Urban Update October 2022

UrbanUpdate

Our urban fault lines

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

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Quality is just one of our strengths

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

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

For Details, email at delhi@aiilsg.org

UrbanUpdate

A monthly magazine published by the AIILSG.

Ranjit Chavan President-AIILSG

Dr Jairaj Phatak Editor-In-Chief Director General-AIILSG

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

Abhishek Pandey Editor

Ravi Ranjan Guru Executive Editor

Ayesha Saeed Reporter

Pushpender Singh Indrani Priyadarshini Trainee Reporters

Arjun Singh Digital Marketing Associate

Meenakshi Rajput Art Director

Volume VIII - Issue VI

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

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UrbanUpdate

UrbanUpdate

The project is funded by the European Union. The project is implemented by the AIILSG. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily

European Union AIILSG

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

Cities can bridge inequalities

The world is an unequal place by any measure. Economic inequality could be considered the root of all other inequalities, especially in India. While there are various reports on the extent of such economic inequality, it is pertinent to note that the phenomenon prevails all over the world, in fact more starkly on a global level than in India. Therefore one could say that India is a less unequal society on the economic front than the world as a whole. One report quoted in a business periodical for example, said that in 2021, the top 10 percent of the population in India owned 64.6 per cent of the nation’s wealth (global figure 76 per cent). The bottom 50 per cent of the population in India owned 5.9 per cent of nation’s wealth (global figure 2 per cent). Such concentration of wealth in the hands of a few has been growing over the years.

Several have argued that such disparities and inequality are more stark in our cities. This needs to be studied in greater detail. Yes, in our metropolises, one can sometimes see ostentatious display of wealth. When contrasted with slums in the vicinity, one sees stark inequalities. One aspect of this inequality in our cities is in relation to housing. In our larger cities this problem is more acute due to steep prices of real estate. One sees huge skyscrapers of luxury apartments in a locality with slums just across the street. But many of the less fortunate city dwellers are possibly living better lives than they would back in their villages. Efficient, affordable public transit, for example; as is available in the suburban train systems in Mumbai or Chennai. Another is better education facilities, even in public schools including the ones run by our local bodies. Healthcare for the common man is also way better in cities. And of course the wide range of livelihood options. These are what one migrates to cities for, in the first place.

Therefore one may say that while inequalities exist in society, cities have the potential to significantly bridge these inequalities, and they do. As regards housing, the government’s ambitious PM AWAS Yojana (Urban) will bring about much improvement in the urban landscape. Equally importantly, the Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) initiative will bring about transformation in the housing scene in cities. Rental housing for urban migrants/poor has several advantages other than obvious relief from large upfront payments. Migrants can choose residential locations based on their livelihood/job locations; and even change when a new job opportunity comes up at a different location. Similarly also with education options for their children. Such rental accommodation will also have better service provision like water and sanitation thereby improving health and overall living conditions of the urban migrants. We believe that the inherent advantages that cities offer given their potential to bridge inequalities in societies, combined with policy interventions such as in housing can give rise to more fair, just and equitable societies in India and thereby the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This issue of Urban Update looks at urban inequalities and possible solutions.

I take this opportunity to wish all our readers and their families the very best during this festive season.

PIN POINT BUZZ

Johan Rockstrom

This is the most pressing truth: That our people have only one planet to call home [...] We can either divide and be conquered by the few, or we can decide to conquer the future and say that today a new dawn we wrote, say that as long as we have humanity, we will forever have hope

Not only does waste make our cities unattractive, it leads to flooding + air pollution + water pollution + health problems. To be successful, cities must deal with waste management issues in their context while also learning from the practices of other cities

During the pandemic, governments from Colombia to Togo sent digital payments directly to vulnerable households at unprecedented speed. These are made possible through digital infrastructure specifically designed to meet the needs of the poor

Cities & Acronyms

Urban TRIVIA

Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research @jrockstrom

Even if we phase out all oil, coal, and gas by 2050, we still fail on holding the well-below 2°C limit, if we do not get nature back within safe planetary boundaries. We need a carbon law for Nature and exponential roadmaps for nature climate solutions

Kanni Wignaraja Assistant SecretaryGeneral, UNDP @kanniwignaraja

Scientific knowledge & discovery moves fast, & we cannot hope to achieve the SDGs with out it. To end poverty & protect our planet, we need the brainpower of all the world in the fields of science, not just half

António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations @antonioguterres

It’s time for leaders to put loss and damage at the center of negotiations. It’s time to acknowledge that there’s need for additional funding on top of what has already been promised for the most vulnerable. It’s time for our leaders to wake up!

The name of the city Noida is actually an acronym NOIDA which stood for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority. Overtime, the acronym became more commonly used than its full form and became a word in its own right. Even OKHLA (Old Kanal Housing and Land Authority), AMBALA (Army Maintenance Base And Logistics Area) and MHOW (Military Headquarters Of War) are acronyms

Amanda Gorman Poet, Activist

Maimunah Mohd Sharif Executive Director UNHABITAT

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti Queen of Netherlands

Scope of Women Entrepreneurship in Spice Production

‘S

pices and Condiments’ are natural plant or vegetable products or mixtures used in whole or ground form, mainly for imparting flavour, aroma and pungency to food. In terms of meaning, both the terms ‘Spices and Condiments’ are same but with a minor difference. Spices are food ingredients used to season food during its preparation, whereas a condiment is eaten alongside food to add extra flavour. It is usually added to food immediately before consuming the food such as salt, pepper, mustard, chili sauce, chutney, ketchup, pickle etc. Spices and condiments have a unique and essential place in our food cultures. They are high value and low volume crops, yielding high income per unit area (pepper, cardamom, saffron, etc.)

There is also good export demand for Indian spices because of high quality. Spices are important everyday ingredients for our food and form an important wing of horticulture. The history of spice trade in India dates far back. India is the world’s largest spice consumer, producer, and exporter.

Because of its texture, scent, flavour, and medicinal characteristics, Indian spices are highly sought after around the world. India produced 10.7 million tonne of spices in 2020-21. Spice consumption in an Indian family is tremendous, hence the market is rising at a rate of 40,000 crores per year. When there is so much potential in the spice business that guarantees significant returns with cheap investment, anyone can establish a business, even a home-based spice production business which can yield profits. Thus, entrepreneurship in spice production has been identified as a potential area of intervention.

ObjeCTIve Of The CapaCITy buIldIng Of WOmen enTrepreneurS In SpICe makIng

India produced 10.7 million tonnes of spices in the year 2020-21. There is high potential in the spice business which guarantees significant returns with cheap investment. Thus, spice

TEAM GIRL POWER

Women participants during the training programme

production has been identified as a potential business for entrepreneurs in the country.

The main goal of the girl power project is to create rural women entrepreneurs and enterprises in order to provide them with opportunities for growth, financial stability, and socioeconomic inclusion and recognition. Training on spices was arranged after seeing the potential market for women entrepreneurs with an objective of creating women entrepreneurs and building skills and capacity to foster their entrepreneurial skill.

CapaCITy buIldIng

Of WOmen enTrepreneurS On SpICeS (maSala) & allIed prOduCTS makIng

Changing dietary preferences and growing awareness of the medicinal properties of spices like cloves, cinnamon, and turmeric have increased the demand of spices in the market. after determining the potential of business of spices for women beneficiaries, the Girl Power project organised a three-day nonresidential training on spice making at mango area, east Singhbhum district of jharkhand with 50 women beneficiaries during 22-24 September 2022. In the training, the facilitator displayed to the women different types of spices available in the market such as ‘garam masala powder’, ‘aam chur powder’, ‘chat masala’, ‘meat masala’, ‘sabzi masala’, and ‘sambhar masala.’ It was demonstrated how these masala powders are made and the different ingredients required to make the masala. The spices need to be of high quality and without any adulteration, in order to make a mark in the competitive spice market, for which the women need to ensure the composition. With the help of raw material and a simple mixer grinder, the facilitator practically demonstrated the whole process of running a small business form home. The raw materials are easily acquired ingredients like red chilli, haldi, cumin seeds, dhania, pepper, bay leaf, and

curry leaf. To pack dried powders, foodgrade packing materials and cardboard boxes were required for proper and hygienic packaging. according to investment capability, anyone can establish a spice business on a small, medium, or large scale. Training with 50 women beneficiaries on ‘papad’, ‘badi’ and ‘achar’ making was also organized at Chauka block of Seraikela district during 25-27 September 2022.

SCOpe Of SpICeS (maSala) & allIed prOduCTS makIng aS a COTTage

enTerprISe

Since spices are such ubiquitous kitchen ingredients, the technical knowhow of the business will already be known to the women. Spice making presents many advantages to women. There is flexibility in the business which will be feasible for them. One can devote as much time as they want to it. Secondly, this business can be started off with a low investment cost and has a high probability of profits. Spice business does not require a large place. One can even start the enterprise from home. however, if one does not have space, they must search for a location where they can dry and grind the spices. Spice grinding machines are available in the markets at different

prices and in different types and capacity. If the women entrepreneurs are doing this work on a small scale, then they can also grind and sell spices in a simple home mixer available with them. If they are doing this on a large scale then they will have to get many machines like cleaner, dryer, grinder, special powder blade and weighing and packaging equipment. If someone who is not a farmer but wants to start a spice-making business as a cottage enterprise, they can buy and sell spices at their local market. The profit margin in the business is 40-50 per cent.

OuTCOme

Through this training, the women participants were able to understand the potential that this business idea holds and its value addition. The project aims to create women entrepreneurs and promote social entrepreneurship. developing entrepreneurship skills in rural women will help endow them with a source of financial stability, thereby empowering them. Thus, the women entrepreneurs will not only be able to earn their living but also enhance and uplift the socio-economic status of their families. looking at the market demand, it has the potential of being one of the best profit-generating skills one can learn.

Hands-on training on spice business

One-day training for elected representatives of Budhani constituency was held on October 12, 2022 in CM House in the presence of Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh. The event was organised in collaboration with AIILSG and Sunderlal Patwa National Institute of Urban Management, Bhopal. During the event, reading material developed for the elected representatives was also launched by the Chief Minister

All Chhattisgarh

Agency deliberation meeting was organised at Raipur, Chhattisgarh on September 8, 2022. AIILSG shared the best practices they are adopting in their work in different districts

Gwalior Startup meet was organised by AIILSG in coordination with International Urban and Regional Cooperation Program (IURC), which is funded and supported by the European Union, Gwalior Smart City and Gwalior Municipal Corporation. Officials from European Union and state ministry, Mayor, Collector, Commissioner and Smart City CEO joined the 75+ registered startups under AIILSG’s Gwalior Incubation Centre

Jal Jeevan Mission Implementing Support

Nitin Gadkari outlines roadmap for green economy

New Delhi: The international Center for Climate and Sustainability Action Foundation organised the first conference in the series titled “Climate Goals: Technological Roadmap to Net Zero” at le Meridian hotel, New Delhi. These events focus on knowledge sharing on the Green house Gas (GhGs) emissions, including methane, from five important sectors in India— oil and gas, coal mining and coalbed, agriculture and livestock, landfill sites and waste, and transportation. All india institute of local SelfGovernment (AiilSG) is one of the partners for this project. Other events in the series would be organised between September 2022 and April 2023 in various cities.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and highways, Government of india, was the Chief Guest. Other dignitaries who graced the event included Dr J S Sharma, the Summit Chair and Convenor, former GGMhead (environment), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC); Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSiR), and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSiR); Dr J P Gupta, Chairman, environment Committee, Progress,

harmony and Development Chamber of Commerce and industry (PhDCCi); and Dr Rakesh Kumar, Special Duty Officer, CSIR.

Dr J S Sharma introduced the panellists to the audience and elaborated how leaders of the nation were working to achieve Net Zero goal by 2070. he called attention to the fact that climate change is a challenge that humanity is facing, which must be addressed and planned accordingly. Dr N Kalaiselvi stated that three primary missions of CSIR—Carbon Capture Utilisation Storage, CSiR h2T Mission, and lithium battery technology are ongoing. She mentioned, “CSiR is very much in place to support all the Government of india’s announced schemes, and we will also make sure that we will help the government of india to reach the unreached.”

Gadkari, addressed the audience by stating that there are three important pillars of society- ethics, economy, ecology and environment. People must look for solutions to resolve the problems of climate change caused by anthropogenic emissions and create a clean and green atmosphere. he mentioned how the government had allowed the production of ethanol from sugarcane, C-molasses, B-molasses,

corn, broken rice, and food grains, with the help of which we have been able to produce over 450 crore litre of ethanol till now.

he concluded by stating, “This is the time for the country that we need to take the help from all stakeholders to achieve the goal of net zero carbon. it is a big task and a big challenge. it is difficult but it is possible.”

Following the address of Gadkari, J P Gupta stressed on the importance of focusing more on carbon-negative rather than discussing carbon zero. he said, “de-carbonisation needs to happen not only in the industries but in the human minds. You will be surprised to know that the de-carbonisation of human activity is taking place through digitisation, communication, and data regulation. india is leading in this area. No one knows about that.”

The last panellist to speak, Dr Rakesh Gupta, focused on greenhouse gases and how india has to have different ways of tackling the issues. The inaugural address of the experts was followed by two other events— ‘Setting the Context’ and a panel discussion centred around the theme ‘Opinions and Settings of india’s Mandate for Research and Development, innovation, Technology, entrepreneurship, and Policy’.

PM addresses a meeting with mayors for urban development

New Delhi: On September 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on effective urban planning and long-term infrastructure development at a gathering of all BJP mayors.

in a tweet Prime Minister Modi announced the meeting and wrote that, “ with growing urbanisation, it is important that we view it as an opportunity and work together towards building modern, futuristic cities.” in his address, he emphasized on creating industry clusters in tier-2 and tier-3 cities as a result of booming

economic activity in these cities.

To use the digital payment system, small sellers must receive training and to ensure this, mayors must take the initiative.

The prime minister held a national conference of mayors last year, which was the first time such a meeting was held at such a high level. Since the Modi administration has placed a strong emphasis on the Smart Cities programme, it was then believed that the government was considering ways to give the mayor more authority to formulate and carry out programmes.

Punjab to generate green energy, biofuel

from MSW

highlighted the need to find sustainable solutions for Municipal Solid waste (MSw) and make optimum use of the solid waste to generate green energy and biofuel.

Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government is committed to promoting the non-conventional and natural energy sources as the best possible answer to the pollution problem for saving the environment.

Punjab generated about 3,800 tonnes solid waste per day in 2021. Unsegregated MSw remains a major challenge as manual segregation is not possible for large volumes of MSw, which eventually results in large-scale dumping of waste in landfills.

16 ULBs of Telangana to be awarded in Swachh Survekshan

2022

The Government of Telangana, through an official press release on, September 25, announced that 16 urban local bodies (UlBs) from the state are all set to be awarded in the latest edition of the Swachh Survekshan 2022 Awards in New Delhi on October 1. The Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao, said that these awards are the outcomes of the hard work done by the Urban Development Department of Telangana. Rao said that the state government has introduced the new Municipal act and initiated various ‘Pattana Pragati’ programmes, which yielded positive results.

Haryana to use Live Map technology to reduce road accidents

Gurjot Singh,

BioShakti, has revealed that his company has developed a hub and spoke model, wherein unsegregated MSw in nearby urban local bodies will be segregated using an automated process, which will further be converted into an organic-rich fraction and a combustible fraction (RDF) using well-established technologies.

Singh further revealed that the first such plant to handle the MSW is proposed to be set up in ludhiana, Patiala, SAS Nagar, and the nearby local bodies. The company is willing to invest `1,500 crore to set up the hub and spokes in collaboration with the UlBs. The project will create 500 green jobs and can handle 1600 TPD of MSw from the major urban centres.

haryana is using live map technology to identify and mark the state’s accidentprone locations. Through this technology, a grid is instantly created for these locations on the live map, providing the police with information about them right away. According to Sanjeev Kaushal, Chief Secretary of haryana, he had instructed staff to share the live map data with all relevant departments, including the police, public works, health, transportation, and urban local authorities, so that the identified areas may get special attention. in a meeting of the Road Safety Fund Management Committee, a budget of Rs 36 crore has been approved for this year.

ChANDiGARh: Aman Arora, Minister of New and Renewable energy Sources Government of Punjab,

Director of

As per a mandatory directive from the west Bengal Pollution Control Board (wBPCB), all Durga Puja committees have to provide a written undertaking about adopting anti-sound pollution measures during the Durga Puja festival. Police stations have been instructed to double-check with the electricians hired by the puja committees to see if loudspeakers are connected with sound limiters. The committees won’t be able to obtain authorization if they don’t follow the rule. Kalyan Rudra, wBPCB Chairman, said they are worried that loud music during the festival will cause discomfort to the sick, elderly, and children.

TN: Breakfast scheme inaugurated in all districts

The breakfast scheme for the elementary school was inaugurated in all the districts of Tamil Nadu. The state’s elected representatives, including Ma Subramanian, Minister for health and Family welfare and R Priya, Mayor of Chennai flagged off the vehicles carrying food for children at Madhavaram. The government has covered all the schools in the northern part of the city in the first phase. This initiative is expected to benefit 1.14 lakh students and increase the number of students in these low-enrolment government schools. local bodies are implementing the scheme in 1,545 schools with a budget of 33.56 crores.

11K sanitation workers in Bengaluru become permanent employees

BeNGAlURU: The Government of Karnataka has decided to provide permanent status to around 11,133 local body workers in the state, including those who belong to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). however, the State Pourakarmikas Association is not happy with this decision as they were demanding permanent status for all the 33,000 sanitation workers in the state. earlier, in July, the workers organised an indefinite ‘dharna’ in Bengaluru which ended after assurance from the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai to address their demands. he instructed the municipal administration department to initiate the process of granting permanent status to the employees of civic bodies in the next three months. in line with the instructions of the Chief Minister, 1927 civic workers from city corporations, 5533 workers from city municipality, and 3676 town

municipality workers have been granted the status of permanent workers in their respective local bodies. These workers will now get remuneration as per the Rs 17,000 – 28,980 salary scale. The All india Central Council of Trade Unions (AiCCTU) said, “The cabinet decision is disappointing. it is contrary to the written assurance of the CM to the pourakarmikas (sanitation workers), who were on an indefinite strike. More than 27,000 direct payment pourakarmikas are working in urban local bodies of the state. All direct payment pourakarmikas should be made permanent.”

Six divisions of Kochi Corporation at ‘high risk’: Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Study

KOChi: in a vulnerability and risk assessment study conducted in the city of Kochi recently, six divisions of the Kochi Corporation have been classified as ‘high risk’. These divisions are edakochi North, edakochi South, Konam, Panampilly Nagar, ernakulam Central, and Thrikkanarvattom.

The study was conducted by a Netherlands-based company as part of a larger project ‘Vulnerability and Risk Assessment at urban level and per sector in selected cities, including hazard, vulnerability, and impact forecast maps.’ The goal of the assessment was to design hydrometeorological Resilience Action Plans in certain urban areas selected under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase ii in the report, risk factors such as

urban flooding, drought, landslides, cyclones, rainfall, storm surge, and sealevel rise are identified, along with the vulnerable locations, infrastructure, and population groups that are at risk. Additionally, risk assessments for heatwaves, urban heat islands, and lightning were also completed for the six local bodies.

Up to 16 wards were identified as being particularly at risk for flooding. it has been found that two sections of edakochi, North and South, are extremely vulnerable to storm surges and sea level rise. The assessment determined that 34 divisions of the local body were particularly exposed to urban heat island hazards and shows that low-income groups and slums are more vulnerable to disasters due to limited coping capacity.

WBPCB implements antinoise pollution measures during Durga Puja

`137 crore allotted to MTMC for infra works

GUNTUR: The Government of Andhra Pradesh has allotted `137 crores to Mangalagiri-Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC) to propel the speed of developmental works undertaken by the civic body.

After the declaration of the state government’s plan to develop Amaravati as the state capital and the establishment of the All india institute of Medical Studies (AiiMS) and government offices in the area, there has been a sudden surge in the population. After this, the state government, in January 2021, came up

with a plan to merge 11 gram panchayats to form Mangalagiri Municipality, and Tadepalli Municipality was formed after merging 10 gram panchayats. later in March 2021, Government of Andhra Pradesh, issued an order after which Mangalagiri and Tadepalli municipalities were merged to form Mangalagiri-Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC).

This fund will pave the way for constructing 102 cement concrete (CC) roads for `29 crore, 94 CC drains for `29.87 crores and 67 black top (BT) roads for `54.86 crores. Apart from this, road widening works and construction of a 4.5 MlD capacity water tank will also be constructed with this fund. Rama Krishna Reddy said that the government is committed to developing the Mangalagiri and Tadepalli regions. however, special focus will be on improving the drinking water facilities, internal roads and drainage management to make the corporation area into a model town.

BMC to introduce black bins for domestic hazardous waste

MUMBAi: The Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) plans to introduce a three-bin policy in Mumbai from December, replacing the current two-bin policy. Under this policy, domestic hazardous waste (Dhw) will have to be segregated into black bins and it will be mandatory for housing societies to implement.

According to Sangeeta hasnale, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (SwM), the black bins will be provided to the societies and small shops. There will be a separate section in the waste-collection vehicle for domestic hazardous waste.

The policy will be put into effect in a phase-wise manner. The first step of BMC is creating awareness about black bins, after which it will build a facility for transporting such garbage, which will later be integrated with the transportation of dry waste. Domestic hazardous waste removal from the black bins will be the third step.

if a housing society lacks the space to retain an additional third container, a black waste bag may be used in its place. According to Section 61(C) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, the BMC has a legal responsibility to do solid waste management (SwM).

After the enactment of SwM Rule 2016 waste has to be segregated into three streams namely dry, wet and domestic hazardous waste, which includes sanitary waste.

India gets its first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu. The Reserve covers the coastal waters of Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts with an area of 448 square kilometres. Commonly known as sea cows, they are the largest herbivorous marine mammals found on the warm coast of the Red Sea, the Pacific, and the indian Ocean. They are protected under Schedule 1 of the wild life (Protection) Act, 1972. Since there are only 240 Dugongs present in the coastal region of Tamil Nadu, there is an imminent need to protect them and their habitat.

Assam: Property tax to be collected by third party in 4 AMRUT towns

The Government of Assam has decided to hand over the responsibility of collecting property tax to a third party. Four towns- Guwahati, Nagaon, Dibrugarh, and Silchar- under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) will be part of the effort to provide financial empowerment to the urban local bodies in the state. it will cause no additional cost to the municipal bodies and won’t increase tax rates for citizens. inspired by the model engaged in Ranchi, Chhattisgarh, Patna, and many more, which increased revenue collection fourfold in three years, the Cabinet decided to implement it as a progressive measure in June 2022.

India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in TN

BrIEfS

Amrit Sarovar formally inaugurated across Assam

Mission Amrit Sarovar Scheme was formally inaugurated across Assam. This scheme aims to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 28, 2022, with the goal of water conservation, pisciculture, job generation, and commercial plantation. The Assam state government has fixed January 26, 2023, as the deadline for completion of digging 2,625 ponds across the state, barring a three-layer commercial plantation on the banks of each pond.

The Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs (MohUA) and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), with Villgro as the implementation partner, organised the Swachhata Startup Conclave, which closed on September 20, 2022. The Conclave hosted the Swachhata Startup Challenge, wherein startups were awarded for their innovative solutions, accelerating the growth of the waste management ecosystem in india. each of the top 10 startups will get funds worth `25 lakhs from MohUA and AFD and individualised professional and capacity-building support for one year. Villgro will also make a follow-on investment of `50 lakhs in eligible businesses.

AMARAVATI, Andhra Pradesh: The State Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh on, September 21, passed a bill to amend the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act, 2014, and the Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities (MRUDA) Act, 2016.

with this amendment, the provision for affordable housing for the economically weaker Sections (ewS), whether provided under any scheme of the Government of Andhra Pradesh or Government of india, has been inserted in the CRDA Act. Under this act, sites are allocated for the construction of houses in the capital city Amaravati. After this amendment, all the citizens of the state can avail the benefit of proposed housing schemes in Amaravati provided they meet all the other eligibility criteria prescribed for this purpose. Earlier, the benefits of such housing schemes were restricted to villagers covered by the capital city and the capital region area.

On the other hand, the amendment to the MRUDA act will allow the government to introduce changes in the perspective plan, Master and infrastructure plans and area and zonal development plans. The government can introduce these changes by themselves or with reference from the concerned local bodies or person-incharge if there is no existing elected body or on application from a landowner.

Andhra passes bill to amend CRDA, MRUDA acts 15 Assam districts most vulnerable to climate change

New Delhi: A recent survey report released by iiT Guwahati and iiT Mandi identifies 25 districts of Assam as most vulnerable to climate change out of which 15 are in Assam. The southern district of india, Karimganj, has topped the list. The city usually witnesses a hefty amount of rainfall but has received significantly less rainfall over the last two months. Two other adjoining districts of Barak Valley, Cachar and Hailakandi, fall under the same category.

Besides these three districts, Goalpara comes second in the list, followed by Dhubri and Sonitpur in the third and fourth places, respectively. The others are Darang, Sivsagar, Dibrugarh, Morigaon, Baksa, Tinsukia, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, and Golaghat.

Keshab Mahanta, the state’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Climate Change, stated that the government had launched Chief Minister’s

institutional Plantation Programme to enhance carbon stock through the plantation drive and create awareness of climate change mitigation. The program, launched on July 15, 2022, planted 2,43,451 geo-tagged saplings to monitor their growth for three years.

According to climate projections in the State Action Plan for Climate Change, extreme rainfall events will increase by 38 per cent in the state. The annual mean temperature in the state has risen by 0.59 degrees Celsius in 60 years.

MoHUA awards winners of Swachhata Startup Conclave with funding

Odisha to invest `400 crore for disaster management

BhUBANeSwAR: in order to strengthen its disaster management system with cutting-edge equipment and training for frontline units, Government of Odisha has decided to invest Rs 400 crore, authorities said. The decision was taken at the State executive Committee meeting, which was presided over by S C Mohapatra, Chief Secretary of Odisha.

According to P K Jena, Development Commissioner-cum-Special Relief Commissioner, the investment would strengthen frontline organisations like the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and firefighters. The Housing and Urban Development Department has been tasked with keeping drains

clear and building more flood shelters in flood-prone locations, among other things. Officials claimed that they had taken into account the experience of the twin floods in the rivers Mahanadi and Subarnarekha in August this year. in vulnerable locations like Bari in Jajpur district, Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district, and Gop in Puri district, flood embankments will be strengthened, according to them. The meeting also covered a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) proposal. Additional funding would be mobilised for long-term recovery, reconstruction, and potential damage reduction after a thorough assessment of the needs, according to Jena.

ULBs work to make Hyderabad flood resistant

Will place Delhi Master Plan before DDA in Dec 2022: Centre tells SC

The Govt of india has informed the Supreme Court that they are planning to place the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) - 2041 before the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) highest decision-making body in the first week of December 2022.

Aishwarya Bhati, Additional Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the central government, told the court that any modification in the draft MPD will be done before the last week of December. The bench was hearing the pleas against the usage of the city’s residential area for commercial and industrial activities.

Karnataka brings in Municipalities Amendment Bill

hYDeRABAD: A comprehensive plan to link the four largest lakes in the region has been taken up by the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) and hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to prevent flooding during periods of heavy rain in lowlying areas. A review meeting was held recently at the Jawahar Nagar dump yard by Arvind Kumar, Municipal Administration Special Chief Secretary, along with representatives from the Greater hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GhMC), hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (hMDA), Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), hyderabad

Road Development Corporation ltd (hRDCl) and other organisations.

Kumar directed the officials to submit a report outlining the best way to connect these four lakes and install channel valves to maintain water levels and avoid flooding.

Consequently, the work on the stormwater drain from Nasin Cheruvu to Komatikunta Cheruvu will begin. Additionally, the Metropolitan Commissioner granted administrative approval for nine works totalling Rs 20.42 crore to be undertaken to beautify Dammai Cheruvu, lay CC (Cement Concrete) roads, and strengthen the infrastructure in these UlBs.

The Karnataka Municipalities (Amendment) Bill 2022 was approved by the Karnataka legislative Assembly to save residents in rural areas the burden of obtaining the Town and Country Planning Department’s approval for their building plans. The e-khata cabinet sub-committee, voted to remove the administrative barriers to getting building plan approvals in areas not governed by local planning agencies. The regulation of land development outside of municipal planning areas is detailed in the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act. The properties located in gram panchayats, which were added to urban local bodies, will be regularised after the amendment.

World’s first temporary stadium

STADiUM 974 iS the first football stadium in Doha, Qatar, that will be dismantled after the FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament and will be donated and reused. It is the only waterfront venue constructed entirely using standard certified shipping containers and modular steel elements. The stadium is naturally ventilated due to its design and location, ensuring costeffectiveness, bringing down the usage of water at the venue by almost 40 per cent given that there is no need for advanced cooling technology. The stadium has achieved a five-star rating under the Global Sustainability Assessment System, setting new standards for building sustainable venues.

CAG report: Improper implementation of housing schemes in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), who identified shortcomings in the implementation of housing programmes in Karnataka, stated in its report that the housing Department has only completed 88,395 dwelling units (DUs), against the target of 5.17 lakh for the urban poor as of March 2021, or only 17 per cent. it further stated that as of March 2021, only 5,17,531 of the 13,71,592 potential beneficiaries, which is only 38 per cent, identified through demand survey had chosen to participate in Affordable housing in Partnership (AHP) and Beneficiary Led Individual House Construction (BLC) projects.

According to the report, urban local bodies did not conduct the survey to determine the demand for housing in accordance with the guidelines. As only 13.72 lakh prospective beneficiaries were identified as homeless, as opposed to the 20.35 lakh envisaged under the Karnataka Affordable housing Policy (KAhP), there is possibility that the incorrect survey excluded many eligible beneficiaries. The report went on to note that just 3.43 lakh beneficiaries were identified following proper validation using unique identification such an Aadhar number.

According to the report, inconsistencies in the selection of recipients were highlighted when it was discovered that 41 per cent of the homes built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) programme were expensive multistory structures with carpet areas larger than 30 square metres.

Residents to contribute in Chennai’s Master Plan 2027-2046

CheNNAi: The consultation process to begin in 28 assembly constituencies of The Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA), involving the officials and the residents, for the preparation of Chennai’s Third Master Plan 2027-2046.

The expansion and development of the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area (CMPA) will be based on the regional planning approach, and it will be integrated with the Third Master Plan of Chennai.

S Muthusamy, Minister for housing and Urban Development, Government of Tamil Nadu, initiated the process of engagement with the stakeholders to prepare the vision document of master plan. On the same day, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) launched a workshop to solicit suggestions from the stakeholders, including residents, who could provide their views and suggestions through the website of CMA.

The minister said that the CMDA will reach out to all the villages in the metropolitan area seeking cooperation from residents in the consultation process. he added, “Public consultation is very important. Residents will be able to give innovative ideas about urban planning.”

he noted, “we are also planning to implement land pooling for development of villages along 62 km of Outer Ring Road.” Minister also said that he has asked the officials to include projects of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNSB) in the redevelopment process.

Gopal Rai, Minister of environment, Forest and Wildfire, Government of Delhi, said the government would spray bio-decomposer solution on almost 5,000 acres of rice fields in Delhi this year to reduce stubble burning. The indian Agricultural Research institute (iARi) created a bio-decomposer solution that speeds up the decomposition of stubble by converting it into manure over the course of 15 to 20 days, decreasing the requirement to burn the stubble as is done every year in the winter. Representatives from the revenue and agriculture departments have been roped in to form 21 teams for the spraying process.

collected

The Government of Karnataka informed the legislative Council that `4.33 crore has been collected as penalty from the violators of the single-use plastic ban since July 2022. in line with the directives of the Government of india, Karnataka has banned the use, purchase and storage of single-use plastic. The state has imposed a penalty of `5,000 per tonne on manufacturers, `500 on waste generators, `2,000 on retail sellers and `200 on street vendors in case of first time violation. however, in the second and third instances, the penalty amount will be doubled.

Delhi Govt to spray biodecomposer on fields to reduce stubble burning

`4.33cr

from violators of plastic ban in Karnataka

Rajasthan comes up with 512 new Indira Kitchens

JODhPUR: Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot inaugrated 512 new indira Rasois (indira Kitchens). with 358 of them already in place, there will be a total of 870 indira Rasois in the state. it should be noted that in August 2020, Gehlot began building 358 permanent kitchens in 213 urban areas under the slogan ‘No One Sleeps hungry.’

Through indira Rasoi, the underprivileged receive a one-time meal for `8 each. local institutions or NGOs are chosen to manage the kitchen for the execution and monitoring of the programme.

According to an official announcement, this programme has

already served 7.01 crore food plates, which is 73.23 per cent of the intended number. with the help of 1000 indira Rasois, 13.81 billion food plates will be provided to the poor annually.

Currently, 358 kitchens are in operation, and the government has planned to increase the number of indira Rasois to 1000 in this year’s budget. The project included a provision of `125 crore, which was increased to `250 crore in the budget for 2022–2023. As per the scheme, the State Finance Commission provides a 50 per cent subsidy to the urban local bodies, with the remaining 50 per cent coming mostly from the Chief Minister Relief Fund or other heads as needed.

Bandicoot Robot to assist in internal tank cleaning

New Delhi: The Bandicoot Robot, being hailed as the first robotic scavenger, is developed by Genrobotics, a national award-winning startup, as part of the Make in india and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiative.

in June 2022, the indian Oil Corporation ltd (iOCl) collaborated with Genrobotics to develop a robotic solution for the internal cleaning of tanks and inspection of refineries. Apart from iOCl, several other PSUs and private firms have collaborated with Genrobotics for this project.

The robot so developed is named Bandicoot and it helps in the mechanical cleaning of closed spaces like sewers, manholes, stormwater manholes and sewer wells, Oily water Sewer (OwS) and Storm water Sewer (SwS) in refineries. Right now, smart cities, urban local Bodies (ULBs), refineries and multinational

companies of over 16 states are leveraging Bandicoot Robots, aiming to eliminate manual scavenging that often leads to death of the cleaning workers.

On the occasion of its 63rd Foundation Day, iOCl revealed their plans to use more Bandicoot Robots on the premises of its refineries. The robots working for iOCl have shown great potential in eliminating the risk involving the death of cleaning workers, and in reducing the time consumed in the cleaning process. These robots are compact in size, which allows them to reach cramped spaces.

The Government of Telangana presented a bill seeking to amend Section 37 of Telangana Municipalities Act 2019, which deals with the matter of no confidence motion against a chairperson or vice-chairperson. The new amendment will increase the period for moving a no-confidence motion against a sitting Chairperson or Mayor of an urban local body (UlB) to four years, while earlier, it could be used once in three years. with this, the state government is aiming to eliminate the threat of municipal councillors or corporators using the noconfidence motion as blackmail.

The State election Commission (SeC) of Bihar has revealed the schedule of election for 261 municipal bodies in the state. The local bodies’ elections will be held in two phases, the first on October 10 and the second on October 20. Only seven corporations out of the 19 will follow the earlier reservation policy. in nine municipal corporations, the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor has been reserved for women candidates. The list of corporations to have women heads includes Ara, Patna, Darbhanga, Bettiah, Begusarai and Sasaram.

No confidence motion against ULB heads can be used only once in 4 years

SEC announce schedule of Bihar Municipal elections 2022

MOHUA launches Swachh Toycathon

New Delhi: The Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs (MohUA), Government of india, launched the Swachh Toycathon under the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav, which is a one-of-itskind competition to create toys from waste. The National Action Plan for Toys (NAPT) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Phase-2) came together to create the competition (SBM 2.0). it looks into potential remedies for the usage of trash in toy production. Swachh Amrit Mahotsav was a fortnight-long series of activities with an aim to promote public engagement and take a step towards the goal of creating ‘Garbage Free Cities’. The events were held from September 17, Seva Diwas, till October 2, Swachhata Diwas.

The Swachh Toycathon competition investigated cutting-edge methods for using dry waste in toy production. The competition will be open to all people and organisations who can present their innovative ideas for producing toys out of dry waste. The creation of effective designs that can be produced on a wider scale will be the main goal of this Toycathon. The toys should be aesthetically pleasing in appearance and must meet the minimum safety requirements. The competition will be held on the MyGov portal, with the Center for Creative learning at iiT Gandhinagar serving as the initiative’s knowledge partner.

while addressing the event Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary, MohUA, highlighted that a comprehensive approach was being taken in the

initiative and in the way forward following the competition. She also presented the toolkit of competition along with the modalities of participation in the event. The competition has been designed around three main themes: ‘Fun and Learn’ seeks concepts for early prototypes of toys made from waste at home, at work, and in the environment; ‘Use and enjoy’ seeks concepts for models of games and play in parks and open spaces made from waste; and ‘New and Old’ seeks concepts and solutions for circularity in the toy industry.

The Prime Minister of india, Narendra Modi, first expressed his intent to make india a major centre for toys in August 2020 through his Mann ki Baat address to the nation. To accomplish this, he emphasised the need for expanding india’s global footprint, developing organic synergies across demographics, and utilising the availability of raw materials and artisan skill sets. To support the toy sector, especially handcrafted toys and traditional handicrafts, the National Action Plan for Toys 2020 (NAPT) was introduced. As part of NAPT 2020, a comprehensive action plan was developed to incentivise

local production and encourage handicraft manufacturers. Some of the proposed actions outlined in the plan were launching central government schemes, establishing toy production hubs across the nation, enhancing the R&D infrastructure of toys to support self-discovery and self-learning, fostering creativity, skill development of artisans, organising hackathons and competitions to promote creativity and innovation, increasing public awareness and demand for native toys including puppets, wooden dolls, clay toys, and tribal games, etc. NAPT was commissioned by the Department for Promotion of industries and internal Trade (DPiiT) under the Ministry of Commerce and industry, Government of india, but it will be carried out in partnership with 14 central ministries, including those in charge of education, textiles, railroads, science and technology, and information and broadcasting.

At the Toycathon launch, professors Uday Athvankar and Manish Jain from IIT Gandhinagar and Vidyun Goel from the Toy Bank discussed the design of toys and games, cognitive science, and their opinions on how the initiative would affect the toy business.

7-member committee to review state of Bengaluru lakes

BeNGAlURU, Karnataka: K Srinivas, Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru City, aiming to preserve Chandapura lake from pollution, told that four urban local bodies (UlBs) Jigani, hebbagodi City Municipal Council (CMC), Chandapura Town Municipal Council (TMC) and Bommasandra TMC will establish solid waste management plants which will start working by the end of 2023.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo moto cognizance of the report of The Indian Express titled, ‘Lakes of Bengaluru: Industrial effluents, Raw sewage; stinky tale of Chandapura lake’, published in 2021.

later the tribunal constituted a sevenmember joint committee comprising representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), indian institute of Science (iiSc), State environment impact Assessment Authority (SeiAA), National wetland Authority, State wetland Authority and District Magistrate of Bengaluru. The joint committee will look into the complaints regarding violation of the buffer zone and solid waste management guidelines at Chandapura lake in the Anekal Taluk. As per the action plan outlined by the district administration

for the conservation and restoration of Chandapura lake, a detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of an underground drainage system has been submitted to the state government for approval. The estimated cost of the entire project stands at Rs 262 crores. Additionally, 21 other lakes in Jigani, hebbagodi (CMC), Chandapura and Bommasandra TMC will be preserved with the help of CSR funds pooled by private entities.

The joint committee constituted by NGT highlighted that the upstream lakes connected to the Chandapura lake are polluted, which is contaminating the lake. The committee also found that the municipal waste from the area is being dumped in the lake as there is no common sewage treatment plant (STP) to treat the sewage waste.

Apart from this, in September, a water quality analysis report was prepared by the KSPCB, which found that none of the lakes in Bengaluru has water that is fit enough to drink without any treatment. The main problem behind the contamination of these water bodies was, again, the dumping of untreated sewage waste and industrial effluents.

Bengaluru produces 1458.6 minimal liquid discharge (mld) of sewage per

day. An official from KSPCB shared that only 50 per cent of the 1456 mld of sewage that is produced every day in Bengaluru is being treated in sewage treatment plants, so 80 per cent sewage and 20 per cent industrial effluents are the main causes of the lakes’ pollution. The official also added that the Bangalore water Supply and Sewerage Board (BwSSB) is yet to install underground drainage systems in over 110 villages, therefore the sewage produced in these communities enters lakes.in this report, KSPCB examined 105 lakes in the city of Bengaluru and classified them into Class A, B, C and D categories based on the water quality in these lakes. The Class A water bodies contain drinkable water, and water from Class B lakes could be used for outdoor bathing. water from Class D lakes could be used for fisheries and wildlife and class e water for irrigation purposes.

however, none of the lakes could make it into group A, B, and C categories, while there were 65 lakes in Class D and 36 in Class e, and it was not possible to take water from four water bodies as they do not have enough water.

Bengaluru produces 1458.6 minimal liquid discharge (mld) of sewage per day. An official from KSPCB shared that only 50 per cent of the 1456 mld of sewage that is produced every day in Bengaluru is being treated in sewage treatment plants, so 80 per cent sewage and 20 per cent industrial effluents are the main causes of the lakes’ pollution. The official also added that the Bangalore water Supply and Sewerage Board (BwSSB) is yet to install underground drainage systems in over 110 villages, therefore the sewage produced in these communities enters lakes.

Global Human Development Index

2022 released on September 8

New Delhi: human Development index Report for 2021-2022 was published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on September 8, 2022. The report titled ‘Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming world’ notes that the whole world is witnessing a new “uncertainty complex” owing to a global pandemic raging since the last three years and the Russia-Ukraine war which has had devastating effects on all aspects of life in the war-torn country. This feeling of uncertainty and insecurity has been continuing since before the pandemic started due to multiple factors including democratic backsliding. Not to be underestimated is the climate crisis driven by the Anthropocene, which is manifesting in the form of extreme weather events like droughts and flooding, global temperature rise, forest fires, storms, mass coral bleaching, etc. A direct consequence of these different kinds of uncertainties is acute mental distress which is a global issue and which impedes human development in a major way.

It is the first time ever that the global human Development index (hDi) value has declined for two consecutive years, thereby undoing the progress of the preceding five years. UNDP defines human Development index as the composite measure of three indicatorshealth, education and standard of living. it aims to show that the true measure of development in a country should be its people and not just the economy. The average value of these three indicators is between 0 and 1.

india at 0.633 takes 132nd rank in the list of 190 countries this year which falls in the Medium hDi category. it has fallen by one spot from the previous year. The Medium hDi category includes countries mostly from Asia, Africa and South America. in South Asia, while China (ranked 79th), Bangladesh

(ranked 129th), Sri lanka (ranked 73rd), and Bhutan (ranked 127th) are all ranked higher than india, Pakistan (ranked 161st), Nepal (ranked 143rd), and Myanmar (ranked 149th) are ranked lower. Although the fall in ranking is in keeping with the global trend, it is important to note that many economies which are farther behind than india fare much better in the hDi index. it could be an opportunity for us to rethink where our policies are leading us. At the top of the list was Switzerland, followed by Norway and iceland. South Sudan was at the bottom of the list with Chad and Niger preceding it.

india ranked 122 on Global inequality index, with the score of 0.49. The labour force participation of females is 19.2 per cent against 70.1 per cent for males. The Gender Social Norms index of this year shows that global gender bias has gone down since 2019 when it

was first included in HDI. This has been the trend in india as well.

There is no panacea for these problems, but the report outlines some common policy categories which form the basis for other efforts for human development. These three types of policies are called the Three i’sinvestment, insurance and innovation. The need of the hour is ‘nature-based human development’ which protects natural resources, which in turn will secure people’s futures. insurance in the face of social security measures can reduce adverse effects of uncertain situation, like loss of income, drop in income, etc.

Innovation can fill the need gap, even in small ways. For instance, fact-checking platforms have been started on social media to counter misinformation which abounds on internet.

Our urban fault lines

The world engages in conversations around urban challenges and opportunities to observe Urban October. The month-long events begin with World Habitat Day, on the first Monday of October, which fell on October 3, this year and focused on the theme ‘Mind the Gap. Leave no one and no place behind’. Indeed, cities in India will add more population in the coming years, and this is the right time to ensure our urban policies and programs leave no one and no place behind in this journey. We look at inequality in Indian cities and their possible solutions.

Abhishek pAndey | Editor

India became the world’s fifth biggest economy surpassing Britain. It does not mean all is well, and there is nothing to worry. As Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Roads Transport and Highways, recently said: India is a rich country with a poor population facing issues like starvation, unemployment, casteism, untouchability and inflation. He stated the ground reality. He said that the nation had to address the social and economic disparity.

Globally, nations have made progress in making the world a better place for everyone. There is still a long road ahead. In 2015, over 190 countries agreed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The most important goals include eradicating poverty, ending inequality, fighting

climate change and ensuring no one is left behind. All nations agreed to make sure no one is left behind, irrespective of who they are or where they live. The cities are frowned upon for their energy consumption and emissions. But they are appreciated for generating employment and strengthening the economy of nations. Cities are also hubs where solutions to bigger problems are derived. Urbanisation is a reality, and we cannot do away with it. Countries need to find the best way out of the given situation.

The most important task would be eradicating poverty and improving their economic situation with carefully thought interventions. All the roads to prosperity would undoubtedly go through cities, and the nations must mend their urban operations carefully to ensure the caravan of prosperity is not sunk in their cities. Countries already struggling with financial woes cannot afford to go the Sri Lanka way, and they need to understand the opportunities at their disposal and the challenges ahead. Else, all their efforts to mend things and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals can go awry.

ECONOMIC DISPARITy: GLOBAL OvERvIEW

By closely looking at numbers, one will find that India is not a rich country, considering the size of its population and share of the global household wealth. About 18 per cent of the world population lives in India, but if one looks at the global household wealth share, it is a mere 3.5 per cent. In contrast, the United States of America houses only about 4.5 per cent of the global population but has a global household wealth share to the tune of 29 per cent. China is almost at par; about 17.5 per cent share of the global population and about the same share in global household wealth. Our per capita income is also relatively low at 2000 USD. India may not be on the list of the poorest countries in the world but hovers somewhere between the poor and lower-middle-income countries. The World Bank puts it in the category of the lower-middle income category.

India has greatly improved in the last couple of decades and produced many billionaires. According to a Credit Suisse report, India has about 4000 ultra-high net worth individuals whose net worth is in the north of 50 million USD. The number in the USA is 140,000 and in China, 32000.

India needs to grow faster, and the process will be expedited in cities. Cities will grow quicker and more industrialisation is bound to happen. This will require better services and infrastructure development in urban centres. It will also raise concerns about emissions which need to be tackled simultaneously.

Where could India tackle disparity better? It’s obvious—in cities. I recently listened to a lecture, ‘Gesture of Human Occupation,’ delivered by famed Indian architect Charles Correa a couple of years ago. He tells the tale of two residents from his village. Both were from different communities— one considered an upper caste and another a lower caste. They never sat next to each other back in the village. But when they came to Mumbai, he saw them sitting next to each other in a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Bus in Mumbai. The humble BEST bus in Mumbai city removed the social barrier that was difficult to remove through intensive government interventions and social initiatives in their native places. This is true not just for Mumbai but for any other city. Cities are a great equaliser of social inequalities, at least. But there are different inequalities which are plaguing our cities. The disparities may not arise by the caste or community one belongs to but because of one’s financial status.

POOR IN CITIES & HOUSING

Every city has two cities in it. One is the city of high-rise buildings, and another is of squatters. And, at times, the clashes between the classes come to the fore. There is also a difference in the quality of services rendered to these localities. It is starkly visible in terms of their access to drinking water

and sanitation services, road and other essential infrastructure facilities, etc. One can take a walk in such localities in metropolitan cities and observe the difference. For example, take a walk in Seelampur and then in Defense Colony in Delhi. In India, about 11 per cent population, as per the 2011 Census, resides in cities. The number could be higher now. The World Bank puts it at 35 per cent of the total urban population as slum population.

Housing is a major issue for the poor people coming to cities. In the absence of adequate and affordable facilities available in cities, these people start living as squatters or in slums. The living conditions in these areas cannot be considered adequate. These housing options are not free if you have a specific locality in mind because of the proximity to your workplace. A cab driver in Mumbai said that living in slums is not free or cheap. They had to pay about `8,000 to 10,000 monthly for a roof over their head. What is the price of buying a room in these places? He replies that the price for one BHK in a convenient location begins at forty lakh rupees. This is the price of one room with no toilet or kitchen. Just to mention, about 60 per cent of Mumbai’s population lives in slums. India’s early experiments with slum redevelopment have taught us that housing facilities must be employment-linked. It is obvious that people do not come to cities just to live. They come to cities in search of a better life. They could be seeking employment or better educational or health facilities for their close ones. When the slum redevelopment projects provided them housing far from their original locations, those projects fell flat. People took allotment of those houses and shifted to another convenient location from where they could conveniently work. If you walk around slums in Mumbai, for example, Dharavi, one can easily witness those places are not used only for living but also for running businesses. It could not be the same for every slum, but these multiple factors must be considered when planning a slum redevelopment

plan or a new housing facility for the poor or migrants. India has allotted hundreds of millions of houses to the poor. In 2015, the Government of India assessed the housing demand at 1.12 crore and introduced Pradhanmantri Awaas yojna (Urban). After seven years, GoI has sanctioned 1.23 crore houses and delivered about 62 lakh houses. Another scheme started by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is Affordable Rental Housing.

COvID-19 underlined India’s urban fault lines in cities. People who were the main workforce responsible for running cities, constructing buildings, and running factories and industries, could not live there for long when the Pandemic struck. There was no place for them to live and sustain themselves safely. The Pandemic resulted in reverse migration as cities did not have the means to sustain the migrants. The living conditions were not adequate considering the health crisis. People lived in cramped places and used common washrooms. Then the lockdown happened, and people who earned daily and spent daily faced a big challenge of survival. They preferred to move to their villages to sustain themselves through the crisis. The government learned that there was a gap which needed to be filled.

The government recognised that urban migrants need decent rental housing at an affordable rate at their work sites. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) initiated Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri AWAS yojana- Urban (PMAy-U). The primary purpose is to provide ease of living to the urban poor with access to dignified, affordable rental housing close to their workplace. As per the government vision statement, under the scheme, the government targets to utilise existing government-funded vacant houses to convert into ARHCs through Public Private Partnership or by Public Agencies; and the construction, operation and maintenance of ARHCs by public/private entities on their available vacant land. The scheme will

I recently listened to a lecture, ‘Gesture of Human Occupation,’ delivered by famed Indian architect Charles Correa a couple of years ago. He tells the tale of two residents from his village. Both were from different communities—one considered an upper caste and another a lower caste

be implemented in all statutory towns, notified planning areas, and under special area/ development authorities/ industrial development authorities.

There are about 83,000 vacant govt houses available across India out of which about 5,500 have been converted into ARHCs. It is important to note that only four states and Union Territories, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, have converted vacant government houses into ARHCs. Out of 5,500 ARHCs, about 5,000 are from Chandigarh and Gujarat. The details of Chandigarh are available on the Ministry’s website, and it has decided the rent of those flats at `3,000 per month. And, no information is available if any project has been kicked off with Public Private Partnership (PPP) under ARHCs. There is a need for scaling up of scheme in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The maintenance of these houses need to be ensured for the long-term success of the scheme.

Our urban fault lines can be addressed only when cities and local government in collaboration with the state and central government and other stakeholders try to make cities inclusive. People belonging to vulnerable groups, disabled, elderly, children and women, should be given priority and their needs addressed. Like in the last issue, we highlighted, the urban ecosystem cannot survive without its wetlands, waterbodies and forests. Cities can’t fix their fault lines in silos because everything is connected.

Urban Growth bUt

ineqUality

The recently released Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022 has stated that India has the highest number of poor people in the world despite having made great strides towards equality. Most people are deprived against four parameters - nutrition, cooking fuel, sanitation and housing. Poverty, Income disparity, gender discrimination, lack of universal health coverage, etc are some of the prevalent issues which were only exacerbated by the pandemic

According to MPI 2022, 41.5 crore people have been uplifted from poverty in 15 years (between 2005-06 & 2019-2021)

10% of India’s poor people live in urban areas and 90% in rural areas

The incidence of poverty fell from 9% to 5.5% in urban areas

Inequality needs due attention in urban planning, governance

One need not go on a long drive in a big city to witness stark inequalities between the posh and the common localities. Even within these localities, urban experience does not remain the same. Almost every vulnerable group - women, children, the elderly, and differently-abled - experiences unequal treatment daily. This needs to change now, and cities need to be welcoming and courteous to all

Are cities in India inclusive and provide services and access to infrastructure equitably? The answer to this question does not come in simple shades of black and white. There are grey areas. Cities have practiced segregation of all kinds since time immemorial. The rich and the poor live in different neighbourhoods. Cars and pedestrians have a differential share of road space. Some hundred years ago, people of different classes and races lived in separate neighbourhoods, and it was a pretty exacting distinction. People with different or lesser physical abilities cannot access every facility in the city. every misstep in planning can perpetuate inequality.

Inequality in the delivery of services and access to urban infrastructure has been a fundamental problem in cities. With the expansion of cities and growing population, the problem has aggravated. For example, slums in the city like Mumbai clearly show that urban poverty is concentrated and the strong inequalities between urban communities are visible. There are several such examples all over the country.

According to a research paper on urban inequalities ‘Access to Urban

Infrastructure: Who Benefits?’, the most pervasive causes of segregation, scholars have argued, are de jure, that is, they are rooted in law, public policy and other intentional government action. Until recently, in countries like the United States and South Africa, national, state, and local governments implemented explicitly discriminatory policies that determined where white communities and communities of colour should live. State-sponsored segregation of this kind throughout the 20 th century has made contemporary cities particularly unequal.

RURAl-URBAn dIvIde

The overcrowding of cities can be because of a lack of economic opportunities and adequate health and education facilities in rural areas. The problems of inequality in cities perpetuate from various aspects of socioeconomic conditions in rural and urban areas. Some issues of inequality can be addressed in villages. For example, a person has to come to a city to consult a doctor for an ailing family member. He cannot get the required health facilities in rural areas, and individuals’ health worsens in the absence of medical facilities. This is usual for people who live in far-flung areas. They will say that doctors visit local health facilities once or twice a week. They have to travel long distances to get essential medicines. There is no blood bank. In such a desperate situation, the family members of the ailing person take him

Ranjit S Chavan | President, AIILSG

or her to a nearby city where health facilities are available. Their priority is to get the ailing person treated, who, if he gets lucky, gets admitted to the government hospital facility, but the person accompanying him has to find a place to sleep at night. Where does he/ she go? He/she sleeps on pavements.

On a close look at a mega health facility such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in new delhi, one can see the sorry state of affairs. In such a scenario, one cannot pinpoint who is at fault.

Cities need to be ready to handle floating populations of such kind. They need to have the infrastructure to provide facilities. At the same time, such a problem can also be handled locally in rural areas by strengthening basic medical facilities. To control large-scale migrations from village areas to cities for accessing basic facilities of health and education, rural infrastructure (or lack thereof) must be strengthened.

GOveRnMenT InITIATIveS

India has been an agriculture-based economy for several decades since its independence. Gradually the share of agriculture in the national GdP dipped, and the urban service sector got a boost. Since then, people have been moving to cities for better economic opportunities, and the trend continues. It is becoming evident that urbanisation, if not

planned well, can affect the efforts for sustainable development and overall progress on urban equality. When people come to cities, and in case they do not find immediate jobs and housing, they end up living in slums or, worse, on the roadside. These places usually do not have adequate civic service provisions. Infrastructure and urban services are important urbanisation dimensions, providing essential services to support diverse urban activities. Inadequate service provisions magnify inequalities and can derail our efforts to build just and fair societies.

The village economy must be strengthened if we want to check mindless migration to cities. The country has started working in this direction with the promotion of village-based small and medium-scale industries. These initiatives need to be further promoted, and meanwhile, the government needs to build a robust village-level infrastructure for basic education. Other steps could be improving agriculture-based research and bringing about massive transformation in the sector.

For example, rural local bodies should also get due attention and encouragement in their efforts to innovate for sustainable development in the areas under their jurisdiction. Instilling research and proper training in agriculture and adequate capacity building of rural elected representatives

The village economy must be strengthened if we want to check mindless migration to cities. The country has started working in this direction with the promotion of village-based small and medium-scale industries. These initiatives need to be further promoted, and meanwhile, the government needs to build a robust village-level infrastructure for basic education. Other steps could be improving agriculture-based research and bringing about massive transformation in the sector

and officials in line with those of UlBs can improve the situation at the ground level. Such an initiative can also open doors for more investment into essential services in rural and urban areas, such as health care, education and skills development which could be the long-term solution to issues related to economic distribution.

The most crucial aspect of urban service provisioning and infrastructure access is the disparity between different economic users based on their gender, socio-economic status and physical ability. A research paper assessing access to public transport systems in Seoul found that the people in the lower rung of the socio-economic pyramid living in low-income colonies had inadequate access to mobility options compared to those from highincome neighbourhoods. Such kind of disparity is visible among other groups as well. despite several government notifications, many government buildings remain inaccessible to physically challenged individuals. The issue of safety and the presence of dark spots in cities also hinder women’s movement at night.

Financial sustainability is a tough boat to sail

There are around 5000 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in India for catering to the needs of the urban population - 35 per cent (according to the World Bank) of the population in our country. In the past three decades, some local bodies have become financially sustainable. One such is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose budget size has grown to `47,058 crores, as per the budget estimates for 2021-22, making it the richest local body in India. All thanks to the growth of Mumbai in the last three decades following the economic reforms of 1991. However, not all urban local bodies (ULBs) have been as fortunate. Apart from a handful of urban local bodies, all the other civic bodies are still struggling for adequate financial resources to meet their requirements. Due to this, they are heavily dependent on the grants provided by the central and state governments.

Keeping that in mind, the 15th Finance Commission has earmarked `121,055 crore for ULBs for 2021-26. A study by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) evaluated the data of 80 urban local bodies spread across 24 states between 2012-13 and 2015-16. It shows that the local bodies can generate only 47 per cent of their total revenues. For this reason, most of the ULBs are always under a financial crunch. It was claimed to be the major

factor behind the merger of three municipal corporations in Delhi by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

WHAt IS tHe ISSUe?

High Dependency Ratio: the dependency ratio signifies the proportion of government grants in the budget of a local body. even BMC gets one-fourth of its revenue (26 per cent) in the form of government grants as per the revenue estimates for 2021-22. Similarly, the “Performance Audit of Implementation of 74th Constitutional Amendment Act” report in 2020, prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), shows that in the financial year 2018-19, 271 ULBs in Karnataka were raising only 41 per cent of their total revenue. Cumulatively, these ULBs received a total of `11,380.72 crore in the form of government grants out of their budget of `18,105.41 crore.

Role of State Finance Commission (SFC): At the central level, the President of India constitutes a finance commission under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution. In the same manner, the Constitution endowed the power of forming the State Finance Commission on the Governor under Article 243 of the Indian Constitution. Its primary function is to allocate revenue to the local bodies from the state government. However, it has an

When cities are addressing inequalities in planning and policies, they also need to become self-sufficient financially to ensure they are at par with other cities in addressing pressing urban concerns

PushPender singh | Trainee Reporter

inherent weakness: the advisory nature of its recommendations. Because of this, the state government often delays the constitution of the SFC, and if constituted, its suggestions are either overlooked or accepted as per the whims of the state government. the CAG report also highlighted that in the state of Karnataka, the formation of SFC was delayed, ranging from 10 days to four and a half years. It delays the process of releasing funds to civic bodies along with the monetary loss. the CAG report showed that the 271 local bodies of Karnataka suffered a revenue loss of `1,036 crore in 2018-19 alone due to delays in SFC formation.

Performance-linked incentives: the 15th Finance Commission, headed by N K Singh, has proposed only basic grants for towns and cities having a population of less than a million,

while on the other hand, cities having a population over a million must earn every penny as for them 100 per cent of the grants is performance linked under the Million-Plus cities Challenge Fund (MCF). the policy change may not have much effect on wealthier ULBs, but for smaller civic bodies like Jhansi Municipal Corporation, which gets over 60 per cent of its revenue in the form of government grants, even the slightest revenue loss can have a drastic effect on its functioning.

ReFORMS INtRODUCeD

As mentioned earlier, civic bodies, especially the smaller ones in India heavily depend on government grants. But the governments themselves are undergoing financial difficulties due to COVID-19 and the Goods and Services tax (GSt) introduction in 2017. As

A study by the Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) evaluated the data of 80 urban local bodies spread across 24 states between 2012-13 and 2015-16. It shows that the local bodies can generate only 47 per cent of their total revenues

per the mandate of the GSt Act, states which lost their tax income were supposed to be compensated from the GSt compensation cess collected by the Centre.

therefore, several reforms have been introduced recently to reduce the dependency ratio. During the pandemic, the government of India allowed the state governments to borrow two per cent of their Goss State Domestic Product (GSDP) provided they introduced four reforms, one of which concerns the property tax collection of ULB. the property tax is the second major source of revenue in ULB budgets.

As per the reform mandate, the state governments were to link the property tax ratio to prevailing circle rates and periodically increase the property tax proportionate to the rise in valuation of the property. the move will supposedly provide a stable source of income for ULBs in the long run.

to shrug off the lethargy of state governments to form SFC, the 15th Finance Commission has prescribed a deadline of March 2024, after which it would be mandatory to form SFC for the states and implement its recommendations to receive any grants from the central coffers. Mukesh Mathur, former Professor National Institute of Urban Affairs, said, “It depends on the political wisdom behind the adoption of these reforms, and even if they were able to implement them successfully, there is not much to achieve. What the states should really work on is land-based nonproperty taxes.”

City of dreams for some, city of nightmares for many

On March 15, 2022, the Supreme Court made an announcement inviting tenders from housekeeping agencies to employ the services of ‘monkey scarers’ for the residential bungalows of Hon’ble Judges of the Supreme Court of India on a contractual basis. ‘Monkey Scarers’ are people who scare away monkeys by mimicking the sounds of ‘langurs’. They are usually employed in the capital’s Lutyen area. This may sound absurd, but this is indeed the case in certain green areas of Delhi that face a menace of monkeys. ‘Monkey Scarers’ is one of the many quirky ‘professions’ which arise only in a big city, owing to a large labour force looking for employment and a short supply of jobs

Urban areas are centres of job creation. People flock in large numbers from rural areas to urban areas to earn their daily bread. For people who do not have a steady income source in their homelands, cities hold the promise of a job and better pay. But an enormous labour force and lack of a commensurate market for jobs lead to unemployment. For many, unemployment in the city means losing the last resort. This crucial role of the cities was highlighted during the pandemic.

The sudden lockdown during COVID-19 caused widespread misery, especially for the migrant population, dependent on the city for their employment. Scenes of railway and bus stations overflowing with people wanting to return to their native villages in search of work and food were splashed across the news. It showed that urban India feeds a huge chunk of the population by employing them in various precarious professions. From auto rickshaw drivers and cab drivers to our domestic help who cooks and cleans for us every day, the servers at restaurants and cafes or the security guards in our buildings, the sweepers in our offices and colonies, the vegetable vendors or the delivery guy who delivers

pizza at our doorsteps, migrants provide essential labour services which form the backbone of the urban economy.

GrowinG urban POPulaTIOn anD urban labour force a major reason for massive urban unemployment is growing rural-urban migration. Rural-to-urban migration is increasing at an exponential rate. It is expected that half of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050. But are the cities ready to take on that number of people and sustain them? We’ve already seen the collapse of our health infrastructure once during the pandemic. This massive informal economy is riddled with problems such as low wages, the uncertainty of jobs, and exploitation.

There is a significant gap between the labour force and the generation of corresponding employment. The employment generation cannot keep up with the increase in the labour force. Further, the number of people looking for respectable jobs with better working conditions, steady employment, and higher pay has risen considerably due to improvements in literacy, education, and attainment of higher education,

AyeshA sAeed | Reporter

skills, and vocational education. The growth in the number of job seekers has outpaced the rate of job creation for this type of employment. last but not least, preference for government jobs has significantly increased due to enhanced stability, guaranteed compensation, and other benefits and prestige that come along with it. These variables substantially affect the labour market, labour force, workforce, unemployment, and environment.

Decline in unemPlOymenT RaTe (uR)

according to the Periodic labour Force Survey (PlFS) conducted by the national Statistical Office (nSO) of the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (moSPI), Government of India, which started in 2017–18, the rate of urban unemployment has consistently gone down since it was initiated. In 2017–18, the urban unemployment rate was 7.83 per cent; in 2018–19, it went down to 7.66 per cent. The year 2019–20 saw a further decrease, reaching 6.94 per cent. Rural areas had substantially lower unemployment rates than cities. The unemployment rate was also lower among rural women than rural men, but it is the opposite in metropolitan areas. even though the unemployment

rate has gradually decreased with the easing of pandemic restrictions, the uR for September 2022 was 7.7 per cent. However, uR, based on the current weekly status (CWS), shows an upward trend, according to PlFS. as per CWS data, the urban uR increased from 9.67 per cent in 20172018 to 10.99 per cent in 2019-20. in comparison to metropolitan regions, CWS unemployment was found to be significantly lower in rural locations. additionally, it revealed a rise in urban households and a fall in rural homes.

exISTInG meaSuReS

India has had many policies focussed on the urban poor. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar yojana (SJSRy), launched in 1997, was an urban poverty alleviation program to provide selfemployment or wage employment. This was replaced by the national urban livelihoods mission (nulm) in 2013. It included the provision of shelter for the urban homeless and improving their employability through skill development. But these weren’t employment guarantee schemes.

uRBan emPlOymenT GuaRanTee SCHemeSa SIlVeR lInInG States have started looking favourably at employment guarantee schemes

Urban areas are centres of job creation. People flock in large numbers from rural areas to urban areas to earn their daily bread. For people who do not have a steady income source in their homelands, cities hold the promise of a job and better pay. But an enormous labour force and lack of a commensurate market for jobs lead to unemployment

to ensure minimum employment for the urban poor. Kerala was the first state to implement such a scheme in 2010- ayyankali urban employment Guarantee Scheme. It aims to provide 100 days of work to an urban household annually. Some of the other states that have implemented urban employment schemes are madhya Pradesh (mukhyamantri yuva Swabhiman yojana), Himachal Pradesh (mukhya mantri Shahri ajeevika Guarantee yojna or mmSaGy), Odisha (unnati or urban Wage employment Initiative) and Jharkhand (mukhyamantri Shramik yojana).

Month

Sep-22 6.43 7.7 5.84

Aug-22 8.28 9.57 7.68

Jul-22 6.83 8.22 6.17

Jun-22 7.83 7.32 8.07

May-22 7.14 8.24 6.63

Apr-22 7.83 9.22 7.18

Mar-22 7.57 8.28 7.24 Feb-22 8.11 7.57 8.37

Jan-22 6.56 8.14 5.83 Dec-21 7.91 9.3 7.28 Nov-21 6.97 8.2 6.41 Oct-21 7.74 7.37 7.91

Source: Centre for monitoring Indian economy (CmIe)

The Government of Rajasthan has also joined the list recently with its ‘Indira Gandhi urban employment Guarantee Scheme’ on the lines of mGnReGa according to this scheme, people aged 18 to 60 years living within the jurisdiction of urban local bodies are eligible to seek employment for 100 days a year. at least 50 people in each ward (of the ulBs) will be employed. People will be employed in one of three categories- unskilled, skilled and supervisors. The payment scale will be `259 per day for unskilled labourers, `283 per day for skilled ones and `271 per day for supervisors.

The policy holds much potential and can prove beneficial in relieving, to some extent, the worries of part of the informal sector. But still, it will require efficient implementation to attain the desired results.

Cities & Migration Cities & Migration

Ki-moon,

ince time immemorial, humans have been migrating to places, driven by food availability, climate, and other environmental factors. It has been complicated by wars, political unrest, famine, and human rights abuses as time passed, creating a widespread diaspora. Daring desert conditions and sub-zero temperatures to flee across seas in death boats, migrants travel thousands of kilometres away from their motherland for survival. Forced migration emerging from wars in Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine; Rohingyas escaping violence inflicted on them by Myanmar’s state

forces; and the treacherous journey from Central America to the USA for better economic opportunities and sustainable livelihood are only a few examples.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over a year, the number of refugees in the world has increased from 20.7 million in 2020 to 21.3 million at the end of 2021, which is more than double the 10.5 million a decade ago.

The question is how host cities cope with a massive influx of asylum seekers knocking on their doorstep.

Since the end of 2021, the Russian

“Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety, and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family.” – Ban

Secretary-General (2007-2016), United Nations

IndranI PrIyadarshInI | Trainee Reporter

invasion has led Ukrainians to flee to their neighbouring countries to escape the armed conflict, seeking safety, protection, and assistance. This has led close to five million individual Ukrainian refugees to move across the European Union and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries by mid-September 2022. Sharing a long border with Ukraine, the Republic of Poland, a member of OECD countries, opened its borders to over 2 million refugees, hosting the largest number of migrants after Turkey. But with no end in sight to the conflict, the Polish city of Rzeszow, with an increased population of 53 per cent, is crumbling under enormous pressure.

With local governments shouldering social and ethical responsibility and helping the new migrants, the focus is more on schemes that will support sustainability and be responsive to the social needs applicable for the longer term, benefiting both the Ukrainian and the Polish citizens. Instead of temporary hospitals in tents and housing facilities, new places of residence and medical centres are being built, maintaining the current standard of living and preventing any social conflicts. The local governments are also focusing more on providing jobs and education access, which means more funds are required to build more infrastructure and adapt to their new reality. The picture in developing nations is much grimmer. This region of the world suffers mostly from reduced economic growth, ethnic conflicts, and mass poverty.

After a massive scale of armed attacks, violence, and serious human rights violations, with no option other than fleeing from their homes, thousands of Rohingyas journeyed through dense forests. They undertook dangerous sea journeys to reach Bangladesh. A Muslim ethnic minority living in Myanmar for many generations is yet to be recognised as an official ethnic group. It has been denied citizenship of Myanmar since 1982, making them the most persecuted minority and the largest stateless population in the world.

Bangladesh, the eighth most populous

country in the world, has its share of significant problems, including overcrowding, inflation, political instability, and poverty. Already frustrated with its issues, the country has sought to focus on repatriation and to deal with the refugee crisis as a short-term challenge. Although the Bangladesh government has provided them with access to UNHCR services, it continues categorising Rohingyas as illegal migrants and refuses to grant formal refugee status.

Since 2017, around seven million Rohingyas have reached the shores of Bangladesh, more than half of whom have settled on the narrow strip of land in Cox’s Bazar, restricting refugees from settling into the country. In a city with an area of 213.4 sq km, the government doesn’t view their settlement here as a tenable solution. It has been rolling in the opposite direction- restrictions on aid activities from building safe housing to cultivating self-reliance, combined with heavy-handed security measures only alienating the refugees and leading to a greater threat and conflict in the region.

It has further strained humanitarian and government relief schemes. The city has even denied basic education to the children and to seek formal jobs. Overcrowding from the recent boom in the refugee camps has placed a strain on infrastructure.

To reduce pressure on the world’s largest refugee settlement, the government has built Bhasan Char, a tiny island in the Bay of Bengal. According to the United Nations’ statement on the relocation of Rohingya refugees to the Bhasan char, it appreciates the generosity and humanitarian spirit of the government for providing them with safety and shelter. It has also emphasised that refugees should have basic rights and services, including access to education, health care, and livelihood opportunities.

With the Taliban taking control over Afghanistan, the world saw an influx of Afghan refugees seeking shelter in neighbouring nations, including India.

Considering Afghanistan’s current situation, India granted 200 emergency

Bangladesh, more than half of whom have settled on the narrow strip of land in Cox’s Bazar, restricting refugees from settling into the country. In a city with an area of 213.4 sq km, the government doesn’t view their settlement in the city as a tenable solution

e-visas for six months. Since UNHCR doesn’t have a branch office agreement with the government of India, it works under the umbrella of UNDP with responsibility for a wide range of refugees in the capital city. As per UNHCR 2021 report, India currently hosts 15,217 Afghan refugees.

India’s capital city houses the most Afghan refugees, letting them experience living independently. The migrants opened their hub, giving a different cultural experience of diversity. The city has given them a space to make themselves self-reliant in a respectable way.

Delhi has even come up with schools exclusively for Afghan refugees to prepare the students for higher education in western countries with the help of the UNHCR.

Three different cities deal with refugees with three different approaches. Migrants risking their lives for better livelihoods, cities worldwide capable of helping them should be more generous and lend them a helping hand. From providing proper housing facilities to education and job opportunities, cities must build facilities to handle refugees. Cities can adopt policies primarily related to the situation of refugees and allow them basic rights. Also, education should be embedded within citywide policies; local governments must have autonomy, capacity, and agency to act and provide for them. National and local public financial management systems must be flexible enough to relocate resources and maintain to provide for migrants’ needs.

South Asia needs to prepare for Climate Change, come hell or high water

while Robert Frost was only using metaphors, he might as well have been a sage portending climate change. Looking at the news today, we’re flanked by two of our neighbours facing deathly disasters. On one side, Pakistan is facing the worst flood in a decade, and on the other, China is reeling under a devastating drought. Both extreme weather events are unprecedented in the history of the two respective nations. In China, the dry spell is so bad that it has stalled electricity production in hydroelectric power plants. They have resorted to coal to fulfil their energy requirements, which creates a vicious cycle of carbon emissions and climate change. A drought of this proportion has also affected the production of food grains. In Pakistan, on the other hand, some parts have received rain way above the normal level of rainfall. For instance, Balochistan, predominantly a desert region, received 450 per cent additional rainfall in July. There is cause for concern since India and Pakistan receive rain from the same source.

With the rise in global average mean temperature, glacier boundaries around the world are rescinding, and the average mean sea level is on the rise. However, the impact of climate change is not uniform across the globe. The developed countries like the United States of America and those of Europe, which have been at the forefront of carbon emissions since the beginning of Industrialisation, are the least affected. On the other hand, the developed countries that have just started on the path of growth are facing the brunt

of climate change. As per the State of Climate in Asia 2020 report of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), countries like India, China, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries emerge as major victims. Cumulatively India and Bangladesh alone have suffered a loss of $23 billion, and over 27 million people have been affected. Five of the top 10 countries with major losses come from the South Asian region. Temperature rise has already resulted in profound alterations to human and natural systems, including increases in droughts, floods, and some other types of extreme weather events, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss – these changes are causing unprecedented risks to vulnerable persons and populations (IPCC, 2012a, 2014a; Mysiak et al., 2016; Chapter 3 Sections 3.4.5–3.4.13)

ExCESSIvE RAInFAll

We are seeing the destruction that the unprecedented levels of rainfall have caused in Pakistan. This calamity is preceded by many years of extreme weather events of varying proportions. In the monsoon of 2020, countries in South Asia received heavy rainfall resulting in floods and landslides and other mass wasting events.

CyClonES

Apart from rainfall, cyclones have been other major causes of death and destruction in the South Asian region. As per the State of the Climate in Asia 2020 report of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in 2020, five tropical cyclones with maximum sustained wind speeds of 34 knots formed over the north Indian ocean and all of them made landfall. one cyclone formed over the Arabian Sea, and four cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal, resulting in near-normal

“Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice” - Robert Frost

Team Urban UpdaTe

cyclone activity over the Arabian Sea (1.0 tropical cyclone formed on average 1981–2010) and above-normal cyclone activity over the Bay of Bengal (2.9 tropical cyclones formed on average 1981–2010). “Tauktae” (14-19 May 2021), which was formed in the Arabian Sea, and the very severe cyclonic Storm “yaas” (23-28 May 2021) in the Bay of Bengal are a few of the recent and notable cyclonic events. A total of 153 lives were reportedly lost, over 94 were injured, and more than 50 people went missing because of the two cyclones.

DROUghTS & HEATWAvES

About two months ago, on August 23, 2022, four government departments of China issued a joint warning regarding the autumn harvest in the country. over 75 per cent of the annual grain production of the country is produced in the autumn harvest, which was under “severe threat” from drought. This spell is now on its 74th day. It has affected over 900 million people out of a population of 1.4 billion because power demand has increased significantly due to the rise in air conditioning.

According to the 6th Assessment Report (IPCC), the area fraction with extreme warmth in Asia increased from 1951 to 2016. The frequency of warm extremes increased, and the frequency of cold extremes decreased in East Asia and West Asia with high confidence. The duration of heat extremes has also lengthened in some regions, such as southern China (Luo and Lau, 2016).

Still, there is medium confidence that heat extremes are increasing in frequency in South Asia. Warming trends in daily temperature extremes indices have also been observed in central Asia, the hindu Kush himalaya, and South East Asia. The intensity and frequency of cold spells in all Asian regions have decreased since the beginning of the 20th century.

SoluTIonS IMPlEMEnTEd And FuTuRE PlAnS

International Organisations like the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation, unEP, and World Bank have actively set action plans and agreements to work for the South Asian region. The World Bank has come up with a climate change action plan 2021 to 2025 South Asia roadmap to help tackle and revamp key transitions. It has focused on food systems and landscapes, energy and transport and urbanisation.

When it comes to flash floods, a South Asia Flash Floods guidance System (SAsiaFFgS) has already been launched. The system is part of a global level network serving the warning to over 3 billion (40 per cent of the world population) and 60 countries. Similarly, India Meteorological Department (IMD) also provides flash flood advisories to the member countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, nepal, Sri lanka and India. Apart from that, IMd has provided training to over 130 forecasters in the

abovementioned countries.

under the guidance of the Red Crescent Society, the state of Bangladesh has built an early warning system (EWS) based on a volunteer force of more than 30,000 men and women to disseminate cyclone warnings.

The information will be provided with the help of village-level focal points and help carry out rescue operations. The Rise of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) shows how such community-level participation can bring about tremendous change and help mitigate the adverse effects during a calamity. The report said, “while Cyclone Bhola in november 1970 killed over 300,000 people, another storm of similar magnitude, in 1997, took just 188 lives.”

Climate Change is worsening at lightning speed. Despite conventions, conferences, resolutions and action plans, we haven’t been able to make a significant dent in the situation, let alone reverse it. The world’s poorest countries face the worst consequences of climate change, and the most vulnerable communities are the worst victims. And this trend is expected to continue. Climate Change only compounds the multiple challenges faced by South Asia. Apart from taking measures to stop climate change, we must also take steps to mitigate its adverse effects. localised solutions are needed to build resilience in vulnerable communities.

Cities need to handle climatedisplaced people with dignity

Many urban areas of the world have been in the news for the devastating impacts of climate change. City planners all across the world are concerned about these ever-increasing impacts. As the concern grows about rapid disasters such as floods and cyclones, another problem that keeps on haunting the cities usually is not factored into the decision-making. Displacement!

It has been estimated that sudden and slow-onset disasters have triggered the displacement of millions worldwide. In 2019 alone, the latest estimates available, 24.9 million new internal displacements were observed worldwide for both rapid and slowonset disasters.

Almost 95 per cent of these were due to weather-related hazards such as storms, floods, wildfires, landslides, drought and extreme temperatures. Studies have already indicated that extreme events linked to climate change will amplify the risk of such displacement, particularly for vulnerable urban populations.

When villagers from rural areas cannot cope with such extreme events – due to their continuous exposure and failure of local natural resources and livelihood options to provide the necessary succour – they will migrate into the urban spaces putting further pressure on the already overcrowded cities of the world. Cities, no doubt, are aspirational, and most people want to move into them to upgrade their standard of living. However, many of these immigrants will be coming due

to distressed conditions; hence, neither they nor the city authorities will be prepared to handle them. Cities that must aspire to give everyone a right to dignified life will fail unless they are prepared and have proper policies and plans in place.

A report by the International Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) notes that most future disaster displacement is expected to occur in urban settings. This results from people’s increasing concentration in towns and cities driven by migration, urbanisation and natural growth. Developing countries, where cities are poorly planned to mitigate such hazards, have larger risks. “The challenge is not only to handle the immigrants but also to support the already existing urban poor. Displaced newcomers often live in marginalised settlements, where housing rarely complies with planning and building regulations, and overcrowded living conditions and lack of basic services heighten their risk. Shortfalls in urban service provision often combine with or are the result of infrastructure gaps, which may also contribute to segregation, tensions,

Ranjan K Panda | Convenor, Combat Climate Change Network

conflict and disaster risk”, says this report.

LoCAL exAMpLeS

In November 2019, we visited the pandakudia slum in Bhubaneswar city of odisha, just a day after cyclone Bulbul crossed odisha. The fear of the storm was still reflecting on the faces of people who were still struggling to rehabilitate themselves from the cyclonic storm Fani that had affected them badly just a few months before. Bulbul did not impact them much, but most of their damaged houses – due to Fani – were still not reconstructed, their toilets were not in shape, and they were facing severe hardships to restore their livelihoods.

Working as daily wage labourers is a challenge, especially because when you concentrate on rebuilding your destroyed homes and other infrastructure, you lose out on your everyday income. The cities still do not have a system where the poor people can be compensated for their lost livelihoods while the rebuilding process of their habitats is on. The schemes to compensate for their homes, sanitation infrastructure, and drinking water supply systems do not come in handy; the people have been telling us in visit after visit to many such locations in India. The situation is not different in other developing countries.

The pandakudia people had migrated into Bhubaneswar in 2008 after a fierce communal riot broke out in the Kandhamal district – a faraway location - destroying their homes and peace.

In the case of dwellers of a slum in the Sambalpur district in the same state – the case was different. They were displaced by climate change in their city in 2018. on a single day during the monsoon that year, the city received a record 622 mm of rainfall, breaking a 36-year-old record of the district. Such an extreme precipitation event broke the homes of several inhabitants of a slum dwelling on a lowlying area adjacent to the Mahanadi River’s bank. Several families were

forcefully displaced. No planning by urban authorities to rehabilitate such displaced people will only add to their existing vulnerabilities. The above report notes that many such internally displaced people (IDps) end up in informal settlements where they are vulnerable to eviction and abuse from landlords. This may lead to secondary displacement and a downward spiral of poverty and vulnerability.

According to this report, there is an established body of evidence on the detrimental impact of disaster displacement on people’s immediate and long-term livelihoods, including the loss of income and assets and reduced productivity. Displaced people face several other challenges, including loss of livelihood, exposure to health risks and attack on their dignity. our observations from the field have found out that they face attacks by local goons and other organised criminals because they have no resources and political backing of their own. often the landlords, on whose lands these people stay on rent, are also not the legal owners of the lands. This leads to legal challenges and further vulnerability. “Disaster displacement all too often leads to unmet needs and human rights abuses. It may also aggravate gender-based violence and other pre-existing discrimination and inequalities. Women, children, youth, older people, those with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are particularly at risk,” says the report.

LoCAL ASSeSSMeNT oF DISASTeR DISpLACeMeNT RISK

Many such issues surely are not yet integrated into the urban planning process and climate adaptation models. There is an urgent need to integrate all these above risks into the urban planning process. While the conventional approach of mapping hazard intensity and spread is important, vulnerabilities of the urban poor – the people at risk of facing displacement due to disasters in an urban setting – have to be factored into the planning process.

Working as daily wage labourers is a challenge, especially because when you concentrate on rebuilding your destroyed homes and other infrastructure, you lose out

The local municipalities already have several schemes to assess the urban poor and their vulnerabilities. Through these schemes, they provide the needed relief and other support based on existing schemes. What we now need is advanced planning that takes into consideration the climate change impacts considering all the above types of vulnerabilities. Geographies that are already prone to impacts will face more problems. People living in floodplains and other low-lying areas; and those already pegged up in congested locations near drains, dumping yards, and other such hazardous places must be resettled at better locations with all basic amenities. The urban poor have a right to a dignified life.

To do all this, to support the climateimpacted vulnerable urban population, a framework of action is needed for cities. each city is different, and the local operational procedures for such a framework of action have to be different.

The above report has some valid suggestions that also draw from some international best practices. City planners need to note this and consult with their own people to contextualise the same to their realities and resources.

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

on your everyday income.

The cities still do not have a system where the poor people can be compensated for their lost livelihoods while the rebuilding process of their habitats is on

EU-funded GCoM assisting Asian cities to implement City Climate Action plans

A way forward to develop and implement city climate action plans for the South Asian region, the European Union (EU) funded Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) in Asia Support Project is providing technical assistance to Asian cities to strengthen its role in the global response to climate change. A webinar on ‘Integrated Climate Action Planning and Reporting for South Asian Cities’ hosted by ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability South Asia, was held on September 28, 2022 to facilitate capacity and knowledge building of the GCoM South Asian cities on effective climate action planning, implementation, and reporting

The webinar began with Soumya Chaturvedula, Deputy Director, ICLEI South Asia, with her welcoming remarks, and Edwin Koekkoek, Counsellor, Energy, and Climate Action, EU Delegation to India, who spoke about the programmes of the European Union and highlighted vulnerable these South Asian cities are, and the importance of addressing these vulnerabilities. He mentioned the significance of GCoM in combating climate change.

Pratibha Caleb, Senior Project Officer, ICLEI (South Asia) moderator, introduced Ashish Verma, GCoM India Coordinator, to the panellists. He shed a light on GCoM’s framework, explaining that it is an international alliance of more than 11,000 cities that have voluntarily committed to taking action against climate change and helping the local governments to prepare climate action plans, organise training programmes, and to some extent, finance bankable projects.

The network is supported by more than a hundred partners including the European Commission, UN-HABITAT, ICLEI, UCLG, C40 Cities, etc., and has 13 regional covenants across continents.

In India, the secretariat is jointly managed by the Technical Coordinator, ICLEI South Asia, and Networking and Governance Coordinator, All India Institute of Local Self Government, of

the South Asian region.

Verma highlighted the benefits of joining the community by stating that through GCoM cities, we can develop and implement locally relevant solutions with strategic climate action plans. He added that since 2019, more than 1500 cities including 20 new countries, and 28 Indian cities including cities like Thane, Shimla, Gandhinagar, etc. have joined this evergrowing community.

Keshav Jha, Manager for Research and Advocacy, ICLEI South Asia, addressed the Common Reporting Framework (CRF) that allows cities across continents to use a single approach in sharing knowledge and information on climate action. Launched in 2018, the five elements of CRF are greenhouse gas emissions inventory; risk and vulnerability assessments; target setting; climate action and energy access planning; and monitoring and reporting. He broadly spoke about the five CRF elements on their requirements, including their parameters. He also mentioned the CDP-ICLEI Track, a world-leading climate progress accountability mechanism for cities which is also a climate reporting platform. More than 1,000 cities report the progress in their climate commitment, performance, and actions in this CDP-ICLEI track. One can access open data portals and city

analytics to gauge their performance against other cities, get recognition for intervention at the local level, and receive feedback from experts on ways to take stronger climate actions.

Nikhil Kolsepatil, Senior Manager for Energy & Climate, ICLEI South Asia, spoke about the climate action planning for South Asian cities. He mentioned that developments are taking place in Indian cities on a megascale across sectors including water supply, housing, and so on. With it comes the opportunity to integrate Climate-Resilient Urban Development in Indian urban areas. Climate resilience includes both mitigation and adaptation, that is efforts to reduce emissions that cause climate change, and ways to manage the adverse climate change impacts. It should also include actions to manage risks of climate impacts and solutions to reduce GHG emissions in an integrated manner. The key element of all these resilient actions is inclusivity of all sections of society and must address vulnerable groups as well.

The key urban sectors for climateresilient actions in cities are road and transportation systems, land use and development, solid waste management, water supply, sewerage, and drainage, health, biodiversity, etc.

He added examples of South Asian cities including Thane, Rajkot, and Nagpur to name a few, which have developed climate resilience action plans and addressed multiple sectors.

The emission reduction target of these cities ranges from 8 per cent to 33 per cent based on their local context. He further added case studies of city projects in key municipal sectors and provided details of the systematic process of Climate Resilient Cities (CRC) Methodology.

Mohini Udaykumar Bhaisare, Senior Associate, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), discussed the Urban Outcomes Framework (UOF) 2022, which is an initiative to develop a transparent and comprehensive database based on cross-city outcomes across sectors such as economy, demography, education, finance, energy, governance, health, housing, mobility, planning, solid waste management, safety and security, and water and sanitation. Although the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) has taken various initiatives to measure the performance of the cities in India and add data points to sectoral relevance and populate the data bank, UOF aims to facilitate the process of achieving sustainable development and socio-economic progress by making data available on crucial issues about development. Through UOF 2022, it will also streamline data across 14 sectors to increase focus on data collection and analyse disaggregated data. She further added that a few of the take-aways of the urban outcomes framework is to focus on capacity building and city-specific climate action plans, ‘assessment’ to ‘action’

Global Covenant of Mayors is an international alliance of more than 11,000 cities that have voluntarily committed to taking action against climate change and helping the local governments to prepare climate action plans, organise training programmes, and to some extent, finance bankable projects. The network is supported by more than a hundred partners including the European Commission, UN-HABITAT, ICLEI, UCLG, C40 Cities, etc

projects, climate data observatories, and e-learning platforms.

Pashim Tewari, Technical Director, All India Institute of Local SelfGovernment, explained the role of AIILSG in GCoM. Being the network and governance coordinator, they are the first line of communication with the cities, interacting and getting cities on board in this initiative. AIILSG’s role is to manage and coordinate intercity communications including south Asian cities. It also looks after the local and regional sensibilities and ensures the local government of GCoM communication materials.

He explained the ways AIILSG supports the signatory cities through direct help for all the South Asian cities and assists them in GCoM activities, coordinating calls to track their progress and targets, mobilising various seminars, conferences, training programs, and international events under GCoM and using social media to highlight the cities achievements. He proposed Indian and South Asian cities to join hands and avail the benefits of GCoM including financial support.

The event was concluded with a short Q&A session and closing remarks by Ms. Soumya Chaturvedula.

Mind the gap; leave no one & place behind

The webinar titled ‘’Mind the Gap Leave no One and Place Behind’’ was organised by the Institute for Spatial Planning and Environment Research, India (ISPER) on the occasion of World Habitat Day which falls on October 3, 2022. The title of the webinar was the same as this year’s theme of ‘World Habitat Day’ which is “Mind the Gap. Leave No One and Place Behind.”

Arun Kumar, Professor of Economics (Retd.), Jawaharlal Nehru University while highlighting the issue of inequality between the haves and have-nots, noted that the problem of unemployment has aggravated due to the rise in the use of technology. Lack of social sector development including health and education exacerbates inequalities. He also skimmed through the issues of rising extreme weather events, and globalisation that has created resentment in the advanced countries. Therefore, countries are tilting towards the right, leading to a less tolerant conservative societies. He later shed light on some of the solutions including social safety nets introduced in 1980s, while in India they were implemented in the 2000s which include the Right to Education, Right to Food and MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme). The need of the hour is to devise sustainable long-term solutions, instead of these short-term measures.

Discussing another kind of inequality, Ashwani Luthra, Professor, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar spoke about urban bias in policymaking. Referring to the title he said that the gap has been identified in the form of 3Cs, that is Covid-19, Climate and Conflict. At the policy level, there is a lack of integration with other policies and financial glitches, while spatial planning is urban-biased and

development is pro-rich. Following this comment, he outlined some of the urban challenges like inadequacies in existing urban infrastructure like water and sewerage, etc. Regionalisation of urban development is the key to solving these issues. The land-use-based spatial planning approach needs to be changed to climate-resilient smart planning. Making slum-free cities should be the agenda of the government.

Professor Tanuja Sharma, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon spoke on the subject of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) system, its components and its progress in India. According to her, the corporate sector prioritises profit over environment. Lack of general corporate integrity has always been a point of concern, and even this globalisation is driven by government-business nexuses. But when governments, businesses and the media band together, then the public becomes vulnerable. The ESG initiative which is commended by United Nations (UN) and advocated by Europe, is mandated by the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in India as the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) initiative.

Dr Rahul Deshpande, Dean, NICMAR University, Pune discussed about the transport sector and its impact on climate change. The transport sector, he said, is solely responsible for 14 per cent of the total global Green House Gas

(GHG) emissions and to address this issue we are stressing public transport but the affordability of the transport like metro is still not there.

Rakesh Ranjan, Senior Consultant, NITI Aayog highlighted an important issue in policy implementation. Taking the example of the aspirational district programme, he said that when the performance under a programme or scheme is assessed based on indicators, then the tendency to do the bare minimum grows. For instance, in maternal health we take into account whether the midwives are visiting the pregnant women four times or not. However, the responsibility also lies with the civil society to make such programmes successful.

P Singh, Chief Town Planner DTCP, Haryana, suggested that the inequality is reducing but it is not the rosy picture. As far as development

planning is concerned around 80 per cent of Haryana is covered. The major gap in the grievances redressal of the allottees has been plugged, which arose as there was a huge participation from the private sector in Haryana. The complaints of the allottees have been well addressed by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority. He also talks about the large scope of digitalisation and decentralisation of power. Mansi Sachadeva, Urban Planner, UN-Habitat, India briefly explained SDG India Index and the progress of the country on SDG 11 for which the regional focus on the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir is required. She also elucidated the issue of urban poverty and its multidimensional nature which needs to be understood to make us more inclusive of the needs of vulnerable sections.

Jaswant Singh, Secretary General, KSS-ISPER, Panchkula, spoke at length

on the subject of housing for all. In countries like South Africa, Kenya, and Canada, housing is included in the list of fundamental rights, while in India it comes under Article 21 (Right to Shelter, Growth and Nourishment) of the Indian Constitution. He noted that the Right to Shelter not only means a roof over one’s head but also having essential infrastructure to enable one to live a life of dignity. Therefore, the Supreme Court of India has put the onus on the government to include it in the list of fundamental rights. He also highlighted that there is a huge gap between the demand for affordable houses and their availability especially when 16–17 per cent of our population resides in slums.

Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update, All India Institute of Local Self-Governance (AIILSG), spoke about the urban local bodies (ULBs) in terms of service delivery and access to infrastructure facilities in our cities. Housing 18 per cent of world’s population, India has only 3 per cent of the global household wealth. In cities, there is a huge difference in the benefits and services enjoyed by the rich living in posh localities and people living in slums who are deprived of basic necessities. He also talked about the Equi-City project started by the AIILSG in Nagpur which aims to ensure that all the localities have access to facilities and services.

Income disparity is only one kind of inequality. Elaborating on this argument, Avinash Kumar, Former ED, Amnesty International spoke about the rise of social conflict, fragile states and the tendency of the state to look for conflict within, especially targeting migrants and minorities, thus making inequality a political question. He said we need to relook at the role of government in a market-regulated economy. When talking about the quality of services he said that we have to create a yardstick which should be available to all the people thus creating a level playing field for all. He also talked about making women more visible in public life, especially in the fields which are generally considered male domains like police force, etc.

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

Addressing inequality in cities with creativity

Local and regional governments have been trying to bring equality to urban areas. The complexity of the issue demands innovations and creativity in tackling the problem. Many urban local bodies are creatively handling the issue of inequality at the local level. The recently released report Pathways to Urban and Territorial Equality by United Cities and Local Government (UCLG), in partnership with the Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU) of University College London and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), presents several learning for local governments across the world. It is part of the UCLG Global Observatory on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD) VI Report recently released at the UCLG World Congress in South Korea.

The report provides six pathways to urban equality: Commoning, Caring, Connecting, Renaturing, Prospering and Democratizing. City officials and elected representatives interested in each pathway’s details must read the report to learn from the experiences of cities addressing inequality in their areas and understand the nuances of the origination of the report’s frameworks. According to the report’s commentary, these respond to the unequal access to housing and public services, the uneven distribution of care burdens, challenges related to sustainable transport and digital connectivity, dignified livelihood opportunities, climate change and uneven political representation, among others.

Malang city in Indonesia launched a unique insurance programme for citizens. With this medical insurance, people can pay the premium and access medical services using garbage as currency. In another part of the world, Sao Paulo, Brazil introduced a new legal framework to allow cultural groups to keep living in vacant warehouses and recognize their value in local demography. The report has an example from Tanzania, where the local government saved money from one project to serve the local community’s needs. In partnership with a utility company, Dar es Salaam local government, an NGO, and the local community designed a simplified sewage system that reduced costs and provided funds for an additional 60 toilets.

Cities in India and elsewhere must focus on updating their understanding of the issue of inequality and learning new ways of handling the problems. COVID-19 and its aftereffects have emboldened social disparity in cities and towns. It has also provided a valid reason for local governments to look at the problem empathetically. It is not just about the survival of have-nots in urban centres but also the survival of cities as entities and habitations. One cannot forget how industrial cities faced a shortage of workers after the series of lockdowns as COVID-19 had impelled people to move to their native places without sustaining their regular incomes. Cities cannot have the advantage of economy of scale, density, and other urban benefits if they do not properly care for all their citizens. The rich can never be the primary focus. Everyone needs to be served equitably to build a just and inclusive society.

UrbanUpdate

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

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