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Centre for Urban Studies


CENTRE FOR URBAN STUDIES

The Centre was created as India’s first urban sector think tank by Govt. of India at Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in 1966.

Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) initially created as Centre for Training and Research in Municipal Administration (CTRMA), later renamed as CUS in 1974-75, was established in IIPA in 1966 with the support from Government of India (Ministry of Health and Family Planning the then nodal ministry on urban local bodies/governments) as a result of recommendations from Nuruddin Committee Report (1963). It was duly endorsed by RURC (Rural Urban Relationship Committee) in 1966.

 

Objectives

The Centre was created with specific objectives to operate as an apex institution at national level:

  1. To organize suitable training course for municipal and state officials concerned with Municipal Administration in order to improve the technical and professional character of municipal services.
  2. To hold seminars for the elected leaders of urban local authorities for the purpose of facilitating awareness of problems facing the local bodies and encouraging communication between the technical experts and the popular leaders.
  3. To arrange special conferences and study groups on contemporary problems of municipal administration.
  4. To help other States and regional training and research centres on municipal administration that might be established.
  5. To promote research on various governmental problems of urban and metropolitan growth in India.
  6. To develop an efficient and up-to-date information centres and documentation services in municipal administration in India and abroad.
  7. To provide suitable consultancy service to the various public bodies on municipal administration and to represent India in international conferences.

Initially Centre was guided by a senior level advisory committee having the then minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shri I.K. Gujral and Mr. Nuruddin Ahmad (the than Mayor of Delhi) as members and representatives from Ministries of Health & Family Welfare, Petroleum, Planning Commission etc. Subsequently, the advisory committee was replaced by a Steering Committee having representation from Ministry of Works & Housing/Urban Development and now Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, regional urban centres and select state governments. As a part of IIPA CUS since beginning has access to its national and inter country outreach and coverage of stakeholders. Director IIPA is director CUSand chairperson of steering committee and Coordinator CUS is the member secretary of Steering committee..

Our Partner: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India

Training

Training and related activities of CUS cover (a) Institutions and agencies of Govt. of India, (b) state government agencies, (c) ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) and para-municipal agencies dealing with specific services, programmes and schemes of Govt. of India and respective state government.

At national level CUS covers CPWD (Central Public Works Department), HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation), NBCC (National Buildings Construction Corporation), DDA (Delhi Development Authority) etc. (a) Induction courses, (bi) Career Enhancement Courses, (c) Mid-career Courses and (d) Workshop/Seminars.

At State level the coverage of CUS programmes include Municipal Corporation, Municipalities, Development Authorities, Improvement Trust, Housing Boards, SUDAs (States Urban Development Authorities), DUDAs (District Urban Development Authorities) etc.

At Local level CUS covers all the three type of ULBs (i) Municipal Corporation, Municipalities & TAC, (ii) Canttonment Boards, (iii) Development Authorities/Improvement Trust etc.

CUS/IIPA organize workshops, theme-based tailor-made courses and seminars on contemporary urban issues for Government of India, State Governments and ULBs and other urban sector agencies. CUS has also started first of its kind digital training programmes in the country to build capacities of middle and senior level urban functionaries through online training. These programmes also tend to seek lessons from Mission KarmYogi launched by the NDA government in September, 2020. Initial modules developed by CUS include.

Further, CUS also extends exposure on urban agenda of government of India to a cross-section of government functionaries from All India Services, Central Services and Defense Services under various programmes ranging from 3 day to one year. These include IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, ITS, IAAS, and state services from various states.

Recent Capacity Building and Sector Awareness Programmes/Modules of CUS

2020-21 – Digital Interface

Name of the programme

Duration

No. Participants

One Day Special Online Programme on

PMAY-HFA for Experts/Specialists at SLTC (State Level Technical Cell) and CLTC (City Level Technical Cell) in Himachal Pradesh

(Batch-II)

January 21, 2021

26

One Day Special Online Programme on

PMAY-HFA for Experts/Specialists at SLTC (State Level Technical Cell) and CLTC (City Level Technical Cell) in Himachal Pradesh

(Batch-I)

January 19, 2021

27

Three Day Special Virtual Training Programme on Urban Governance for Municipal Commissioners from Tamil Nadu

December 14-16, 2020

20

One Training Programme on Urban Governance for All Indian/Central Services Officers

September, 2020

28

Webinar/Virtual Meeting of Centres for Urban Studies

17th August, 2020

30

Waste Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic

July 27, 2020

180

Migration and Job Creation in Contemporary India: Prospects and Challenges

July 22, 2020

135

Webinar on Pandemic Resilient Metro Cities

16th July, 2020

120

Webinar on New Normal for Urban Governance and Infrastructure

15th June 2020

80

Public Service Delivery in the Aftermath of Covid 19

June 10, 2020

40

Emerging Role of Local Governments in India in Corona-Crises

27 May 2020

95

Last Three Years Training Programme List

Research

Recent Research activities include policy research to Government of India and states and major ULB’s, Action research for functionaries at cutting edge level and evaluation of specific scheme and programmes. Research is also used to develop contents for capacity building programmes and disseminate information through a range of publications. CUS also carries out documentation of best practices on specific urban innovations.

Recent studies include (a) Making Gurugram: a Millennium City, (b) Governance for Sustainable Cities, (c) Energy Efficiency in Eco-cities, (d) Training Module for Urban Governance, (e) Local Councils – Forth Tier of Governance, (f) Third Party Assessment of Municipal Reforms in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, (g) Manpower for Good Governance of Smart Cities, and (h) Social Impact Assessment of Land Acquisition for Urban Development and (i) Third Party Audit of Eight of Hospitals of GNCTD as per instruction of Hon’ble High Court of Delhi.

List of Research Studies

  1. Manpower Assessment of Six (HR, Public Health, Civil Engineering, Horticulture, Education and Electricity) Departments of NDMC (2020)
  2. Third Party Audit (Process audit on Governance system) of eight hospitals -2019(Govt. of NCTD in line with the order of Hon’ble High Court of Delhi).
  3. City Specific Feedback Studies (Urban Exposure visits) (DoPT) 2019
  4. Documentation of Best Practices in Waste Management (MoHUA)-2019
  5. Third Party Assessment of Reforms Implemented under AMRUT. (2018-19
  6. Social Impact Assessment for a part of land to be acquired for Metro and Convection Centre in Dwarka (Delhi) -2018-19
  7. Developing Case Studies on Initiatives taken by Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG). (The study was published and the book released by Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu on 11th October, 2017)
  8. Role of Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) in Swachh Bharat Mission -Urban (The study was published and the book was released by Hon’ble Secretary of Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shankar Mishra on 30th January, 2018)
  9. Study on Energy Efficiency in Eco Cities. (2018)
  10. “Comprehensive Capacity Building Plan for Urban Local Bodies of Arunachal Pradesh” sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of Arunachal Pradesh (2015)
  11. A study of Legislative Framework of Municipal Bodies in India sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India (2015)
  12. Study on Urban Management and Governance (Development of Training Module) sponsored by Housing and Urban Development Corporation, New Delhi (2015)
  13. Study on Fourth tier of Government-Local Council in Mizoram sponsored by Housing and Urban Development Corporation, New Delhi (2015)
  14. Municipal Infrastructure Potential for HUDCO Lending sponsored by Housing and Urban Development Corporation, New Delhi (2014)
  15. Documentation of Livelihoods generation for Urban poor through PPP and resource mobilization for urban poverty alleviation sponsored by Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (2013)
  16. Urban Sector feedback for district/Metropolitan Planning Committees sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India (2011)
  17. Urban Basic Services Programme and Municipal Finance sponsored by Ministry of Housing Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of India (2011)
  18. Mobilization of Own Municipal Sources sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India (2010)
  19. Impact of the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act on the Working of Urban Local Bodies sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Government of India (2005)
  20. Urban local bodies-Making them self-reliant sponsored by Twelfth Finance Committee, Government of India (2004)
  21. Evaluation of AUWSP in 7 towns of Andhra Pradesh sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Government of India (2004)
  22. Financing of Urban Local Governments in Uttar Pradesh-A Case Study of Agra sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (2004)
  23. Management of slums in Delhi sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (2002)
  24. Administrative Welfare Service: A comparative study of government and NGOs in Delhi sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1997)
  25. Legislations relating to Town Planning and Urban Development Authorities sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1996)
  26. Upgradation of Slums: A study of Kanpur city sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1996)
  27. Public-private sector interface and harmonization for urban development in the national context sponsored by United Nations Development Programme (1995)
  28. Organisation effectiveness of Urban Basic Service Programme in selected slum areas of Delhi sponsored by World Health Organisation (1995)
  29. A report on the election study to Delhi Assembly: Case study of R.K. Puram constituency sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1994)
  30. Public-private partnership in Urban Development with reference to services, housing and infrastructure sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India (1994)
  31. Delhi Assembly Elections: A study of Minto Road Assembly Constituency sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1994)
  32. Municipal Financial Management sponsored by Planning Commission (1990)
  33. The background and role of the property dealer vis-à-vis the property system in Delhi sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1990)
  34. Managing Urban Development: Policy issues in urban Services for the poor sponsored by United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (1985)
  35. Municipal government and urban development: A study of the recent reforms in West Bengal sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1984)
  36. Municipal personnel administration: A comparative study of unified and separate systems sponsored by Ministry of Works and Housing, Government of India (1984)
  37. Slum upgradation – Study of Kanpur city sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1984)
  38. Simla Municipal Corporation - Retirement benefits of its employees sponsored by Simla Municipal Corporation (1983)
  39. Organisation and Management of Solid Wastes in Delhi sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi and Center of Urban Studies (1982)
  40. Motivation to work (A study of middle level executives of Delhi Administration) sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1981)
  41. Election to the Delhi metropolitan council sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (1981)
  42. Election to the Delhi Metropolitan Council sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (1980)
  43. Rental control legislation and property tax assessment sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi and Centre for Urban Studies (1980)
  44. Organisation for valuation and assessment of property tax sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi and Centre for Urban Studies (1980)
  45. Introduction of performance budgeting in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation sponsored by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (1980)
  46. Sanitation and drinking water supply sponsored by World Health Organisation (1979)
  47. Organisational framework for metropolitan planning and development sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research/Ministry of Works and Housing (1979)
  48. Distribution and differential location of public utilities in Urban Delhi sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (1978)
  49. Evaluation of rural water supply sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1977)
  50. Urban land and housing policies sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1977)
  51. Allocation and utilization of police force in Delhi sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1977)
  52. Study on metering of municipal water supply sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1977)
  53. Problems of pensioners in Delhi: A socio-economic survey of policy and administration sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1977)
  54. Study of the New Delhi South Zone of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi sponsored by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (1977)
  55. Local government system in India: Municipal government sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1976)
  56. A draft code for assessment and valuation of properties for municipal taxation sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1976)
  57. Pilot study on leadership in urban and rural areas sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1975)
  58. Sweepers’ strike in Delhi municipal corporation sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1975)
  59. Study of corporate planning in a major municipal system sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1974)
  60. Study of the arrival and service pattern at the New Delhi Reservation Offices sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1974)
  61. Analysis of finances of major municipalities in India sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1974)
  62. Municipal Government and Labour Legislation sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1973)
  63. Citizen and Municipal Bureaucracy; and Property Tax Administration sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1972)
  64. Application of performance budgeting in the central public works department sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1972)
  65. State-municipal relations sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1970)
  66. Recreational and educational facilities in municipalities in India sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1970)
  67. Municipal taxes and other Levies sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1970)
  68. Organisation f municipal corporation in India-a manual sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1970)
  69. Assessment Department of Delhi Municipal Corporation sponsored by Administrative Reform Commission, Government of India (1969)
  70. Union-State Relations in Urban Development sponsored by Administrative Reform Commission, Government of India (1967)
  71. An evaluation of the working delegation of financial powers-case studies in the Department of Agriculture and Ministry of Works and Housing sponsored by Administrative Reform Commission, Government of India (1967)
  72. Union-state relations in Urban development sponsored by Administrative Reform Commission, Government of India (1967)
  73. Survey of the building construction department of the Delhi municipal corporation sponsored by Ministry of Home Affairs (1966)
  74. Delegation of financial powers-A study of selected departments in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development and Corporation and Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1966)
  75. Experience of Citizens in getting water connection (A study in corruption) sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1966)
  76. Experience of citizens in getting water connections sponsored by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi (1965)

Publication

CUS brings out a quarterly journal of high repute namely NAGARLOK. Knowledge pool of CUS also includes Dissertations, field visit reports, articles by faculty and TV talks, and webinars.

Publications - Recent Books

  1. IIPA Digest: Dedicated to Urban Sector, Vol No.2, Issue-3, July-September, 2020
  2. Making Gurugram: A Millennium City (The study was published and the book released by Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu on 11th October, 2017)
  3. Role of Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) in Swachh Bharat Mission -Urban (The study was published and the book was released by Hon’ble Secretary of Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shankar Mishra on 30th January, 2018)
  4. Governance for Sustainable Cities (The study was published and the book released by Hon’ble Minister for Environment Dr. Harsh Vardhan on 30th April, 2018 2018)
  5. Report on Stakeholder Consultation on Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), 2016 and its Implementation
  6. Indian Urbanisation and Sustainable Development Spatial Perspectives
  7. Training Module on Urban Governance
  8. Local Councils in Mizoram
  9. Municipal Finance for Inclusive Habitat
  10. Planning Development for Metropolitan Region
  11. Potential for Financing City Infrastructure
  12. Stimulating Revenue Base of ULBs
  13. Administration of Urban Development and Urban Service Delivery
  14. Report of Working Group to Study the Need for Changes in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006

Girl in a jacket

  1. Prof. K.K. Pandey – Coordinator
  2. Dr. Kusum Lata
  3. Dr. Sachin Chowdhry
  4. Dr. Amit Kumar Singh