20. Summary
This document cover brief and pointed framework of the detailed process of urban local /municipal governance in India with special reference to main features, structure, finance and problem/attention areas. It is noted that urban sector will pay decisive role in the growth story of India @ a Viksit Bharat @2947.It is important to note and underline that political economy in India is giving gradual attention to develop systems and procedures for urban majority India in 2047.The Government of India has launches urban missions in last one decade which have yielded positive results.
On the other hand, 74th Constitution Amendment Act of 1993 and its follow up has achieved reasonable success in wider representation, fiscal devolution and decentralisation up to town hall. The bottom-up awareness and involvement in a manner of co-operative federalism and Janbhagidari at grass root level are fairly weak and need attention. Similarly, the devolution of funds and functions is not yet over as per requirements of Urban Local Governments (ULGs). Finally a set of points are included as problem areas for wider cognizance and attention. Finally, it is observed to revisit 74th CAA in current context and also attempt a National urban Policy and state urban policies to have a pointed and concerted approach towards urban majority India which is inclusive, productive, pro-poor and sustainable.
20.1 Urban Local Governments (ULGs) in India
India has 8000+ urban centres out of which 4766 are statutory towns having the status of urban local government as per recent survey of Indian City System by Janaagrah (2022)1. These urban centres are divided into three categories namely Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils/Bodies and Town Panchayats. Remaining are census towns which have been given status of urban based on changes in their economic profile as per laid down norms by successive census operations2.In addition there are also Cantonment Boards which manage the areas primarily occupied by armed forces. 461 million urban population in India is likely to add another 416 million by 2050 with a total share of urban population exceeding 50% landmark3.
20.2 Increasing Focus on Urban India
Urban development is a state subject in the federal structure of India. Accordingly urban local Governments (ULGs) are created by states under article 243 of constitution of India. As elsewhere ULGs in India also got special attention as part of globalization (1990s) and global cooperation for Habitat I and II (1976 to 1996) giving special attention on living conditions of Human Settlements. These deliberations on urban areas reached to consensus that Think Globally and Act Locally4 It was argued that ‘globally tailor the structure for the Act done locally’ meaning to address local needs in the process of public administration.
Accordingly, India renamed the Ministry of Works and Housing in 1985 to create its first ever Ministry of Urban Development (right now known as Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs-MoHUA) followed by creation of National Commission on Urbanisation (NCU) to have a comprehensive assessment of urban sector for necessary corrective actions. NCU had wider consultations across the country at different levels of stakeholders and expertise5. Subsequently the Government of India came up with promulgation of 74th Constitution Amendment (Seventy fourth) Act (CAA) of 1993 - a landmark intervention which provided constitutional recognition to ULGs as a viable unit of self-governance and local democracy6.
At the same time, the Govt. of India now through Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has initiated Urban Mission since last 10 years to strengthen existing local government functions/services covering sanitation, mobility, housing, infrastructure finances and governance, in a sense of cooperative federalism. The missions gave due regard to bottom-up planning with top-down support. The Missions brought central and state level cooperation with final implementation at ULGs in each of the mission components covering Smart Cities Mission, PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana), AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and SBM (Swachh Bharat Mission), Deen Dayal Upadhyay National Urban Livelihood Mission (DDNULM)and National Heritage Mission.
Despite above initiatives, India is lacking a comprehensive urban policy as suggested by New Urban Agenda of Habitat II. Although India prepared a draft National urban Policy in 2018, it is yet to take a final shape. However the state of Kerala has come up with its State Urban Policy a first of its kind in India to shape urban areas as per requirements for Viksit Bharat-India @20478.
20.3 74th Constitution Amendment Act of 1993
The main features of 74th CAA specifically include:
1. Continuity and wider representation in the elected body, blocking the practice of frequent suspension by states in the article 243 U to ensure bottom-up leadership and wider representation (33 to 50 percent to women only with reservation to other weaker sections). Accordingly only dissolution of elected body of ULGs is possible with fresh elections within six months.
2. Provision of Metropolitan/District Planning Committees (MPC/DPC) to consolidate plans of urban and rural local bodies within the respective jurisdiction and address distributional and jurisdictional aspects of infrastructure, services and financial resources (article 243 ZD and ZE)10 in the context of alternate city boundaries covering administrative, physical city and city region. However, non-functions of these two committees prevents basic purpose to consolidate rural and urban planning at grass-root level. (Box-1)
3. Creation of ward committees as per Article 243S consisting of one or more ward with a population of 3 lakh and more. People’s participation as envisaged in the amendment is still half-way done. Firstly, all the functions are not transferred to ULGs. Secondly, the people’s participation becomes difficult in the wake of vertical and horizontal structure of agencies. The wards committees have not operated in a grass root manner and remained on paper for planning, resource mobilisation, implementation and social safety covering police and people interface at grass root level.
4. Creation of State Finance Commission (SFC) as per article 243Y and insertion of clause 280 (bb) and (c) the constitution to amend terms of reference of National Finance Commission to directly allocate funds for urban local governments and rural local governments (Panchayats)11.
5. Point 4 above has paved way for a quantum jump in the intergovernmental grants (fiscal transfers) with the provision state finance commissions (N/S FC) constituted after each five years12. It has brought a normative base and predictability in transfers along with allocation of untied funds. It also provided local elasticity and autonomy to prepare a bottom-up budget at ULG level.
6. The recent allocation by Fifteenth NFC (2021-2026) has for the first time covered urban agglomerations as a single unit for environmental, productivity and quality of life considerations. The amount of grant has gone a quantum jump from Rs.1000 crore (Xth NFC-1995-2000) to Rs 2000 Crores by (XI NFC-2000-2005) and Rs.121055 crores (XVth NFC2021-2026)12.
7. The CAA also made a provision of 18 functions as per 243 W to be handled by ULGs as per schedule XII in the constitution. (Chart 1) These functions do not include natural disasters. However, the Disaster Management Amendment Bill passed by parliament on March 25, 2025 has made special provision to create Urban Disaster Management Authority (UDMA) for state capital and Municipal Corporations in addition to State /District DMAs. which will open scope for higher engagement of urban institutions in the disaster management.
Chart 1: Municipal Functions in India
20.4 Complimentary Actions
The structure promulgation of CAA also followed the procedural support with specific Codes, Acts, Byelaws, Rules and regulations which include:
i. Urban Development Plan Formulation (1997),
ii. Model Municipal Law (2003),
iii. National Municipal Accounting Code (2001),
iv. Solid waste Management Rules (2016),
v. Urban Street Vendors Act (2014 and 2024),
vi. National Policy on Faecal, Sludge and Septage Management (2017),
vii. National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy (2007),
viii. SOPs (Standing Operating Procedures), guidelines, manuals checklists etc for different areas of actions
ix. Follow up on insertion of clause (bb) and (c) in the article 280 (3) of constitution giving a reference to National Finance Commission to directly allocate funds to ULGs14, and
x. The reform agenda under different schemes and programs covering investment, finance, operation and maintenance particularly during last ten years with the launch of urban missions15.
The complimentary actions have strengthened urban governance at grass roots level with efficiency in services, housing, infrastructure, safety, transparency and accountability.
20.5 New Localism and Development Dynamics in Urban Development
The 74th CAA and its follow up has given due cognizance to new localism which tends to devolve powers to ULGs in line with national policy objectives on productivity, environment, climate change, access to services and grievance redressal16. The complimentary actions as above have provided a legal and institutional frame-work to address each of the indicators of new localism and development dynamics based on citizen participation and integration of elected and non-elected functionaries for a common purpose to have a balanced, pro-poor, productive and sustainable market of ULG services. Status and adequacy of new localism and development dynamics shows mixed results with significant achievements along with equally important gaps and corrections as may be seen from following points:
As stated earlier the schedule XII (243W) and Finance Commission devolution (243Y) tends to address the expansion of services in line with New Localism. Yet, the De-facto status of devolution of functions and finances is substantially different due to specific reasons:
• There has been a significant improvement in representation and continuity of ULGs and normative allocation with continuity and better application. Yet, the two clauses (243W and Y) are discretionary in nature and allocation of functions has dominance of respective states due to existence of para-statals and para -municipal agencies17.These agencies are not accountable to ULGs and in-turn local residents.
• Similarly, during the Post GST (Goods and Services Tax) era, many taxes that have strong urban bias (show tax, entertainment tax, service tax on restaurants, etc.) have been subsumed in GST, but there proceeds are not in the divisible pool of consolidated funds to be shares with ULGs.
20.6 Finances of ULGs
Historically municipal finance in India began with Lord Rippons resolution and has covered a long journey up to 74th CAA (Box 2). Although, as a follow up of CAA special attention has been given to accounting, budgeting and resource mobilization reforms18. It has made significant impact in the liquidity of funds at municipal level. Yet, the finances of ULGs in India still have vertical and horizontal imbalance in terms of liquidity and need to meet expenditure requirements.
The gap reflecting mismatch between revenue and expenditure requirements leads to a low equilibrium trap covering low mobilization of own sources, discretionary allocation/accountability and inadequate delivery of services. (Chart 2)
Chart 2: Low Equilibrium Trap
20.7 Structure of Municipal Finance
Sources of Money for ULGs include Taxes, Non-Tax, Grants and loans whereas application of money (expenditure) covers establishment, o&m (operation and maintenance), investment (capital expenditure) and debt repayment. Income and expenditure are managed under a detailed frame-work of accounting, budgeting, auditing and capacity building including manpower deployment at ULG level. (Chart 3)
Chart 3: Structure of Municipal Finance
As the urban development is state subject, the de-jure and de-facto powers to levy taxes vary from state to state. There is a long list of taxes in respective municipal Acts but only a few are levied by ULG covering PT (Property Tax), Water Tax, Animal Tax etc. Non-tax covers Advertisement and building license fee along with issuance of birth and death certificates and charges for municipal assets (Community Hall, stadium crematorium etc.) and rents on municipal properties. Yet, after abolition of Octroi, property Tax (PT) is the main stay of municipal finance as part of non-tax revenue. Water charges (where ever the service is delivered by ULG), Building license fee and development charges and are normally levied by ULGs19.
Fiscal transfers include revenue sharing from national and provincial governments. 74th CAA has rationalised the transfers and has made them transparent and normative20. This is realized through recommendations of successive finance commission at national and state level (Article 243Y). These transfers cover untied fund and grants based on performance, specific purpose and capital projects.
Borrowing powers are governed by states in line with Local Authorities Loan Act 191421. However, due to lack of due borrowing capacity/creditworthiness ULGs, by and large fail to secure commercial loans. Therefore, ULGs depend on soft loans as part of specific schemes or program or bilateral/multilateral arrangements.
Yet another stream of funds include Municipal Bonds initiated with issuance by Bengaluru Municipal Corporation in 1997 and later by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in 1998. GoI also issued guidelines for municipal bonds in 2001.
Participatory funding or Local Elasticity is another external source based on convergence of resources and synergy from a range of stakeholders such as (i) constituency funds of members of parliament, legislative council, CSR (Corporation Social Responsibility) funds and local contributions (contribution from citizen in the form of cash, labour and management responsibility22.
20.8 Size of Municipal Finance
Size of municipal finance has remained static to around one percent of GDP. The recent estimates in a world bank/RBI study put the MF around 1 to 1.3 percent of GDP as compared to significantly high share in Brazil (7.4) and South Africa (6) Poland (4.5). This created a low equilibrium trap leading to weak accountability and inadequate delivery of services23. (Chart-4)
Chart 4: Own Source in Municipal Finance in India
20.9 Own Source Income
Municipal own sources constitute 44% of revenue income. However, the size of own sources is declining over a period of time. (Chart-4) Declining dependence on source funds is a matter of concern for ULGs and reflects low yields from taxes, fee and other sources23.
The Property Tax (PT) share in GDP in India is noted as point 16 percent in 2010 as compared to developing economies average (0.60) whereas global average was1.0424. The reasons for underutilization of PT base are attributed to low coverage, static rates and inadequate collection. Large chunk of properties falling within unauthorized colonies, slums, squatters, urban villages are not covered. The rates for example Delhi (since 2001) are not revised. The information of demand collection and balance is not updated.
Non tax sources constitute around twenty percent of own sources. Recent data suggests that the share of Non tax income has undergone marginal increase in recent years. This confirms that cities are making consistent efforts to raise revenue from user charges and fee25.
20.10 External Sources
Fiscal transfers are governed by recommendations made by National and State finance Commissions (NFCs/SFCs). There has been a quantum jump in the allocation by NFCs and SFCs. Yet, the due share to ULGs is not allocated due to (i) exclusion of ULGs from GST (which subsumed couple of taxes of local nature levied by ULGs). At the same time states could not constitute the SFCs timely and the normative basis of state allocation show a great deal of variation (Box 3).
20.11 Capital Expenditure/Investments
Capital Expenditure as stated earlier is largely made through soft loans, grants. Yet, bonds and commercial loans are also used, although at relatively low scale. The issuance of municipal bonds can be seen under two phases wherein a total 22 municipal bonds amounting to Rs 1200 Crores were issued by 1997. Subsequently till 2005 couple of ULGs issued bonds. Later, after a thirteen years gap in 2018 with Pune Municipal Corporation issued Rs.100 Crores followed by few other cities such as Indore, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Baroda, Rajkot etc. These bonds also include green bonds which got promoted by specific guidelines from Security and Exchange Board of India in line with GoI commitment on climate change.
20.12 Commercial Loans
Overall availability of capital expenditure is fairly low (Box-4). Further, there is a vertical imbalance in the size of municipal capital expenditure. It is noted that municipal corporations occupy major pie (82%) of capex as compared to only 18 % capex by remaining 3800 ULGs. Yet the MCs have a vast potential to expand capex to the tune of twenty time their existing debt stock26. Size of municipal finance is also particularly high among four major (Maharashtra, Tamil Nādu, Karnataka and Gujarat) states who occupy nearly one third of urban population.
Data suggests high reliance on guaranteed lending carrying soft loan for urban infrastructure. Only 2 % investments in the urban infrastructure are drawn from market loans on commercial basis. This is caused by Imbalances in the creditworthiness of ULGs which need due correction to enable urban India to implement urban awakening towards national vision to become a developed nation @India 2047.A couple of actions are needed to improve municipal creditworthiness. (Box-5)
20.13 Politics and Administration
Enactment of 74th CAA introduces a significant change in politics and administration of urban areas. it has established continuity in the elected body leading to existence of local leaders in decision making. Initially the enactment and follow up yielded positive results with special reference to:
• Continuity in elected body among different types of ULGs along with existence of local elected leaders leading to a bottom-up creation of gradual leadership.
• Promotion of women leaders as per reservation of at least one third seats which were raised to fifty percent in most cases.
• Development of leaders associations like All India Council of Mayors.
• Development of City Managers Association (Gujrat).
• Some states like Andhra also had Association of chairpersons of Municipalities
• Timely Auditing with the involvement of CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
As the urban development is state subject in the federal structure of India, the state leadership and bureaucracy adopted a go-slow approach and did not devolve the requisite powers and functions to ULGs. Accordingly, over a period of time the existence of elected body got affected by one or other type of reluctance or go-slow approach of respective states. It is striking to note that as many as 1400 elected bodies of ULGs were not in place as of September 202127.It is, therefore, important to strengthen elected bodies with their due existence as per article 243U of 74th CAA.
Certain services like water, sanitation(sewage), poverty alleviation and land/housing are handled by state para-statals or para- municipal agencies28.These agencies are not duly accountable to ULGs and follow instructions from state. Further, they also not share their profit with ULGs despite the recommendation by Second Administrative Reform Commission29.In addition it is also noted that the para-statals or para municipals have huge amount of liability to be paid to ULGs on account of deficiency charges become due after transfer of respective area or service from such agencies.
Deployment of staff in ULGs is fairly poor as compared to requirements. Many cities do not have exclusive Executive Officer, Planner or Engineer. One functionary in such cases have to serve two or more ULGs. Accordingly, Local cadre of municipal staff needs to develop across the ULBs along with suitable capacity building initiatives. In this regard The Mission Karma Yogi (MKY) of Government of India is emerging as a viable support to develop a role based on line training for urban functionaries. It will improve local administration significantly.
20.14 Areas of Attention /Problem Areas
On the whole ULGs have undergone a significant change in their structure, finances and adequacy of services. The ULGs have adopted principles of new localism, development dynamics leading to increasing recognition in political economy. At the same time, ULGs still suffer from a mismatch between funds, functions and functionaries (manpower capacity) with fiscal stress and lack of financial autonomy to meet requirements of their mandatory functions. The areas for specific attention as emerge from preceding analysis are:
i. Absence of National and state Urban Policy to guide, handhold and strengthen urban institutions in a consolidated and coordinated manner.
ii. Decentralisation and empowerment of ULGs has only reached up to town hall effectively. Grass root decentralisation with bottom-up awareness, engagement and participation is fairly low.
iii. Local participation the key for JanBhagidari- in the urban governance need development of suitable systems and procedures in the form of institutional (effective ward committees) and fiscal framework (participatory budgeting).
iv. Lack of exclusive fiscal powers to ULGs for a balance between funds and functions at municipal level.
v. The provision of Discretionary powers to the states on funds and functions have developed a go slow approach with regard to devolution of land, town planning and water supply.
vi. Weak revenue base of ULGs (property tax, Advertisement tax etc.) with inadequate coverage, poor assessment and low recovery along with failure to apply double entry accounting system, asset management and timely auditing, and performance budgeting.
vii. Inadequate sharing of intergovernmental resources (i) inclusion of GST in the pool of divisible funds for NFCs/SFCs, (ii) municipal ability to meet salary budget from own sources
viii. Untapped potential of City GDP covering Value Capture Finance (VCF) / monetization of land.
ix. Weak institutional capacity capacity missing on the job training for revenue mobilisation, circular economy (waste management) and better upkeep of municipal assets (o&m).
x. Lack of Uniform formats for better and comparable financial management and assessment.
xi. Low incidence of PPP/out sourcing to enhance the coverage of municipal services.
xii. Municipal inability to tap Local elasticity for mobilising local resources in cash, kind (labour), management responsibility along with CSR funds. Best practices already in place need assessment, recognition and formatting for wider dissemination.
xiii. Nonexistence or poor functioning of MPC and DPC leading to ad-hoc assessment for devolution from higher levels of government.
xiv. Finally, given due regard to above, there is a need to revisit the 74th CAA to make due corrections /amendment at central level and follow up by states.
Endnotes
1. Annual Survey of India’s city system, Janaagraha, 2023
2. Urban status is accorded by census of India on three conditions namely (i) density 400persons per square km, (ii) deployment of 75% of male workforce in non-agriculture sector and (iii) a population size of of 5000 people.
3. UN (2018), World Urban Prospects
4. https://unacademy.com/content/upsc/study-material/public-administration/global-local-debate/
5. NCU had workshops, seminars, meetings at state and city levels involving elected leaders and executives on specific themes and also assigned research studies to evolve a line of action on relevant issues.
6. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/74amend.pdf
7. Habitat III (2016 Queto) has presented a model for National Urban Policy.
8. Hindu, 30 March, 2025
9. ibid
10. ibid
11. Constitution of India : (bb) the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State; (c) the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State;
12. https://unhabitat.org/discussion-paper-september-2018-municipal-finance-in-india
13. Respective NFCs
14. ANI, March 25, 2025.
15. https://www.constitutionofindia.net/constitution_of_india/finance__property__contracts_and_suits/articles/Article%20280
16. These include Smart Cities Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, Atal Mission on Rejuvenation of Urban Areas, Deen Dayal Upadhyay National Urban Livelihood Mission, PM SvaNidhi, Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojana and National Urban Heritage Mission etc.
17. Op.cit.
18. These include State Housing/Water/sewage Boards, Development Authorities, City level water/swage agencies etc.
19. NNURM and Urban Missions have promoted a reform agenda for double entry accounting, participatory budgeting, timely auditing and issuance of municipal bonds.
20. Kk Pandey (UN Habitat -2018) Discussion Paper on Municipal Finance.
21. IIM (B) :2015: Finance Urban Local Bodies in India, Working Paper No. 493; p.11&12
22. World Bank (2022), Financing India’s Urban Infrastructure Needs.
23. Ibid 15
24. Ibid 15, 17
25. Economic Survey 2022
26. Ibid 15
27. Ibid 15
28. Ibid17
29. As per CAGs Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service Act 1971(2, 17)
30. Hindu, 7 April, 2024 giving reference to Annual Survey of India’s City System of Janaagraha.
31. These include Housing Boards, State water/sewage agencies, State Public Works Department, State Urban Development Authority and para municipal-jal sansthan (UP)or water sewage boards at city level(Hyderabad, Bl’uru, Chennai etc.and Development Authorities in many cities.
32. SARC recommended that land development agencies shoud share fifty per cent of their profit with respective ULGs.
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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.