Source:- PIB
Urbanisation is universally acknowledged as a challenge confronting governments across the world in differing forms and magnitude. By 2050, the UN estimates that India will have experienced the highest urbanisation, with its urban population expected to almost double to about 877 million. Already, India’s urban areas contribute more than 60% to the national GDP, and this figure is expected to reach 70% by 2030.
There is no one model of urbanisation for cities to follow. Every country has to adopt the best option keeping in view its own demographics, culture and socio-economic factors. The challenges posed by urbanisation will be more significant in India given its huge population. However, demographic dividend, a vibrant democracy and strong institutional frameworks provide an exciting opportunity for India to harness the best approach to urbanisation.
Prior to 2014, the urbanisation agenda was a transactional one where schemes were launched in a silo based approach. Added to this was the all imposing role of the Central Government which virtually dictated every aspect of the scheme. Thus, while the schemes were to be ultimately implemented at the urban local body levels, every project was appraised and approved in the Central Urban Development Ministry. That skewed approach showed in the abysmal outcome of the schemes. Just one example would suffice. In ten years, between 2004 to 2014 of the JnNURM scheme for constructing houses only around eight lakh houses were constructed while in the less than six years of the NDA Government under the PMAY(Urban) Mission which was launched in June 2015, 1.13 crore houses have been sanctioned with more than fifty lakh houses completed and delivered. The rest of the houses are at various stages of completion.
What did this Government do right? The answer is the spirit of cooperative federalism that has been the essence of the approach to governance of the Modi Government’s policies. In the case of the PMAY(U), the quantum jump in houses sanctioned happened because every project is now appraised and approved at the state government level and comes to the Central Ministry only for release of central assistance.
Secondly, instead of a silo based approach, since May 2014, this Government has unleashed the most comprehensive and planned urbanisation programme undertaken anywhere in the world. This comprehensive approach has yielded enormous dividends as seen from the fact that while from 2004 and 2014, the total investment in urban development schemes was only Rs. 1.57 lakh crores, in only the last six years (2015-2021), this Government, under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, has had investments of Rs. 11.83 lakh crore – a seven-fold increase.
The urbanisation agenda of this Government is driven with the ‘farthest first’ principle. Within each of the flagship missions of the Urban Affairs Ministry are critical social and gender objectives embedded in such a way that it does not result in merely the construction of a house. Rather, each PMAY house is a symbol of gender empowerment, as the title of the house has to be in the name of the female member of the household or jointly with her. A mandatory provision for a toilet has in one stroke addressed the security concerns of the girl child that was real but silently endured.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan announced on August 15, 2014 by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort, had its share of cynics. Yet, my firm conviction is that when the story of India’s urban transformation is told, the Swachhata mission will be seen as the inflection point in India’s growth story for the simple reason that through that mission the strength of peoples participation was realized. Bureaucratic hassles, political indifference and citizen lethargy were all overcome through a ‘jan andolan’ with an enthusiastic people, young and old, joining together to make it a success.
Similarly, AMRUT Mission has addressed basic civic infrastructure such as water and sanitation in 500 cities. Simple steps to improve living standards but that has a profound impact on the lives of the average citizen. Basic infrastructure was subjected to gross neglect earlier through shoddy implementation and consequent wastage of funds. It is no longer so as accountability is being ensured through technology tools, ranging from Aadhaar to Direct Benefits Transfer to ensure the beneficiary gets the funds, and from drone technology to space technology tools for monitoring implementation on the ground in real time.
The Smart Cities Mission while embedding a culture of innovation and excellence in Indian cities, has had other interesting and positive fall out. There has been evidence based reports that crimes against women have come down wherever the Integrated Command and Control Centres are fully operational. When the benefits percolate down to the citizen in tangible and intangible ways, we know for sure that we are on the right path.
The horrific impact of COVID-19 on our cities and the urban poor has been tragic but its impact was blunted to some extent because of the progress we had made through these flagship missions by constructing more houses, more toilets and making available more civic amenities on the ground. The ICCCs played a pivotal role in aiding city administrators to monitor critical logistics and tracking of covid spread in real time.
Going forward, the Government will be launching the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban), with an outlay of Rs. 2.8 lakh crore to ensure universal water supply in all urban local bodies in India and enable liquid waste management in 500 cities. After having achieved ODF-status in the country, this Government is now looking to strengthen the capabilities of our cities in faecal sludge management, waste water treatment, and waste management through the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, which will have an outlay of Rs. 1.41 lakh crores.
This Government sees India’s urbanisation as an opportunity to grow sustainably, and it is a central theme in its vision for growth. In the years to come urban India will epitomise the best of new India.
The Writer is Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs & Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.
