Skip to main content

Local governance and Union Budget: Whither smart city mission, urban jobs guarantee?

By IMPRI Team 

The IMPRI Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS), IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi, organized a panel discussion on ‘Local Governance and Union Budget 2023-24’ on 6th February 2023 under the IMPRI 3rd Annual Series of Thematic Deliberations and Analysis of Union Budget 2023-24. The discussion was organized under the #WebPolicyTalk series #LocalGovernance.
The session was chaired and moderated by Shri Tikender Singh Panwar, Former Deputy Mayor, Shimla; Senior Fellow, IMPRI. The discussion had an esteemed panel of eminent professors and scholars consisting of Dr Joy Elamon, Director-General, Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissu; Dr Purnima Chauhan, IAS (Retd.), Secretary (Retd.), Government of Himachal Pradesh; Mr Srinivas Alavili, Renowned Urban Expert; Dr Jawed Alam Khan, Thematic Lead – Fiscal Decentralisation, Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), New Delhi; Mr Sameer Unhale, Urban Practitioner and Expert; Visiting Senior Fellow, IMPRI.
The session was inaugurated by Ms. Aanchal Karnani, a researcher at IMPRI, by welcoming and giving a brief introduction to the chair and panelists of the discussion. The discussion was started by Shri Tikender Singh Panwar, who briefly discussed the union budget’s significance for the Indian economy and the main objectives the current administration had for its term. He alluded to a few budgetary data, focusing on the overall pattern after analyzing the same.
Additionally, he discussed sustainable housing and a significant drop in PMAY. He complained that the current budget did not mention the smart city mission or other topics like disaster mitigation measures or the urban employment guarantee. He stressed that the urban development sector did not require a technologically driven framework alone.
Moving on to the panel discussion, Shri Tikender Singh Panwar asked the panelists to reflect on their significant budget observations. Dr. Purnima Chauhan opened the conversation by asking how the government accounts for the floating population when creating budgets and granting anything. She also questioned whether the administrative costs and IEC components in those programs were sufficient, as well as where the feedback loop and evaluation were included in the plan.
She continued by saying that Bharat Shree Ancient Script Digitization is a fantastic opportunity for employment in AYUSH in The Last Mile. In conjunction with Tikendar ji, Dr. Purnima was astounded to learn that the PMAY reduces urban housing by 13% while giving rural areas a 13% rise. She stated that our nation requires tailored capacity development programs based on the demands and available resources, as well as training programs for elected officials giving an example of Himachal Pradesh.
She emphasized that despite the fact that India is the only neighboring country in which women’s involvement in the workforce is declining, no action is being taken to strengthen gender-related programs. She finished by adding that NITI Aayog is concerned about localizing SDGs and that data is the “new oil,” and that NITI Aayog has taken action in the form of a state development index.
The discussion was taken forward by Dr. Joy Elamon. He said that while state governments must be strengthened to support local governments, they are in crisis due to the new GST system. He clarified that when looking at the budget, there are two aspects to local governance: an urban and a rural one. He claimed that urban local governance is not discussed in urban areas; only infrastructure and development are. Dr. Purnima and Dr. Joy both lamented the absence of institutions to help urban municipal administrations. He also pointed out how the states provide local governments with few roles and staff members.
According to him, many local governments have lost their main source of income due to the GST regime, and there has been no compensation offered so far. Due to Central Finance Commission awards, some funds have been moved to rural local government and, most recently, to urban local government, but most of them come with numerous regulations, leaving local governments with very little room to operate. Finally, he expressed his disappointment at the lack of an urban employment guarantee program given the current wave of widespread job cuts.
The next speaker, Mr. Srinivas Alavili, began his remarks by noting the necessity to change the governance structure for cities to work more effectively as well as the laws governing cities to provide mayors and councilors more power. This may facilitate the ULBs becoming a city government. He stated that many cities do not have elected councils, using Bengaluru as an example. For 2.5 years, there were no council meetings or elections for the city council. In his complaint, he cited Shimla as an example of a city with little funding for growth and little citizen participation and knowledge in budget presentations.
He questioned what the union government might do to handle dry and wet garbage in a systematic manner. It ought to be decentralized to local governments, or ULBs. He concluded by saying that even though Swachh Bharat, in his opinion, is a great success in terms of raising awareness and fostering a citizen movement for sanitation, cleanliness, and waste management, the central government must stay away from implementation and execution in order to give state governments more authority.
Dr. Jawed Alam Khan discussed the reality that despite the Union Budget being delivered in Delhi, the city does not have a mayor. He discussed the financial sources for local governments and emphasised that since the Amrit Kaal era has begun, we should concentrate on the policies and goals of the administration, but that local governments have had little attention. He emphasised the lack of wage employment programmes for metropolitan regions and the reduction in MGNREGA funding this year.
Additionally, there is no budget set aside for the National Rural Livelihoods Mission this year, which is a terrible condition for creating jobs. Given the issues with unemployment, he anticipated that the National Rural Livelihoods Mission and the National Urban Livelihoods Mission will receive more attention in the budget. Dr. Jawed said in his closing remarks that the Panchayati Raj should have been the nodal ministry for promoting the localization of SDGs.
The highlights of the minister’s address on the budget, which covered a number of initiatives and changes like the trade-in urban infrastructure, green credits, and property tax reforms, were presented by Mr. Sameer Unhale. Budgeting, according to his argument, should be seen as more than just a ritual. He emphasized the funding allotted to other ministries that can affect issues relating to cities, such as reducing carbon intensity, getting rid of obsolete cars, MISHTI for coastal cities, etc.
He added that for the first time, not all authorities were truly eligible for the income tax exemption, which will also have some indirect effects on cities. Mr. Unhale further stated that there is always room for improvement and that whatever an entity does may always be done more effectively. He added that the coming ten years will define the Indian generation and be very important for India. In order to eliminate any internal delays, frictions, and overlaps, he asked all three tiers of government as well as other organizations, to work together more effectively and reform their methodologies while concluding his speech.
Following an engaging and fruitful discussion, Shri Tikender Singh Panwar thanked the panelists for their important remarks and opened the floor for questions. Participants gave some interesting insights, reflections, and comments and raised quite relevant questions on a variety of issues discussed by the panel. Moving towards the end of the panel discussion, the Chair and moderator, Shri Tikender Singh Panwar asked the panelists to give their final remarks. Dr. Purnima Chauhan emphasised the necessity to evaluate urban-focused programmes and programmes created for urban regions, and to focus these programmes on the factors that contribute to urban growth. Dr. Joy noted that it is important to think about our goals, particularly in the context of the SDGs.
Urban India between 2030 and 2040 will be considerably different from what it was between 1980 and 2020, according to Mr. Sameer, who concluded by stating that the federal budget might be a very useful tool to improve readiness. Dr. Jawed requested that the state governments view the local governments as partners rather than as employees. He believes that change is necessary for further development and that the finances are not really in line with the necessity.
Shri Tikender Singh Panwar expressed his gratitude to the panellists and the IMPRI team once more for the session and gave his closing remarks on the session. The IMPRI team then concluded the event by delivering a final vote of thanks to all the panelists for participating in the discussion and sharing their valuable insights.
---
Acknowledgement: Aanchal Karnani, a researcher at IMPRI

Comments

TRENDING

Dev Anand ably acted as westernised, urban educated, modern hero, as also anti-hero

By Harsh Thakor  On September 26th we celebrated the birth centenary of legendary actor Dev Anand. Dev Saab carved out a new epoch or made a path breaking contribution in portraying romanticism and action in Bollywood cinema, giving his style or mannerisms a new colour. Arguably no Bollywood star manifested glamour in such a dignified or serene manner or struck the core of an audience’s soul in romantic melodies. Possibly we missed this evergreen star being cast in a Hollywood film. Dev Anand is like an inextinguishable soul of Bollywood. Although not as artistic or intense as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor or Ashok Kumar ,Dev Anand surpassed them all for liveliness or flamboyance, with his performances radiating g energy on the screen, in realms rarely transcended. In his own right, Dev Saab, was a craftsman, like his classical contemporaries, with a characteristic composure. Perhaps never was a Bollywood star so suave, bubbling or charming as Dev Anand, who often looked like an Indian versi

Why Govt of India, Sangh Parivar want to stop the use of ‘India’? What's in a name?

By Ram Puniyani  Coincidentally after the opposition parties came together to form INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance), the ruling BJP is desisting from the use of word India in official communiqués and its parent organizations RSS has issued a fatwa that only word Bharat should be used for our country. While inviting the representative’s participants of G 20, the President issued the invitation in the name of ‘Rashtrapati of Bharat’. Since then BJP is on the track of avoiding the use of the word India in all its pronouncements, saying this word smacks of colonial legacy since this word was given to the country by British colonial rulers. Mr. Hemant Biswa Sarma of BJP said that word India is part of the colonial legacy and should be removed. RSS chief and other functionaries have intensified this message. Speaking at a function at Guwahati Mr. Bhagwat, stated “We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat. At times we use India to make those who speak Eng

Significant step towards empowering and particularly engaging with informal workers

ActionAid note on drive to empower informal sector workers Odisha with the support of District Labour Department: *** The Odisha Unorganised Workers Social Security Board (OUWSSB) facilitated an Unorganized Workers Awareness Camp at the Red Cross Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The event took place in collaboration with the District Labour Department at Khordha, Centre for Child and Women Development and ActionAid Association. This informative event aimed at empowering informal sector workers by disseminating crucial information regarding their eligibility for various social security schemes provided by the Government of Odisha.

Grassroots NGO enlightens people of Kupwara with intricacies of Right to Information

J&K RTI Foundation and Founder Civil Rights Movement Kupwara note on how RTI Pend is empowering Kupwara with insights on Right to Information Act: *** RTI Pend, the grassroots initiative aimed at democratizing access to information, hosted its 2nd event in Kupwara. On the request of the Civil Rights Movement Kupwara, this event was tailored to enlighten the people of Kupwara with the intricacies of the Right to Information Act, presented in their local language and dialects. The event successfully bridged both offline and online participation, addressing queries on the spot and offering applicants practical solutions.

Abrogation of Art 370: Increasing alienation, relentless repression, simmering conflict

One year after the abrogation by the Central Government of Art. 370 in Kashmir, what is the situation in the Valley. Have the promises of peace, normalcy and development been realised? What is the current status in the Valley? Here is a detailed note by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties , “Jammu & Kashmir: One Year after Abrogation of Art. 370: Increasing Alienation, Relentless Repression, Simmering Conflict”:

Why originality of Gandhi's thoughts, example of his life still inspire people world over

By Moin Qazi*  Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary reopens a familiar debate around his legacy every year. How could a frail man use his moral strength to galvanize 400 million Indians in their struggle for independence from the mighty British Empire? How did Gandhi inspire ordinary people to turn fear into fearlessness and anger into love? What were his tools for fighting colonialism? How could he inspire the world to embrace his philosophy of nonviolence? What can we learn from him today? And is he still relevant?

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor  Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

Sewer workers not given ESI cards that would ensure health benefits they need the most

A note by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), an organization working for the issues of sanitation workers in Delhi NCR, on right to life and dignity which still seems light years away for sewer workers: *** Exploitation of Sewer workers is not just a labour issue, but it is rooted in the caste system and cannot be separated from the historical socio-religious-cultural-economic exploitation of the Dalit community! Stated Mr. Y.S. Gill, Senior Journalist and Documentary Film maker in the press conference organised by Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) in Integrated Social Initiatives (ISI), Lodhi Road, New Delhi on issues of sewer workers in Delhi. The press conference was attended by a number of community members, activists, members of the civil society, students etc.

Agro-biodiversity through seed identification, conservation, replication, crop selection

By Kuntal Mukherjee, Basant Yadav, Shivnath Yadav* This article is mainly based on a journey of the three of us since 2010 based on field experience, study of different articles, reflective journeys with local community based organisations, villagers and practitioners in Chhattisgarh. The slow growth of Agriculture in India with near stagnation in productivity since mid ‘80s in contrast to the remarkable growth during the green revolution period has come to the front as a great concern. In post WTO era Indian Agriculture has been witnessing structural changes, uncontrolled influx of agriculture goods and commodities from foreign countries due to open market nature. The gradual reduction in subsidies from internal production leads to increasing cost of production of agriculture produces at the farm gate. It causes gradual decrease in internal production as well as productivity and posing threats to small farm and stakeholders. 

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.