Introduction
The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments brought an overhaul in public administration by empowering rural and urban local governance. These amendments resulted in creation of urban and rural local bodies. Also, twelfth schedule was added to the Indian constitution. The purpose of this schedule is to discuss powers, functions, and responsibilities of urban local bodies. The schedule mentions eighteen functions urban local bodies are entrusted with like urban planning, roads & bridges, provision of urban amenities, slum improvement, regulation of land use etc. However, we do not see specific mention of ‘urban transport’ in this schedule.
In the domain of urban transport, there is no single institution accountable for it. At the same time, multiple institutions are involved in urban transport. Urban transport is handled by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at the level of state. For the functioning of state transport department, Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways issues guidelines. Under this transport department, we find State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) like MSRTC in case of Maharashtra. Regional Transport Office (RTO) also works under state transport departments. For transport within any urban area, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways, and home ministry are involved. Urban Development Department (UDD) works under the Ministry of Urban Development. Regional Development Authority working under Urban Development Department is responsible for various aspects of urban transport like land use planning. There are also many mass transit operators. For example, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation in case of Maharashtra. Suburban rail operates under Ministry of Railways. Metro rail systems, Bus Rapid Transit System are under the Ministry of Urban Development. Traffic police are under authority of state police accountable to Ministry of Home Affairs (Infra Live, 2022). Similarly, rail-based systems are regulated by their own legislations under central government. But city administration has no control on such systems where they are deployed.
At the city level, the transport authorities do not have sufficient administrative powers to coordinate various transport policies with all these bodies. Funding arrangements in urban transport infrastructure are also split between multiple agencies at local, state, and national level. This results in delays in transport infrastructure projects due to weak inter-agency coordination. National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 suggested statutory Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority for increasing coordination, planning mobility as well as for augmenting investments in transport. It is expected to coordinate between various urban transport agencies. UMTA will also manage the Urban Transport Fund.
In case of Mumbai Metropolitan Region, home department constituted Unified Mumbai Metropolitan Transport Authority in 2005. This resolution specifies that UMMTA will be provided with statutory framework soon. However, so far it has only been an advisory body in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
Lack of statutory status adversely affects the enforcement capacity of the institutions. They are devoid of financial independence. UMMTA can play a catalytic role in urban transport governance provided it is given statutory status which can enable it to work like a meta-coordinator. This research article attempts to look at a few projects to understand how working in silos has hampered growth of urban transport infrastructure in Mumbai metropolitan region. With the upcoming multimodal transport projects in Mumbai, it will also look at how such authority is essential to implement such projects in the region.
In this article, we study need of statutory UMTA in Mumbai metropolitan region for effective transport governance. Also, we analyse the importance of UMTA in upcoming multimodal transport projects in Mumbai metropolitan region.
Review of the Urban Transport Projects in Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Mumbai metropolitan region is presently witnessing many transport infrastructure projects most of which have long gestation period. This includes Mumbai Trans Harbour link (MTHL), coastal road, new metro lines, Navi Mumbai international airport, Mumbai- Ahmedabad bullet train corridor etc. Long gestation period and delayed approvals often result in cost escalation of such projects. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal Singh Chahal recently talked about the need of unified city administration like major cities abroad to resolve diverse issues. He mentioned that there are more than thirteen urban transport agencies working in Mumbai and getting approvals from them for infrastructure projects is a time-consuming process (Express news service, 2023). He highlighted the need of a unified authority to simplify decision-making. We can study the need of such unified authority in urban transport by looking at some transport projects in Mumbai metropolitan region.
Mumbai Trans Harbour Link:
Mumbai Trans Harbour link will establish connectivity between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The project will enhance connectivity between two regions especially given the upcoming airport in Navi Mumbai. Idea of this project was first conceived in 1962 in a study namely ‘Planning metro systems for Mumbai Metropolitan Region’ (Ozarkar, 2021). MTHL was to be undertaken in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode with project cost of INR 60 billion in 2004. Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) was appointed as a main agency for this project by Maharashtra state government. After receiving environmental clearances in 2004, the bid by a private corporation was rejected in 2008 (Pethe et al, 2012).
Thus, instead of PPP, government decided to opt for funding through Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. MSRDC works under Public Works Department which was controlled by Nationalist Congress Party by then. MMRDA is a para-statal agency. This agency works under Urban Development Department. By then, Congress Chief Minister headed this department.
In 2010, tussle between MSRDC and MMRDA on complete control of the project resulted in shifting the project to the latter agency. This could be traced to their internal political rivalry. In 2011, MMRDA undertook the project by when its cost escalated to INR 80 billion (Pethe et al, 2012). Such transport project requires clearances from various authorities. In the case of MTHL, MMRDA had to take approvals from various agencies like National Green Tribunal, State wildlife board, City Industrial and Development Corporation, Mumbai Port Trust, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, National Highway Authority of India, Forest advisory committee etc. The cost of the project was further escalated due to delays caused by Covid-19 lockdown and design changes. In 2021, the cost of the MTHL was pegged at INR 17,843 crore with cost escalation claims of 5 to 15 per cent. As per the latest figures, the estimated cost is INR 20000 crores.
Virar-Alibaug Multimodal Corridor
Another project that can be cited is ‘Virar-Alibaug multi-modal corridor project.’ MMRDA was handling the project when it was first visualized in 2008. It was handed over to MSRDC in August 2020. It is important to see the course of action which resulted in such shift after a long decade. Recently in 2021, MCZMA cleared one 18-km section of the project from Chirner to Balavali. There is one more section of eighty kilometres. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority will screen this section. Since 2017, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority is occupied in undertaking hearing of this section. This section is supposed to affect fishermen activities, mangroves, and mudflats. In 2022 in the month of September, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation looked into forest clearance for another section from Naghar to Chirner. The land acquisition cost of this project was INR 2,215 crore in 2012. It has increased to INR 15,617 crore in 2018. It has further escalated to INR 21,000 in 2022. The total project cost has also escalated. It was INR 12,554 crore in 2012. It has become INR 55,564 crore in 2022. In Figure 1, we have shown the cost escalation of these two transport projects.
This multi-modal corridor consisting of tunnels, bridges, overpass, underpass, BRT, metro has potential to connect NH17, NH4B, Sewree Nhava Trans harbour link and Mumbai-Pune expressway. It will benefit seven growth centres in Mumbai Metropolitan Region such as Virar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli, Panvel, Taloja and Uran.
This corridor is near to Navi Mumbai International Airport as well as it is closer to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. Thus, we can optimize transport multimodality of this project. However, clearances from multiple agencies in any urban transport projects is a time-consuming process as we do not have one common forum where all agencies can meet to speed up such approvals.
Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor
The significance of UMTA is paramount for multimodal transport projects in Mumbai. One such multi-modal project is Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor integrating metro with suburban railway. Mumbai Metro One Private Limited received the contract of development of this corridor in 2007. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority was the nodal authority for this corridor. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority was expected to make 59 per cent of land available to Mumbai Metro One Private Limited. However, it could hardly hand over 45% in 2008 when construction started (HT correspondent, 2014). Removal of encroachments, poor records of underground utilities, lags in safety certification due to delay in No Objection Certificate from fire department resulted in delays. Such multimodal hubs require consistent coordination between transport authorities involved.
Urban transport often sees an institutional gap or an overlap in such projects. This is evident from recent Bombay High court (November 2023) judgement wherein they discussed the need of unified authority to repair roads on the background of conflict in jurisdictions of Bombay Municipal Corporation & Public Works Department (PWD) in road management. Thus, to ensure institutional accountability in multimodal projects, statutory UMTA is necessary.
Bus Rapid Transit System on Western Express Highway
Transport experts suggested Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) for major linear corridors in Mumbai like Western & Eastern Express Highway. BRTS corridors divided into WEH & link road have capacity to carry 90,000 pph (Badami, 2005). However, the implementation of such corridor on WEH & EEH has been deadlocked due to problems with inter-agency coordination. Additional Chief (UMMTA of MMRDA) K. Vijayalakshmi also discussed some of these challenges in detail at a November 2011 public meeting. She said, “MMRDA had completed the Detailed Engineering Report, but as the BRTS is under the jurisdiction of MSRDC, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST) and BMC, MMRDA is unable to work on it.” In 2010, MMRDA transferred this project to MCGM and asked BEST to manage the project as it looks after bus management as mentioned by R. Ramanna (Additional chief, Transport & communication, MMRDA) in a public meeting.
UMTA can fill the gap of institutional accountability. With upcoming multimodal projects like Wadala Multimodal Hub, which will integrate Wadala monorail station, metro station (Line 4), Wadala road railway station and an inter-city bus terminal, we must focus on effective coordination of multiple transport authorities. A statutory UMTA has potential to fasten the decision making resulting in de-escalation of costs and faster implementation.
It is important to note that we do have undertaken measures to constitute such transport authorities in India. In 2016, Ministry of Urban Development brought an operations document and a ‘Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority bill, 2016’. In 2017, Metro Rail Policy specified that cities which are planning metro rail systems must establish statutory Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority. Comprehensive Transport Study II discusses UMTA in detail. It says that Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority will coordinate policies of urban transport and infrastructure. Also, it will look at modal priorities. Similarly, it will handle coordination of operations and allocation of finances. This authority can potentially coordinate quick decision making through inter agency coordination as it will include representatives from departments like urban development, planning, finance, transport, environment, railway, regional development as well as from planning authorities, urban local bodies, road development & transport corporations, state police and airport authorities etc.
Status of unified transport authorities in India and abroad
So far, UMTA has been constituted only in Agra, Kanpur, Bengaluru, Kochi, Lucknow, Pune, Chennai, and Hyderabad (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 2022). Efforts were made to establish similar authority in NCT of Delhi which is known as ‘Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning & Engineering Centre’. Delhi Development Authority was at the forefront in establishment of this agency in 2008. It has been quite successful due to high levels of project approval and implementation. Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi also took steps to establish ‘Delhi Urban Mass Transit Authority’ (DUMTA) in 2010. UMTA has also been established in Chennai, Mysuru, Kohima and Imphal. Status of all such unified authorities is discussed in Table 1.
In case of Mumbai metropolitan region, UMMTA was set in 2008 through an executive order. UMMTA committee met in 2011 to endorse core committee recommendations and undertook some initiatives like conducting Detailed Project Reports, identifying sources of infrastructure fund, creating transport divisions in urban local bodies etc. MMRDA drafted bill for statutory UMMTA in 2011. So far, it continues to be an advisory body in MMRDA. In 2018, Ashok Datar, transport expert and a member of UMMTA mentioned that the body had not met in last six months.
Sixth meeting of the Main committee of UMMTA was conducted in 2019 (Infra Live, 2021). However, there are no concrete attempts yet made to put this law into effect. This apathy is a lost opportunity to make governance citizen centric.
Table 1: Status of unified transport authorities in India.
Odisha: Bhubaneswar & Puri
O.P. Aggarwal discussed a few initiatives of UMTA in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority constituted the UMTA in 2008. It undertook initiatives like introduction of Intelligent Transport System, Special Purpose Vehicle for Bus Rapid Transit System, introduction of Combi-Tickets (single ticketing) etc. However, the absence of continuum in its meetings is reflected in the fact that it has met only eleven times in nine years. This is a major factor contributing to hibernation of such bodies. In Bengaluru, statutory UMTA was constituted via an Executive Order in 2007 which is known as ‘Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority.’ Recently in 2022, Karnataka legislative assembly has brought BMLTA bill through which it aims to ensure seamless mobility. It is yet to be seen if this authority when works in its statutory capacity can fix city’s mobility issues and can bring an overhaul in urban transport.
At the global level, Transport for London (TfL), London and Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore are unified transport authorities working under a statute. They receive substantial grants from the government. This ability to allocate funds is secured through the legal status. ‘Transport for London’ (unified authority for transport in London) through its six-pillar modal integration (physical, fare, information, network, geographical, institutional) brought initiatives like ‘oyster card,’ ‘journey planner’ website. Such integration resulted in traffic reduction by over 20 per cent & bus usage increased by over 40 per cent. Similarly, due to integrated transit in Hong Kong (‘journey planner’ mobile app and ‘octopus card’) undertaken by its ‘Transport department’ (unified transport authority), 90 per cent of daily trips are now using public transport making it the highest in the world. In Singapore, due to ‘single fare card’ implemented by ‘Land Transport authority,’ 63 per cent modal share is in favour of public transport (Ministry of Urban Development, 2016). In Vancouver, fuel tax as well as parking site tax is usually the domain of provincial governments. However, its transport authority namely TransLink has persuaded provincial government to allow it to use these resources.
This results in financial augmentation of such unified bodies. In Lagos, the transport authority known as Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has been able to promote 13-meter-long buses due to which travel became faster, affordable, and comfortable (Aggarwal O.P et al, 2013). The contribution of such unified authorities in making transport governance better can be traced to the robust legislative framework through which they function.
Unified transport authority and its challenges
Many of the UMTAs in India did not gain momentum with the change in the political leadership. Often local governments failed to understand differences between various transport project committees and authority of UMTA. The State-of-the-Art Report (2014) says that Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities are working like committees who need other agencies for project implementation highlighting that they are not empowered bodies (Ravees, 2018). Due to this, most of these UMTA have not undertaken any significant initiatives. As being advisory in nature, effectiveness of such bodies depends on how often they meet, interest of the officials to participate in the meetings. On an average the time gap of UMTA meetings across the country has been of eight to twelve months. In states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, hardly one or two meetings have taken place. Often, through delegating responsibilities to other officials and delays in periodical meetings result into reduction in effectiveness of such committees (Aggarwal et al, 2013).
So far, neither there is any uniformity in transport authorities across states nor one single statute which would encompass through all provisions of urban transport. This raises a need of a statutory authority with defined role & jurisdiction governed by a law which is comprehensive enough to cover all such provisions (Gupta, 2013). The urban transport act or UMTA bill is a step to provide legislative framework to such body. Legislative act is essential for providing greater leverage to coordinate functions effectively. Such body can have more autonomy in administration and there is ease of raising capital. When any institution is financially independent, it can undertake effective resource allocation among various urban transport bodies. To undertake various operations, to invest in infrastructure projects, it is particularly important to have financial stability. When such a unified authority is supposed to use public sector funds, it must have legal mandate to do so which comes through a statute. This helps them in securing compliance with its plans.
However, along with statutory status, it is important that there is no conflict of interest within the heads of various institutions when they form a part of UMTA. There is a fear among such heads of losing their monopoly to an administrative head which is usually Chief Secretary in case of UMTA in India. Thus, head of this institution and their function and capacity is pivotal for the growth of this authority.
In case of Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA), the initiative of a statutory authority has not gained much success. KMTA was headed by transport minister who was not based in the city which might have had repercussions on understanding of the specific transport requirements of the city (Prabhakaran, 2023). KMTA should have ideally comprised of SPV agencies, local bodies and city transport experts who did not form a part of it. Thus, composition of UMTA is a backbone for its performance.
Urban transport infrastructure and service is a public good. To deliver the public good, it is essential to have a supportive environment. The transport department fears that the UMTA will downscale their powers.
For example, transport department presently undertakes bus route rationalisations (Phillip, 2019). With UMTA, it fears that such power can also be snatched away. Therefore, such a unified statutory authority should receive support from personnel manning various transport agencies which includes political leaders and government officials in order to bring overhaul in system and implement much awaited policies like single ticketing in urban transport.
Summary and Conclusions
Cities cannot undertake efficient comprehensive mobility planning functionally, spatially, sectorall, and hierarchically with fragmented governance structures of urban transport. For better transport governance, institutions must come together to find solutions. If we look at the examples of London and Singapore, we can infer that such transport authorities have taken some time to stabilise. Only enacting a law or issuing an order is not an end. Structural evolution with flexibility to change is the key.
Our focus should be to make public transportation more accessible, affordable, and convenient. With convenience, public transport should be able to attract rich as well. Enrique Penalosa, ex-Mayor of Bogota, rightly mentions that “a developed country is not identified by poor having cars but by rich using public transportation.” For such transport service delivery, lead institution like UMTA have potential to revolutionise multimodal transport. Such authorities do have some common structure and encompass through many functions, modes, jurisdictions in an urban area. They might have a few variations due to divergent political dispositions which exist across country (Girje et al, 2020). The performance and potential of UMTA should be seen as evolutionary process. UMTAs should not be just looked at as a prerequisite to access funding under JNNRUM but as an institutional reform needed for effective transport governance. In this process, key performance indicators of UMTA must be put in front to gauge its success and failures over a specific time period.
Governance is efficient when there is least wastage of resources, time, money, and effort. Effective governance is the one which is successful in achieving desired outcomes that is development and welfare. For transport governance to be effective and efficient, it must provide the transport services that are convenient and affordable. This can be achieved through multimodal integration to provide seamless end to end connectivity. This dynamic reform is essential for good governance. This requires dynamic institution to enhance administrative effectiveness which depends on how we strategize to promote citizen centric governance. With statutory powers to do so, transformative organization like UMTA can lead to better transport governance in urban areas.
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The “Internet plus” government service reform in China has progressed through three stages, namely one-stop service, one-window service, and companion service. This reform has become a significant example of reshaping the relationship between the local government and the public.
This paper explores the evolution of Indian welfare philosophy from Gandhi's nonviolent resistance to contemporary governance. It traces how the sacrifices of Indian revolutionaries fostered Sarvodaya and Antyodaya ideals, examining the philosophical underpinnings of these concepts in Advaita and dualistic traditions.
Like most other countries around the world, after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh's education system has undergone a radical change from the beginning of March 2020 onwards. The study attempts to analyse teachers’, students’ and parents’ perceptions and experiences about the online education in the COVID-19 pandemic at the school level.
Health is a fundamental human right and a critical indicator of development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the importance of ensuring health and well-being for all individuals. A key objective of this agenda is to guarantee favorable health outcomes, underscored by the endorsement of a new declaration during the Global Conference on Primary Health Care held in Astana,…
In this article, published reports have been used for analysing state-wise status of SDGs achievements and their correlations with attainments in areas of poverty-reduction and other developmental indicators. Also, progress made by GPs on various metrics related to SDGs has been corroborated with other relevant metrics
Loss of governance reform efficacy is an identified entrenched institutional problem in systems. Reform, anywhere, is a sticky material because holders of powers and their cronies have rarely shown altruistic intentions of relaxing their profiteering grips over resources.
On September 1, 2023, a committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind explored the possibility of something called One Nation, One Election in India and ever since this thing has come out in public, political parties all across the country have been fuming with anger.
This paper examines various initiatives taken by Government of India to promote collaborative governance in various sectors. With increasing needs and aspirations of the community for public services and the limited capacity of government to provide the same, the involvement of various stakeholders to deliver these services becomes important and necessity.
In the vast and diverse landscape of India, regional disparities in development have long posed significant challenges to achieving equitable growth and social justice. Recognizing the urgent need to address these disparities, the Government of India launched the Aspirational Districts Programme in January 2018.
A dynamic interaction between the recognition of human complexity in organizations and the pursuit of structural efficiency has shaped the evolution of administrative philosophy. The foundational works of Frederick W. Taylor, Max Weber, Mary Parker Follett, Elton Mayo, Chester Barnard, Rensis Likert, Chris Argyris, and Douglas McGregor are critically examined in this essay, which charts the shift from traditional administrative…
In India, National Training Policy was formed in 2012, replacing the old policy of 1996. This was needed two reasons, new areas of administration given in the reports of second administrative reforms commission setup in 2005 and changing environment in different spheres of governance and new challenges of administration being faced by the civil servants.
India's emergence as a global services powerhouse in the 21st century marks a profound and transformative shift. This evolution, far from a mere economic change, is a strategic leap driven by its demographic dividend, technological advancements, and the burgeoning global demand for specialized services.
Public administration, as the executive arm of the state, has tremendous responsibilities to match the needs and aspirations of the citizens of the state. The systems have evolved over the years in almost every country as the politico and socio-economic environment of the respective country have changed.
Public administration is the cornerstone of modern governance. It refers to the organization, management, and implementation of government policies and programs, carried out by public officials and institutions. As a vital mechanism of the state, public administration not only ensures the effective delivery of services to citizens but also upholds the principles of accountability, transparency, and rule of law.
Tribal Sustainable Development through Evidence-based Policy and Planning: A major issue in post-Independence India has been a misreading of demands of tribal communities. What they have been demanding pertains to choice upholding their traditions and customs and having ownership over natural resources
As the Idiom of technological advancement takes its toll. The paper highlights a few poignant and emerging factors in the International Relations theorization. It was conservatively maintained by the defense strategists and the political leadership across the Global polity that foreign policy and the Diplomacy are greatly determined by the “given” of Geography and terrain
With the deepening of democracy, increased decentralisation, increasing social and political awareness, digital penetration, shifts in demography, demand for quality services by common citizens has been accelerating at a faster pace. In such a scenario, the role of State is critical for promoting equity in access to services.
"Accelerating India's Development" holistically looks at India’s growth trajectory since gaining independence – it rounds up all where it has done well including unity, upholding the integrity of its constitution, retaining democratic values at its core. It also does not mince words to convey where all the nation has faltered such as falling short in delivery of public services including…
Income and Employment Intensive Growth Agenda for India: The paper examines income and employment status in the Indian labour force to identify policy attention and follow up. The macroeconomic policies taken during last one decade are yielding positive results leading to expansion of manufacturing and services and structural transformation in the economy.
An Analysis of India's Social Welfare Programs: In a democracy, the state's role is to promote societal welfare. According to Aristotle, the state should not only ensure its survival but also improve the quality of life for its citizens. The state has a moral responsibility to its citizens. Modern views agree that the state should provide essential services like education,…
Digital Innovations in Social Protection: Trends, Challenges, and Solutions: The integration of digital technologies into social protection systems represents a transformative shift with profound implications for the delivery of welfare services. This chapter explores the evolving landscape of digital innovations in social protection, contextualising these developments within the broader framework of universal social protection and a systemic approach to welfare.
One of the most crucial aspects of our society is law enforcement, which deals with issues of law and order nationwide. It is an essential component of the state's legal system. The British government introduced a Police Act in 1861, which is still very relevant and based on policing.
India’s Vision for 2047 aims to transform the nation into a developed country, with healthcare being pivotal for this progress. Achieving universal health coverage and modernising healthcare infrastructure are essential for fostering a healthy productive population, which in turn drives economic growth and reduces poverty.
Several challenges linger in the Indian education system, like rote learning, the non-existence of practical skills among students, and disparities in access to quality education. To deal with the criticism for excessive curriculum and unreasonable focus on rote learning, this chapter examines the strategies comprising the building blocks to reform Indian schools.
Social development is expected to promote holistic improvement of individuals, institutions and their surrounding environments. Looking at the pace of development in India, the economy of most states requires strategic prioritization to accelerate improved well-being of the people. Accessibility to health, school education and public security are critical to the edifice of social development.
India is the largest democracy in the world inhabited by about 1.36 billion people over an area of 3287 thousand square kilometers according to an estimate for 2021 based on Census 2011. The Indian economy is characterised as a middle-income emerging market economy. In the last three decades the economy has faced three major crises, i.e., balance of payment crisis…
Neoliberal policies pursued by India since 1990s have created a space for private enterprises hitherto occupied by the state entities, unshackled the existing enterprises and introduced reforms to facilitate private initiative. This chapter looks into the ecosystem of the private sector in general and the developments in three specific sectors- urban mobility, water supply and housing, to draw lessons for…
This Chapter highlights the gradual transformation from Personnel Administration to Strategic Human Resource Management over the years in Government of India. However, there is still a long way to go. In this Chapter an attempt has been made to delineate the criticality to move towards Strategic HRM in Government of India to achieve India’s developmental goals.
Robust statistical data forms the cornerstone of an informed governance system. This paper studies the statistical system and data dissemination in the Centre and State governments in India, and the measures put in action to accelerate the data dissemination process. Arguing that the availability of high-frequency statistical data is a necessary condition for good governance, the first section of the…
In the Amrit Kaal (golden period) of independent India, the ‘citizen first’ approach guides public governance by deepening the outreach of service delivery mechanism so that international standards could be achieved in India@100. The goal can only be achieved by all inclusive governance involving stronger and effective local self-governments both panchayats and municipalities.
In modern societies, with the increasing role of the state in social and economic fields, emphasis on the quality of its governance is of prime concern to all. Indian bureaucratic system of governance is founded on the principle of rule of law, as the state power is divided amongst three chief organs, each has the its own quality under a…
This paper discusses the concept of good governance and its relations with the electoral politics in Indian context. It highlights the various strategies employed by the government and related agencies for the growth and development of the country. Major reforms pertaining to the country’s infrastructure, IT, administration, economy and public services are a few areas that have been explored in…
With the Indian government’s vision to transform India into a developed nation by 2047, marking hundred years of independence, it has become of highest importance to learn from the past, tenaciously work in the present and step towards the future with complete efficiency. In its 77 years of becoming a democracy, India has soared high with continuous transformations marked by both…
The vision of Viksit Bharat can be realised through Viksit States, and that the aspiration of Viksit Bharat should reach the grassroot level i.e. to each district, block, and village. For this, each State and District should create a vision for 2047 so as to realise Viksit Bharat @ 2047.