Moving Towards Effective City Government Roadmap: Urban Governance Reforms

Key facts

• The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) released a roadmap titled “Moving Towards Effective City Government” to strengthen city governments in India’s million-plus cities.
• The report was unveiled by the Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar.
• The roadmap proposes the introduction of directly elected mayors with fixed terms to increase accountability to the public.
• It recommends integrating essential services, including water, sanitation, and public transport, under a single accountable city authority to reduce delays.
• The report suggests strengthening municipal finances through increased local revenue generation, timely transfers from states, and access to municipal bonds.
• According to Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) data, India has over 1.12 crore registered housing units with approximately 1.91 lakh complaints filed by buyers.
• In Maharashtra, over 54,000 projects are registered, covering nearly 48 lakh housing units.
• The report states that improving urban governance is essential for India to achieve its goal of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047.