Pradesh India is blazing quite an eco-friendly trail!

It’s time for each Indian state to plan at least one greenfield city every year. The cost of doing so, like roads can be recovered manifold by the development & sustainability benefit. China has been successful at doing so for decades. The next generation deserves better cities

Kamala Harris Vice-President of the USA @VP

The climate crisis is here. We have the responsibility to take action and protect the people of our nation now—and create millions of good jobs in the clean energy economy in the process

Peter Kalmus NASA Climate Scientist @ClimateHuman

The media should be reporting greenhouse gas emissions numbers with at least as much frequency as stock indices

Urban TRIVIA

Some iconic stalwarts of India were part of local governments prior to 1947. Among them was the legendary barrister and freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das. He was the Mayor of Kolkata from 1924 to 25. His political protégé and freedom fighter, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, also held the chair between 1930 and 31

Liu Zhenmin

Uday Kotak CEO, Kotak Mahindra

Dr Sudhir Mehta

Chairman and Director, Pinnacle Industries Ltd

Beekeeping: Creating employment opportunities for rural women

The Girl Power Project under the All India Institute of Local Self-Government is being implemented in ten districts of Jharkhand namely Dumka, Deoghar, Koderma, Hazairbagh, Khunti, Gumla, Ranchi, West Singhbum, East Singhbum, and Saraikela. The project’s aim is to establish a network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and to serve as a platform for promoting women entrepreneurship. The main goal of the Girl Power Project is to create rural women entrepreneurs and women owned enterprises in order to provide them with opportunities for growth, financial stability, social status, and recognition.

POTEnTIAL In BEE-KEEPInG

Diversification in apiculture offers additional potential and scope for production and marketing of other bee products such as pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bees wax, and bee venom in addition to honey. Furthermore, the sale of bee packages, as well as the rearing and sale of pedigree queen bees, provides a vast opportunity. Beekeeping does not demand a lot of land and labour making it favourable for women and emphasises greater participation of women. It can also provide income in rural areas for the underprivileged population, who do not own crops or farms. Further, it can also augment income and improve food security in areas with limited agricultural production. In addition, crops pollinated by bees are expected to produce higher yields and higher quality, often at no additional cost to the farmer.

The products produced from the

practice of beekeeping are sold at a good price in the market. It includes Honey Rs 250-300 per kg, Bees Wax Rs 330 per kg and Pollens Rs 1200-2300 per kg. In Jharkhand, Karanj, Litchi, Eucalyptus, Bantulsi and Munga are some of the main flowers preferred by the honey bees for honey making. It is harvested four times a year. On an average, one honey box gives four kilograms of honey in one season, so in four seasons it gives 16 kg, which sells on an average rate of Rs 250 per kg. So, if women farmers keep ten boxes per family, they can easily earn up to Rs 40,000 in a year by just selling honey, besides other products are sold at much higher price. It can be summarised as:

♦ Beekeeping provides financial, nutritional, and social benefits to low-income families without requiring land ownership or large capital investments,

♦ It can be used as an extra source of income or main source of income for farmers in rural areas,

♦ The villages have an abundance of nectar and pollen producing plants, ♦ It does not require the acquisition of additional land, ♦ no special education required,

♦ Honey is a nonperishable commodity, so it is easy to store.

CAPACITy BuILDInG OF WOMEn

EnTREPREnEuRS

There are a total of 15 training modules in the project. 11 of these are technical, while four are not. Organic farming, poultry, goat rearing, dairy, fish rearing, mushroom cultivation, lac production and value addition, mahua processing and value addition, bee keeping,

TEAM GIRL POWER

bamboo craft, silk processing are among the subjects identified in the technical training module. Beekeeping training was conducted for creating women entrepreneurs by developing their entrepreneurial skills in making honey and related products.

To achieve this, training on Apiculture at Ramakrishna Mission, Ranchi, was held with 50 beneficiaries of Vishnugarh block of Hazaribagh district during July 12-14, 2022, with an objective to build their skills and technical knowledge on beekeeping. Apiculture or beekeeping is the practice of scientifically maintaining honeybee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans, as well as the collection and

professional marketing of bee products including honey. Honeybees are a boon to mankind because beekeeping can be done for both pollination services and cherished products such as honey, beeswax, propolis, bee venom, and so on. Beekeeping is a low-investment, high yielding business which has emerged as a significant enabler of socio-economic growth of the rural masses. The demand for high-quality honey has increased over time due to its nutritional benefits. Expansion of beekeeping activities in villages will double farmers’ income, create jobs opportunities, ensure food security and bee conservation, and boost crop productivity and pollination.

TRAInInG On BEE KEEPInG unDER GIRL POWER PROJECT

During the training on apiculture, trainer led the session with a discussion about bees and its different types, as well as related products such as honey, wax, and pollen. The beekeeping season, Sarguja, Litchi, Sarso, and Karanj, is the best time to keep beeboxes for production and collection of honey as the productivity is highest. The trainer also discussed the members of the bee family, such as the queen bee, worker bee, and male bee, as well as how reproduction occurs and the different types of boxes used for bee rearing, such as the Italian and Indian boxes. The Italian box is larger than the Indian box and can hold 60000100000 bees, whereas Indian box can hold up to 10000-60000 during the flowering season. Then, the trainer led the women beneficiaries through a practical demonstration in which he demonstrated how boxes are stored, as well as the precautions to be taken while placing bee boxes. The trainer then discussed various diseases that affect bees and bee hives, and pests that reduce productivity and destroy hives. He also informed trainees about preventative measures, symptoms and behavior after contracting any disease, and treatment. The trainer also showed videos of beekeeping as well as other trainings and accomplishments of other women entrepreneurs to motivate them. The trainer then demonstrated to the women beneficiaries how the honey is extracted from the hives, packaged, and marketed.

OuTCOME

The GPP aims to empower and up-lift rural women entrepreneurs. The project aims to create women entrepreneurs and promote social entrepreneurship in beekeeping business. Thus, the women entrepreneurs will enhance and uplift socio-economic status of their families besides earnings. The Project will further provide the marketing support needed for marketing of honey and other products which will help their business to flourish.

Beneficiaries during a classroom session on beekeeping

Practical session and demonstration of beekeeping boxes

Janakpuri Delhi Centre

Indore Centre

Jammu Centre

Bhopal Centre

Belgaum Centre

Global Gender Gap Report 2022 India placed at 135th spot

NEW DELHI: The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Global Gender Gap Report 2022. Gender parity is not recovering and it will take another 132 years to close the global gender gap, the Report stated. The Report noted that as the crisis continues compounding, women’s workforce outcomes are suffering and the risk of global gender parity backsliding further intensifies.

As per the report, Iceland again emerged as the most gender equal country in the world; also the only economy which has filled more than 90 per cent of the gender gap. Till now, only 68 per cent of the gender gap has been addressed globally, while the top 10 economies have reduced their gender gap by 80 per cent.

The Global Gender Gap Index assesses the performance of a country in maintaining gender parity based on four parameters, i.e. Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Political Empowerment, and Health and Survival. The countries are given a score of 0 to 1, where 1 represents complete gender parity, while 0 shows

the least. India scored 0.629 on the Gender Parity Index, which is seventh highest score for the country in the last 16 years. However, India is placed at 135th spot out of 146 countries, while last year India was ranked at 140th place out of 156 countries.

Iceland, on the other hand, has been able to close 90 per cent of its gender gap making it the most gender equal country for the 12th consecutive year. There has been no change in the top five countries. Other than Iceland, Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden emerged as the table toppers. New Zealand, Rwanda, Nicaragua and Namibia are the only non-European countries in the top 10.

On comparing this year’s results against last year’s, the report noted that the overall gender parity score rose from 67.9 per cent to 68.1 per cent. The Economic Participation and Opportunity subindex has also increased from 58.7 per cent to 60.3 per cent, as did the Health and Survival subindex from 95.7 per cent to 95.8 per cent. Meanwhile, the Educational Attainment subindex fell from 95.2 per cent to 94.4 per cent, while Political

Empowerment remained the same, at 22 per cent.

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum commented that while more women have been moving into paid work over the last decades and, increasingly, into leadership positions in industry, there have been continued headwinds: societal expectations, employer policies, the legal environment and the availability of care infrastructure. She noted that this has continued to limit the educational opportunities women access as well as the career possibilities that they can pursue. She further opined that the economic and social consequences of the pandemic and geopolitical conflict have paused progress and worsened outcomes for women and girls around the world – and risk creating permanent scarring in the labour market. She added that conversely, the increasing representation of women in leadership in a number of industries, engagement in tertiary education overall and rebound in professional and technical roles are encouraging and may provide a basis for future efforts.

5 lakh fruit trees to be planted in Nagaland by end of 2022

KOHIMA: The Entrepreneurs Associates (TEA), a non-governmental organisation, has launched an initiative, ‘Trees for Wealth’, under which it plans to make Nagaland into the fruit hub of India by planting nearly 5 lakh fruit trees by the end of 2022.

Neichute Doulo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Entrepreneurs Associates (TEA), while addressing the conference, said that it is a one-of-a-kind initiative, launched in November 2019, to transform the local economy, restore and conserve the environment by planting fruit trees under the theme of ‘Micro by One, Volume by Mass.’

Doulo hoped that up to one million farmers and other individuals will plant 1000 fruit trees on average, resulting in the plantation of one billion fruit trees. The villagers, who want to join the initiative, must include at least 50 farmers with proper land. TEA, on the other hand, will provide plant saplings free of cost and training to preserve and nurture fruit trees.

Under the initiative, saplings of trees like Plum, Orange, Lime, Guava, Persimmon, Mango, Avocado, Fig, Tamarillo (Naga tree tomato), Pears, Walnut, Litchee, etc. will be provided to the farmers. Doulo said that various cash crops and spices have been promoted under this initiative.

Shimla: CM lays foundation stone for development projects

Manipur government to transform road Infra: CM N Biren Singh

IMPHAL: Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh said that the state road infrastructure will undergo a transformation after the rainy season. To highlight the point, he presented a video brandishing the accomplishments of the Government of Manipur to enhance the connectivity of the state with the rest of India.

Through the video, CM Singh mentioned that the first goods train in the state reached Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station in January 2022, first flight between Imphal and Shillong, under Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik

(RCS-UDAN), was also flagged-off in 2021. Also, the Trans-Asian fourlane highway connecting Imphal and Moreh has been upgraded costing `762 crores to the state government, and Jiribam, Moreh, Tamenglong, Thanlon and Parbung are connected to Imphal through helicopter under Manipur Heli Services, which was launched in 2018. The video also showed that the state government has taken numerous steps to enhance the connectivity of remote regions of the state with the capital.

Once the India-Myanmar border opens, Imphal and Mandalay will have direct flight connectivity.

Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur laid foundation stone for multiple development projects worth `55 crore on July 8. He laid foundation stones for a flyover at Khalini Chowk (`9.82 crore); foot-over bridges near Vikas Nagar (`7.62 crore); vegetable market at Darni ka Bagicha (`9.82 crore); and for bus stand, transport office, workshop, and commercial complex at Dhalli (`17.18 crore). CM Thakur said that his government is committed to restoring the old glory of Shimla, in addition to making it a smart city.

NCRPB makes NCR’s web geo-portal open to public

To utilise Remote Sensing and GIS technology to its fullest, National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed a web geoportal named ‘PARIMAN’, set to be used initially by participating states of the National Capital Region (NCR) and the office of National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB). PARIMAN was launched in August last year by Hardeep Singh Puri, Chairman, NCRPB and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. However, NCRPB has made the geo-portal open to public to optimise the utilisation of resources in public interest. The portal can be accessed through NCRPB website.

BrIEfS

Rajkot Municipal Corporation to acquire additional 100 e-buses

Odisha to plant mangroves in 930 hectares of land this year

Rajkot Municipal Corporation has placed an order to buy additional 100 e-buses from PMI Electro Mobility, which has previously delivered 50 e-buses to the Rajkot Municipal Corporation. The newly ordered buses will be equipped with several advanced features such as CCTV cameras, Real Time Monitoring System (RTMS), air suspension and several other safety features as per the statement of the company.

MoWCD releases guideline for ‘Mission Shakti’

BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha is planning to introduce mangrove plantation on 930 hectares, comprising areas of four Mangrove Forest Divisions of Puri, Balasore, Rajnagar and Bhadrak. This plantation drive will cover 810 hectares of area in the Rajnagar mangrove division, 75 hectares in Balasore, 30 hectares in Puri and 15 hectares in the Bhadrak division.

On 580 hectares of land, mangrove plantations will be done using an artificial regeneration method, which involves direct seeding and planting of mangrove saplings. While on 350 hectares of land, mangrove plantation will be done using assisted natural regeneration (ANR) in which natural tree seedlings planted in the forested areas are preserved and protected by humans.

According to the statistics published by the Forest Survey of India in its biennial report, the mangrove cover in Odisha is spread across five districts – Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur and Puri. In the latest assessment of 2021, the total mangrove cover of the state stood at around 259 square km, which is 8 square km more than the assessment carried out in 2019. Mangrove cover acts as a protective barrier against cyclones and tidal surges, thus, preventing any catastrophic damage as well as erosion of the coastal belts that are highly vulnerable to natural disasters.

ECOSOC organises High-Level Political Forum 2022

Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, has released the detailed guidelines for the ‘Mission Shakti’- an umbrella scheme to ensure the safety, security and empowerment of women. The scheme will be implemented between 2020-21 and 202425. The scheme comprises –‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’. SubScheme ‘Sambal’ aims to provide a safe and secure milieu for women and includes initiatives such as One Stop Centre (OSC) and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) and Nari Adalats. While the sub-scheme ‘Samarthya’ includes, Ujjwala, Swadhar Greh, National Creche Scheme, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMY).

NEW DELHI: The United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), organised a High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2022, from July 5 to July 11, under the theme “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

During HLPF 2022, fifth edition of the “Local and Regional Government Forum – Fostering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals from the Local Level towards the 2023 SDG Summit” was held. This forum was organised by the Global Taskforce together with UN DESA, UNDP, UN Habitat and Local 2030. This year the forum was held spanning over two days, i.e. July 7 and 12. The meeting of HLPF will focus on the topic of how the recovery policies can reverse the ill effects caused by the COVID-19 on

the implementation of SDGs and help countries realise the vision of the 2030 agenda. The meeting will make an indepth analysis of SDG-4 (quality of education), SDG-5 (gender equality), SDG-14 (life below water), SDG-15 (life on land), and SDG-17 (partnership for the goals).

Nearly 44 countries will carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has made a decision to spend `162 crore on ward-level works and development after receiving suggestions from the citizens. The civic body is aiming to promote development works at 23 merged villages by allocating dedicated funds for these areas. Vikram Kumar, Administrator, PMC, said that allotting funds to each ward will help in completing pending works across the civic areas. The decision was taken at the recently held revenue committee meeting of PMC.

The fund allocation will be done based on the old ward system, according to which, the city had 162 wards, and each ward will receive `1 crore. Out of the total allotted funds to each ward, `75 lakh is to be used for ward-level works and `25 lakh will be used for works suggested by citizens. The respective ward offices will be responsible to make sure that the dedicated funds be spend on development works in the merged villages. The decision came after the PMC received demands from residents of these areas to provide funds for development works. The citizens had said that the civic body was not able to efficiently provide them with basic facilities such as roads, water supply, and drainage system.

UP CM proposes fellowship programme for 100 aspirational blocks ` 162 crore for development works at ward level in Pune

MCD and SEC to start ward delimitation exercise

LUCKNOW: In a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, he proposed setting up of a fellowship programme in the state to ensure proper implementation of programmes and development of the 100 aspirational blocks in UP.

CM Adityanath noted that 75 indicators have been fixed on which work will take place in each of the 100 blocks, located across 34 districts of the state. The work will be done on parameters such as health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure development. It has

been decided to set May 2022, as the baseline. He added, “Development of the aspirational blocks is our priority.”

CM Adityanath directed officials to ensure that there is no shortage of manpower in any of these blocks. And, to also ensure that each block has a Block Development Officer, Block Education Officer, Agriculture Development Officer (ADO) Panchayat, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Veterinary Officer, revenue officials, etc.

He said that it is important that relatively young, energetic and visionary officers are posted at these places.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and State Election Commission (SEC) are to commence ward delimitation exercise in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The delimitation committee is awaiting the gazette notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Ministry has formed a three-member delimitation committee chaired by Vijay Dev, State Election Commissioner. The committee is supposed to submit its report on the exercise within the next four months immediately following its constitution.

UAE to invest $2 bn for food parks in India

Under the framework of fournation grouping ‘I2U2’, the United Arab Emirates will invest USD 2 billion to develop a series of integrated food parks across India. The grouping is known as ‘I2U2’ because ‘I’ stands for India and Israel and ‘U’ stands for United States of America and UAE. The decision was announced after the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi; President of USA Joe Biden; President of UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid held the first virtual summit on July 14. As part of the initiative, the ‘I2U2’ will also advance a hybrid renewable energy project in India’s Gujarat state with 300 MWs of wind and solar capacity.

BrIEfS

MCD introduces uniform tax rates – to be increased by 15% every 3 years

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) announced uniform rates for general trade and storage licences for establishments in Delhi. The new policy states that `3968 is the annual licence fee for an area measuring up to 10 square metres under groups A and B. Meanwhile, for groups C and D, it is `2646, and for groups E and H, the establishment fee is `1323. The new licence fee rates will come into effect from July 7, and there will be an increase of 15 per cent in the licence fee.

Jharkhand govt to give 100 units free electricity to poor people

The state cabinet of Jharkhand, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren approved the proposal to provide 100 units of free electricity per month to the financially poor population in the state. Nearly 55 proposals were approved by the cabinet in the meeting. The state cabinet has also decided to implement the Old Pension Scheme with some added conditions. Under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner, a committee will be formed to draft the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to reinstate Old Pension Scheme replacing the new pension scheme.

ITANAGAR: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) aims to invest Rs 1400 crores in the road infrastructure of Arunachal Pradesh. P K H Singh, Additional Director General for Northeast, BRO, said that the organisation is already engaged in the construction projects worth `1000 crores in Arunachal Pradesh. He added that the organisation has been granted nearly `20,000 crores, out of which the organisation plans to invest `13001400 crores in the state. Apart from that, approvals are pending for clearing the forest to construct projects worth `2500 crores, on which the work will begin soon.

Balipara-Chardwar-Tawang (BCT)

Road, Sessa Road in the East Kameng district and Elephant Road are some of the previous development projects. The Single-lane Elephant Road has already been completed, while the construction on Sessa Road is pending due to pending forest clearance approval. Also, 90 per cent of the construction work, on Siyom Valley road, in West Siang District is complete except a few patches. Once completed, these road connectivity projects will facilitate reverse migration to the villages and hamlets along the border. The Arunachal Frontier Highway stretching up to 2000 kms, was designed to serve as an axial route along the Indo-China Boundary.

BRO to invest ` 1400 crores to build road infra in Arunachal Odisha government planning to extend FPLMIS in urban areas

BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha, after the success of Family Planning Logistics Management Information System (FPLMIS) in the rural areas, plans to extend the same to the urban area. The FPLMIS is an onlinebased platform to ensure an uninterrupted supply of contraceptive solutions to the target couples at the sub-centre level. Dr Bijay Panigrahi, Director, Family Planning said that they are trying to introduce the FPLMIS in the urban areas under the National Urban Health Mission Programme. He later added that efforts are underway to deliver the supply of newer contraceptive measures (injectables) to the eligible couples to increase the size of basket of choice.

On the occasion of ‘World Population Day’, Malkangiri and Rayagada districts have been facilitated for family planning services. District of Deogarh and Jagatsinghpur were awarded for introducing the injectable contraceptive measures, while the Sonepur and Malkangiri have been awarded for Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) acceptance. Nuapada and Khurda, on the other hand, have been awarded for the implementation of FPLMIS in supply chain programme and family planning logistics. Khurda and Ganjam received the award for the overall implementation of FPLMIS, in 2021-22.

Dr Sadananda Panigrahi, Dr Sapan Kumar Dinda, Dr Anup Kumar Ghose, Dr Madan Mohan Mohapatra, Dr Muralidhar Padhi and Dr Deepak Kumar Dehury have been conferred with the lifetime achievement award for family planning.

India is witnessing an urban renaissance: Hardeep Singh Puri

NEW DELHI: Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, addressed the gathering at 168th Annual Day celebrations of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). He said, “India is witnessing an urban renaissance and the architectural wonders of Rashtrapati Bhavan and various other monuments are a testimony to our architectural expertise of preIndependent India.” Puri praised the active role played by CPWD, as one of the oldest serving government departments, in the development of socio-political landscape of the National Capital Region of Delhi. The minister also highlighted that the department has been part of some of the most exquisite projects, such as the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Block, and Parliament House of the country. Also, the department is contributing to the development of the Central Vista project, including the New Parliament House, Common Central Secretariat and Vice-President Enclave. Apart from the projects inside the country, the department has also constructed the parliament of Afghanistan.

He added that today, we are not constructing to meet the needs of today or tomorrow, but of the next 250 years. The department is inculcating sustainable and environment friendly technology to minimise carbon footprint of the construction processes and buildings. Thus, advancing towards a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive future for the country.

Meghalaya: CM Sangma launches ‘Integrated Web Portal’

SHILLONG: The Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma, on June 15, launched an Integrated Web Portal of the Meghalaya State Public Services Delivery Commission at the Yojana Bhavan. M S Rao, Chief Commissioner, State Public Services, and T Dkhar, State Informatics Officer, were present during the launch.

In his address, CM Sangma highlighted that the state administration has taken various measures for the implementation of citizen-centric governance across all the departments. This Integrated Web Portal aims to ensure citizen centric governance and enhance the efficiency of delivery mechanisms.

He added, “All 188 services should be made available at the earliest on the portal,”

The ‘Meghalaya Right to Public Services Act, 2020’ is the principal

act to look after the delivery of notified public services to the citizens of Meghalaya within a specified time limit, including the liability of the government servants in case of default.

The portal is designed keeping in mind the convenience of the citizens. It also encompasses a dashboard which will allow the officials and commission to check the status of applications at each stage.

As per the statement of an official, citizens residing in areas having poor network connectivity can access the services provided by the portal through Common Service Centres.

CM Himanta inaugurates Boko Solar Park in Kamrup

In an effort to give impetus to cleaner energy production in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated a 25 MW capacity Boko Solar Park in Kamrup district. Earlier, CM Sarma also inaugurated a solar plant in the Udaigiri district. On the same day, CM Sarma, in a meeting, highlighted that the state aims to produce 50 per cent of its power demand through solar energy by the year 2026. He said that they will be able to generate 215 MW solar energy over the next few years.

Madhya Pradesh Mayoral Polls: BJP manage to retain 9 seats

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the recent Mayoral elections in Madhya Pradesh, has managed to secure nine seats out of a total of 16 seats. While Congress won five seats, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won one seat, and one went to an independent candidate. This time, new political parties, AAP and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have marked their entry into the local bodies of the state. AAP has won the Singrauli seat while AIMIM’s mayoral candidate got 10,000 votes.

Facilitating SuStainable tranSport

World’S 1St tidally poWered eV charger

NOVA INNOVATIONS, ONE of the world’s leading tidal energy companies, has installed the first electric vehicle charging point powered by tidal energy. It is located on the island of Yell in the Shetlands, an archipelago in Scotland. The facility is being operated by ChargePlace Scotland, the national electric vehicle charging network, owned and operated by the Government of Scotland. There are four 100-kW turbines in the Shetland Tidal Array, which allows constant delivery to the local grid.

MC launches ‘Swachhta ki Pathshala’ in Chandigarh schools

CHANDIGARH: The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh launched “Swachhta ki Pathshala”, an awareness campaign on cleanliness for schools in the city. Anindita Mitra, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, launched the campaign at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16.

The aim of this programme is to inculcate the importance of sustainable waste management and environment preservation in the young minds. The Corporation also aims to reach out to parents and other adult family members through children to sensitise them about good practices. The focus is on spreading awareness against littering, single-use plastic and promoting the practice of segregation of garbage at source. The campaign incorporates two programmes – “Swachhta Brigade” and “rook toko” – in a bid to train students to take responsibility to keep their city clean and also deter other people from littering the streets, spitting in public spaces, and entirely stop using single-use plastic or SUP based products.

The Chandigarh MC is set to cover all schools of the city, including private in the next six months – wherein, a video presentation will be exhibited during classes about different topics and issues regarding keeping our spaces clean, which will be then followed by an address from a representative from the civic body and an open question-answer session.

Hajipara HWC: First in northeast to receive NAQS certification

DISPUR, Assam: The Hajipara Health and Wellness Centre, situated in the Barpeta District of Assam, has become the first centre in northeastern region that has been awarded the ‘quality certification’ under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NAQS) programme. The Hajipara Health & Wellness Centre has managed to score 89 per cent in the assessment and met six criteria required to attain the National Quality Certification.

The centre was established in 1993 and was assessed for seven services in the state of Assam. Later it has also

undergone the external assessment done by the empanelled external assessors on May 4, 2022. The HWC has also gone through assessment by Pranjal Das, then Community Health Officer.

The centre incorporates neonatal and infant health care services, childhood and adolescent health care services, family planning, contraceptive services and other reproductive health care services, pregnancy care and childbirth, management of communicable diseases including national health programmes, screening, prevention, control and management of non-communicable diseases, management of common communicable diseases and outpatient care for acute simple illnesses and minor ailments, health promotion and wellness activities (including yoga) and the teleconsultation service.

A Health & Wellness Centre has five ASHA workers and eight Anganwadi Workers. The centre caters to a total population of 6466 people in the region.

Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, said that the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), has developed a Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology to turn sea water into potable water. The NIOT has successfully demonstrated the conversion of sea water into drinking water with the help of LTTD technology. The technology is suitable for the island territory of India since it has all the necessary conditions, such as a 15 degree Celsius difference between surface water and deep-sea water.

Pala Wetland of Mizoram recognised as Ramsar site

‘Pala wetland’ situated in the north eastern state of Mizoram, along with Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest, Pichavaram Mangrove in Tamil Nadu and, Sakhya Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, has been designated as a ‘Wetland of international importance’ under the Ramsar Convention 1971. With this, the number of such Ramsar sites in India has reached 54. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty that aims to conserve and promote the wise use of wetlands around the world. The treaty is named after the Iranian city where the convention was signed on February 2, 1971.

MoES develops tech to make drinking water from sea water

Delhi signs agreement with IIIT-D for improving city’s mobility system

NEW DELHI: The Government of Delhi inked a memorandum of understanding with Indraprastha Institute of Information TechnologyDelhi (IIIT-D) for setting up a Centre for Sustainable Mobility (CSM) and finding solutions to problems of urban mobility in Delhi.

In accordance with the MoU, IIIT-D will be responsible for conducting research and developing technologies for the creation of world-class transport infrastructure. Both the organisations will work towards solving problems and building solutions in the urban transportation system.

The CSM will be set up to serve as a gateway to aid startups in the mobility sector, which falls in line with the startup policy of Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal. It was in April 2021, that the Government of Delhi in collaboration with Delhi Knowledge Development Fund had provided a one-time grant for setting up of CSM to address problems related to urban transformation in the city. The Centre is expected to help the Delhi transport department in identifying problem areas and developing a technology roadmap toward solving problems of urban mobility in the national capital.

One of the mandates of the Centre will be to spin off and promote start-ups in the mobility sector on passenger information systems, multimodal journey planners, automation tools, and ticketing frameworks, among others. CSM will also undertake training and capacity building of staff of transport department.

MoE releases India Ranking 2022

NEW DELHI: Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education, Government of India, has released the ranking of higher educational institutes of India called India Rankings 2022, on Friday, July 15.

The Ministry of Education launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), in 2015, which is also used for the India Rankings. The practice is being followed since 2016, when the first edition of India Rankings was released.

In the overall institutions ranking, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Madras and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) – Bangalore has retained their top position in the rankings. While IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Kanpur have secured third, fourth and fifth place, respectively. While in the university rankings Indian Institute of Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Jamia Milia Islamia has secured first, second and third rank, respectively. In the college rankings, Miranda House stands at the top followed by Hindu College in second place and Presidency College in third place. In India Rankings 2022, the performance of higher educational institutions (HEI) is assessed based on five parameters, i.e. teaching learning & resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and perception. This year, however, two new sub-parameters have been added under ”Research Institution”, i.e. Research Papers Published in Journals and Covered in the First Quartile of Journal Citation Report (JCRQI) and H-Index.

ADB approves $96.3 mn loan for water supply and sanitation in HP

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan worth $96.3 million to provide safe drinking water and improve water supply and sanitation services in Himachal Pradesh. The project aims to improve water supply and sanitation services through construction of 48 groundwater wells, 80 surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, 3000 kilometres of water distribution pipelines, among others. A pilot programme of faecal sludge management and sanitation is also to be implemented in Sirmaur district of the state, which will benefit 2,50,000 residents.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India told parliament about number of employments generated by the Startup India Programme. The data covers the period from January 2016, when the Startup India Programme was launched, to June 30, 2022, during which 72,993 businesses were registered that generated around 7.68 lakh jobs in India. Maharashtra topped the list where over 1.46 lakh jobs were created in the last six years. Karnataka, was ranked second with around 1.03 lakh jobs and Delhi ranked third with 87,643 jobs.

Startups created over 7 lakhs jobs in last six years in India

E-Governance initiative launched by Meghalaya Government

SHILLONG: The Government of Meghalaya launched e-governance initiatives to provide better governance at the doorstep of citizens. It aims to ensure that these services are available even to people residing in the remotest region of the state.

Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma has launched five online services during the conference of Deputy Commissioners (DC) and Divisional Officers. These services include CM’s Social Assistance Scheme for Persons with Disabilities, National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS), Online Citizen-Centric Service for Ration Card, online Booking of e-tickets for Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) Bus services and online submission of Annual Property Returns.

CM Sangma announced the launch of online services through his twitter account. He posted, “At the DC’s Conference, we launched five online services. It has been the effort of my government to make services accessible to the people as part of our e-governance initiatives.”

The online services include

The conference stressed upon the implementation of ways and means to improve delivery mechanisms and utilising technology for better delivery. The conference also stressed on disaster management issues following the recent flood situation in the state and improvement of public infrastructure such as schools, police stations and health care centres.

Approximately 1800 government LP schools will be repaired and renovated with the help of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and district level committees. While the education officer will ensure that the improvement and renovation process will also work on essential facilities such as water supply, electricity and furniture.

Online Citizen-Centric Service for Ration Card

Ration Cards Management System (RCMS) will be looked over by the Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Meghalaya. The initiative is part of the digitally enabled Public Distribution System. Through this initiative, citizens will be able to modify family details, transfer/surrender of their ration cards and Aadhar seeding.

Online booking of e-tickets

It includes the transport department ready access schedule to potential tourists, booking e-tickets, paying online and keeping the travellers up-todate via SMS/email alerts.

NGDRS

Under this, the Revenue Departments will allow citizens to register land documents with the registering authority for conservation of evidence, assurance of title and publicity of documents and prevention of fraud.

Similar models will be applied for improving Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs). According to the statement of CM Sangma, the police station in the state will be equipped with computers and Information Technology (IT) solutions, cranes and ambulances will be given to high traffic and accident-prone zones. Additionally, 60 new motorcycles will be provided to control and monitor the traffic situation in East Khasi Hills. The issue of accommodation for police personnel was also taken up for discussion at the conference. Chief Minister’s Police Medal and Chief Minister’s Disaster Response Recognition Medals were also initiated to boost the morale of police personnel in the state.

Odisha outshines all in State Ranking Index for NFSA 2022

BHUBANESWAR: Piyush Goyal, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, released the first edition of ‘State Ranking Index for National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2022- Creating Resilient Food Systems to Optimise the Delivery of Benefits’. Odisha has emerged as the top performing state followed by Uttar Pradesh. The Index was released at the conference of Food Ministers on Food and Nutrition Security in India, held in New Delhi.

In the Index, the performance of states and union territories are ranked based on three key pillars, aimed at ensuring end-to-end implementation of the NFSA, through Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

The three key pillars are (i) NFSA –coverage, targeting and provisions of the act, (ii) delivery platforms, and (iii) nutrition initiatives.

Since the implementation of the National Food Security Act in the state in 2015, Odisha has made significant efforts to ensure end-to-end computerisation of TPDS operations.

The state has created a digitalised database of 3.25 crore beneficiaries,

which can be updated through 378 Ration Card Management System (RCMS) Centers, and there is at least one RCMS in 314 blocks and 64 urban local bodies (ULBs) of the state.

Apart from that, all the 152 storage depots of the Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department, Government of Odisha, have achieved 100 per cent automation, which helps in real-time electronic recording of doorstep delivery of 1.87 lakh MT food grains at 12,133 Fair Price Shops in the state every month. All the Fair Price shops are provided with electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) devices, which ensure distribution to PDS through automation.

Additionally, the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) programme has been implemented in the state. Intrastate and inter-state portability option is also available for PDS beneficiaries, who also have the option to choose any fair price shops as per their convenience to receive their monthly entitlements. Approximately 1.10 lakh families receive ration through the intra-state facility and nearly 533 families are provided ration through the inter-state facility every month. Total 10,578 fair price shops

out of 12,206 have been made ONORC enabled. This number will go up as soon as the network connectivity in the area of other fair price shops improves.

‘Supply of Fortified Rice under Public Distribution in Malkangiri district’- a pilot scheme is also being implemented since July 2021. Nearly 1.29 lakh families, including 4.66 lakh members, are supplied 3138 MT fortified rice under NFSA & State Food Security Scheme. Additionally, the state administration has started providing fortified rice to the Department of School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha, for the PM-POSHAN programme and the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Odisha, for the Special Nutrition Programme.

All the initiatives fetched a score of 0.836 for Odisha, making it the top performer in general category states, followed by Uttar Pradesh with a score of 0.797 and Andhra Pradesh with a score of 0.794.

In the special state category, Tripura was ranked first with a total score of 0.788 followed by Himachal Pradesh with a score of 0.758 and Sikkim was in third place with a score of 0.710.

Assam Cabinet approves ‘Assam State Data Policy 2022’

DISPUR: The state cabinet of Assam approved ‘Assam State Data Policy, 2022’ to improve access to data, efficient service delivery and ensure datadriven policy making and governance. The move entails the collection, compilation, processing and storage of data in a readable format. Under the policy, the office of ‘Chief Data Officer’ will be established in the state with a Data Officer in each department to ensure compliance to Data Standards with the proposed centre for Data Management.

The policy was approved in the weekly state cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma. The state cabinet also approved the ‘Vehicle Scrappage Policy of Assam, 2022, to ensure the timely scrapping and dismantling of old vehicles in the state. The policy aims to ensure effective implementation of the Registration & Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) to phaseout old and unfit vehicles. The state government is also planning to launch a ‘One Time Settlement Scheme’ for a specified period, which would allow the owners to get a tax waiver of up to 75 per cent on a voluntary offer of their vehicles to RSVF.

Also, remunerations of the Chairpersons, Vice-Chairpersons and Elected Commissioners of the Municipal Boards will be increased by Rs 5000. Proposed remuneration for the post of Chairperson stands at Rs 15,000, for Vice-Chairperson and Elected Commissioners it is Rs 12,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.

‘Assam Renewable Energy Policy, 2022’, was also approved for the growth of the renewable energy sector in the state. Under this policy, the state government aims to generate an additional 1200 MW of renewable energy in the next five years. Grid Connected Solar Power will have a

capacity of 620 MW, while Off Grid Solar Power Plants and Rooftop Solar Power Plant will have the target to increase their capacity by 80 MW and 300 MW, respectively. Other sources of renewable energy will have to target 200 MW. ‘Mukhyamantri Souro Shakti Prokolpo’ will install 1000 MW on free government land, which was announced in the state budget of 2022-23. Additionally, the state cabinet sanctioned identification of five Assamese Muslim sub-groups as indigenous Assamese Muslim communities that include Syeds, Deshis, Jolhas, Moriyas and Gorlas. This will be done for the development of health, education, culture, identity, financial inclusion, skill development and women empowerment in these communities.

The state government has decided to sanction the collaboration between Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) under the Small Industries Development

Bank of India (SIDBI), and the state government to provide additional guarantee coverage for loans provided by lending institutions to Micro and Small Enterprises in Assam. Also, a pool of a fund of Rs 100 crores will be created. In this, 80 per cent of the money will come from CGTMSE, while the state government’s contribution will be 20 per cent.

The Assam government also authorised the Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) Ltd to sign a MoU with SIDBI. To reduce the losses of Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) incurred in the financial year 2021-22 and 202223, the state government has decided to give a waiver of nearly Rs 309.86 crores. The state government has asked APDCL to collect Aadhaar and data of all new connections while updating the data of all the existing connections. A venture capital fund of Rs 200 crores will be created with the MoU signed between SIDBI and AIDC Ltd.

IndIan cItIes wIll lay path of prosperIty for natIon In next 25 years

India completed 75 years of its Independence this year. It is a special occasion. We need to look back and understand our urban journey to plan a robust urban future by making policies with demographic and climatic considerations. India, a rural country in 1947, has today the second largest urban population after China. The nation needs to reorient its focus on urban issues to make sure urban systems are robust and agile to provide the required support to economic activities and take any challenge head-on, so our journey to become a global economic powerhouse is not blocked

India has come a long way in the 75 years and aspires to reach greater heights when India turns 100 in 2047. In 1947, cities were the centre of focus for good and bad reasons during the period when India got its independence. Delhi, Kolkata, and the towns of Punjab and West Bengal were bleeding as we began our celebration of long-awaited freedom. The reason was: India was divided into two countries. Millions of people migrated from both countries amidst violence.

A photograph taken by Margaret Bourke-White, an American photographer, of Purana Quila in New Delhi tells the story of people’s miseries. A large number of people were living in refugee camps constructed there. They had reached Delhi walking or by trains, leaving their properties and

wealth in their native places. They needed a place to stay in the new cities. So, hundreds of thousands of people set up tents wherever they could find a place—in temples, mosques, public places, roadside. The city was filled with migrants who had no place to call home. Historical documents and memoirs of people tell us that the situation was not different in many other Indian cities where migrants moved. Of course, the numbers were different. Delhi being the capital, attracted a majority of migrants.

If we look at the population numbers in the ten most populous Indian cities (as per the 1941 Census), Kolkata was the most populated city with a population of about 3.6 million. Delhi was the fifth most populated city with about 7 lakh population. Mumbai,

Chennai and Hyderabad were in second, third and fourth spots, respectively. Another striking fact is that Mumbai’s population (1.75 million) was almost half that of Kolkata. It underlines that Kolkata was a much bigger city those days. Another striking city featured in the top ten was Kanpur at number 7, with more people living here than in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) or Pune. But the journey of Kanpur and Kolkata, colonial towns with British woollen, jute and cotton mills, could not catch up with changing times and lost their shine. Forget about people migrating to these cities; the residents were forced to find employment elsewhere. Every city has written its own story in the last 75 years. Some failed abysmally, and some succeeded and became

lighthouses.

The journeys of Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune are inspiring, while Kolkata and Kanpur’s stories teach many lessons. That is one aspect of looking at cities. But then, economically successful cities need to improve their performance on many other indicators in the face of new urban challenges. Environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, traffic congestion, flash floods, and negative impacts of climate change keep reminding us where we went wrong. Cities need to learn, implement optimal solutions, and move forward. In this regard, the role of local leadership and administration is of supreme importance. Many cities in India did not have strong local governments, but after the Balwant

Mehta committee report in 1957, state governments took the initiative to constitute municipal corporations and councils in their urban areas. However, many decades later, local governments got constitutional validity in 1992. Despite having limited powers, urban local bodies in India supported urban activities and assisted in the development process of Independent India. Though there are a lot of areas where local governments in cities need improvement, their role in building a new India cannot be ignored.

ImporTancE of cITy lEadErshIp

Managing urban affairs at the local level is critical to supporting industries, businesses, and urban lives to run smoothly. Local governments which failed to provide the services and infrastructure facilities dragged the growth engine to a halt. Local governments are essential, but they are not given due importance when discussing high aspirations for a nation. Often their role is taken for granted. Our leadership in pre-independent and post-independent India gave importance to the role of local governments. Mahatma Gandhi was a

proponent of local governance rule at the village level. Powerful politicians and freedom fighters have decorated the post of mayors in pre- and postindependent India. During the colonial rule, India had some form of local government in a couple of selected cities that included Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bombay (now Mumbai) and Madras (now Chennai), among few others. Freedom Fighter and founder of Indian National Army (INA) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was elected as the Mayor of Calcutta in 1930-31. Khursheed Nariman, a senior leader of the Congress Party, remained Mayor of Bombay between 1935-36. Mumbai’s famous Nariman Point is named after him. It shows that local government rule was considered important during those days too.

In Independent India, famous politicians Aruna Asaf Ali (Delhi), Triguna Sen (Kolkata), SK Patil, Manohar Joshi, Chagan Bhujbal, Murali Deora (Mumbai), MK Stalin (Chennai), Devendra Fadnavis (Nagpur), and Sumitra Mahajan (Deputy Mayor, Indore) held mayoral positions. Later, these leaders rose in political ranks and became union ministers, Chief Ministers and even

Lok Sabha Speaker. However, in the absence of constitutional validity and limited authority, local governments began losing their prominence. The same is true for the appointment of bureaucrats in Municipal Corporations. Until today, barring a few states, we do not have a municipal cadre in civil services. It puts the city government at a disadvantage because they cannot use the experiences of these officers going ahead. Many municipal commissioners have changed the face of their cities during their tenure. It happens in the life of a city once or twice, and it is not enough.

It is a general perception that politicians and civil servants see their working tenure, even in metropolitan cities, as an inferior career option to serving the state or Union governments. Unlike in many European countries such as france, the United Kingdom, or the United States, no city mayor has yet become Prime minister or president in India. Even amongst the current members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, only a handful have honed their political skills at city government. Some of the famous politicians mentioned above rose to political prominence; but these are few, considering the size of India and the number of cities it has. The need for change with further reforms in local governance is being felt.

UrbanIsaTIon ovEr ThE yEars

The rate of Urbanisation in postIndependent India has not been very high, but it is bound to pick up pace now for various reasons. The number of inhabitants in Indian cities is estimated to have increased almost fourfold between 1970 and 2018, from 109 million to 460 million. Already the second-largest urban community in the world, the country is expected to add another 416 million people to its cities by 2050 and have an urban share of the population of 50 per cent.

Urban India will add over 190 million people in the next 13 years; by 2035. India will need ten cities size of Delhi to accommodate this population,

considering Delhi’s population of about 19 million today. The recently released World Population Projections (WPP) says that India will become the most populous country in the world by 2023. It sounds alarming and raises hundreds of questions. What will happen to our already crowded cities?

There is a silver lining. Indian population will stabilise by the middle of the century. However, the urban population will continue to rise because of changes in the nature of the economy. Indian population growth rate has declined significantly from 2.3 in 1972 to less than one in 2022. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has also decreased significantly from 5.4 to 2.1.

According to a write-up in the Economic and political Weekly, the median age of the Indian population has gone up from 20 years in 1950 to 21.6 years in 2000 and 27.9 years in 2022. It will increase to 38.1 years by 2050 and touch 47.5 years by the turn of the century. Indian governments at state and centre need to provide its youth opportunities and functional cities where they can utilize their skills and talent to benefit the nation.

India is better placed than many countries in this regard, but this will not remain the same forever. Indian polity has to use the demographic dividend at its disposal as China did in the 60s.

GlorIoUs fUTUrE ahEad

When India turns 100 in 2047, the country will be an economic powerhouse. It is projected that India will be the third largest economy in the world, a USD 40 trillion economy. Only behind the USA and China. Cities will be the driver in this journey. India has shown the world in many areas that it can excel. For example, our efficiency in many professional fields has risen to global standards. The management and facilities at our airports are a good example. If someone travelled from Delhi Airport to America or Europe in the 50s, they would praise how foreign countries managed their airports and the kinds of facilities offered to passengers. The table has turned now. People travelling to these countries have praised how Indians manage their airports and customer services. We have seen a complete transformation in this area. Who would have thought that a day would come when airports in India would be better or as good as any airport in developed countries? It is a matter of pride.

When we celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, our cities only cover about 3 per cent of the country’s area, with 35 per cent of people living in it. If we look at the economic numbers, the urban share of GDP has been on the rise, and the trend is still on the upswing. Today,

During the colonial rule, India had some form of local government in a couple of selected cities that included Calcutta (nowKolkata), Bombay (now Mumbai) and Madras (now Chennai), among few others. Freedom Fighter and founder of Indian National Army (INA) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was elected as the Mayor of Calcutta in 193031. Khursheed Nariman, a senior leader of the Congress Party, remained Mayor of Bombay between (1935-36). Mumbai’s Nariman Point is named after him. It shows that local government rule was considered important during those days too

cities contribute about 55-65 per cent to the national GDP; the percentage varies from various estimations. It is estimated to touch the 85 per cent mark. This change has happened in the last seven decades because more people moved to cities, and the character of the economy changed. In the 1960s, agriculture contributed about 47 per cent to the national GDP, while today, it is just about 13 per cent. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, aspiring to become a US$5 trillion economy by 2026 and US$40 trillion by 2047, when India marks 100 years of its independence.

In this journey of prosperity, cities need to support economic activities by providing a strong platform. Urban management and governance need to be top-notch. For this, Urban Local Bodies, state and national governments, civil society, and, more importantly, citizens will have to work together to live this shared dream on India’s centenary of Independence.

Recent reports, such as the World Cities Report 2022 and World Population Prospects (WPP) 2022, have projected continuous growth in the urban population globally. According to the World Cities Report, the percentage of urban population in India will be 43.2 by 2035. Presently, it stands at 34 per cent, according to the WUP, 2018. Cities are the future, but we need to steer them in the right direction and avoid mistakes of the past. On the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, we look at some facts to understand our urban story

Tracing India’s urban journey in 75 years

India is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav as it completes 75 Years of its Independence this August 15. I was born around the same time. I also turned 75 this August and this fortunate coincidence enabled me to witness the evolution of our country in different spheres. I grew up seeing the experiments and transitions in our national politics, economy, science and technology, urban development, governance, and many other areas. Since my interest and work have been around local governments and cities, I share some of my observations from this journey

ever since.

Cities have always been important for political and economic reasons. As India gained independence, Indian political leaders started deciding the course of development for the nation. We all know that independence also brought the partition pangs. India lost many of its cities and citizens in the partition and witnessed mass exodus that followed with brutal killings on each side.

Many of our cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata were full of people coming from Pakistan. The national capital itself had a huge influx of people from Punjab, Sindh and North West Frontier Provinces of Pakistan. People were seen living on the streets or in camps. Later government allocated refugees land in different cities. West Delhi was one of the areas in the national capital where refugees were given land to settle.

During those days, India was largely a rural country. Only a little over 17 per cent of people lived in cities. The size of our cities was also not big. For example, Delhi’s population was a mere 696,000 in 1947. But because of the population shift, if we look at the growth of population in Delhi between 1941-51, it was about 7.5 per cent annually. The population of Delhi was registered at about 1.4 million in 1951. It was unusual and unprecedented. Such a sharp increase has not been recorded

The national capital was also not as sprawling as it is today. It covered a limited area of Shahjahanabad. Other places, which are posh localities of Delhi today, were scattered villages with agricultural land in between. Sohail Hashmi writes in his article for the Wire, “To the south and detached from the city of Shahjahan was New Delhi; to the west and just outside the city wall was Paharganj, Qarol Bagh (Now Karol Bagh) and Sadar Bazar and to the east was the Jamuna river across which was the old settlement of Shahdara. The rest was degraded forests, rocks jutting out of the ground, ancient villages interspersed with agricultural land and the ruins of old cities, Tughlaqabad, Purana Quila, Bijay Mandal and Siri.” Other cities were in a similar state.

Other Indian cities were emerging as economic and industrial activities were spreading in cities. The rate of urbanization was not fast in those times and was limited to a couple of cities only. Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were the major cities. More people started migrating to these cities. As cities grew, managing our urban spaces became tough. There were several committees made to study the requirements and based on recommendations, many state governments formed municipalities.

LOCAL GOverNMeNTS

IN 75 YeArS

The history of local governments in Indian cities is quite old. The corporation of Madras is the oldest

Ranjit S Chavan | President, AIILSG

municipal corporation in India as it was established in 1688. It was renamed Chennai Municipal Corporation in 1996. Kolkata Corporation came up in 1726; followed by Bombay Municipal Corporation, now known as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in 1889.

Other Indian cities had local governments in various forms— municipal corporations, cantonment boards, district boards, welfare boards, ward committees, etc. Later in 1949, India adopted the Constitution. Indian Constitution had specifically mentioned village panchayats in Article 40 under the Directive Principles of State Policy. It says, “the State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.”

However, there was no specific reference to Municipal Corporation or any ULB except implicitly in entry 5 of the State List, which places the subject of local self-governments as a responsibility of the states. India established local government institutions but these did not have any constitutional validity. There was no major reform in the way municipal corporations were governed and elected. There was no uniformity in India. every state did as they found it feasible. India is indeed 75 years old but our local governments are still

young as the third tier of governments. With the passage of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1991-92, local governments and the way they were governed changed.

The fundamental premise of amending the Constitution was to ensure timely elections of the local governments along with empowering them with financial and administrative authority. One of the major transformations that these CAAs brought was a compulsory representation of women in local governance. It mandated 33 per cent reservation for women in urban and rural local bodies. Since it is a state subject, several states increased women’s reservation in local governments up to 50 per cent.

The Government of India notified 74th CAA on June 1, 1993, from which the said Act came into force. A new part IX-A relating to the Municipalities has been incorporated in the Constitution to provide for among other things, the constitution of three types of Municipalities, i.e., Nagar Panchayats for areas in transition from a rural area to urban area, Municipal Councils for smaller urban areas and Municipal Corporation for large urban areas, fixed duration of municipalities, the appointment of state election commission, the appointment of state finance commission and constitution of metropolitan and district planning

In 1947, the national capital had a huge influx of people from Punjab, Sindh and North West Frontier Provinces (NWFP) of Pakistan. During those days, India was largely a rural country. Only a little over 17 per cent of people lived in cities. The size of our cities was also not big. For example, Delhi’s population was a mere 696,000 in 1947. But because of the population shift, if we look at the growth of population in Delhi between 1941-51, it was about 7.5 per cent annually. The population of Delhi was recorded at about 1.4 million in 1951. It was unusual and unprecedented. Such a sharp increase has not been recorded ever since

committees. Under the 12th Schedule, there are 18 functions which were to be transferred to the cities for management and administration. It was a major reform in the local government sphere. However, local governments in India are still in need of major reform and empowerment. According to a task force report on the review of the 74th CAA, it was found that cities are run by parastatal bodies and consultants. There are some good examples too. The Mayor in Council system akin to state or union cabinet for deciding on civic matters is a good practice in West Bengal and some other states. As we always hear, cities are engines of growth. I must underline that then local governments are the ones which can provide refined fuel that could propel this engine and take our cities and nation to greater heights of success and prosperity. We must strive for the best and think of making Indian cities models for the world when we celebrate our 100 years in 2047.

Role of ICT in mitigating disasters

Cities, all over the world, are affected by various unforeseen disasters, natural or man-made. With increasing development of information and communication technologies (ICT), countries are trying to adopt technology for better prediction, and planning for disasters. As per the report “Human Cost of Disasters (2000-2019)”, India is the third most disaster-prone country after China and United States of America. Recent events of floods in various parts of the country have brought up the need to integrate technology in such situations so as to avoid human causalities Disaster

With time, technology is taking the lead in almost every sector in order to improve efficiency and capacity. There have been various interventions in information technology including GIS, Remote Sensing, satellite-based data and others, to better implement the disaster risk reduction measures. Along with the United Nations Development Programme, the Government of India has worked to incorporate technology for disaster risk reduction in India. The programme was implemented in two phases from 2012-2016 and 2016-2020 in a total of 10 cities across India namely Bhubaneswar, Gangtok, Madurai, Navi Mumbai, Shimla, Trivandrum, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack and Shillong, which are geographically in the region of high disaster risk. It aimed to enhance the institutional capacities for reducing disaster risk in urban areas. More such programmes and schemes are needed to build the capacities of local governments and increase the technological interventions to reduce disaster risk.

WAyS TechNology cAN help durINg dISASTerS

local governments are the first line of defense in difficult scenarios as they are in direct contact with community and are aware of the local challenges and ways to tackle them. local governments along with community groups can do a tremendous job by integrating new modern methods when it comes to preparedness and

mitigation. For instance, during the coVId -19 pandemic people came to know about the power of social media and online databases when the health infrastructure collapsed due to extreme shortage of oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies. The same can be replicated for preparations in times of disasters. A comprehensive database of disaster management related inventory and information dissemination system can be critical in reducing delays which is important in case of sudden events.

Geographic Information System (GIS) based disaster prediction devices can help the administration to plan better for any unforeseen event. gIS are systems that process, store, analyse, integrate and present data in a form that can be useful to predict natural disasters such as floods, and earthquakes. Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring centre (KSNdMc) provides a good example of this. It provides real-time weather-related information, forecasts, early warnings, and advisories for the management of natural disasters in the area. The system integrates information technology through use of sensors to monitor natural hazards, and provide input for better preparedness and management. The KSNdMc had installed over 6,000 Telemetric rain gauges and more than 750 Telemetric Weather Stations to transmit data every 15 minutes. prior to using technology solutions, KSNdMc collected weather data manually and stored it in an MS-

HitesH Nigam | Senior Sub-Editor

Access database. countries, around the world, are utilising methods such as Internet of Things (IoT) to minimise the effects of disasters by collecting real-time data on various things such as volcanic activity, and water level. one such innovation was the IoT-based early warning system developed by the Government of Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, which was also mentioned in the document of best practices by International Telecommunication Union named “Disruptive technologies in disaster management”. The system was developed following the floods of liboriana river, which also triggered a landslide, killing more than 80 people. This IoT-based system consists of five solar powered sensors installed at the liboriana river to monitor the water levels and air temperature using ultrasound. It automatically sends text messages to local governments if a risk is detected.

ISro booSTINg

Tech IN dISASTer prepAredNeSS

Indian Space research organisation (ISro) is actively working towards integrating space technology for example the INSAT series of satellites, which revolutionised the

Japan: Robots to Rescue

The Nagaoka university of Technology (NuT) in Japan partnered with the Nagaoka Iron Industrial youth research Association and developed rescue robots through a team led by dr Tetsuya Kimura, Associate professor, NuT. The team developed robots which can help in searches and rescue operations following a disaster. The university came up with this innovative approach after the country was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in chuetsu district, Niigata prefecture, in which 68 people died and 4795 were injured in more than 16,000 collapsed houses. Such technological interventions are critical for a country like Japan, where natural disaster is not an uncommon occurrence. recently, researchers in Japan have also developed snake-shaped robots that can climb ladders and crawl into drain pipes making it easier for the authorities to reach inaccessible locations during disasters for rescue operation. The robot is 2.5 metres in length and weighs 6 kg, and can be used for inspection of collapsed buildings. A laser sensor is attached to the tip of robot which detects the distance between each rung. It is controlled by an operator who can see via camera mounted on the tip.

communication system and made it possible to establish connectivity with far flung and inaccessible areas, even off-shore islands. Along with the Ministry of home Affairs, government of India, ISro also set up a satellite based Virtual Private Network helping in accessing secure data through dedicated electronic network. It establishes connection among all the key players during disaster management, i.e. information providers and users at all levels. last year, ISro, through its

subsidiary Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Uttarakhand State disaster Management Authority to conduct satellite-based mountain hazard assessment. This will help the state get timely alerts for several natural calamities to respond better to such events. ISro is also an active partner in international events to share knowledge and best practices towards global disaster management. For instance, it is the signatory of International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”, which supports the Authorised users of charter during major disasters.

looKINg ForWArd

Incorporating information and communication technology in disaster response and preparedness is indispensable for effective implementation of disaster risk reduction measures. There is a need to harness the potential of advanced technologies such as drones, unmanned underwater vehicles, IoT, artificial intelligence, robots, blockchain, and big data. There is a need to empower local governments and local level authorities such as District Disaster Management Authority, and work for their capacity building in order to effectively use latest technologies in disaster risk reduction.

Integrating green & grey essential to mitigate urban floods

Flood events are a part of nature, but urbanisation, which goes hand-in-hand with land-use changes, makes cities impassable for excess water, thereby often aggravating urban flooding. Inspite of efforts made by society and governments to reduce flood risks and losses for decades, people in Indian cities have been forced to find various ‘zugaad’ and adapt to the tormenting challenges that all kinds of flood events bring. While the cities keep growing, administrators and politicians are yet to shift their vision from industrial development to saving their cities and community

income nations . Due to lack of proper, carefully thought out development of our urban spaces, our cities now have a lot of impervious surfaces and blockages to the natural hydrology of a landscape.

Mitigating urban floods are possible with green infrastructure built on natural designs like rain garden, green roofs and green walls, concrete product that can absorb rainwater and storm water, thus channeling it into the ground. However, Seema Mundoli, Faculty at Azim Premji University, who has expertise in the field of sustainable urban development, in an interview with the Team Urban Update, said that such concepts are created by and for north western nations and are quite difficult to imitate in Indian cities because of challenges like large slum areas, low open public spaces, different ecology usage patterns, etc. So, options that remain for our cities is to remove encroachments from natural landscapes, replace outdated drainage system with better models, and carry out desilting and inspection of such networks as regularly as the citizens pay their taxes.

FlooDS In CITIeS

In 2014, China launched the popular initiative called the Sponge city. on similar lines, city of Vinh in Vietnam also adopted ‘city as sponge’ strategy to lessen the impact of seasonal floods on vulnerable urban areas. In China, more than 30 cities currently are part of the initiative wherein 80 per cent of all urban land is enabled to absorb or reuse 70 per cent of stormwater. It was only this year in July that Municipal Corporation of Chennai had announced its decision to transform 50 parks into ‘sponge parks’ in the city to store rainwater run –off; but no other Indian city has considered this method so far.

n addition to hindering the lives of people and blocking people’s access to basic services, floods continue to damage public and private properties, which become a major economic liability for lower and lower-middle

Flood menace of Mumbai is infamous. In June 2020, Iqbal Singh Chahal, the then Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation had claimed that the city was all set to meet the rains with its over 2900 km long storm water drain network, which had been desilted

Pooja

and cleaned up by the Corporation. However, in August that year, the city flooded nonetheless, including areas in south Mumbai which had never flooded before. Stalin D, Director of Vanashakti had stated that recently started work on grey infrastructure, such as the coastal road project and Metro Phase - III in the region was the man-made reason behind flooding, which destroyed its natural drainage system. Unfortunately, the outdated mentality of ‘pave, pipe, and pump’ in urban development is followed by planners’ and decision makers’. other Indian cities including new Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad are not doing any better either. The way these cities crumble after even a single heavy downpour, like it happened in Pune in 2019, in Hyderabad in 2020, and in Chennai in 2021, reflects on the cities’ failure to integrate the concept of sustainability in navigating the development and evolution of urban areas. However, urban floods of this scale cannot be contained by the municipal authorities alone. nor can they be dealt with by the state governments. They cannot be managed without concerted and focused investment of energy and

resources. Such investments can only be done in a mission mode method with active participation of civil society organisations at the metropolitan scale.

InCreASIng

InSTAnCeS AnD loSS

It is the warming global temperature that not only causes rise in sea level, but also creates possibility of increasing intensity and frequency of heavy downpours, which means increased number of localised and riverine flooding. In 2021, a total of 432 catastrophic events were recorded around the world, wherein 223 events were that of flood, according to reliefweb. An assessment of its database noted that an average of 163 annual flood occurrences were recorded across the 2001-2020 period, indicating a major rise in flood occurrences.

The table collaborated from the emergency events Database (eMDAT) highlights that no real progress has been made by the nation so far in mitigating floods, because economic impact of flood events in India has only been increasing (see table 2). The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) had estimated losses worth `14,000 crore caused by flooding in Mumbai between 2005 and 2015.

The city authorities of Shanghai, which has already adapted the sponge city initiative, have been putting enormous stock in adaptation strategies because the city is expected to experience rainfall and flooding that will be 20 per cent higher than the global average by 2050. other flood-prone cities like rotterdam (netherlands) and Fukoka (Japan) have introduced waterproofing measures and green stormwater infrastructure and increased urban green space in preparation of floods. Meanwhile, the approach of dealing with floods in our nation still largely remains about managing the flood water once it has started submerging a city, rather than developing structures and mechanisms in advance to deal with the possible flooding of an area or a city. Whilst, it is not necessary that same mechanisms will work for Indian urban spaces,

The city authorities of Shanghai, which has already adapted the sponge city initiative, have been putting enormous stock in adaptation strategies because the city is expected to experience rainfall and flooding that is 20 per cent higher than the global average by 2050. Meanwhile, the approach of dealing with floods in our nation still largely remains about managing the flood water once it has started submerging a city, rather than developing structures and mechanisms in advance to deal with the possible flooding of an area or a city

there is a need to put more serious efforts in addressing this issue.

grey v/S green

In an interview with the Team Urban Update, Mundoli stated that the key in mitigation of urban floods will be to remove encroachments from the important natural landscapes, such as those around the coastlines. She added that people have turned blind in the name of ‘urban development’, which has led to and continues to lead to unwarranted deforestation, covering up of natural landscape with impervious surfaces, thereby further reducing natural mechanisms that could have been useful in managing excess water from floods. “now it is no longer a matter of thinking ahead or preparing for future catastrophes; frequency and intensity of rainfalls across our cities, especially those on coast has already become pretty regular in comparison to the earlier patterns, therefore, now the question for the decision makers and people is whether they will choose grey infrastructure or save the city,” she added.

Health? It’s gone up in the airHealth? It’s gone up in the air

Winter is Coming! The phrase portends doom. However, for the residents of Delhi, it does so in a different context. For many years now, the season of unbearable dust and pollution in the air precedes the winter season. And with it come numerous health hazards for the people. Breathing problems, allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, etc. The direst consequence of all is death. The worsening air pollution leaves in its wake an army of the dead

eath by breath’ was an apt name for a series of news reports and articles by the Indian Express in 2015, on the adverse impact of air pollution on the health of people. According to this investigative series, the alarm bells rung by the environmental organisations were not paid heed to by the authorities. Even though the air pollution on any given day in Delhi is a trainwreck, what happens every year at the onset of winter season is a public health disaster, which only seems to be getting worse every year.

Air pollution is measured by RSPM or Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter. These particles are smaller than 10 microns in diameter and therefore, are tougher to filter out. They are classified as PM10 and PM 2.5 on the basis of their size. It is known to enter the human body and cause various types of health hazards. The smaller the particle, the deeper it can go into the body. PM10, for instance, causes problems in the upper respiratory tract, while PM2.5 harms the lower respiratory system. Children, elderly and pregnant women are at a higher risk.

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2022, published by the

Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Network, Columbia University, ranks 180 countries on the basis of 40 indicators, on environmental health and state of sustainability. India was ranked last on the list. The Government of India, however, rejected both the reports saying that there is no direct correlation between air pollution and deaths. On September 22, 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) changed its guidelines on average annual PM2.5 concentrations. It went down from 10 micrograms per cubic meter to 5 micrograms per cubic meter. It means that, the WHO’s prescribed safe limit for air pollution is actually lower than what it was earlier thought to be.

ADvERSE HEALTH IMPACTS

The immediate response to air pollution can range from irritation in the eyes, nose or throat, headache, fatigue to difficulty in breathing, etc. People with breathing problems like asthma, and hyperventilation, may see a worsening of their symptoms. Long-term exposure to air pollution may cause decreased

AyeshA sAeed | Reporter

lung function, severe respiratory problems like coughing and difficulty in breathing, impacts on memory, cancer, and even premature death.

LocalCircles, a digital communitybased platform, conducted a survey last year, which showed that during November 2021, there was a spike in the number of people experiencing pollution-related health issues. As per the report, hospital visits increased by 100 per cent during the second week of November in 2021. Mayank Meena, a resident of Delhi says, “My sinusitis gets aggravated during those few days when there is smog everywhere. I take medicines for it temporarily, since going out of Delhi is not an option.” The story is the same for many residents of Delhi for whom the N95 mask has become a way of life.

DEATH bY bREATHPOLLUTION DEATHS

According to Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) published by The Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago (EPIC), India is the world’s second most polluted country. And in the National Capital Region of Delhi, which is the most polluted city in the world according to the report, the life expectancy of people goes down by 10 years compared to what it would be at the WHO’s safe limit of 5 micrograms

per cubic meter (µg/m3). According to a research study published in the international public health journal, The Lancet, ‘Health and Economic Impact of Air Pollution in the states of India: Global burden of Disease Study 2019’, air pollution killed 1.7 million people in India, which accounts for 17.8 per cent of total deaths in the country. And as per another Greenpeace report, in 2021 alone, 54,000 people died.

ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSE OR APPLYING bAND -AID

While Delhi’s air quality has been plummeting, there is an absence of stringent and consistent measures. The Delhi Government’s odd-even scheme is one such measure introduced in 2016, which aimed at bringing down vehicular pollution and traffic congestion on the roads. It is implemented as a band-aid at the time when the PM levels cross ‘hazardous’ levels.

In 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which is a national policy aiming to monitor ambient air quality across India. It has set the target of 20–30 per cent reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024. The policy is a much-needed initiative, but has come under criticism for many

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2022, published by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Network, Columbia University, ranks 180 countries on the basis of 40 indicators, on environmental health and state of sustainability. India was ranked last on the list. The Government of India, however, rejected both the reports saying that there is no direct correlation between air pollution and deaths

reasons. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the central government to raise the target for reduction of particulate matter in the air as well as reduce the time-frame for reaching this goal. Critics have also questioned the advisory nature of the policy, but it is to be noted that the NCAP has expressed support for conducting health impact studies in the country.

In 1998, a judgement by the Supreme Court forced all public transport vehicles to be run on CNG. It considerably reduced RSPM levels from 409 µg/m3 in 1995 to 191 µg/m3 in 2000, and then further to 161 µg/m3 in 2007. but in April 2022, it spiked to a dangerously high level of 346 µg/m3, way beyond the safe limit which is 100 for residential areas and 150 for industrial areas.

These sporadic interjections by the state and local governments spurred by environmental disasters and the fear of unpopularity in public, are shortsighted. The problem of air pollution is no longer just a problem. It has become a full-blown disaster of monstrous proportions. What we need are radical actions from the state and the rest of us need to follow through with them to the T. No more half-hearted efforts when it comes to saving the environment!

The silent disaster in Indian Cities

The world has already begun to witness horrifying effects of climate change as it has greatly disturbed the existing weather patterns. Several reports from various organisations, including India Meteorological Department (IMD), show that the frequency and ferocity of all natural disasters like cyclones as well as heatwaves in and around the Indian sub-continent are on the rise with each passing year

Heatwave is one such disaster that has recently disturbed the lives of people in various regions of the world including the United States of America, Europe, Northern China, and Central China. Its fangs have been sharpened by climate change and rising global temperature. Going by the definition of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a heatwave means a period of five or more consecutive days during which the daily maximum temperature exceeds the average maximum temperature by five degrees Celsius or more. This excess atmospheric temperature causes physiological stress on the body of humans and animals that sometimes leads to death, especially in the urban landscape.

The effects and implications of the heatwave are often overlooked due to a lack of visual damage like the one caused by floods, landslides and cyclones. However, scientific studies paint a picture opposite to popular opinion. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, more than 1,66,000 lives were lost due to heatwaves around the world during 1998-2017. It includes the 70,000 deaths that occurred during the European heatwave incident of 2003. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), heat/sunstroke has emerged as the fourth major cause of ‘Death Due to Forces of Nature’ in India, which has claimed the lives of 530 people in 2020.

CAUSES AND IMplICATIONs Of HeATWAves

The phenomenon called heatwave is

not new to India and the world. It is a recurring event that occurs generally in peak summers. However, due to the rise in average annual global mean temperature, its intensity has increased significantly. These conditions are catastrophic to the world, especially to the European nations that are accustomed to temperate climatic conditions. Recent incidents of heatwaves in Europe resulted in the melting of the road signals, railway tracks and even the asphalt on the road. While in 2021, as many as 500 lives were claimed by the “heat dome” in Western Canada and North West part of UsA.

It shows how ignorance has made the world vulnerable to such new forms of extreme weather events.

Apart from climate change, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of India has identified several other anthropogenic causes that are exacerbating the situation. Some of the major causes are the unplanned development of urban areas that has led to the creation of concrete jungles devoid of tree covers, thus increasing the climatic forcing of Indian cities.

The second major cause is altering the land-use pattern, where a majority of water bodies around the cities, such as wetlands and lakes, have been drained to erect infrastructure to serve the needs of the growing urban population. Cumulatively, these factors are making Indian cities vulnerable to new challenges such as Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects, which could pose a greater threat to the lives of people in Indian cities.

The NDMA’s data shows that heatwaves have claimed the lives of 24,223 people

PushPender singh | Trainee Reporter

during the period spanning from 1992 to 2015, a period that coincides with the growth of urbanisation in India. Yet, the increasing threat to our cities was overlooked and it was not included in the list of notified disasters in India, meaning that it wasn’t considered a disaster at all. Now as the global temperature increases and so does the frequency of incidents of heatwaves, the vulnerability of our cities caused by our very own ignorance is being exposed.

As per the Accidental Deaths & suicides in India (ADsI) 2020 report of NCRB, ‘Heat/Sun stroke’ has emerged as the second leading cause of death ‘due to forces of nature, in Indian cities’, the first one being ‘exposure to cold’. A maximum number of deaths due to ‘Heat/Sun stroke’ have been reported in the city of ludhiana (21), Dhanbad (5), Ghaziabad (2), Ahmedabad (1) and Hyderabad (1). It is not just fatal for humans but also leads to the death of birds, animals and other wildlife, while in rural and forest areas it makes the landscape vulnerable to incidents of forest fires.

MITIGATION effORTs

Ahmedabad became the first city to develop and adopt a city level Heat Action Plan in India. However, it was prepared only after the city suffered massive casualties during the heatwave incident of 2010. Later, many states like Bihar, Telangana, Odisha and Maharashtra came up with their own set

of plans.

The Government of India, on the other hand, sprang into action in the year 2016, with the issuance of the first-ever national guidelines on heat risk reduction. Later, in the year 2019, the National Guidelines for Preparation of Action Plan – Prevention and Management of Heatwave was prepared by the NDMA and it was adopted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The new set of guidelines aims to provide a skeleton framework around which cities could develop their regionspecific plans for implementation.

The key aspects of the action plan include developing an early warning system based on new communication systems, and developing interdepartment and interagency coordination for which the IMD under the Aegis of the Ministry of Earth Science, Government of India has been designated as the nodal agency. It provides all kinds of weather-related information and warns the citizens and administration of any upcoming extreme weather event.

Regarding heatwaves, the Ministry provides a colour-coded alert throughout the nation. As per this, Green Alert signifies a Normal Day, Yellow stands for Heat Alert, Orange means Severe Heat Alert and Red means Extreme Heat Alert, based on which the administrative agencies could take appropriate response measures.

The other key aspect of the guidelines

The NDMA’s data shows that heatwaves have claimed the lives of 24,223 people during the period spanning from 1992 to 2015, a period that coincides with the growth of urbanisation in India. Yet, the increasing threat to our cities was overlooked and it was not included in the list of notified disasters in India, meaning that it wasn’t considered a disaster at all

is to tackle heat induced disorders by generating awareness amongst the vulnerable communities regarding the Do’s and Don’ts with the help of media tools. Additionally, the health institutions in the country have been instructed to prepare detailed action plans to deal with heat related illnesses, before the onset of hotter months. The in-charge of the hospital is given instructions to ensure that hospital staff is trained to deal with any contingency inside the hospital, and a Rapid Response Team (RRT) should be formed to deal with any contingency outside the hospital. They should also ensure the availability of sufficient staff, beds, medicines, Iv fluids and equipment in the hospital. The hospitals should also establish proper communication channels with the other nearby facilities to share the excess patient load during the peak season.

The NDMA’s guidelines also include a provision for the assessment of the impact once the heat spell passes. During the assessment process, all the data related to the temperature, humidity and other phenomenon linked to the heatwaves and feedback from all stakeholders should be compiled to identify the gaps and loopholes in the guidelines. Any such deficiency would then be eliminated to better deal with any such spell of heatwaves thus mitigating its ill effects on the lives of our citizens.

Water policy & the water harvesting communities

mostly felt through water challenges –without restoring our water resources. And for that to happen, the tradition of water harvesting – still found all across the nation - needs to be revived and strengthened.

India is discussing, for the last more than three years, about bringing a new water policy. The current policy is a decade old. In this last decade, things have changed, and drastically so. Rainfall has become more erratic than ever before. Extreme climate events have become the norm. Even though floods and droughts were not unknown to the country when it attained independence, no one thought about climate change back in the 50s. Planners wanted to improve conditions of the farmers by enhancing irrigation coverage. That was aimed at increasing water security for the nation that has always been dominated by the farming sector. Water resources was continued to be extracted for development of the farm sector and other sectors. Industries, energy and urban areas then emerged as the other major sectors that used a lot of water. Plans and policies emerged to harness existing water resources through various kinds of structures ranging from small water harvesting structures to large dams. Over time, all these 75 years, while we have achieved many positive results in using water resources for development of the economy and society, we have transformed from a water rich country – on average terms –to a water stressed one. More than half of the country now faces severe to acute water scarcity. That’s mainly because, for the love of engineering structure based water management, we forgot some of our glorious water harvesting traditions. Despite all the modern technology that we boast about, we cannot fight impacts of climate change – that is

Even as we discuss the policy formulation, the Government of India has already launched a campaign to promote water conservation awareness and has an intended goal to promote five targeted interventions: water conservation and rainwater harvesting; renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks; re-use and borewell recharge structures; watershed development; and intensive afforestation. All that intent looks pretty well in line with what is actually needed. This now needs to be backed by strong policy actions. Our water policies have virtually become wish lists without being implemented towards achieving what they are intended to. Or else, we would not be facing such a precarious water crisis situation at the moment, which is going to be worse in a few years. It’s not that our existing policy documents don’t talk about water harvesting. They do and many programmes and campaigns are already in operation for decades, but there is certainly a lack of will power at the highest level of power ranks to promote decentralised water harvesting and management structures as against the large dam and centralised systems of water management.

REcOGnIsE ThE TRADITIOnAl knOWlEDGE AnD PRAcTIcEs

The first policy action we need to take is to recognise and restore the traditional water harvesting systems that have a vast potential to store the rainwater, recharge groundwater and meet many of our water needs. The large dam centric water planning for the last several decades has done all that’s possible to destroy these sustainable systems. Over-dependence on concrete, top-down imposed structures of water management have also alienated the local people from decision making. The people, who once managed their own water, have started to lose faith in their own traditional

Ranjan K Panda | Convenor, Combat Climate Change Network

wisdom. This, I say, from my experience working with communities in reviving their water harvesting practices.

What we now need is to go back to some of these traditions, for which Odisha can be a model state. If we are seriously interested in tackling our water crisis, we need to learn from the good and bad that has happened to these traditional resource management systems. For example, the western region of Odisha has been a resource-rich region with a long history of sustainable practices to manage these resources.

One of the prime reasons for increasing frequency of drought, is the neglect of western Odisha’s traditional waterharvesting structures. For example, just a few decades ago, the drought-prone kalahandi-Bolangir-koraput (kBk) districts, counted as one of the most backward zones in India, combated droughts successfully with a network of about 20,000 traditional tanks built with community participation. Given the undulating topography of the region, these tanks stored water that was later used during the dry months. so, a shortfall in rainfall never caused drought. Of course, it might have been the cause of some scarcity of water. We can go back to that with some modern

innovations, funding support and a strong emphasis to revive them through the strengthening of the Mahatma Gandhi national Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGnREGs).

Recently, as part of our organisation’s campaign, we visited some of the wonderful traditional water harvesting structures that have been kept alive by local communities for long – some even for hundreds of years. Take for example the Bijepur kata (large surface water harvesting structure), in the Bargarh district of Odisha, that has been standing strong for more than two hundred and fifty years now due to continuous nurturing by the local people. It has faced encroachments and other challenges but the people, especially women of the village (now a Notified Area Council), have taken up the task of revival upon themselves with help of the government.

DROPs OF WATER WIsDOM

107-year-old chandrakanti Pujhari, who heard the story of this water structure’s history from her father-in-law told me that in early 1800s (some say 1818), the then local Zamindar (landlord) decided to dig up a huge kata (large surface water

harvesting body) of about two hundred and fifty acres by inviting special pond diggers from other areas. The Zamindar, Damodar Gadtia, decided to end water woes of the villagers as there was no water storage facility in the village Jaring where all of them were staying. The Zamindar talked to all of them and sought their help in digging the kata so that they could settle alongside water and practice farming. There were only four-five families who were settled at the area where the kata (we can also call it a tank) was to be dug. The Zamindar motivated them to shift so that the work for the tank could be started.

This water structure has been socioculturally, ecologically and economically significant for Bijepur as well as nearby areas. In fact, this is the lifeline of the people here ever since it was dug. It supports irrigation, is used for bathing and other domestic purposes and also holds many local festivals. When some locals started disrespecting this sacred and useful water structure and encroached upon some parts of the water body as well as catchment area, and it thus started getting polluted, a group of women from the village started a movement to protect it. They started to petition the government from 2009 and took to other methods of agitation and finally succeeded in receiving the attention of the authorities which resulted in a planned revival of the water body with financial support from the government. This is just one lesson coming from a non-descript area of the country on how water wisdom from our communities – preserved with them for centuries – can actually help us build resilience against impacts of climate change. The new water policy should bank on all these structures and systems from across the nation to create a specific strategy for time bound revival of all ailing water harvesting structures including those in the urban areas. This strategy should involve local people and communities for reviving and nurturing these structures in a way that enriches the local ecosystems.

[The views expressed are the author’s own. They do not purport to reflect the views of Urban Update.]

India@75: The learning & way forward

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s India celebrates 75 years of independence, there is a need to look back at the country’s urban development and learn from it. In an attempt to trace this journey, the All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) along with the InfoComm India organised a webinar to celebrate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – 75 years of India’s independence. The webinar focussed on the development of urban local bodies, right from the beginning in 1950s to the present.

The illustrious panel included Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG; S K Singh, IAS (Retd.), Member Administrative/ Technical, Real Estate Appellate Tribunal Bihar; Kulwant Singh, CEO, 3R Waste Foundation; Mukesh Mathur, Former Professor, National Institute of Urban Affairs. Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update moderated the session.

Damini Diwakar, Head of Marketing and Communication, InfoComm India, introduced the subject to panellists and audience. She said, as India is making rapid strides in national transformation, the next few years will be very crucial, and this webinar aims to address the key challenges and changes that are expected in the future, learning from the past and planning for the future.

She later introduced Sammi Zhang, Program Director, InfoComm Asia to the panellists and other participants.

Zhang highlighted the role played by InfoComm Asia in organising educational and meaningful programmes including this webinar.

She also provided a brief introduction of the organisation and of the upcoming event of InfoComm India, 2022, which will be held in Mumbai.

After her opening address, she invited Ravi Ranjan Guru, Deputy Director General, AIILSG to speak.

Guru highlighted the role of AIILSG in the field of urban development since 1926. He later informed the audience about a new publication of Urban Update, Urban75, a Coffee Table Book tracing the evolution and development

of Indian cities since 1947.

He added that to ensure the effective implementation of projects and programmes related to urban development, the participation of the urban local bodies is an essential precondition. He said, “We, as an organisation, started working in the field of sanitation by introducing the course of Sanitary Inspector in 1956. The move aims to create a trained workforce that would work to ensure and promote cleanliness and sanitation in Indian Cities.”

Following the address of Guru, Damini introduced Abhishek Pandey and asked him to moderate the panel discussion. Pandey began his address right from the partition of the erstwhile Indian dominion into India and Pakistan, which led to the migration of over 20 million people from and to Pakistan. A landmark incident from which the nature of Indian cities started changing.

At the time of independence, only 17 per cent population of the country was living in cities, which has soared to 35 per cent today, and if we look at the report of World Population Prospect (WPP) 2022, approximately 675 million people will be living in Indian cities by 2035. In the next 25 years, we will be celebrating 100 years of India’s independence so we must take note of the needs of this urban population keeping in mind the number of people moving towards cities and challenges posed by the extreme weather events to make our cities disaster resilient.

Pandey invited Sunil Kumar Singh, IAS (Retd.), to deliver his remarks. He began by telling the participants about background of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA), 1992. He noted that earlier when the urban local bodies used to be part of the state list, the idea to give independent powers to the local bodies started gaining currency, which culminated in the introduction of 74th CAA that added part IX and Part-IX-A along with Schedule 11 and Schedule

12 to the Constitution of India. Under this act, power to conduct elections for local bodies was conferred on State Election Commission and it mandated the formation of a State Finance Commission (SFC) to be formed by the state governments every five years. The State Finance Commission was to recommend measures to augment the financial position of the local bodies. Because the local bodies did not have the necessary resource they were heavily dependent on the state governments for same.

Kulwant Singh was next on the panel to deliver thoughts on the subject. Singh began by telling the audience that earlier it was believed that India lives in the villages in 20th century, but now it could be said that half of India lives in the urban landscape. He added, “The urban population of India will breach the 600 million mark by the year 2030, therefore, there is an urgent need for urban planning, which has been neglected in the past. Currently,

out of the total of 8000 towns and cities, only 2000 have prepared their master plan.”

He further added that urban planning should also include transport planning, especially when the density of the urban population is increasing with each passing year. Public transport is of key importance as far as the development of India is concerned. Since, up to 60 to 65 per cent of our GDP comes from the cities, the development of which is largely dependent on urban mobility. Singh later highlighted some of the key initiatives and schemes working in the field of public transportation, including the Metro Rail Policy and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of EV (FAME) – I & II, and several other initiatives of the central government that works in the field of clean energy, sanitation and waste management.

Mukesh Mathur was the next panellist following Singh. He delved into the financial challenges that the local bodies have to deal with and

The urban population of India will breach the 600 million mark by the year 2030, therefore, there is an urgent need for urban planning, which has been neglected in the past.

Currently, out of the total of 8000 towns and cities, only 2000 have prepared their master plan

how can they improve their financial standing. He began by tracing the history of the origin of the local bodies right from Lord Rippon’s resolution of 1687, in port town Madras. He said that urbanisation was not that much of a challenge before the south Asian countries including India, before the 1980s. But now as the estimates show that by the year 2050, more than 50 per cent of the population will be living in urban areas, and present contribution of the urban sector to India’s GDP is around 68 per cent. Therefore, the urban landscape is worthy of the attention which is given to it by the government. The concept behind the introduction of the 74th CAA lies in the vision of realising the dream of creating an urban local government, who are capable of planning and implementing plans related to urban development. So, they could function as the third tier of governance rather than being treated as a department under the administrative control of the state government. Apart from that, Mathur also shed light on the performancebased grant system recommended by the 15th finance commission. Additionally, the commission has recommended a complete delegation of the 18 functional items enshrined in the 12th schedule, not just in theory but on the ground.

The webinar was held as the preevent of InfoComm India 2022, which is to be held in Mumbai on September 5-7, 2022.

Discussing role of circular economy in recycling plastic packaging

The All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG), in collaboration with United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), 3R Waste Foundation, and Urban Update, organised the 32nd edition of ‘E-Dialogues’ on the topic “Recycling Beverage Cartons and Plastic Packaging in Circular Economy” on June 6, 2022. This event is a pre-event of the UNCRD’s Regional 3R & Circular Economy Forum 2022

The illustrious panel for the event included CRC Mohanty, Environment Programme Coordinator, United Nations Centre for Regional Development; Sadhan K Ghosh, President, International Society of Waste Management, Air and Water; Gyan Prakash Misra, Senior Advisor (Waste Management), Mosaic Advanced Solutions; Paramita Datta Dey, Head, Waste Unit, National Institute of Urban Affairs; Sanjiv Kumar, Head, Re Sustainability; S N Umakanth, Chief Manager (WOW Programme), ITC. Dr Kulwant Singh, CEO, 3R Waste Foundation moderated the session.

Dr Kulwant Singh, briefly introduced the title and theme of the webinar, how recycling of beverage cartons plays a key role in circular economy and how (Forest Stewardship Council) FSCcertified sourcing reduces footprint and how these actions contribute to sustainable development goal 12. He further highlighted Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s initiative ‘lifestyle for the environment life movement’, launched during COP 26, Glasgow. The initiative aims to promote a lifestyle that is in line with our environment. He further stressed the importance of 3Rs.

Today, beverage cartons are recycled in many parts of India however there are some crucial challenges in the collection, transportation and recycling of used beverage cartons. In India, 50 per cent of the total generated plastic waste consists of single-use plastic only

and unfortunately 90 per cent of this single-use plastic waste goes directly to landfill sites.

Mohanty, in his address, stressed the importance of one Earth approach. He further added, “Today, the world is facing a triple planetary emergency consisting of climate change, habitat loss and pollution. Climate change has been the root cause of many of the environmental disasters, while due to habitat loss we are losing our biodiversity, and pollution of land, water, air and ocean has become a threat for human lives.”

He said the recyclability of beverage cartons depend upon effective collection and sorting, an essential precondition. Many countries are making efforts to utilise the generated plastic waste in their own unique methods, India is utilising plastic waste in road construction, Norway is using it in the construction of buildings, and Australia is using it for railway line crossbars. He added, “To deal with the problem of waste generation, we must at first decouple waste from our ecosystem. We should prevent waste from making its way into our rivers and other natural resources. To deal with this we must have to reduce waste accumulation through a triangular approach involving governments, research organisations and private players.”

Sadhan K Ghosh was the next panellist. He spoke on the theme “Circular Economy Applied to the Packaging Industry”. He mentioned

that single-use plastic has emerged as the biggest threat to the world. The primary problem with single-use plastic is its high littering potential and if the usage and littering of plastic packaging is not reduced, at least 50 kg per metre of shoreline will enter our ocean from where it makes its way to human food chain through bioaccumulation and end up in the body of humans.

In his address, he also highlighted the benefits of recycling packaging materials: (i) reducing the extraction of natural resources, (ii) reducing plastic pollution in the environment, (iii) creating new economic opportunities, (iv) reducing GHG emissions, (v) job creation, and (vi) incentivising innovation in new technologies. He also described how authorities deal with plastic waste. He showed that some of this waste directly goes to landfill sites while some of it goes to incineration plants and a small portion of it is recycled. Today, plastic waste is also used as a source of energy in cement plants and boilers, where it is used as a fuel. Gyan Prakash Misra then addressed the audience. He first highlighted difference between the linear and circular economy along with highlighting the ill effects of linear economy on our environment. He also described how the government came up with the idea of extended producer responsibility and provided a short introduction of EPR and how the principle of EPR is applied to the industry in 2022.

He grouped packaging material in

three types, Type-1 consist of packaging of single units of products like a bottle, in Type-2, a certain number of units of a product is kept, while Type-3 packaging is used for transportation purpose. This categorisation also helps in the sorting of these packaging waste from which recyclable materials are extracted for further use. When the material could not be reused any further, it would go to incineration plants or broken down to be used as nutrients for the soil. He later showed a short video explaining how the beverage cartons can be recycled sustainably and their usage to make other durable products such as plywood panels.

Paramita Datta Dey spoke on the theme of sustainable packaging. It means reducing the overall waste and volume of packaging, without impacting the quality of the product. Thus, reducing the ecological footprint of the product. She grouped packaging into three categories, recyclable packaging, reusable packaging and reduced packaging. Today, many nongovernmental organisations (NGO) are working in the field of upcycling of recycled waste materials. Sustainability audits of packaging should be done by the producer units, or wherever possible they should use alternative solutions of plastic packaging. She also highlighted some of the possible solution which could be used as an alternative to plastic packaging that is bioplastics, corrugated cardboard, air pillow made from recycled material, mushroom packaging, seaweed packaging, organic

There are some crucial challenges in the collection, transportation and recycling of used beverage cartons. In India, 50 per cent of the total generated plastic waste consists of single-use plastic only and unfortunately 90 per cent of this single-use plastic waste goes directly to landfill sites

fabric, bagasse, stone paper and palm leaf. Sanjiv Kumar later presented in the webinar that how recycling is done around the world and in India, and how re-sustainability is applying the principle of recyclability. He said that the company collects waste from every household then it is transported to the Material Recovery Facility where plastic, paper, metal and wood are separated and used as raw material to make plastic granules, recycled paper, recovery metal and recycled wood. A similar process is followed to deal with e-waste and India is going to have third largest e-waste recycling facility in Hyderabad after Belgium and China.

S N Umakanth stressed on the source segregation and how the organisation is trying to inculcate the segregation practice among the inhabitants. In an initiative called WOW, they teach the households to segregate their waste into three categories, wet, dry waste, and hazardous waste. They demonstrate how the waste can be segregated at home with the help of Community Resource Persons whom they call ‘Swachh doots’ and also educate school children to promote waste segregation at home. The dry waste could be sold to the local kabbadiwalas and used in other processes. He also said that India imports 6 million tonnes of waste paper for which it pays nearly 2 billion, even though we produce a huge amount of dry paper waste, which could not be used due to lack of segregation since it is difficult to process mixed or unsegregated waste.

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

India@75: Need for safe & sustainable public transport

With celebrations and chants of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, India is celebrating 75 years of its independent existence. Cities have undergone some crucial transformations in this period, related to civic services, housing, commercial infrastructure, transport, etc. Modes of transport, in cities, have undergone major changes in these 75 years of India’s journey. In 1950-51, the Indian Railways transferred 66 billion passenger kilometres, which has increased to the size of more than 2300 billion passenger kilometres in 2021, as per the data from Statista.

The rapid and relentless growth of urban population has amplified the need for better and affordable public transport. People began moving to cities for better livelihood and other opportunities, and thus facilitated the growth of local public transit modes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic induced some significant changes in the transit structure of the country, as the usage of private transport surged in comparison to public modes due to COVID-protocols. The passenger traffic of Mumbai locals which was more than 80 lakh per day in pre-COVID times, took a hit and fell to just 30 lakh passengers per day in 2021, as per the official data.

This is not just the case with train travel; other modes of public transit such as buses, and metros also experienced a serious decline in terms of usage during and after the pandemic. As per a study by The Energy and Resource Institute based on a survey of 51 cities, 35 per cent of people living in cities are likely to change their mode of transport for work. This shows that the urban population is sceptical about using public transport mainly due to its unhygienic condition and overcrowding.

Even with challenges, public transport has been the backbone of affordable and most used transit mode in India. However, even after 75 years of growth and development in cities, availability of public transit options still remains a major issue in the country. Some of the major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are at the bottom of the table when it comes to its availability. As per the Ease of Living Index, 2020, Delhi is among the worst cities in terms of availability of public transport with a value of 1688.50 per lakh population (PLP), followed by Navi Mumbai with 2037.81 PLP, Pune with 2585.54 PLP and Bengaluru with 4409.62 PLP. This trend is worrisome, as these cities are among the major centres of economic, technological and infrastructural growth.

India has come a long way. In 1958, there were just 4,95,000 registered vehicles in the country and its economic journey had just begun. In 2018, the number stood at 7,45,02,000 and there is no stopping. There is a need for local governments to promote the usage of public transport, which can seriously bring down the congestion in cities as well as reduce the pollution levels. Cities like Chennai (92,017 PLP) and Visakhapatnam (21,212 PLP) present an example for other Indian cities to learn and implement, and provide safe, healthy, inclusive and sustainable public transport.

UrbanUpdate

Urban Update is a leading magazine on sustainable development of cities brought out by All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG). Bringing together the experience of the multilateral sector with that of the private sector and the local governments themselves, the magazine focuses on the challenges and solutions for city leaders and local governments.

Urban Update plays a special role — that of a primary, indispensable link among stakeholders that nurtures community. A wellspring of writing and imagery reinforces our vision of evangelizing Urban Infrastructure, Governance, Culture and Sustainability.