Indian cities are struggling to cope with increasing population. Critically examine the issues with the existing model of urban policy and suggest measures to improve the situation. (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
Shankaranand 6 years
Please Review
Thank You
IAS Parliament 6 years
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
Issues with the existing model
· Governance – One primary problem is that of the definition of what urban area is.
· Vague definition of what constitutes urban area leads to discretionary decisions, resulting in a wide variance in what is considered a town.
· Many States consider “census towns” as rural, and establish governance through rural local government or panchayat.
· Investment – The low level of urban infrastructure investment and capacity building is a significant concern.
· For example, India spends about $17 per capita annually on urban infrastructure projects which is low against a global benchmark of $100 and China’s $116.
· Schemes such as the National Urban Renewal Mission have limited financing options, leading to inefficient implementation. Meanwhile, on the ‘Smart City’ front, India lags on implementation.
· Besides, urban institutions also suffer from a shortage of skilled people.
· Policy – Urban migration is not viewed positively in India.
· As, policies often blindly seek to reduce rural to urban migration a deeper understanding reveals that preventing such migration could be counterproductive.
Suggestions
· The urban local bodies should be granted the freedom to raise financing and enforce local land usage norms.
· There needs to be a systemic policy to deal with urban migration.
· It should facilitate the integration of migrants into the local urban fabric.
· City plans should be designed with a regular migration forecast assumed.
· E.g. Delhi – focus is changing on revitalising cities nearby such as Meerut, by building transport links and connectivity
· Lowering the migration cost, eliminating discrimination against migrants, and protecting their rights will facilitate development.
· The proposed new urbanisation policy seeking to rebuild Indian cities around clusters of human capital is a welcome step.
