{"id":45501,"date":"2025-03-25T01:46:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T20:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=45501"},"modified":"2025-05-06T20:50:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T15:20:26","slug":"indian-cities-need-local-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indian-cities-need-local-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Indian Cities Need Local Solutions, Not One-Size-Fits-All Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Urban Development in India Latest News<\/li>\n<li>India Needs a Localised Approach to Urban Development<\/li>\n<li>Central Government\u2019s Approach for Urban India<\/li>\n<li>Problems With the Top-Down Model<\/li>\n<li>Urbanisation Differs Across India<\/li>\n<li>Suggestions<\/li>\n<li>Significance of Localised Approach to Urban Development<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<li>Localised Urban Development in India FAQs\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Urban Development in India Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In the forthcoming decades, India is anticipated to boast the most significant urban population globally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India Needs a Localised Approach to Urban Development<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India is going through rapid urbanisation. In the coming decades, it is expected to have the <strong>largest urban population in the world<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>However, many of the plans that shape this urban future are designed far away from the realities of local communities.<\/li>\n<li>While \u2018urban development\u2019 is officially a <strong>State subject<\/strong> in India\u2019s Constitution, the <strong>Central government<\/strong> plays a strong role in shaping urban policy through centrally sponsored schemes like the <strong>Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)<\/strong>, <strong>Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)<\/strong>, and <strong>AMRUT<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>These missions have helped in many ways, but their <strong>top-down, one-size-fits-all approach<\/strong> often ignores the specific needs of different cities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Central Government\u2019s Approach for Urban India<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Since the 1990s, urbanisation in India has been guided by central schemes like the <strong>Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)<\/strong> and more recently, by five flagship urban missions including Smart Cities.<\/li>\n<li>The Centre\u2019s approach focuses heavily on <strong>infrastructure and mobility<\/strong>, such as <strong>metro rail projects<\/strong>, which alone received around <strong>30% of the Union Budget<\/strong> under the current government.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>While these initiatives have helped some cities, they often leave <strong>little room for States or local bodies<\/strong> to adapt plans according to local needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Problems With the Top-Down Model<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lack of flexibility<\/strong>: Cities are forced to follow centrally set rules and formats that might not suit their conditions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mismatch of priorities<\/strong>: Some cities already have decent sanitation systems or social housing but still receive funds for these sectors instead of their actual needs like mobility or climate resilience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wasted resources<\/strong>: Money sometimes remains unused or is spent on unnecessary infrastructure just to show \u201cutilisation,\u201d as seen in many <strong>Smart City projects<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>In short, this model leads to <strong>poor outcomes<\/strong> because it doesn\u2019t let local voices and contexts guide urban development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Urbanisation Differs Across India<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India is <strong>not urbanising in a uniform way<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>In <strong>Kerala<\/strong>, cities blend into villages so closely that the Chief Minister once called the entire state \u201ca single city.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>In <strong>Gujarat<\/strong>, cities like Ahmedabad have seen the rich move to the outskirts due to crowding in the core, while the poor get pushed further to the margins.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Migration patterns<\/strong> also vary, with many workers moving from northern states to southern ones, changing the local demographics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Each city has its <strong>own challenges and priorities<\/strong>, which cannot be solved by a standard, centralised solution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Suggestions<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Experts suggest a new approach that gives more power and money directly to States and city governments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Financial devolution<\/strong>: At least <strong>70% of the Union Budget<\/strong> meant for urban development should be sent directly to States and cities, either through State Finance Commissions or direct transfers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Locally decided plans<\/strong>: Cities should decide what they need most\u2014be it housing, transport, water, or sanitation\u2014based on <strong>scientific planning<\/strong> and <strong>public consultation<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Focus on outcomes, not formats<\/strong>: Funds should not come with rigid rules but should allow flexibility for innovative local solutions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid conditionalities<\/strong>: Commissions like the 15th Finance Commission have added conditions like increasing property taxes to get funds. This approach reduces local control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Significance of Localised Approach to Urban Development<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Urban development should be <strong>localised<\/strong> because:\n<ul>\n<li>National institutions are often <strong>too far removed from everyday city issues<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>City governments are closer to people<\/strong> and can respond faster to problems.<\/li>\n<li>Local participation builds <strong>public trust and accountability<\/strong>, which is crucial for smooth governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Unless India rethinks how it funds and manages its cities, urban challenges will grow worse.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>A centralised approach cannot deal with the rising pressure on infrastructure, housing, jobs, and the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s cities are diverse, and their problems are complex.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Trying to solve them with <strong>uniform plans from New Delhi<\/strong> is both inefficient and ineffective.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s time to <strong>empower local governments<\/strong>, let cities decide their own priorities, and support them with flexible funding.<\/li>\n<li>This shift in thinking is necessary if India wants to build <strong>liveable, inclusive, and sustainable cities<\/strong> for the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Localised Urban Development in India FAQs\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1. <\/strong>Why is a localised approach important for Indian cities?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Because each city has unique needs that central schemes often overlook.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> What is the problem with top-down urban planning?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>It leaves little room for local solutions and often leads to wasted resources.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> How much budget should go directly to States and cities?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Experts suggest at least 70% of urban development funds should be devolved.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> Why do central schemes like PMAY and SBM not always work?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Because they apply the same solution to all cities, regardless of local conditions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>What is the role of city governments in urban planning?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>They are closest to citizens and can design better solutions through local input.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/the-need-for-a-localised-urban-agenda-explained\/article69368475.ece#:~:text=Urban%20development%20is%20a%20State,in%20various%20regions%20within%20States.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s cities face unique challenges, but centralised schemes offer a one-size-fits-all approach. Experts urge local control and financial devolution for livability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45501","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}