Urban Update December 2021

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate 2021 Volume VII, Issue VIII

December 2021

Terrible, Tumultuous Yet Transformational Year for Cities!

What 2021 taught us in ‘Urban Governance Class’?

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate

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Urban Update Readers include Indian City Leaders - Municipal Commissioners, Mayors They are the ones who are Top Bureaucrats, Politicians They are rewriting India's Urban Story and Instrumental to drive innovation, technology-driven infra development in new-age cities.

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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 Hitesh Nigam Reporter

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate

Volume VII, Issue VII

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Volume VII, Issue VI

NoVember 2021

OctOber 2021

Cities to lead ‘Race to Zero’

Cities finding ways to become plastic-free

Cities of the future must be zero plastiC

‘Gazab Ghaziabad’ will be clean, green, & inclusive

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

UrbanUpdate 2021 Volume VII, Issue VIII

December 2021

Terrible, TumulTuous YeT TransformaTional Year for CiTies!

What 2021 taught us in ‘Urban Governance Class’?

AIILSG: Linking ULBs to good governance

Stop passing the buck on Climate CRiSiS aCtionS AIILSG

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December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Editorial

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

The new year, from anxiety to hope 2021 was indeed an eventful year. A year marked by significant events and experiences on the national and international fronts. We believe that the events of the year will have profound impact on the future of cities and the urban landscape.

The COVID pandemic took us through a series of experiences, initially of concerns and anxieties and later on, of hopes and expectations of a better future. The rapidly spreading virus, the growing number of daily infections, the stretched healthcare system were gradually overcome with the commencement of vaccination against COVID in January 2021. With this, India launched the world’s largest vaccination drive in the country and also acquired global leadership by manufacturing and supplying vaccines to many other countries. Within India, the large and widely dispersed population, many remote locations, the often hostile terrain, the need to maintain the vaccines at specific temperature and mobilizing a large cadre of healthcare workers to administer the vaccine rapidly, all presented a set of unique challenges. These were overcome admirably. During the latter part of the year, the focus was on restoring economic activity with appropriate stimulus and other measures.

The year’s events could serve as a valuable learning experience for the nation as it marches towards a fair, just, and equitable future for all Indians. One is the need for an efficient, effective and caring public healthcare system to meet the requirements of all, especially the needy. While public healthcare has often been viewed with little expectation and some skepticism in the past, the pandemic showed that the system has a big role to play and it is indeed capable of doing so. The system needs to be strengthened with necessary step up in investments (which is already happening) and by beefing up manpower with continued capacity building of its cadres. Yet another revealing aspect was the difficulty faced by migrant labour which was left stranded in cities during the earlier part of the pandemic. There is need for renewed thrust to create a safety net with affordable housing and other amenities for these men and women who migrate from villages and smaller towns to build our cities and metropolises into vibrant efficient spaces. Their contribution came to be recognized as also the need to protect them from such events in the future.

There could be other pandemic-time experiences that hold potential for new learnings.

Climate Change and its possible disastrous outcomes were once again in sharp focus at the COP26 in Glasgow towards the end of the year. The overall feeling was that much still remains to be achieved with respect to the Paris Agreement and there is need for urgent action to cut emissions in a significant, meaningful way. While COP26 could not achieve all that it set out to do, hopefully the building blocks for progress towards accelerated climate action are in place which will enable the world to keep alive the Goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement, namely to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Cities and citizens must embrace a whole new lifestyle and new approaches that are sustainable and in tune with this goal; because this Goal must be achieved.

On this note I wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous new year.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

5

Quotes

The single fastest way that national governments can make good on the promises they’ve made here at COP26 in the next few years is to devolve more power to city governments

We must innovate and build resilient and #inclusive governance systems to build safer cities that recognise diversity in their public policies

Mark Watts Executive Director, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

Laura Perez Deputy Mayor, Barcelona & President, Metropolis Women

PIN POINT

We are currently in a paradox, we know it’s impossible to reach targets of the EU without the involvement of local governments. The question is how to mobilize the cities and local government(s) to make the GreenDeal happen

I believe we should uphold the idea of building a shared community for all mankind, look out for each other and press ahead with international cooperation in pandemic prevention

Ronan Dantec Senator, France

Wen Guohui Mayor, Guangzhou

BUZZ Maimunah Mohd Sharif

QU Dongyu

United Nations HabitatM

United Cities and Local Govern-

Executive Director, UN-HABITAT

Director-General, FAODG

@UNHABITAT

ments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC)

@MaimunahSharif

@FAODG

The world stands “at the crossroads” in the fight against #ClimateChange. Whichever road we turn down, the path has to pass through cities. And the more ambitious we want to be, the more the UN System has to encourage and support cities in taking #ClimateAction

Urban areas have much to contribute in building sustainable & resilient agri-#FoodSystems.

Mayors are key partners of @FAO. We need innovative & gamechanging governance solutions to help cities face today’s challenges.

Green economy starts with green life! #COP26 #GreenCities

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Decemmber 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

@uclgaspac

DYK only 50% of the world population have access to the internet. The flagship programme “People-centered smart cities” ensures that deployment of technology & innovation is used to ensure sustainability, inclusivity, prosperity & human rights in cities

Climate change will continue to worsen many aspects of our lives.

From health, economy, welfare, to the ecosystem. Efforts in the cross-cutting sectors are needed. #TogetherforOurClimate #StepGreener

Content

Inside Volume 7, Issue 8

Mushroom production: A way forward in promoting women entrepreneurship

Cric

9

Conference of Parties (CoP): Relevance of Outcome for Cities and Regions in Asia

Cover Story

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36 36

2021: Terrible, Tumultuous Yet Transformational Year for Cities!

Numerograph Urban Agenda

What 2021 taught us in ‘Urban Governance Class’?

Life is an endless journey of learning. 2021 taught Indian cities that they have to navigate a complex landscape to become sustainable and livable in the post-pandemic world. 2021 could be termed the most challenging year in the lives of our cities as they faced a gargantuan challenge that shook the service and infrastructure in cities. Cities can learn a big deal from their experiences and transform their functioning by using the existing constitutional framework

38

Devolution of ‘funds, functions & functionaries’ key to efficient local governance A city is developed when its local government is strengthened and plans are introduced and implemented at the local level. AIILSG works in close association with the Government of India, state governments and city municipalities to introduce plans and development work at the ground level. The newly appointed Director General of AIILSG, Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd.) has the experience of serving in big cities like Mumbai, which adds to his knowledge in the urban development sector in India. In this special ‘One-on-One’ Series interaction with him, Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update, gets to know more about his vision for the institute and the role of AIILSG in improving local governance

LEADERSPEAK

33

Newscan

34 46

One ON ONE Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS, (Retd.)

Director General, AIILSG

From devastation by the second wave of COVID-19 to the largest vaccination drive, 2021 was a year of extremes.

Cities initially faltered, learnt, stood up, and fought back.

2021 was indeed hard on cities and also on most citizens.

The experience of the bygone year shall pave the way for future transformation in our urban spaces

32

Pin Point

December 2021

Girl Power Project

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6 12

Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Member Human Rights Commission

38

Compassion and passion, necessary for civil servants

Often it is said that today’s society lacks compassion. This necessitates the need for a governmental body to implement human rights in an institutionalised format. “What is wrong with us? Why can’t we look after the basic needs of our people? Economic development, per-capita income are all big talks,” states Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Member of Human Rights Commission, in a discussion with Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update. Fondly called the ‘passport man’, Mulay talks about the interlinkages of human rights in an urban ecosystem

Webinars

42 44

Engaging dialogue on pressing urban issues If cities are not resourced then no one is www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

7

Girl Power Project

Mushroom production: A way forward in promoting women entrepreneurship Team girl power project

E

mpowerment of women is recognized globally as a key element to achieve progress in all areas since it is multidimensional, multi-faceted and multi-layered concept.

Suitable enterprises of women will not only enable them to get better in becoming independent and economically selfreliant but society will also benefit from them. Presently, mushroom cultivation is a profitable business since per unit productivity and cost of mushroom, both are higher than any other crop.

The mushroom-based enterprises will solve the malnutrition problem and will also pave the way towards self-employment opportunities for about 66 per cent of the total female population living in the rural sector, which is unutilised and idle. In this context, Girl Power Project funded by the European Union and implemented by the All India Institute of Local SelfGovernment in Jharkhand organised a one day exposure visit on mushroom production and value addition for women beneficiaries of Churchublock of Hazaribagh District in Jharkhand to give an idea of the best practices that are being adopted by entrepreneurs as

8

December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

well as institutions.

Around 35 women beneficiaries who were given three-day training on mushroom cultivation practices in October 2021, under Girl Power Project participated in the exposure visit on December 4, 2021, at different places in Ranchi.

The objective of the exposure visit was to scale up mushroom cultivation among women farmers, focus on production and value addition of mushrooms and to build the skill base of potential farmers.

The first place visited by the entrepreneurs was Parinaama Development Foundation in Palandu, Ranchi that is working with 2000 women on creation of different entrepreneurial activities in three different states namely Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand. The foundation primarily works on capacity building and handholding of rural women. Till now, they have engaged women in mushroom cultivation, computer training, stitching and tailoring activities.

The exposure visit started with meeting women entrepreneurs who shared their experience and explained how they started mushroom farming with a low investment and today they are reaping its benefits. The primary

occupation of the women entrepreneurs was agriculture and they shared how they manage time in these activities.

For marketing of mushroom, the women entrepreneurs sold the freshly grown mushrooms in their nearby locality and also in Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) centre to sell them in bulk. They also shared that mushroom is such a crop that if planned properly nothing gets wasted.

If the mushrooms are left unsold then they can be used for value addition like making pickle or powderfor medicinal purpose. One of the field coordinators at Parinaama mentioned that their next step is creating awareness on the nutritional value of mushroom and as a first step towards it, they have published a book on the nutritive value and different recipes of mushroom.

The women also visited a low cost shed created by a Self Help Group (SHG) with an approximate area of 1500 square feet made up of bamboo.

The shed is maintained by the members of the group. They shared how they have divided the roles and responsibilities of maintaining the shed and what is the scope of collective production and marketing. Collective marketing has given them a platform to maintain the quality, bargain the cost, and meet the demands of bulk orders.

During the visit, a mushroom trainer shared that spawn is the key input in mushroom cultivation and nonavailability of quality spawn is the major constraint in the state.

After getting trained under Girl Power Project, a few women beneficiaries have started the production of mushroom and are also utilising it for self-consumption purpose. In the next step, the project team will support women entrepreneurs in marketing their produce.

CRIC

Conference of Parties (CoP): Relevance of Outcome for Cities and Regions in Asia Team Cric

T

he Conference of Parties (COP) is an annual summit under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the global agreement signed in 1992 between 197 countries (or parties) to prevent dangerous human interference with climate system. COP is the supreme decision-making body of the convention represented by all states that are parties to it. They review implementation of the convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions that are necessary to promote effective implementation of the convention.

One of the key tasks for the COP is to review the national communications and emission inventories submitted by the parties. The information received is used to assess the effects of measures taken by the parties and progress made in achieving ultimate objective of the convention.

About COP26

COP26, held between October 31 and November 12, in Glasgow was considered the most significant conference because countries were expected to dedicate more financial resources for developing and SIDS countries to fight climate change. The event saw 195 nations (parties) come together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UNFCC. The four-point agenda explained what was needed to achieve at COP26. ♦♦ Accelerate the phase out of coal, encourage investment in renewables, curtail deforestation, speed up the switch to secure

Global Net Zero by 2050 and keep the goal of 1.5 degree Celsius within reach; ♦♦ Encourage countries affected by climate change to protect, restore ecosystems, build defences, put warning systems in place and make infrastructure and agriculture more resilient; ♦♦ Commitments by developed countries to double the collective share of adaptation finance to reach $100 billion goal as soon as possible; ♦♦ To work together and finalise the Paris Rulebook, which will turn ambitions into actions by accelerating collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society.

Funds to help the developing nations cope with climate change, was one of the major issues contested and negotiated during the COP26.

Proceedings of COP26 and India’s net zero pledge

Announcements made during the conference where experts estimated that the world is now on a path to between 1.8 degree Celsius and 2.4 degree Celsius of warming, to which the parties agreed to revisit their commitments, as necessary by the end of 2022. India, being the world’s third largest emitter of carbon dioxide, has emitted 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per head of population in 2019. In purview of the agenda of COP26 and global calling for climate change, India made five significant promises as its net zero pledge. The promises are to generate 50 per cent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030, reduce total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, cut the emissions to net zero by 2070, achieve

carbon intensity reduction of 45 per cent over 2005 levels by 2030, and increase non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW (GigaWatts) by 2030.

India emphasised the need to take up green credits as a first priority over carbon credits, working on the concept of climate justice on four issues of temperature, mitigation, finance and responsibility by building a counter against the shifting goal post by the developed world. For the first time ever, COP26 also agreed to accelerate efforts towards ‘phase down’ of unabated coal power and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies as suggested by India. COP26 also recognised the need for support towards a fair transition.

The conclusions drawn by end of the 14 days-conference made progress towards three objectives set out at the start of COP26. Firstly, to get commitments to cut emissions and keep within the reach of global warming limit of 1.5 degree Celsius.

Second, to reach the target of $100 billion per year of climate change finance for the developing and vulnerable countries. Lastly, to get agreement on the Paris rulebook.

COP 26 and local governments

The conference engaged the local governments to address their unique and crucial role in tackling climate change, and to turn national climate ambitions into joint actions on ground.

It is imperative that local governments are supported to reach their local carbon reduction targets by adapting, and mitigating the effects of climate change.

They continue to take action to combat the negative impacts and to help deliver net-zero carbon by 2070.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

9

Rewind 2020-21 ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VI, Issue IX

January 2021

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VI, Issue X

February 2021

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VI, Issue XI

UrbanUpdate Volume VI, Issue XII

APRIL 2021

March 2021

POWERING AHEAD IN 2021

REsHAPING OuR uRbAN FutuRE, LEssONs LEARNt FROm COVID-19

Phase Out COal Fast Cities need to bAlAnCe development, resourCe utilisAtion, sustAinAbility tArgets responsibly All cogs of the wheel need to work together

PM SVANidhi

Bringing Street VendorS into MainStreaM

Cities’ role primary in increasing uptake of RE

AIILSG

European Union AIILSG

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

Let’s commit to making an equal world

The project is funded by the European Union.

AIILSG

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue I

UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue II

June 2021

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The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue III

The project is funded by the European Union.

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The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

July 2021

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

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UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue IV

August 2021

May 2021

AIILSG’s contributions and innovations for COVID-19 relief, resilience building

Roles, challenges in achieving sustainable development

Cities need to assess their risks, act accordingly

Cities can make

economic Rebound

Preparing Indian cities for better disaster response

equitable

Cities & the 2 Wave

More value, less waste central to sustainable urban economy

nd

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

AIILSG

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

AIILSG

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue V

AIILSG

European Union AIILSG

Recovery has to be environment positive

September 2021

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue VI

OctOber 2021

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VII, Issue VII

SDG movement

NoVember 2021

Cities finding ways to become plastic-free

Cities to lead ‘Race to Zero’

Indian cities have to lead

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

UrbanUpdate 2021 Volume VII, Issue VIII

December 2021

Terrible, TumulTuous YeT TransformaTional Year for CiTies!

Cities of the future must be zero plastiC

‘Gazab Ghaziabad’ will be clean, green, & inclusive

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

What 2021 taught us in ‘Urban Governance Class’?

AIILSG: Linking ULBs to good governance

Stop passing the buck on Climate CRiSiS aCtionS

“Indian cities proved their mettle during the pandemic”

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

AIILSG The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

AIILSG The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

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

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December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

AIILSG The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

The project is funded by the European Union.

AIILSG The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume VI, Issue IX

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

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UrbanUpdate

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January 2021

Volume VI, Issue X

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Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

Volume VI, Issue XI

February 2021

POWERING AHEAD IN 2021

March 2021

Phase Out COal Fast

REsHAPING OuR uRbAN FutuRE, LEssONs LEARNt FROm COVID-19

Cities need to bAlAnCe development, resourCe utilisAtion, sustAinAbility tArgets responsibly

UrbanUpdate Volume VI, Issue XII

AIILSG

European Union

PM SVANidhi

Cities’ role primary in increasing uptake of RE

The project is funded by the European Union.

European Union

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European Union

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

APRIL 2021

Let’s commit to making an equal world

Bringing Street VendorS into MainStreaM

All cogs of the wheel need to work together

The project is funded by the European Union.

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European Union The project is funded by the European Union.

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NEWSCAN | DECEMBER

Telangana to monitor cleanliness of public toilets For smooth functioning and better management of public toilets, urban local bodies (ULBs) will be setting up a real-time monitoring system in Telangana. Calling it the ‘Pattana Pragathi Toilet Monitoring System (PPTMS)’, 141 ULBs will be working in partnership with the Administrative Staff College of India. Information regarding toilet infrastructure development, operational features and maintenance plans will be accessible on a web portal. The authorities will be developing a mobile application for regularly monitoring the cleanliness and maintenance records.

The respective ULBs will be collecting and analysing the data to further determine the success of the ambitious system.

MMRDA to extend Eastern Freeway

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has stated that the Eastern Freeway will be extended from Shivaji Nagar to Ghatkopar through an elevated route that will pass through Kamraj Nagar and Ramabai Colony. Officials from MMRDA said that the road from Shivaji Nagar was initially to be extended till Ghatkopar but was deferred as it would have meant the destruction of mangroves. The project is now being restarted by the MMRDA. In view of the increasing traffic, MMRDA is also contemplating a plan to have an elevated road from Ghatkopar to Thane.

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December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Urban planning can affect cognitive & motor development in kids: Study BARCELONA: Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) conducted a study on the health benefits of welldesigned urban planning. Published in the journal ‘Environment International’, the study stated that children’s cognitive and motor performance can be affected by a properly created urban area with green space, a well-built environment and air pollution.

Various previous studies have suggested that the urban environment can alter neurodevelopment from conception onwards, for example, through air pollution exposure. However, no study had used an early life exposome strategy to assess the influence of various exposure groups at the same time.

The impact of 13 urban exposures on the cognitive and motor function of nearly 5,500 children in seven European areas including Bradford, United Kingdom; France; Gipuzkoa, Sabadell

and Valencia, Spain and Nancy and Poitiers, Greece. The study was done by a team from the European HELIX project which was coordinated by ISGlobal.

This study assessed urban residential exposures from pregnancy until three years of age.

The factors that were analysed included the built environment (building density, proximity to public transport, facility richness, etc), natural spaces, and air pollution from nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter. When the children were four to five years old, approved assessments were used to assess cognitive functions (verbal and nonverbal abilities) and motor function (fine and gross motor capabilities). The study found that exposure to some wellbuilt environment design factors, natural spaces and air pollution can be associated with children’s cognitive and motor function at five years of age.

IIT-G opens Centre for Nanotech & Indian Knowledge System GUWAHATI: Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education, Government of India inaugurated the Centre for Nanotechnology (CNT) and the Centre for Indian Knowledge System at IIT-G (Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati) on Sunday, November 21. “The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages the creation of a cluster of institutions for further modernisation of India’s education system”, Pradhan stated at the inauguration. CNT augments an age of academic partnership with industry players from the field of nanotechnology.

The centre received most of its funding (approximately `37 crore) from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Dharmendra Pradhan also inaugurated two hostels at the premier technology institute.

The new Disang hostel will add 1,000 rooms to the existing capacity of IIT-G. The Dikhow hostel is the first such facility on campus specifically to provide accommodation for project staffers. Speaking at the event, Pradhan congratulated IIT-G for securing its position in various national and international ranking systems. The CNT will include 25 laboratories that will focus on advancements in scientific research.

Currently, the centre hosts two labs that are sponsored by MeitY and Indian Council of Medical Research. The Centre for Indian Knowledge System will exclusively focus on preserving and documentation of knowledge that is unique in the country such as Indian classical music, Yoga, Sanskrit, medicine, ceramic tradition, special agricultural practices and herbal plants especially found in the North-East region.

NEWSCAN | DECEMBER

Cities will be too hot to live: UNEP NEW DELHI: A new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said that cities are very close to becoming hotspots if the issue of global warming remains unabated. The report titled ‘Sustainable Urban Cooling Handbook’ established that overheated cities will be the first to face the climate change costs which will be more than twice what other parts of

the world will face.

The study was based on an analysis of the world’s 1,692 big cities. It suggested that higher temperatures will lead to greater energy use for cooling, increased air pollution, worsening water quality and loss in worker productivity.

Contingent on the climate zone, the urban heat island effect can raise the urban temperature by as much as five degrees Celsius.

The urban population exposed to high temperatures, where the average summertime temperature reaches 35 degrees Celsius, is expected to increase by 800 per cent to reach 1.6 billion by 2050. The World Health Organisation has established that the number of people exposed to heatwaves has already jumped by 125 million.

IntelliSmart to install 600,000 smart meters in Assam GUWAHATI: Incorporation of smart technology in government authorized billing and collection process is the solution to India’s problem of corruption and theft. IntelliSmart has won an order for the installation of 600,000 smart pre-paid meters from Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd. IntelliSmart is a joint venture between National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. IntelliSmart said in a public statement that under the new project, over 6 lakh pre-paid smart meters in 19 circles of Assam will be installed. Through this, Assam will get the distinction of leading the smart metering drive of the country operating on a competitive model.

The announcement comes at a time when India is in the process of introducing the world’s largest electricity smart metering program to help the nation’s struggling distribution utilities become more efficient. The authorities aim to replace 250 million conventional meters with smart ones. “IntelliSmart will be implementing the project in Totex mode under the Design-Build Finance

Operate and Transfer (DBFOOT) arrangement. It will also be maintaining the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system for the contract period of 9 years”, read IntelliSmart’s official statement elaborating the processes of the smart meters.

The meters will be installed in the following areas- Nagaon, Morigaon, Kanch, Cachar, Badarpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, GEC-I, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Rangia, Mangaldoi, Tezpur, North Lakhimpur and GEC-II circles of Assam.

The traditional DISCOM systems are considered to be the weakest link to the electricity value chain as they are plagued by low collection, rise in power purchase cost, inadequate tariff hikes, etc.

Vietnam’s first metro rail launched in Hanoi

The Vietnam Railways launched the country’s first metro rail service in Hanoi on November 6. The metro line is called Cat Linh Line and is 13.1 kilometres long. It connects Cat Linh to Yen Nghia with 12 stations. The first metro line was launched in Vietnam after years of delays and almost a doubling of production costs. The first train was delivered in March 2017.

The city of Hanoi has over five million motorbikes on the roads.

With the introduction of the metro rail, the city corporation is aiming to reduce traffic and pollution caused due to vehicles.

F&CC approves projects of `55 crore in Ludhiana The Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana approved work orders worth around Rs 55 crores on November 8. The decision was taken during a 15-minute meeting held at the camp office of Mayor of Ludhiana Balkar Sandhu. Over 400 resolutions were part of the agenda at the meeting. According to Aaditya Dachalwal, Additional Commissioner, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, work orders worth `55 crore were approved including road construction, installation of interlocking tiles and tube wells. Senior Deputy Mayor of Ludhiana Sham Sunder Malhotra is responsible for getting a third party to audit the development works being taken up by the civic body.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN | November

Government of TN constitutes Tambaram MC CHENNAI: The Government of Tamil Nadu announced on November 4, that Tambaram and adjoining municipalities, town panchayats, and village panchayats in Chennai would be merged to form the Tambaram Municipal Corporation. The official statement read that it is important to reorganize the urban local bodies considering the rapid urbanization.

Women participation needs to be increased in energy sector: ISGF NEW DELHI: The WePOWER India Partnership Forum was held on November 9, which was attended by 168 energy stakeholders.

Women’s participation in the energy sector remains low. To address the issue of low women participation, the energy sector has to be developed in a way to attract, develop, and retain talented women professionals.

Unified CC to be set up in Lucknow for all smart cities of UP LUCKNOW: The Integrated Command Control Centres for all the smart cities of the state of UP, will be set up in the state capital, Lucknow.

The decision aims to save the state treasury crores of rupees, which would have been required to set up a command center in different smart cities.

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Varanasi to generate power from municipal waste VARANASI: Varanasi has decided to go for green energy with NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) by installing a “Waste to Energy” (WTE) plant for producing electricity from municipal waste. In order to construct this WTE plant, Varanasi Nagar Nigam has allocated 20 acres of land.

Yamuna will be cleaned by Feb 2025 NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on November 18, announced that his government has prepared a six-point plan to clean Yamuna river by February 2025. The plan aims to clean the river to “bathing standards” by increasing the efficiency and increasing the capacity of the existing sewage network and treatment plan.

EDMC uses drone to carry out anti-mosquito drive

Realising child rights important to achieve SDGs: Kant

NEW DELHI: The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on November 17, began using drones for spraying larvicide in those places which are inaccessible to the municipal workers.

The exercise was conducted on the banks of Yamuna River near Yamuna Bank Metro station.

NEW DELHI: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without realizing child rights, said Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog on November 16. At an event organized by Save The Children, a child rights NGO, Kant said that Sustainable Development Agenda has huge implications for the rights of children.

Lahore is world’s most polluted city with AQI above 700 Odisha to invest 441.66 crores in LAHORE: Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, was declared the world’s most polluted city as the reported Air Quality Index (AQI) went above 700 on November 16. The AQI was shooting above 500 for the fourth consecutive day which worsened to 700 on October 11.

Week long campaign for World Toilet Day NEW DELHI: United Nations – Water celebrates World Toilet Day on November 19, every year to draw global attention to the sanitation crisis. As part of the World Toilet Day 2021 celebrations, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is set to launch a week-long awareness campaign on Safai Mitra Surakhsa Challenge.

December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

DSM program

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha will be receiving an investment of `441.66 crore for the demand-side management program. The program was launched by the Institute of Sustainable Communities and Energy Efficiency Services Limited in partnership with four distribution companies. It is estimated that the investments will be recovered by the participating consumers over the period of 3-5 years.

NEWSCAN | OCTOBER

PM Modi launches refurbished flagship mission NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched two flagship missions on October 1 – the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0 and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0. These flagship programs of the Government of India address the ambitious challenge to make all the cities in India garbagefree and water-secure.

Delhi CM launches 10-point winter action plan to fight pollution NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal released a 10-point winter action plan for the national capital on October 4, to control air pollution.

Kejriwal said that since neighbouring states have not taken steps to tackle air pollution and stubble burning, Delhi will begin facing high levels of air pollution.

New cable-stayed bridges to replace two British-era ROBs in Mumbai MUMBAI: Two British-era roads over bridges, one at Reay Road in Byculla and the other at Tilak Road in Dadar, will be demolished and replaced with new cable-stayed bridges.

The Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited will be carrying out the execution of the construction work.

Delhi’s civic bodies set deadlines to flatten landfill sites NEW DELHI: The three municipal corporations of Delhi (North, South and East) have set deadlines of June 2022, December 2023, and December 2024, respectively, to shut landfill sites in their jurisdiction. The city generates around 11,400 metric tonnes of garbage, out of which nearly 6,200 metric tonnes are dumped at Ghazipur, Okhla, and Bhalswa.

Mohalla clinics promise sustainability NEW DELHI: In light of the pressing need for environmental care and sustainability, designing firm Architecture Discipline’s new project Mohalla clinics that are being built by using upcycled shipping containers is being implemented with support from Tata Power-Delhi Distribution Limited. These clinics will include an examination room, inspection room, and waiting area.

India bags 71st position on Global Food Security Index 2021 NEW DELHI: On the Global Food Security (GFS) Index 2021, India ranked 71st out of 113 countries. Moreover, the country lags behind its immediate neighbours Pakistan (52.6), and Sri Lanka (62.9) in terms of food affordability, according to the report. This

information was released

by The Economist Impact and Corteva Agriscience.

Kerala awarded for most sustainable transport system

World food prices at 10-year high

KOCHI: Kerala’s Kochi has been awarded as the city with the most sustainable transport system due to the exceptional work done in the Kochi Metro, Water Metro,

NEW DELHI: Food and Agricultural Organisation released Food Price Index on October 7, which traces international prices of the globally traded food, and found the average at 130 points last month.

and e-mobility to improve transport facilities. Kochi Open Mobility Network, which digitized and integrated various transport facilities in the state, has helped it bag the prize.

Earth’s brightness is dimming due to climate change: Study NEW DELHI: As per a study published in the journal named Geophysical Research Letters, warming oceans has caused a decrease in Earth’s brightness.

The study found that Earth is now reflecting about half a watt less light per square meter than 20 years ago.

Kerala’s health department joins UN-backed Race to Zero campaign THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Care Without Harm, the official healthcare partner of Race to Zero, announced on October 25, that India’s Kerala and other over 50 healthcare institutions representing 11,500 health facilities from 21 countries have been made part of the UN-backed Race to Zero Campaign.

Chandigarh MC launches ‘Corporation Aapke Dwar’ CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the municipal corporation polls, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is set to start public consultations and grievance redressal at the doorstep of citizens. The initiative is named ‘Corporation Aapke Dwar’ and will

begin from Sector 45 on October 19.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN | SEPTEMBER

Urban Indians prefer personal over public transportation after pandemic: Survey

NEW DELHI: A recent survey by market researcher named YouGov has found that commuters in urban spaces are still very much vary of using crowded public transport and therefore, they intend on using personal vehicles more than they did in pre-pandemic times.

Delhi-Mumbai will be covered in 13 hrs: IR NEW DELHI: Indian Railways said that if all goes as planned, the distance between Mumbai and Delhi will be covered in just 13 hours and it is possible as early as 2024. Presently, Rajdhani Express, the only premier train on this route, takes around 16 hours.

Karnataka: Smart City projects to be open for public soon

BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar reviewed the progress of projects in twin cities under the Smart City Scheme and informed on September 28, that they will be open for public use soon. He said that the development works at Tolana Kere and Indira Glass House will be completed in the coming month and open for the public shortly after.

Kolkata has 300 rain shelters across the city KOLKATA: Around 300 buildings have been kept ready across Kolkata to provide shelter to displaced people if parts of the city get overrun due to rain. Under this initiative Kolkata Municipal Corporation has more than 250 primary schools and about 100 community halls to accommodate evacuated people.

NEW DELHI: A report by C40 cities released on September 29, stated that amongst megacities in the country, the people of Delhi are the ones who will be severely affected by coal pollution.

This could kill nearly 5280 people in the national capital over the next decade.

Y4D Foundations’ Conclave paves way for the nation NEW DELHI: Y4D, India’s esteemed non-governmental organization, administered an Empowerment Conclave on the occasion of its 6th Foundation Day on September 27, in New Delhi. The conclave served as a significant platform for bringing together ministers

and experts to share their perspectives on the holistic development of the nation.

Maharashtra to develop monsoon tourism in Konkan MUMBAI: Aaditya Thackrey, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra said that monsoon tourism is all set to be developed in the Konkan region. The state government is looking to develop the state as cinema hub with a single vault of legendary films and scripts, added Thackrey.

India will soon achieve Paris Agreements’ NDC limit

NEW DELHI: India is pushing hard towards achieving the Paris Agreement’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) limit of 40% installed power capacity drawn from non-fossil sources.

India is moving ambitiously towards achieving the goals set under the Paris Agreement and will successfully be working on reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33%35% by 2030.

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Coal pollution can result in 5280 premature deaths in Delhi over 10 yrs

December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Chennai Central railway station will run on Solar Energy CHENNAI: In an attempt to become the world’s largest green railways network, Chennai railway station (Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M G Ramachandran Central Railway Station) which comes under South Central Railway (SCR) will soon be powered by solar energy. Chennai Railway station has bagged the position of the first Indian railway station by meeting the target.

MoHUA launches ‘Convergence between DAY-NULM and PMFME’

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India launched an event titled ‘Convergence between PM Formalisation of Micro-food processing Enterprises (PMFME) and Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) programmes’. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA, launched the event along with Pushpa Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

NEWSCAN | AUGUST

Andhra saves 3,430 million units of energy

NMCG hosts 3rd session on ‘Zero Liquid Discharge Cities’ at World Water Week 2021

Shipyards in Vancouver receives international waterfront design award

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has saved 3,430 units of energy which is worth 0.295 million tonne of oil equivalent (MTOE), costing around Rs 2,350 crore. The state achieved the reduction of 1.38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission under Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) cycle-2, mandatory flagship programme of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

NEW DELHI: On final day of the Stockholm World Water Week 2021, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) hosted the third meet session on ‘Zero Liquid Discharge Cities’ (ZLD).

VANCOUVER: Makeover of waterfront area in the City of Vancouver in Lower Lonsdale received top honours in ‘Excellence on the Waterfront Awards Program’ from the Waterfront centre. It was the second time in this year that the city’s effort in transforming the shipyards into a vibrant destination received recognition.

Sumouleendra Ghosh, Global Water Lead, Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) introduced NMCG as an integrated mission focusing on protection and restoration of the Ganges basin.

Maha launches scheme for COVID-19 widows Copenhagen is world’s safest city: EIU MUMBAI: The Government of Maharashtra on August 25, launched a special scheme for women of poor families who lost their husbands due to

the COVID-19 infection.

The scheme named ‘Mission Vatsalya’ has been prepared for widows who come from poor backgrounds and deprived sections of the society.

NEW DELHI: Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, has been named as the safest city of the world for the first time, according to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Copenhagen climbed to the top spot and toppled Tokyo and Singapore, which were the usual contenders in the Index.

NHPC inks MoU with PFC to undertake hydropower projects

Need for sustainable & river sensitive cities: NMCG

NEW DELHI: National Hydro Power Corporation Private Limited (NHPC) and Power Finance Corporation Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 24. The MoU was signed with a view of expanding NHPC’s energy portfolio in hydroelectric power development. It will facilitate knowledge and technology transfer towards sustainable development of green energy projects.

NEW DELHI: Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga

Karnataka becomes first state to implement NEP NEW DELHI: Karnataka has become first state in the country to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education, Government of India and Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai virtually launched the university and college admission module as per the new policy.

TN announces `100 crore urban employment scheme

CHENNAI: The Government of Tamil Nadu will implement an urban employment scheme on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at a cost of `100 crore. K N Nehru, Minister of Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, Government of Tamil Nadu said that the scheme was announced in order to improve the livelihood of urban poor.

BLive and Ather energy join hands to promote EVs in India PANAJI: Goa based multi–Electric Vehicle (EV) retail and tourism platform BLive and Ather Energy have signed a partnership to increase EV adoption by way of offering the experience to users and also build charging infrastructure across tourist destinations in the country, starting with Goa.

(NMCG) in his address on August 25, at the Stockholm World Water Week 2021, he spoke about developing a sustainable urban planning method. The address focused on developing riversensitive cities and making plans to integrate rivers and cities.

35,000 labourers benefited under Jharkhand employment scheme

RANCHI: The Government of Jharkhand under its Mukhyamantri Shramik Yojana (MSY) offered over 35,000 job cards with 2.42 lakh workdays.

MSY is an employment generation scheme for unskilled labourers in the city. The scheme was launched in the midst of the pandemic as many laborers were returning to Jharkhand.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN | July

Robust solid waste management to be implemented across J&K SRINAGAR: Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir, chaired the 8th meeting of the State Level Apex Committee on Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban on July 30, to review functioning of solid waste management across union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu Municipal Corporation is considering decentralising solid waste management via source segregation.

NMCG launches initiative to make Ganga Basin cities water sensitive

NEW DELHI: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in collaboration with the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) launched the ‘Making Water Sensitive Cities in Ganga Basin’ initiative on July 27.

Their main goal would be to improve River Ganga’s flow and maintain its health.

PUNE: Eknath Shinde, Minister of Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra said on July 30, that the proposed 173-kilometer ring road in Pune will increase the connectivity of the city with its neighboring areas. The move will enhance the socio-economic development of the region and cut its air pollution by 25 per cent.

ONORC scheme launched in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme in the state on July 30. The scheme will allow stakeholders to avail their food entitlements in India irrespective of the location of registration of the ration card.

AMARAVATI: The Government of Andhra Pradesh announced on July 30, that they will be initiating the process of offering housing plots for middle-class families in the urban areas. They will be developing a layout that is expected to promote the planned and integrated development of the city.

Hyderabad, Warangal feature among India’s top 25 cycling frontrunners

Odisha govt to start skill centers for urban poor youth BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha announced on July 28, that they will be setting up livelihood centres and skill development facilities for urban poor youth in the state.

Pratap Jena, Minister

Pune’s proposed ring road to help AP provides housing for city’s air pollution: UD Minister middle-class

of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Odisha added that the centres will be built in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur, Dhenkanal, Paradip, and Jatni.

HYDERABAD: Warangal, Telangana figured in the list of top 11 Cycling Pioneers in the country, while Hyderabad too features in the top 25 cities that have come up with different cycling-friendly initiatives.

The list mentioned these two cities along with nine other cities with the prestigious title of being India’s Top 11 cycling Pioneers.

Jammu Municipal Corporation to install AVLS in all vehicles JAMMU: On July 27, a senior official of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) told United News of India (UNI) that

the Corporation will soon be undertaking the installation of Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) in all vehicles of the urban local body to monitor their movement.

This technology will provide the real-time location of the vehicles to the Corporation.

Ganges water contains high level of microplastics NEW DELHI: Toxics Link, a Delhi-based NGO, released a study on the quantity of microplastic found in the holy river Ganga.

They concluded that the river, covering over 2500 kilometers and then flowing into the Bay of Bengal, contains highly polluting microplastics.

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December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

NEWSCAN | June

Municipal workers to get social security benefits: Labour Ministry

Haryana CM constitutes PMDA CHANDIGARH: Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar announced the constitution of the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) on June 9. PMDA is being constituted to enable swift execution of the district’s integrated development plan. Various developmental charges and taxes have been slashed by almost one-third in Panchkula to woo the investors.

NIT, AP develops controller for rainwater harvesting

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India has directed the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to cover all the casual and contractual workers employed with the municipal bodies under the ESI Act. This direction will assist lakhs of people to come under the social security cover which will include sickness, maternity, disability and dependent benefits.

Climate impacts will hit sooner than expected: UN NEW DELHI: A draft report by United Nations Organisation suggested that climate change will affect the life on Earth in the coming decade even if humans try to control the emission of Green House Gases. It said that the world must face its reality and prepare for the effects of climate change.

Mumbai found most expensive city in India, 78th in world: Mercer MUMBAI: Mumbai has been found to be the most expensive city for expatriates in India and is among top 20 in Asia, according to the latest Mercer 2021 Cost of Living in City ranking. Mumbai is ranked 78th among 206 cities in the list, down 16 spots compared to last year’s rankings. Four Indian cities were featured in the list apart from Mumbai, namely New Delhi (117), Chennai (158), Bengaluru (170) and Kolkata (181).

AMARAVATI: The students of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Andhra Pradesh, have developed a ‘Wi-Fi mounted microcontroller’ which can integrate sensors to conduct smart rainwater harvesting. The newly developed method can help in the process of efficient storage of water and, will also automate the process and tackle water-borne diseases.

Gujarat announces EV policy AHMEDABAD: Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani announced on Tuesday, June 22, the “Gujarat Electric

Maharashtra UDD issues changes in DCR to facilitate development projects

MUMBAI: The Department of Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra issued changes to its Development Control Regulation (DCR) on June 25. The UDD hopes to facilitate work on such projects with this segregation order.

Vehicle (EV) Policy 2021” which targets to put two lakh EVs on the roads in next four years. The state will also provide subsidies to the people from `20,000 to `1,50,000 on the purchase of EVsS to encourage them to switch to EVs.

MoU signed between BEL & Indian Navy to develop emerging technologies NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on June 29, signed a pact with Bharat Electronics Limited as part of Defence Public Sector Undertakings to develop emerging technologies associated with artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous platforms image processing, and cognitive radio.

3.61 lakh proposed houses approved under PMAY-U NEW DELHI: The Government of India approved 708 proposals for the construction of 3.61 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) on June 8. It was approved during the 54th meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee under PMAY-U.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN | May

Andhra Pradesh allocates funds for development of smart cities

ULBs in Odisha to process rural waste

Gujarat CM launches projects worth Rs 585 crore for Ahmedabad

AMARAVATI: The Government of Andhra Pradesh in a bid to achieve the goal of clean water and sanitation and to make human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient announced the allocation of `8727.08 crore for the municipal administration and urban development department.

BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha decided to form an association between gram panchayats (GPPs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) to leverage urban infrastructure for efficient management of fecal sludge and plastic waste generated in rural areas. Under this initiative, the districts will tag the GPs to nearby ULBs for transportation of waste and its processing.

AHMEDABAD: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on May 28, launched developments projects worth `585 crore for Ahmedabad city. CM Rupani announced 25 projects which include Phase-2 of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project.

Others in the plan include bridges, electric buses, water projects, etc.

Pune ranks first, Delhi at bottom in health infrastructure: Report PUNE: As per a report by Housing.com, Pune ranked first and Delhi-NCR at the bottom among eight major cities measured on the parameters of health infrastructure including number of beds, air-water quality, and sanitation. The rankings were analysed on the basis of various parameters such as number of hospital beds per 1000 people, air quality, water quality, sanitation, liveability index.

Rajasthan at 2nd spot in centre’s SCM rankings

JAIPUR: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India

Don’t harm wildlife for development works: CM of MP BHOPAL: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan instructed that no harm should be done to forests and wildlife due to development works. Permission was also granted for doubling and electrification of rail-line network of Katni-Singrauli in Sanjay Tiger Reserve, but with conditions.

ADB to end financing of coal, natural gas

NEW DELHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB)

published the ranking for Smart City Mission (SCM) on May 17. Rajasthan climbed up 27 ranks to achieve the second spot on the list among 36 states and union territories as it implemented some of the largest number of projects.

announced that it will no longer finance coal mining or oil and natural gas production and exploration.

ADB also laid out conditions under which certain fossil fuel projects would continue to receive funding.

Gujarat CM flags 101 BS-VI compliant buses

Long working hours affect health adversely: WHO

NEW DELHI: A report by World Health Organisation said that working long hours is killing thousands of people a year. The paper revealed that around 7,45,000 deaths around the globe from stroke and heart disease could be associated with long working hours in 2016.

Forest & Environment department to also work on climate change in Odisha

Over 70 lakh people out of jobs due to COVID-19 in India: Report NEW DELHI: The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy released research data stating that the national unemployment rate in India touched a four-month high at nearly 8 per cent in April 2021. The unemployment outlook weakened majorly due to the restrictions imposed to contain the COVID-19 second wave.

20 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

AHMEDABAD: Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani flagged a total of 101 BS-VI compliant buses in the state on May 10. The officials added that the Government of Gujarat has intended to add 1000 such buses to the already existing fleet of public transport.

BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha on May 29, renamed its Forest & Environment Department to ‘Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department’. This department would be the nodal agency of the state for climate change actions as it would work and focus on climate change along with forest and environment conservation.

NEWSCAN | April

$150 bn expected to be spent on COVID-19 vaccine WASHINGTON DC: A report by United States based health data company IQVIA Holdings Inc (IQVIA), released on April 29, said that the global spending on the COVID-19 vaccines is expected to reach $157 billion by 2025.

India & Germany sign agreement for marine environment NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India and Deutche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit on behalf of German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety signed the agreement on ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering the Marine Environment’.

MITE partners with TIEI for skill development MANGALORE: The Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering signed a memorandum of understanding with Toyota Industries Engine India Private Limited to

aid skill development in the area of engine manufacturing. The main goal of this collaboration includes creating opportunities for students, teaching faculty, and industry personnel.

COVID-19 has altered students’ development: Study NEW DELHI: A collaborative research titled ‘COVID-19 lockdown and the reconstruction of Urban middle-class home in India’ found that school closure during the lockdown has altered the normal trajectory of development for many students and highlighted the negative effects of overuse of technology on physical health of students.

No access to safe drinking water in urban India: UN NEW DELHI: A report by (United Nation Children’s Fund) UNICEF India revealed that 50 million people from 15 cities of India do not have any access to safe and affordable drinking water. The scarcity of safe drinking water in cities has become as high as the density of population in the urban India.

Gadkari announces road projects NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Government of India approved several roads widening and upgradation projects in northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland. A six-lane Thatchur highway, a greenfield highway and a six-lane Jalandhar bypass was included among numbers of projects.

Canada ‘Best Country’ in the world: Report OTTAWA: 2021 Best Countries Report, a ranking and analysis project by United States of America News and World Report, found Canada to be the best country in the list. The model behind this report has evolved due to transformational year of the COVID-19.

ADB approves loan for industrial corridor in TN

CHENNAI: In a bid to boost development of the Tamil Nadu industrial corridor, the Asian Development Bank has approved a loan of `3,533 crore for the improvement of transport connectivity and road maintenance. The funds will be utilised for the development of the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor or CKIC.

`4608 crore grant released for local bodies

NEW DELHI: The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India on March 31, released the fund of `4,608 crore to the states for assistance of the local bodies.

Rural local bodies will be provided the grant of `2660 crore and urban local bodies will be provided `1948 crore on the recommendation of 15th Finance Commission.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN | March

India, US agree on refurbishing strategic energy partnership

ITC partners with Karnataka govt for watershed development

PM Modi launched ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’

BENGALURU: The diversified conglomerate ITC Ltd is partnering with the Government of Karnataka to execute a watershed development programme, which will be covering over one million acres and 100 watersheds in the state.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ campaign via video conferencing on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22. PM Modi said during the launch that it is an important step towards realising the dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

NEW DELHI: In a statement released by the Government of India on March 29, it was stated that India and the United States of America have confirmed to refurbish their strategic energy partnership to contemplate on greater collaboration in cleaner energy sectors for example biofuels.

9 of the 10 most polluted cities in world are in India: Report

New NVS will assist setting up urban forests NEW DELHI: Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India said that the new Nagar Van Scheme (NVS) will assist in building of Urban forests in cities. Javadekar added that the scheme will also fill the gap between cities and villages in terms of having their own forest cover.

Development of STP in Moradabad to reduce load of pollution in Ganga

J&K govt approves interest-free loan for PMAY-U beneficiaries

MORADABAD: An agreement has been signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam and GA Infra Private Limited-Lahoti Buildcon Limited, for development of sewage treatment plants in Moradabad.

JAMMU: The administration of Jammu and Kashmir has approved the proposal to give interest-free loan of up to `2 lakhs to the beneficiaries under Benefeciary Led Construction component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).

Northeast has country’s biggest carbon stock: report GUWAHATI: The northeast region is India’s largest carbon sink accounting for 28 per cent of the country’s total capacity (7,124 million tonnes), revealed the India State of Forest Report 2019, released on March 8. Arunachal Pradesh individually, where the forest covers more than 60 per cent of the state’s geographical area, has the leading carbon stock of 1051 million tonnes among all states and union territories in the country.

22 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

NEW DELHI: World Air Quality Report 2020 was prepared and globally released on March 16 by IQAir, a Swiss organisation. The report found 22 of the world’s most polluted cities to be Indian.

According to its findings, 84 per cent of all monitored countries observed improvements in air quality in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIILSG & EU launch project ‘Girl Power’

NEW DELHI: All India Institute of Local Self-Government and the European Union launched the Girl Power project on March 10, to further support capacity building of civil society organisations working in area of women empowerment in Jharkhand.

17% of food produced is wasted globally: UN Report NEW DELHI: A report by the United Nations Organisation (UNO) estimates that 17 per cent of the total food produced each year globally is wasted.

This amounts to 931 million metric tons of food. This is far more than what previous reports indicated but direct comparisons are not viable due to difference in methodologies.

NEWSCAN | FEBRUARY

India-US energy partnership supports sustainable development

First transgender toilet of UP built in Varanasi

WASHINGTON DC: The United States of America and India have collaborated for research on natural gas, renewable energy, nuclear energy, clean coal technologies, smart grids, and unconventional and clean energy sources. Ned Price, Spokesperson, United States Department of State, commented that this has been done for benefit of ‘our people’.

VARANASI: The first transgender toilet of the state has been built by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in the Kamachha area in Varanasi under the Smart City project to ensure community’s participation in the cleanliness of the city.

The toilet was inaugurated

by Mridula Jaiswal, Mayor, Varanasi on February 18.

MoHUA launches ‘Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan’ under JJM

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Pilot PeyJal Survekshan under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM-U) on February 16. The pilot survey will be launched in 10 cities, which includes Bhubaneshwar, Agra, Kochi, Madurai, Rohtak, Badlapur, Surat, Tumkar and Patiala.

Gujarat spends most on urban development NEW DELHI: A five-year budget analysis between 2015 and 2021 revealed that Gujarat spends 6.4 per cent of its budget on projects of the state’s Urban Development Department (UDD). New Delhi and West Bengal have been found to spend 5.7 per cent and 4.5 per cent of their budget respectively on UDD.

India added lowest solar capacity in 2020: Report NEW DELHI: A report by Mercom India Research said that India added only 3,239 Megawatt (MW) of solar capacity in 2020, which is down by 56 per cent in comparison to the solar capacity added in previous year. The report established that the addition of 3,239 MW of solar capacity was the lowest in the last five years.

56,368 new houses approved under PMAY(U)

Bihar signs pact with UNEP to work on climate resilience

Haryana signs MoUs with e-commerce firms for MSMEs

PATNA: Government of Bihar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) aiming to achieve climate resilience and low carbon development by year 2040. Bihar has become the first Indian state to do so.

CHANDIGARH: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department, Government of Haryana, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with three e-commerce companies including eBay, Power2SME and TradeIndia.

IIT-D produces clean hydrogen fuel NEW DELHI: The researchers at Indian Institute of Technology – Delhi (IIT-D) have generated clean and cheap hydrogen fuel from water. Increasing rise in the energy demand and the necessity to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have encouraged the researchers to look for cleaner alternatives for fuel.

Odisha in top 15 urban initiatives shortlisted for global awards BHUBNESWAR: Odisha is the only state from India with two initiatives in the Top 15 deserving interventions for Global Award. The state’s two urban innovations are Urban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI), implemented in all the 114 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), and Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) in Berhampur.

NEW DELHI: Construction of 56,368 new houses has been approved under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) at the 53rd Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee Meeting held on Monday, February 22. A total of 11 states and union territories (UTs) attended the meeting.

Gadkari launches ‘Go Electric’ EV awareness campaign NEW DELHI: Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Government of India, launched the ‘Go Electric’ campaign to spread awareness on the benefits of e-mobility and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as well as electric cooking on Friday, February 19.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

23

NEWSCAN | JANUARY

UNDP’s poll finds public opinion in support of wide ranging climate action

Punjab soil and conservation dept nabs NABARD award NEW DELHI: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on January 21, awarded the soil conservation department of Punjab with the ‘Most Consistent Performing Department’ and the ‘Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)-21 Most Impactful Projects’ awards.

Chandigarh installs country’s tallest air purifier NEW DELHI: A survey titled People’s Climate Vote, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the University of Oxford, found major support for need for broad climate policies. It engaged 1.22 million people from 50 countries.

Karnataka tops NITI Aayog’s Innovation Index NEW DELHI: Karnataka nabbed the top spot among major states in the second edition of Innovation Index announced by NITI Aayog on January 20. Maharashtra has leaped ahead of Tamil Nadu and grabbed the second spot. Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab grabbed the top 10 positions.

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh Administration has collaborated with Pious Air purifier Pvt Ltd., a Delhi-based private firm, to install the tallest air purifier in the country.

Debendra Dalai, Director of Environment, said that the administration will only be responsible for the electricity and water consumption expenses of the giant purifier.

Joe Biden issued order for US to rejoin Paris Climate Agreement WASHINGTON DC: Hours after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America, he signed an executive order to rejoin the historic Paris Climate Accord, thus displaying his urgency to deal with the climate crisis.

The USA had formally withdrawn from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in November 2020.

Climate Change may lead to floods in south India NEW DELHI: A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change warned that an uneven shift in the tropical rain belt will occur due to climate change in future, ultimately leading to excessive floods in certain parts of India.

This tropical rain belt is a narrow band of heavy precipitation near the Earth’s equator.

SMC partners with ABB to ensure 24*7 water supply SURAT: With the aim of ensuring a 24*7 water supply to the residents, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has partnered with ABB India to further roll out next generation technology. This follows the previous investment of two organisations to digitally upgrade the entire water system of the city which took place in 2018.

24 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

NEW DELHI: Ola announced on January 20, that it has collaborated with Siemens to build the most advanced electric vehicle manufacturing hub in Tamil Nadu. Ola had signed a Rs 2400 crore deal with the Government of Tamil Nadu to set up its first factory in the state.

BMC to declare areas around water bodies, eco-sensitive MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) Biodiversity Management Committee, in an attempt to preserve water bodies within the metropolis, plans to declare areas around them eco-sensitive zones (ESZs).

In its first assembly on January 18, the committee conducted a dialogue on the conservation of water bodies, controlling air pollution in coastal areas.

World oceans getting warmer despite reduced carbon emissions: Report

Only 10.3% of urban workforce includes women: Survey NEW DELHI: A recent survey conducted by the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE) revealed that the participation of women in the urban labour market is at a dismal low of 10.3 per cent.

`2400 crore ‘most advanced EV hub’ to be set up in TN

BEIJING: As stated in a study published in

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences journal, despite recording reductions in carbon emissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the oceans of the world are recorded to be warmest in 2020. The study was conducted by 20 scientists from 13 institutes from China, the United States of America (USA) and Italy.

NEWSCAN

NMCG, NIUA jointly launch River Cities Alliance NEW DELHI: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), co-hosted a first-of-its-kind River Cities Alliance (RCA) ceremony in New Delhi. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, Government of India, launched the River Cities Alliance on Friday, November 26.

RCA provides a platform for river cities in the country to discuss, and exchange ideas about the sustainable management of rivers in urban regions.

The alliance will concentrate on three major themes: networking, capacity building, and technical support.

A press statement said that this alliance and platform represent the two ministries’ successful collaboration.

The alliance’s secretariat will be established at the NIUA with the assistance of NMCG. The participating cities in the alliance include Dehradun, Haridwar, Bhagalpur, Hooghly, Chinsurah, Howrah, Munger, Patna, Berhampur Jangipur, Maheshtala, Rajmahal, Sahibganj, Ayodhya, Bijnor, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, MathuraVrindavan, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Begusarai, Varanasi, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur, and Vijayawada.

Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, stated that this alliance would allow municipal administrators and their teams to embark on ground-breaking initiatives and learn and inspire one another.

Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA, added that this alliance could play a critical role in connecting cities to their rivers and creating a model for all cities in the basin and beyond to follow. RCA was established to work towards the adoption and localisation

of national policies and instruments with key river-related directions and develop city-specific sectoral strategies required for sustainable urban river management. It will give these cities the opportunity to strengthen river city governance to improve their liveability and attract external economic investments.

The RCA provides the cities with a knowledge-sharing platform for managing urban rivers and includes minimising their water footprint and the impacts on rivers and water bodies and will also help in capitalising natural, intangible, architectural heritage and related services. The platform will also develop self-sufficient and sustainable water resources through recycle and reuse strategy.

The alliance will work towards adopting and localising national policies and instruments with key river-related directions. It will also help in the preparation of their Urban River Management Plans and also aid to develop city-specific sectoral strategies required for sustainable urban river management. The alliance provides these cities with the opportunity to empower governance in river cities and improve their liveability. It will help

attract external economic investments and access state of the art knowledge and frameworks. It will also serve as the platform to showcase the unique demonstration projects implemented

by NIUA and NMCG. The first session of the launch ceremony included discussionson ‘Operationalising the River Cities Alliance’, which included a presentation on Urban River Plan Management of Kanpur that was followed by a moderated discussion with commissioners or executive officers of the 30 member cities.

The second session was a roundtable discussion on ‘Holistic Urban River Management’ including Dr Suresh Rohilla from Centre for Science and Environment, Suresh Babu from World Wildlife Forum, Dr Madhu Verma from World Resource Institute-India, and Manu Bhatnagar from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

The third session focused on ‘Forging Synergies for the River Cities Alliance’.

Sonia Chand Sandhu from Asian Development Bank, Manasi Sachdev from UN-Habitat, Anitha Sharma from the Embassy of Denmark, and others participated in the panel discussion.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN NEW DELHI: For the fifth consecutive year, Indore grabbed the title of India’s ‘Cleanest City’ under SS 2021 whereas Surat and Vijayawada grabbed the second and third spots, respectively, in the category of more than 1 lakh population. The President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented awards to the cleanest cities of India at ‘Swachh Amrit Mahotsav’ as part of Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0.

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The ceremony was organised to recognise the work done by the towns, cities, states, and union territories (UTs) for cleanliness. More than 300 awards were distributed under various categories of Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2021.

In the category of less than 1 lakh population, Vita topped the table along with Lonavala and Saswad, all from Maharashtra. Varanasi was awarded the ‘Best Ganga Town’ while Ahmedabad

Cantonment Board grabbed the ‘Cleanest Cantonment Board’ award.

Meerut Cantonment Board and Delhi Cantonment grabbed the second and third spots, respectively. Hoshangabad from Madhya Pradesh was found to be the ‘Fastest Mover City’ in more than 1 lakh population category as it jumped 274 ranks from 361st last year to 87th rank this year.

In state awards, Chhattisgarh was found to be the ‘Cleanest State’ for the third consecutive time in the category of more than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs). Jharkhand, on the other hand, grabbed the ‘Cleanest State’ in the category of less than 100 ULBs. Karnataka and Mizoram became the ‘Fastest Mover States’ in big and small state category, respectively.

While speaking at the event, President Kovind said that the awards, this year, had special importance as it was the celebration of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. He added that Safai Mitras

and sanitation workers had worked tirelessly to render their services even during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective waste management was the key to making the cities clean and conservation of environment has always been part of the traditional lifestyle of India, he added. He also said that various good ideas have come out of ‘Waste to Wealth’ initiative and several start-ups are also working in these areas.

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, said, “the achievements of SBM-U are credited to the collective efforts. This programme has taken the shape of ‘a true Jan Andolan’ which is reflected in the massive success of SS 2021 which began just as a pilot in 2016 among 73 cities. The next few years will be dedicated to holistic cleanliness which includes clean air, clean land and clean water.” Puri along with Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing

Indore grabs cleanest city award 5th time in a row

26 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

NEWSCAN and Urban Affairs, Government of India, felicitated the awardees in the presence of other dignitaries including Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Sikkim, and Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

To make this a success, several teams of assessors visited more than 65,000 wards in a record time of 28 days despite of all the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Maharashtra bagged 92 awards which is the highest by any state, this year, followed by Chhattisgarh with 67 awards. This year, a special category of Prerak Daur Samman was also launched by the MoHUA under SS 2021. Under this, the cities are categorised amongst five categories of Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze) and Aarohi (Copper).

The cities are categorised on the basis of segregation of waste into wet, dry and hazardous category, processing capacity of wet waste, recycling of wet and dry waste, construction and demolition waste processing, percentage of waste going to landfills, and sanitation status of cities. Five cities namely Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Tirupati were

recognised as the ‘Divya’ cities. This year’s competition was joined by 4320 cities across the nation and more than 5 crore citizen feedback were also received as compared to 1.87 crore, last year. It helped to identify more than 6000 innovations and best practices, in sanitation and waste management, from around the country.

A session of the ceremony was also dedicated to Safaimitras which were the frontline soldiers of SBM-U. The session commemorated the World Toilet Day and saw top performers under the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge. In this, Indore, Navi Mumbai, Nellore and Dewas emerged as the top performers among 246 cities across all population categories. The challenge was launched last year in order to eradicate human causalities due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh bagged the award among states and UTs, respectively.

This challenge contributed to the mission of ‘manhole to machine hole’ in urban regionswith the help of several initiatives such as credit linkages of safaimitras with banks via National Safai Karamchari Finance and Development Corporation, their trainings through the Sector Skill

Swachh Survekshan 2021 top performers ♦♦ Cleanest City (more than 1 lakh population) – Indore ♦♦ Cleanest City (less than 1 lakh population) - Vita ♦♦ Cleanest Small City – New Delhi ♦♦ Cleanest Medium City – Noida ♦♦ Cleanest Big City – Navi Mumbai ♦♦ Cleanest Mega City – Ahmedabad ♦♦ Cleanest Cantonment Board – Ahmedabad Cantonment Board ♦♦ Cleanest State Capital – Gandhinagar ♦♦ Cleanest Ganga Town – Varanasi ♦♦ Most awards by a state – Maharashtra (92) ♦♦ 5-Star rated Garbage Free Cities – Indore, Surat, New Delhi Municipal Council, Navi Mumbai, Ambikapur, Mysuru, Noida, Vijayawada and Patan

Council for Green Jobs, and also setting up of helpline number (14420) in more than 190 cities.

The results were also announced for 3-star and 5-star rated cities under Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities, as part of the vision of Garbage Free India under SBM-U 2.0. A total of nine cities were categorised as the 5-star cities namely Indore, Surat, NDMC, Navi Mumbai, Ambikapur, Mysuru, Noida, Vijayawada and Patan. On the other hand, 143 cities were categorised as 3-star. The Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities began as a smart framework by the MoHUA in 2018.

This year, 2238 cities applied for the assessment under the framework and the exercise was successfully conducted despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Kovind also unveiled a song titled ‘Har Dhadkan Swachh Bharat KiReaffirming a Nation’s Commitment to SBM-U 2.0’.

SBM-U 2.0 was launched on October 1, 2021 and will aim to ensure complete access to sanitation for all. The ministry also launched the revamped website of SBM-U 2.0 and integrated MIS portal named ‘Swachhatam’. Moreover, stateof-the-art spatial GIS platform was also launched at the event which will move the mission towards smart and data driven decision making. Technology has played an important role in making the mission of SBM-U, a success, in the last seven years. Such digital advancements will make the mission smart, paperless, robust and transparent along with round-the-clock connectivity with states, cities and other stakeholders.

The event was the celebration of achievements of SBM-U and cities in the last seven years.

Swachh Survekshan is a yearly exercise which provides a platform for cities to compete with each other for recognition, and encourgament to do better in future. This year, it was a special event as it commemorated 75 years of Indian independence.

The cities of India have come a long way in the journey of cleanliness and it is hoped that with the launch of SBM 2.0, they will move further with more vigour.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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NEWSCAN

Innovate & Implement Mantra for cities NEW DELHI: Swachh Survekshan 2021 is an annual survey conducted of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation across cities and towns in India. The main objective of the survey is to encourage large-scale citizen participation and ensure the sustainability of initiatives undertaken by urban local bodies (ULBs) contributing towards making garbage-free and open defecation-free cities. Moreover, the survey also aims to foster a spirit of healthy competition amongst towns and cities. Innovation and Best Practices award recognises and rewards the changes and improvements made by ULBs, citizens, Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs), NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and private sector in the areas like waste management, behaviour change, sustainable sanitation, water conservation, and reuse of treated waste water.

Enquiry through My Dewas app In the category of 1 lakh-3 lakh population, Dewas has been awarded with ‘Best Small City in Innovation and Best Practices’ due to its constant and remarkable work. Dewas developed QR code-based app for registering any complaint and making inquiries from the municipality related to waste disposal and littering. The app goes by the name ‘My Dewas App’, and it is considered as the first ever information and communication technologybased innovation with a scanning and monitoring tool. Via this app, the activities are regulated throughout the city and litter bins are monitored. The ULBs and their corresponding health departments get real time information via this app.

Transgender groups and women SHGs leading from front Berhampur

Municipal

Corporation

28 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

(BeMC) won Swachh Survekshan 2021 Award for ‘Innovation and Best Practices’ under the 3 lakh – 5 lakh population category. The introduction to decentralized solid waste management was established by Wealth Centre with the involvement of Mission Shakti Women self-help groups (SHGs), and provision for more human resources was made. The main aim was to encourage large scale citizen participation and ensure sustainability of initiatives. An effective collaboration between Mission Shakti SHGs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been responsible in driving community-centric and women-led urban development model in the state. These groups are engaged in service delivery and as executing partners in variety of urban development programmes, ranging from solid and liquid waste management, water supply and livelihood generation opportunities.

In Berhampur, involvement of transgender groups along with the existing Mission Shakti SHGs has given a push to the city in becoming sustainable in variety of aspects. These groups have been integrated across decentralised solid and liquid waste management chains in a broader way.

They have emerged as the key service providers in the sanitation drives. In Odisha, BeMC constructed 139 rooftop rainwater harvesting systems over government buildings. These models were designed to conserve around 2,22,400 litres of water per year, which in turn improves the quality of ground water. This initiative was under the campaign “Save water, Save Energy and Save Money”.

Moreover, they also devised a ‘percolation pit,’ which is basically a small hole dug into the ground which facilitates groundwater recharge.

These pits were placed across with appropriate plant species. This method was developed in order to conserve rainwater for use in summers and for animals. Currently, there are 91 percolation pits across Berhampur.

These pits are located in all kinds of areas such parks, community toilets, and cremation grounds.

Decentralising management

solid

waste

Ghaziabad also won the national award for ‘Best Big City in Innovation and Best Practices’ under 10 lakh-40 lakh population slab. For achieving this, they tried to eliminate open solid waste dump spots and also carried out recycling of plastic. Moreover, initiatives for ‘dust-free’ Ghaziabad were undertaken. For effective garbage management, they have made efforts to decentralise the garbage processing facilities. To overcome this challenge, they initiated work at their waste to energy plant and also procured more than 300 vehicles which are used for door-to-door collection of solid waste from 100 wards. Besides this, the corporation also has a prospect of 133 e-rickshaws so that the garbage can be lifted from narrow streets.

Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has taken assistance from Human Matrix Agency working in Indore in order to keep the city clean. These initiatives were being taken to plug the gap of shortfall in processing tonnes of solid waste. Besides this, they rigorously worked towards eliminating plastics as far as possible by setting up their own plastic processing plant which had the capacity of 10 tons. The processed plastic is then converted into useful items such as tree guards, and murals for beautification of the city. Moreover, they constructed roads out of plastic waste. Another commendable activity

was reusing the plastic for creating Asia’s largest cardboard, which won the city an award and a mention in India Book of Records. In making the city plastic free a huge success, various empanelled agencies artists and volunteers cooperated with the ULBs.

Mission Dharavi well executed Greater Mumbai won an award for the ‘Best Mega city’ in the sphere of Innovation and Best Practices in the category of 10 lakh – 40 lakh population. This stable ranking is the result of an increase in public urinals, solid waste management and good public feedback. Sangeeta Hasnale, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation highlighted the fact that the region bagged the award because of various projects undertaken by the civic body such as conversion of waste into cooking gas and making compost pits in housing societies for better treatment

of garbage. Mumbai took a further step in waste management and set up underground bins in slums.

The Mission Dharavi was one breakthrough that fuelled the efforts.

In the times when social distancing was not possible, Dharavi showed us how it can possibly be done. Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai managed through the challenges via strategic Public Private Partnerships (PPP) under which proactive screening in high-containment zones, and organizing fever camps to identify the infected, were made compulsory.

Private practitioners and doctors also came forward and carried out COVID-19 testing. Since home quarantine was out of question in an open area, the focus remained on setting up quarantine facilities in schools, ceremony halls and sports complexes. They also included the help from local NGOs, self-help groups, ward officials and sanitation department. They did not restrict the

swachhta competition only to the public establishments but extended it to civicowned bodies as well. Public toilets, parks, gardens and wards were kept on check on the parameters of cleanliness.

Furthermore, societies were also marked on the basis of source composting of the generated waste.

Buildings ensured bins, toilets for the watchman and security staff, and in terms of liquid waste management, water tanks of the buildings were kept regularly inspected. Besides this, technology adoption also helped a lot from cleaning roads to management of waste which entails mechanical sweeping of roads, monitoring the sanitation work and waste processing at units. These cities present an example of innovation in the sphere of cleanliness, which can be replicated by other ULBs across the country. Swachh Survekshan presents an opportunity for cities to share knowledge and best practices among stakeholders.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

29

Cover story | Rewind 2021

2021

Terrible, Tumultuous Yet Transformational Year for Cities!

From devastation by the second wave of COVID-19 to the largest vaccination drive, 2021 was a year of extremes. Cities initially faltered, learnt, stood up, and fought back. 2021 was indeed hard on cities and also on most citizens. The experience of the bygone year shall pave the way for future transformation in our urban spaces

30 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Abhishek Pandey Editor

A

majority of the global population lives in cities, which play an important role in people’s lives. Cities provide shelter, livelihood, prosperity, superior facilities in education and healthcare, and more.

Cities also offer a defence mechanism to the human race to face any difficulty.

COVID-19 was one of them.

Cities were known for buzzing social life, but like 2020, social interactions in cities was limited to online meetings and video chats. The Pandemic was also a reminder that all of us are better connected than ever before.

A virus spread from China brought the whole world to a halt in a matter of months. The same is true for the various mutants of the virus. Similarly, a vaccine breakthrough in one country enabled people across the globe to get immunized. The second wave of the Pandemic was so severe that the preparations made by governments and hospitals during the first wave fell

short. There was a frenzy. People were helpless. They struggled for hospital beds, oxygen, essential medicines required for the treatment, and even for a dignified cremation and burials for their loved ones. For a few weeks, everyone was clueless. Like everyone, cities failed too, but they were the ones who came up with innovative ideas for bringing relief to citizens. Our life in cities has changed. Wearing of mask and frequent sanitization are the new normal. We are still living under the threat of new variants of the virus.

Adapting to a change is difficult, but it is essential for our safety and of the people around us. Another looming threat on Earth is Climate Change and Global Warming. Cities host a large part of the global population, approximately 55 per cent. It is going to impact lives in our cities. Global leadership and urbanists of the world focused on increasing the role of cities in the fight against climate change. Climate change affects everything around us - from economies, migration, health, environment, and life expectancy.

Though the major focus globally has been on COVID-19, cities also made progress in other crucial areas this year. This year’s Urban October focused on the climate crisis, which is also the theme of UN-Habitat’s campaign on ClimateAction4Cities.

Cities worldwide were encouraged to align

Cities are known for buzzing social life, but like 2020, social interaction in cities was limited to online meetings and video chats. The Pandemic was also a reminder that all of us are well-connected more than ever. A virus spread from China brought the whole world to a halt in a matter of months

their works and write a new narrative for their development. Urban October began with World Habitat Day 2021 on October 4. The series of actions were focused on accelerating urban action for a carbon-free future. Urban October closed with the eighth celebration of World Cities Day 2021 on October 31 under the theme ‘Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience’. The central event of the year was the UN Climate Conference - COP 26, and it focused on global net-zero emissions.

In India, cities have additional tasks on hand. In addition to playing a crucial role in achieving targets under international agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals, New Urban Agenda, and the Sendai Framework, they have to make their urban operations efficient and smart.

The government of India has extended the Smart Cities Mission project works deadline by two years. The government also announced Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted, “In the next stage of AMRUT, country targets to have access to clean water for all urban citizens, increase coverage of sewerage & septage management, make our cities water-secure and ensure that no dirty water falls into the rivers from drains.”

SBM Urban 2.0 aims to make our cities garbage free and ensure clean air, clean water, and clean land.

Cities are gradually on the way to becoming efficient. At least, there is a visible effort and restlessness in government institutions dealing with urban affairs to do something constructive for cities so that future generations can see a new façade of urban spaces. To do this, the urban development approach has to be participatory, and master plans should be evolving and accommodating.

They should not be like writings cast in stone. Cities like humans will obviously make mistakes in their evolutionary phase, but they must keep an eye on the rearview mirror to avoid repeating any. This will make them smart and sustainable, equitable and eventually livable.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

31

Leaderspeak | Local Governance

What 2021 taught us in ‘Urban Governance Class’?

Life is an endless journey of learning. 2021 taught Indian cities that they have to navigate through a complex landscape to become sustainable and livable in the post-pandemic world. 2021 could be termed the most challenging year in the lives of our cities as they faced a gargantuan challenge that shook the service and infrastructure in cities. Cities can learn a big deal from their experiences and transform their functioning by using the existing constitutional framework

C

ities are the foundation of national finances as most income is generated in urban spaces. However, this advantage turns into a disadvantage when the growing population in cities are not matched with improving services and infrastructure.

The mismatch leads to more pressure on civic services. Hence, over a period of time, cities become unlivable. It is true for many cities of the world today.

The second wave of the Pandemic was a setback to cities overcoming the socioeconomic debacle of the first wave.

The second wave was so severe that it brought cities to their knees.

Cities gradually devised their strategies to fight back. In the war against the virus this year, cities learned many lessons on their strategic and instant intervention during a health disaster, how to communicate with their citizens during a Pandemic, manage migrants and what not. The situation remained unclear for days because of no set protocols and guidelines.

They were following the instructions of the national health agencies, state governments and district authorities.

Their role in policymaking was minimal, but their role in implementing the decisions was crucial. There is need for a paradigm shift in how federal and state governments look at local democratic institutions.

32 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Urgent Need for Devolution of Powers to ULBs

India gave thrust to democratic decentralization by introducing the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1992-93. It gave a clear mandate to create an institutional framework for strengthening the role of democratic institutions at the local level through self-governing local bodies in urban areas of the country. The Act empowered Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to perform 18 functions listed in the 12th Schedule. The objective was to devolve more power to ULBs, but the implementation of the reform has not been uniform. It is patchy. In the times of Corona, it was observed that the local bodies had a crucial role to play in containing the virus spread and handling the effects of the Pandemic at the local level. The elected representatives were accountable to the people, but most of their functions came with limited authority and inadequate financial autonomy.

According to the Performance Audit of Implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in Karnataka by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Act was enacted but not implemented in letter and spirit. The report says that out of the eighteen functions, all except Fire Services were transferred. It also highlights that though all functions

were to be mandatory, the State classified the functions as obligatory and discretionary. The report mentions that ULBs had full jurisdiction in only three functions. They had no role in two functions and dual role in one.

They were mere implementing agency in three functions. As many as eight functions were those with minimal role or overlapping jurisdictions. The report may be presenting the facts about the status in Karnataka, but it is almost the same in every State. Several such issues

Ranjit S Chavan President, AIILSG

need to be addressed to make urban local bodies stronger.

Learning for ULBs, State Governments

The Pandemic has taught us that cities and local government institutions need to be strengthened. If they have responsibilities, they should have authority and resources too. The role of local bodies in emergency response has to be worked on. Their capacity must be strengthened because globally it was seen in many cases how cities came forward with innovative solutions. The cities were not merely executing the

directions but making policies on a day-to-day basis. Cities were changing their policies, action plans as the virus was mutating. There is no doubt that medical protocols cannot be developed in each city, but the strategy to handle things locally can be decided at the local level. The ULBs could manage medical facilities and resources including the oxygen gas cylinders, provided that they are well trained and equipped with resources. Health is a state subject, but the 12th Schedule indicated that ‘public health sanitation, conservancy and solid waste management’ and ‘safeguarding the interests of the weaker sections

The power of people is tremendous.

It helped speed the healing process.

The cases of COVID-19 are now on the decline, and the number of people vaccinated is going up. This is an opportune time the ULBs can use to create data of the people, maybe, digitally to understand their profile. They can list out the people who can provide assistance in certain sphere

of society, including the physically handicapped and mentally unsound’ are among the 18 functions of the urban local bodies. The latter function is a big responsibility, not just during the Pandemic but otherwise too. The nations with deep and big purses have failed to ensure that. Cities need to get a reasonable allocation of resources.

State Finance Commissions should be generous to ULBs, and must not act as an arm of the government.

COVID-19 was a new challenge, and the cities worldwide, irrespective of their might, failed on many fronts while handling the side effects of the Pandemic and unfolding health disaster. Citizens and social groups rose to the occasion and helped people around them. They arranged medicines, medical and ration supplies. Social groups even helped people get dignified burial or cremation for their deceased family members. The power of people is tremendous. It helped speed the healing process. The cases of COVID-19 are now on the decline, and the number of people vaccinated is going up. This is an opportune time that the ULBs can use to create data of the people, maybe, digitally to understand their profile.

They can list out the people who can provide assistance in certain sphere. Of course, keeping the privacy of the data intact like an ethical doctor and a lawyer would be their responsibility. ULBs must develop an ecosystem to have data of their people so when in need, they can reach out to them or connect with those who can help in emergencies.

If the passionate youngsters on social media can formalize a Help Desk, cities can do so too. The job for them would be far easier than for any other institution.

Certainly, municipalities helped people during the Pandemic. Still, cities have an immense scope of improving how they function. For this, they have to think over how they can transform, what we can learn from others, and what they need. They should be vocal about their demands, and it will help write a new chapter of good governance at the grassroots level.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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Numerograph | SDGs & Urban Growth

Trajectory of sustainable urban development The urban population has been rapidly increasing, putting more pressure on the cities and urban local bodies. In India’s SDG Urban Index, not a single city has achieved the target score of 100, which reflects the lack of action. The visible effects of climate change, on the other hand, highlight the urgency for some concrete, decentralized efforts in Indian cities. Urban Update tries to explore the latest SDG Index of urban India and the reality in which urban population is living right now Pooja Upadhyay | Trainee Reporter

Urban population living in slums World (In Millions)

India (In Thousands) 180

140 120

199

160.33

155.434

160

370 122.141

123.237

120.91

116.324

111.937 100.56

100

227

80 60

238

40 20 0 1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2014

2016

2018

Eastern and South-Eastern Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Central and Southern Asia

Other regions

Top 10 cities in India’s SDG Urban Index

Shimla 75.5

Coimbatore 73.3

34 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Chandigarh 72.4

Trivandrum 72.4

Kochi 72.3

Cities that scored highest in SDGs Coimbatore

Surat

Kochi

Shimla Trivandrum

Amritsar

Kochi

Agra, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Guwahati Gwalior, Kanpur, Patna, Prayagraj Shimla, Varanasi

Nashik Aizawl, Kochi, Shillong Shimla, Trivandrum

Bhopal

Shimla

Bengaluru

Gangtok

Source: sdgindiaindex.niti.gov.in

% of slum population

data.unhabitat.org, unstats.un.org unstats.un.org

Year

World

India

2010 2015 2020

51.646 53.915 56.15

30.93 32.777 34.92

We need more ambition, more action, more scale, and greater urgency in delivering the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement – and we certainly need more fuel, more financial resources and more investments.

Amina Mohammed, Deputy Chief, United Nations

Panaji 71.9

Pune 71.2

Tiruchirapalli 70.0

Ahmedabad 69.8

Nagpur 69.8

35 www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021 35

One on One | Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd.) Director General, AIILSG

Devolution of ‘funds, functions & functionaries’ key to efficient local governance A city is developed when its local government is strengthened and plans are introduced and implemented at the local level. AIILSG works in close association with the Government of India, state governments and city municipalities to introduce plans and development work at the ground level. The newly appointed Director General of AIILSG, Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd.) has the experience of serving in big cities like Mumbai, which adds to his knowledge in the urban development sector in India. In this special ‘One-on-One’ Series interaction with him, Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update, gets to know more about his vision for the institute and the role of AIILSG in improving local governance Since you have been working in the urban sector for long now, how do you think AIILSG can contribute in strengthening the capacity of urban local bodies (ULBs) and in providing them with knowledge resources and handholding support?

The AIILSG was set up by local bodies in the Bombay Presidency. Quoting Mani Shankar Aiyar, Indian politician and former diplomat, I would like to say that the real devolution of responsibilities in governance can come on the parameters of three Fs- funds, functions and functionaries. Municipal corporations of Maharashtra and Gujarat were undertaking the works for water supply, sewage, urban transport, fire

36 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

division and town planning along with the traditional municipal works. That was when the local bodies thought of sharing their experiences and learning from each other’s experiences. The thought was to have common courses, training programmes, etc. to groom their municipal staff. This laid the track for the first work of the institute. The institute does the work for centrally sponsored programmes as well. We devise our training programmes after a thorough analysis. The aim is to develop the programmes in a way that the population of urban India can receive its maximum benefit. With growing urban spaces, many urban services of solid and liquid waste management are coming to villages. The role of our institute

is to train staff of such Panchayati Raj institutions as well. how is AIILSG helping the municipalities in governance issues and in devolving the power to elected representatives?

Since AIILSG is the creation of the municipalities itself, it cannot do anything about the role of municipalities or the elected representatives. It is on the state government to decide what to devolve to the municipal corporations or Panchayati Raj. Unlike National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) or the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), our institute does not delve into the training of officers at the ministerial or secretariat

level. It trains the employees of municipal bodies.

Otherwise, I would like to say that how resources or finances are devolved to local bodies by the state depends on how much the states themselves have.

I always say devolving fiscal asset to municipalities is like a father giving pocket money to his young son. He will give in proportion to what he has, and how much he devolves is solely his decision.

Taking a cue from what you said about a father giving money to his young son, don’t you think since urbanisation has been increasing at a rapid pace, it is time for the son to start generating his own money, start generating his financial resources and become self-dependent?

Certainly. For instance, whatever taxes have been entrusted to the ULBs, especially property tax, must be recovered as much as possible.

Similarly, reasonable taxes can be imposed by the ULBs. However, often the ULBs are extremely cautious to impose additional taxes thinking of how the public will perceive it. ULBs generating and increasing their sources of income within the parameters decided for them - is the urban reform we need. For example, in Mumbai, the property tax instead of being linked to the rateable value, is linked to the circle rate. This implies that the entire sale transaction in the property industry is recorded, and the exact rate of any property can be figured out so that it is taxed properly.

unassessed by using techniques like the GIS mapping. Therefore, more revenues and arrears are returned to the ULB. Similarly, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has a very large industrial base, and those industries can pay higher property taxes. Moreover, the sheer volume of its budget due to its population is extremely large.

My next question is about how municipal governments deal with their finances. AIILSG will be completing 100 years soon. what is your vision for the institute and the urban local bodies?

Well, the role of AIILSG will vary from state to state. Because, in some states, there is more devolution of powers to the municipal bodies. As far as municipalities and their income is concerned, it varies too. For instance, in 2017, out of the total amount devolved to municipal bodies in India, Maharashtra and Gujarat received 60 per cent. Naturally, the role of our institute will differ. In cities where corporations do not receive enough budget and therefore need grants now and then, AIILSG will play the role of assisting those corporations in taking up and completing new projects.

Meanwhile, in the case of resourceful corporations, AIILSG will play a crucial role in handholding them in using those resources and finances efficiently.

In the last 6-7 years, the Government of India has introduced many urban missions What are the key priority areas where you want the institute to work?

Sir, talking about the financial resources and income that municipal corporations generate, Mumbai has the biggest budget among the cities in the nation.

What do you think Mumbai is doing differently in comparison to other cities?

The priority of our institute is to use the externally available fund at its best.

The second priority will be the centrally sponsored programmes. I would also like to see our conventional training courses turn focus on changing practical modern needs.

The property value in Mumbai is the highest in the country. So, naturally property taxes are a function of the property value. Mumbai has been trying to make sure that no property goes

The pandemic has affected cities badly around the globe. Along with pandemic, a lot of additional issues, cities are handling like issues of climate change, sdgs

etc. How do you think AILSG can empower and support our cities in that area?

As I’ve said before, whatever is to be devolved on the cities will be decided by the respective state governments.

The institute, therefore, will work to help municipal corporations utilise the funds most effectively and efficiently and train their employees to work better for the programmes and agendas.

Amongst the SDGs, soon, good quality water is expected to become a big challenge for the nation and its cities.

Similarly, air pollution has already reached dangerous levels in many cities in India. Air pollution and resultant diseases will be another prominent challenge for the ULBs in India.

There is an emerging movement of cities coming together in the form of organisations like Resilience for Cities. Do you think AIILSG has a similar role in India?

Role of linking together of all cities across the nation for knowledge sharing and capacity building, with events like South Asian Mayor’s Forum, South Asian Cities Summit, Urban dialogue, etc.

Do you think these methods can help in empowering cities?

Yes, certainly. AIILSG plays a big role in transmiting ideas and knowledge to different cities along with unique training programmes but the ultimate decision lies with the corporation as to what inspires them the most. It depends on the willingness of each municipal body. For example, the shift from rateable value to capital value in BMC was replicated by Kolhapur.

Thank you so much Sir for sharing this space with us and for telling us how cities can learn from good practices of each other. AIILSG will always be available to assist them by capacity building of the their personnel and in implementing various programmes.

Transcribed by Pooja Upadhyay, Trainee Reporter

[You can also watch this interview on Urban Update’s YouTube channel]

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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One on One | Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Member, Human Rights Commission

Compassion and passion, necessary for civil servants Often it is said that today’s society lacks compassion. This necessitates the need for a governmental body to implement human rights in an institutionalised format. “What is wrong with us? Why can’t we look after the basic needs of our people? Economic development, per-capita income are all big talks,” states Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Member of Human Rights Commission, in a discussion with Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update. Fondly called the ‘passport man’, Mulay talks about the interlinkages of human rights in an urban ecosystem

38 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

How do you see urban planning and urban governance interlinked with human rights issues? What are the key components that policymakers should keep in mind while they are making the plans for cities?

It’s important to highlight the shift of people from rural to urban areas in the last 70 years. This has put tremendous pressure on the urban spaces. Therefore, while there is employment in urban areas, the aforementioned trend has created several basic human rights issues. As Indian citizens, how can we ensure the dignity and establishment of human rights of people living in slums?

After all, what are human rights?

How does one even live in Dharavi?

Justice, equality and liveability, are some of the basic characteristics of human rights. Several areas present in the heart of New Delhi can also be distinguished as slums which have several issues related to liveability, accessibility, electricity, living space and space for children to play around. All of these are issues of human rights. Anything that is useful in terms of human growth, health, spirituality, upward economic mobility, ease of doing business, and mobility are constituents of human rights. The city can either raise its level to effective human rights protection or it can go down to the dumps wherein our own fellow citizens live like insects.

Wherever there is human dignity involved, it becomes an issue of human rights.

We are talking about a world wherein over 50 per cent of the population is living in urban spaces. In India, approximately 32 per cent of people reside in cities and maybe the number has risen to 35-38 per cent. Dharavi itself has a population density of over 2,77,136/km². Even a city like Delhi has an 11,000/km² density.

So, when the representatives of local bodies are working in such informal settlements do you think they need some kind of training in human rights?

In my view, it is absolutely essential for

It is absolutely essential for every civil servant, uniform official, and, in fact, every individual to be aware of their human rights. For people working particularly in the local self-government institutes whether it is municipal corporations, block or village level offices, it is crucial for them to understand the significance

every civil servant, uniform official, and, in fact, every individual to be aware of their human rights. For people working particularly in the local selfgovernment institutes whether it is municipal corporations, block or village level offices, it is crucial for them to understand the significance of human rights. It would lead to the overall growth of society in terms of socioeconomic structure and development progress. This would make their actions driven by compassion and they will be more conscious of society’s right to good governance.

Even urban water bodies are under threat. Bhalvara lake in Delhi is slowly corroding. It’s not only iron that corrodes. But our land, air, and water bodies are also corroding. How can you live a happy life? With five elements of nature. The closer we are, the better coexistence and better our living is. Trees are being cut; crop patterns are being destroyed just for more yield and in the process, land is getting completely destroyed. Sometimes, I do feel that the wholesale borrowing of western ideas of development has also affected our society negatively. It sets an unequal race in society as there is huge greed for money. This further deepens the gap between the rich and poor. Only 10 per cent people in the world hold 90 per cent of the wealth in terms of

resources. We grew up thinking that water is a natural resource present in abundance and is free. However, it no longer comes without a cost. Similarly, the air is no more free. Recently, the Government of NCT of Delhi raised smog towers in the capital. So, we must realise what is the root cause for this and address it. In my view, urban local bodies and local self-government institutions are best suited for this task.

Talking about good governance, you have brought in several reforms during your tenure as a diplomat. You are fondly called the ‘passport man’ of India. Could you tell us a little about the passport movement you introduced, how you made it easily accessible and what were the challenges?

See, I had a very simple thing in my mind when I became an Indian Foreign Services officer in 1983. In my first posting, I went to Japan. When my parents wanted to get their passports made, they had to travel 500 km, stay in somebody else’s house for 4-5 days and make a few trips to the passport office. How can a common man from India travel 100 km just to get a piece of document? After all, what is a passport? It is a document that has a citizen’s address, nationality and date

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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One on One | Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Member, Human Rights Commission of birth. It is not rocket science hence it does not make sense that people waste their nights in another city, spend hundreds of rupees and drive for thousands of kilometres to get a passport. People from Latur used to go to Nagpur, people from Kolhapur used to go to Pune, people from Indore used to go to Bhopal. It does not make sense and creates inequities and lack of opportunities.

I call passports a ‘gateway for airport and seaport, economic and educational progress, training, technology, trade, commerce, and even tourism and entertainment’. So, my idea was to create a process wherein people could easily have a passport. There were 20 documents (for passport verification) mentioned earlier which were brought down to 3 by us. Today, if you have a PAN card, election identity card and AADHAR card then ideally you should be able to get a passport.

I did not only make the rules simpler but also opened new centres. During my time, we opened approximately 400 new passport centres in India by using post offices. Technology is such that today if you want you can print out a passport at home as well. In my view, in the future, we would have a passwordprotected digital passport that could be printed at home. So today if my mother has to get her a passport, she only has to travel 5 km which is a huge win from the initial 500 km. I initiated this

movement for my mother and friends who stayed back in the village. I think of people who are around me and are deprived of living their life with dignity and it moves me and makes me sad.

How can urban local bodies learn from your experiences and make use of e-governance and technology to provide good governance?

I think there has to be huge coordination between mayors, people’s representatives, Nagar sevaks, councilors, and the bureaucrats.

Today, that coordination is only for certain purposes. Secondly, people’s involvement in governance has to be increased. But above all, we have to see that we elect good people irrespective of their parties which is not happening.

Good people are not coming to politics.

So, when they have command over the bureaucracy, they also tend to obey their masters. This is because in a democracy the political leaders are the bosses. The primary responsibility of governance lies with the politicians and not the officers.

Inculcating values of justice, equality and freedom in every citizen is important. They should have access to water, electricity, air, and urban planning. Unfortunately, we have more consultants and experts rather than urban planners. Name one city other than Chandigarh, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar

Inculcating values of justice, equality and freedom in every citizen is important. They should have access to water, electricity, air, and urban planning. Unfortunately, we have more consultants and experts rather than urban planners

40 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

and Udaipur that have not deteriorated in the last 70 years. Bangalore was once considered, a garden city. Now I hardly see any gardens when I travel there. So why has that happened when people say they are more learned with better education and stacks of degrees? It is because the essential commitment to democracy is lacking. One way to solve this is to inculcate human rights awareness. We do not have a shortage of good laws in the country but we have shortage of good implementation. This is where people have to come together and make the leaders accountable for their actions. We, the people, have created the constitution but we forget and this is why the leaders also forget.

Judiciary is trying its best but they have their own issues like pendency of cases, lack of appointments of the judges and corruption that has entered the sphere. Most importantly, we must debate these issues and create dialogue.

I congratulate the All India Institute of Local Self-Government for creating a space for such dialogues to flourish.

You beautifully link the issues of urban planning and human rights. When we talk about human rights, the general thought process and understanding is of custodial deaths, torture by government or para-state agencies etc. It is true that a municipal governance system can ensure the implementation of human rights and that people have liveability in cities. In your opinion, as citizens, what should we demand from the local governments?

To some extent, this is like a chicken and egg situation. Whether people should rise to the level of the government or vice-versa. My understanding is that both these units must come together.

For instance, if there is an issue of slum redevelopment but people are not ready then what options does municipal body has? Even though politicians are promising rehabilitation and that the people will be brought back to the same area, what can good governance do? So human rights as a value should

be part of the foundation of every individual working with the local selfgovernment. It has to be the foundation on which the edifice of infrastructure will stand. My office is near Safdarjung (New Delhi) and a new bridge is being built which will connect Lodhi Colony to the INA market. As the bridge is developing, unorganized settlements on its sides are budding simultaneously.

I can see it growing every day. Now how is it happening? What is wrong with us? Why can’t we look after the basic needs of our people? Economic development, per-capita income are all big talks. But when I see the lives of the slum dwellers, I can’t imagine how tough it must be. We have reached to such a level that now it has become easy to neglect them.

Secondly, we have to have an urge for excellence. I always appreciate the efforts of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Central Public Works Department (CPWD). They are trying their best but the thirst and hunger for excellence are still missing among the experts who are working in the development organisations. The people working there have a laid-back attitude towards their work and they are not passionate. They have become satisfied with their perks and in turn, are allowing themselves to rot. To fix this, we need strong leadership at bureaucratic level.

You have been to different countries representing India. So how do people from developed nations of the world look at the local governments and how are they different from the ones in India?

I think the biggest difference is in how the law and order is implemented. In many developed countries, the issue of electricity and water shortages does not exist. Good road, clean air and access to water supply are all things that are taken for granted. The governance there has a thirst for excellence. That urge is still not visible in our country. I call that a democratic deficit.

You started two campaigns - a

positivity campaign, and the other was related to RADIO. Why is the positivity campaign so important for Indian society right now?

Positivity is useful for the entire world.

There is too much negativity, pessimism and destructive tendencies. While essentially each of us is a good human.

However, we confuse being good with being weak and meek. We have a lot of good people who follow the principle of equality, freedom and respect for others and themselves, while respecting their duties enshrined in the constitution.

Pune is considered a very educated city. But I was disturbed to hear that the citizens of Pune were protesting the rule of wearing a helmet. When I see someone on the roads of Delhi jump a red light, I am disturbed. It is these small things that make a city what it is. On the other side, In Japan, there is technology available to extract pomegranate seeds proving that there is an urge for excellence. People in Japan have been wearing masks for centuries, even before the COVID-19 hit the world, in case they have cold.

I tried following that in my office at the embassy and people laughed at me. This reflects our character and our lack of interest. The day we generate that interest and direct our talents and human resources towards a positive change, we would see a clear change in society. It’s all a matter of perspective that can be changed with positivity.

Rescuing Every Distressed Indian Overseas (RADIO) is my second passion. We have over 3.5 crore people working abroad. Often, they face issues related to passports, crime or if they face any problem and need monetary help from people back home or the embassy.

We have informally-appointed people in 20 countries that can be contacted if in distress. Those people have a good network in the community as well as in the embassy.

This is a very interesting initiative. When we saw migrant workers leaving the cities during the pandemic, it was distressing situation. It is unimaginable that

people walked hundreds of kilometres with their children.

Do you think this was a human rights violation?

Absolutely! It was a human rights violation. We should have set up huge centers for their assistance immediately. We misunderstood the scale of the disaster. Let’s take the example of Japan. Every child there knows the drill if an earthquake takes place. Where to go and how to behave, regardless of where they are, is rigorously taught to them as a practice.

Whereas, no such practice is followed in India. Local government institutions should conduct regular drills on what to do during disasters. Today, disaster comes in so many different forms. No single human being should be lost in the case of disaster. They are living entity and dignity can only be given once they are protected. India has several NGOs yet we lack coordination and trust.

What is your vision about Indian cities from a human rights angle?

What do you want to tell the officials who are running cities?

My request to anyone who is working in block or even panchayat would be to make yourself aware of what are human values. Human rights are all about human values. We all listen to religious teachings and those messages that we hear should be percolating in our service to the people. As part of the National Human Rights Commission, I would be very happy to work with Indian local self-government institutes to build a narrative for those working in such institutes. The goal would be to empower them with an understanding of human rights. In my view, unless every civil servant is aware of the human rights, practice of human rights would be very difficult. Once they are aware, it will automatically make way for the success of cities.

Transcribed by Shivi Sharma, Editorial Assistant

[You can also watch this interview on Urban Update’s YouTube channel]

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

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Webinars at glance

Engaging dialogue on pressing urban issues The COVID-19 induced pandemic was brutal. It was a lesson for the world economies to be best prepared for the worst. Most importantly, the pandemic highlighted how knowledge is power and for the betterment of the community, knowledge sharing is key for human existence to thrive. With this thought in mind, Urban Update undertook the initiative of organising a series of webinars for experts to share their learnings, experiences and promote dialogue amongst the key stakeholders Team Urban Update

A

s part of this, Urban Update collaborated with various organisations and put together a total of _ webinars as part of _ diverse series. These webinars indulged in conversations with experts, bureaucrats, representatives of urban local bodies, and social welfare activists that have been actively involved in improving the functionalities of the urban landscape.

E-dialogues

As part of AIILSG and Urban Update’s collaboration, this series of webinars was started. Under this series, the institute collaborated with UNHabitat, United Nations Centre for Regional Development, Gwalior Smart City and Bilaspur Smart City etc. In the e-dialogues of 2021, the following topics were discussed - Digitalization in Waste Management; Addressing Urban Issues with Innovation; Empowering Women by Building Skills and Entrepreneurship Development; Accelerating Urban Action for a Carbon-free World.

E-dialogue’s journey in 2021, started with Dr Kulwant Singh moderating the session with a focus on how the 21st Century is about the incorporation of digitalisation in all sectors of the economy and human activities. Along with Dr Singh, Rohit Kakkar, Deputy

42 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

Advisor (PHE), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India; and Praveena Sanjay, Director, World Institute of Sustainable Energy, Pune, were present. The panellists discussed how the COVID-19 induced pandemic reflected on the ultimate usage of digital technology.

The second e-dialogue event picked up the same notion on how digi-tech and innovation are key for the future.

Innovation has been and continues to improve governance and quality of life of people in cities and how giving space to start-ups can give a new push to cities to achieve sustainable development goals.

The session was organized in collaboration with Dream Hatcher Incubation Centre and was attended

by Kakul Mishra, National Programme Head, National Institute of Urban Affairs and Deepti Raj, Senior Project Associate, World Resources InstituteIndia.

The third webinar discussed how women entrepreneurs around the world need to be recognised and integrated into the workplace. The panellist list comprised academic experts and NGOs striving towards making women-friendly working spaces. Several schemes such as PM Ujjwala, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Nirbhaya were discussed.

The final e-dialogue was hosted

by Kushwant Singh, CEO, 3R Waste Foundation. The esteemed panel included Sanskriti Menon, Senior Programme Director, Centre for Environment Education; Rajeev Vijh, Founder and Director, Kriyanvit Consulting and Sunita Sanghi, Former Advisor, NITI Aayog.

CityNet

CityNet is the leading pioneer in providing network communications and technology solutions. AIILSG in collaboration with CITYNET, organised five webinars in a series ‘Localisation of SDGs’. These webinars ranged on discussions of urban planners worldwide pushing for urban local bodies to focus on equitable and sustainable urban expansion that does not harm the environment. They suggested the countries globally to undertake measures and policies to inch closer to achieving the SDGs, and how urban development at large cannot be successful without factoring in inclusivity. The COVID-19 pandemic is being considered by many as a lesson for policymakers and world leaders.

The transmissibility of the disease has made it immensely clear that without ensuring universal access to basic civic services for all, no one can be considered safe. These primarily include water, sanitation and health services.

AIILSG conducted five webinars with CityNet to name a few, “Building Cities and Conserving Environment with Decentralised Initiatives”, “Imperatives of Building Inclusive Cities” and “Building local resilience in post-COVID world”. Jaya Dhindaw, Associate Director, World Resource institute (WRI); Raman VR, Head of Policy, Water Aid India; Prof Pascaline Gabroit, President, Pilot4Dev, were some of those who constituted the panel and discussed how cities can come together to build inclusive spaces to achieve the SDGs, prevent future pandemics, battle climate change and global warming.

NIDM

Further, workshops aided by NIDM, in association with AIILSG, Foundation EMDA Southasia and Urban Update, organised two editions of training workshops on “Building Municipalities and Citizen Awareness for Resilient India”.

These workshops-based webinars, circled around how Disaster Risk Mitigation is a growing challenge in the present times with frequent incidents all over the country and has become a serious issue in this year of health pandemic. The conclusion of the workshop based on the discussions and presentations that took place during the different sessions was that only legislative solutions to the problems are not enough as everyone has to bear the responsibility to make the space around them, viable for living.

Moreover, strengthening the local level bodies such as District Disaster Management Authority, and ULBs is the most important challenge which needs urgent attention. The panel comprised Mihir R Bhatt, Director, All India Disaster Mitigation Institute; Dr VS Prakash, Former Director, KSND Monitoring Centre.

WEBINARS ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Urban Update in collaboration with 3R Waste Foundation organised two webinars on this topic. First in the series was a webinar “3R and Circular Economy for Restoring Ecosystem and Achieving Clean Water, Land and Air” on June 5. Celebrating World Environment Day, the webinar was organised in collaboration with United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD). The webinar’s keynote address was given by Prof Asit K Biswas, University of Glasgow. It was a pre-event of UNCRD Japan’s 11th 3R and Circular Economy Forum 2021.

The second webinar on the issue was conducted on December 8.

The topic was “Circular Economic Utilisation of Plastic Waste in India and the Asian Region”. The esteemed panel of the speakers at the webinar included Dr Mazumdar, Chairman, IAESPH, New Delhi; Dr Anupam Khajuria, Researcher, UNCRD Japan; and Dr Roshan Miranda, Co-Founder and Director, Waste Ventures. The webinars established that circular

economy is at the base of restoring the planet. It also detailed how there is need for better policy framework with circular economy and SDGs at its heart in the fight against increasing air pollution in cities. Moreover, the key to achieving zero waste status in our cities is to simultaneously work on waste reduction, processing and recycling of solid waste.

ONE-ON-ONE

Urban Update conducted four editions as part of its one-on-one series. Urban Update interviewed Sanjay Kumar, Joint Secretary (DAYNULM), MoHUA, Government of India. He was quoted saying that ‘the government is committed to improving the socio-economic status of street vendors through PM SVANidhi’. He said that one cannot imagine urban development in India without ensuring development and inclusion of street vendors in the urban spaces. Hitesh Vaidya, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, during his interview said that Indian cities have shown agility and innovation in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, “India is one of the few countries which are on their way to achieve the SDGs, as planned.”

Urban Update interviewed Mahendra Singh Tanwar, Commissioner, Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, on his vision of ‘GAZAB Ghaziabad’. He talked about how the city corporation is on its way to become a leading example of how a city can be transformed for good by clearing out black spots of the city, improving collection and management of electronic waste, and working steadfastly to tackle air pollution. Sanjay R Bhoosreddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Sugar Industry & Cane Development Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said that urban areas are over glamourised, and they will be aided through the development of rural areas. He talked about the introduction of technology has changed the whole politics of sugarcane industry, and that the issue of unavailability of cane slips for genuine farmers has dissolved.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

43

CITYNET | Cities & Environment

If cities are not resourced then no one is

All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG), in collaboration with CityNet organised a webinar as part of a series on ‘Localising SDGs’. The webinar was organised on November 18, 2021. Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban Update mediated the webinar and introduced the topic of the webinar – ‘Building cities and conserving the environment with decentralised initiatives’. An esteemed panel of speakers including Jaya Dhindaw, Associate Director, World Resources Institute of India; Dr Raman V R, Head of Policy, WaterAid India; Cardelar Stevie Angel Madrinan, City Environmental Officer, City of Puerto Princessa; and Ranjan Panda, Convenor, Combat Climate Change Network, presented their views Team Urban Update

I

ntroducing the theme of the webinar, Pandey said that people come to cities for job opportunities; better services in health, education, public civic services, etc. But, why do people face so many problems to access the very things that they came to cities for, he asked. Flash floods in

big cities like Chennai and traffic and congestion problems in all the big cities reflect on the difficulties a man has to face to sustain himself. Overcrowded hospitals, deforestation, destruction of water bodies like wetlands and rivers highlight how the demand for cities has been creating issues for the cities as well.

Processing all waste, adjusting policies with growing urbanisation, maintaining forest cover in the city, are some of the basic ways through which Puerto became a city that has a proper balance between development and environment with inclusive economic growth.

The city of Puerto Princesa has a yearly celebration called ‘Feast of the Forest’ where universities plant different species of trees in watersheds and other areas which lie outside the united forest area

44 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

The first speaker of the webinar, Dhindaw gave her presentation on how urban population growth started happening around municipal boundaries and how it is affecting the general development of a city. She quoted that about 30 square kilometres of newly built-up area are added every year into a city and that this built-up area remains messy and hidden. She showed that cities have been building on wetlands; for example in Bengaluru, 85 per cent of floodplains in the city have been encroached upon by the built-up area. As a result, very little rain causes floods and loss of productivity in the city.

India ranks 13th on the list of extremely water-stressed countries in the world, the reflection of which can be seen in cities like Chennai, Jaya added. Chennai’s four lakes are drying up at a rapid rate, and at the same time, the city keeps facing floods every year. Urban poor people remain the most exposed to these situations.

She quoted that over the past two decades, Chennai’s urban settlement has increased by 90 per cent while its natural infrastructure has reduced by 62 per cent. This is often referred to as the reason behind Chennai taking the brunt of economic loss of around $ 3 billion due to floods because the natural infrastructure at the outskirts

of the city was eaten up by built up.

Moreover, Dhindaw said that the urban poor are most exposed to the effects of global warming including heat risk living. This has been and continues to push marginal communities into poverty, numbers of which are expected to increase multifold in coming years due to lack of investment and actions.

The fastest-growing cities in India have the least public resources available due to lack of investment in good infrastructure, good health, citizens’ well-being, etc.

Her presentation emphasised the importance of available opportunity for India to build green infrastructure. 75 per cent of urban India’s infrastructure is yet to be built by 2050, so green infrastructure being more costeffective, resilient, flexible, and reversible, is something that cities have the opportunity to invest in. She said that when it comes to financing nature-based solutions in India, challenges lie in the form of lack of experience, governance hindering innovation in business model, focus on capital investment, etc. So, she added that when one looks at nature-based solutions and developing infrastructure for cities, it is essential to work with all the stakeholders and engage everybody in terms of policy, promoting innovation, channeling finance and bolstering actions on the ground.

Next speaker Dr Raman said that the fragmented nature of our planning for

cities hinders the overall development.

Preparedness and policies are in place in cities to deal with disasters and other environment-related issues but much yet needs to be done to bring preventive measures in place to a level where future issues can be avoided.

The dichotomy of the situation in our cities is that on one side, cities are facing water scarcity and on another, they are trying to tackle floods. Dr Raman took up how to integrate city planning, climate action planning, disaster mitigation planning and overall development planning with the (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) WASH segment. He said that engaging with the elected members of an urban body and engaging with the posted officials to raise awareness on various problems is essential to the undertaking of decentralised initiatives.

Pandey then invited Cardelar Stevie Angel Madrinan to share the city’s success story of achieving carbon neutrality. His presentation shared Puerto Princesa’s decentralised initiatives in building the city into a carbon-neutral urban space. Processing all waste, adjusting policies with growing urbanisation, maintaining forest cover in the city, are some of the basic ways through which Puerto became a city that has a proper balance between development and environment with inclusive economic growth.

The city of Puerto Princesa has a

yearly celebration called ‘Feast of the Forest’ where universities plant different species of trees in watersheds and other areas which lie outside the united forest area. Moreover, every year on Valentine’s Day, the city celebrates ‘Love Affair with Nature’ with non-fruit plantings like mangroves and mass weddings. The city has introduced local programmes to bring good change from the very root of society. Pandey said that the presentation highlighted how citizen engagement is essential to inclusively develop a livable city like Puerto Princesa.

The next speaker, Ranjan Panda, started with the fact that cities today are water guzzlers and greenhouse gas emitters, whose energy requirements seldom remain limited to their geographical boundaries. At the same time, he said, cities have started trying to mould themselves into a green, livable, inclusive, and sustainable environment. Communities in cities are majorly formed by people from outside who bring a surplus amount of traditional knowledge, which if implemented after integration and directed, can help the cities attain what they are striving for, he added.

Citizen engagement, as referred to in the case of Puerto Princesa, will be an important element.

Concluding the session, Pandey said that the highlight of the discussion was inculcating citizen engagement and community knowledge into planning. He said that even though India had introduced the 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts to make it easier to take initiatives at the local level for the pressing issues that cities face, most of the schemes and programmes are introduced at the national level and the local bodies become just implementing agencies. India needs to give more power for policy-making and access to financial resources to the local governments under the mission of decentralising the nation to actualise the aim of sustainable, inclusive, and green urban spaces. He said that policymakers can take a cue from the key action points discussed by the esteemed panelists in the webinar.

www.urbanupdate.in | December 2021

45

Urban Agenda

2021

Cities have a lot to learn & implement Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

As we bid farewell to 2021 and India is coming on track after a successful vaccination campaign, the New Year brings new hopes and opportunities for the cities. The year saw some of the huge developments in India’s urban space. The Government of India is taking crucial steps towards the development of cities with two revamped schemes namely Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0.

According to the National Commission of Population, almost 38.6 per cent of the population is likely to be living in urban areas in India, by 2036. With such a burst of population expected in the near future, cities in India need to be prepared on all fronts to absorb this growth in a sustainable manner. Environment is a crucial part of urban space and therefore Prime Minister Narendra Modi made new commitments at the 26th Glasgow Summit of Conference of Parties (CoP). He committed that India would have 500 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by the year 2030. He also made a new commitment of reducing 1 billion tonnes of emissions till 2030. The Glasgow Summit has opened new avenues for India and the country has presented an example for the world to follow in our efforts to save the planet. The solar capacity of India has increased 18 times in the last seven years, as per the statement of the Government of India in the Lok Sabha.

However, unlike green energy, cities have also been dealing with various other problems such as pollution, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Health infrastructure of cities was exposed badly during the second wave of the pandemic with lack of medical resources and equipment hitting even the metropolitans like Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mumbai. Cities are the first responders during such health pandemics and they need special defence shields in order to take on the pressure in suchsituations.

Just like every year, the winter smog once again hit the capital and the air quality index (AQI) remained in the severe category for 11 days which was the worst recorded AQI for this period of time, as per Central Pollution Control Board. Three cities of India are ranked in the top 10 most polluted cities of the world, according to IQAir namely Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. Delhi took several steps at the local level to curb the dust and air pollution in the city such as anti-smog guns and towers, flying squad, and ‘Red Light On Meter Off’.

With Jal Jeevan Mission, the central government is striding towards availability of drinking water for all by 2024, which is important for improving the liveability of urban spaces. There is a lot to work to be done in the next year for the country and its cities which can only be effectively executed with active citizen participation. Every stakeholder will need to chip in with vital contributions. Cities will move with more vigour in the coming year towards sustainable development.

The coming year will be crucial in the march towards the global objectives under Agenda 2030.

One hopes that Indian cities will compete with the best globally in this march.

46 December 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in

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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.

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