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In a landmark move, the Government of India has inked a US$400 million policy-based loan agreement to propel its urban reform agenda, placing a strong emphasis on digital technologies to enhance infrastructure, service delivery, and governance systems.
The Sustainable Urban Development and Service Delivery Programme follows a programmatic approach comprised of two subprogrammes. It aims to support the government’s urban reform agenda for improving the quality of urban life through the creation of high-quality urban infrastructure, assured public services, and efficient governance systems.
The second phase of the Sustainable Urban Development and Service Delivery Programme, supported by this substantial loan, signifies a strategic shift towards leveraging digital innovations for inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development.
The agreement, signed by Ms Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, underscores the government’s commitment to harnessing digital solutions in urban planning and governance.
While the first phase, financed at $350 million in 2021, focused on national-level policies, Sub-programme 2 is poised to facilitate investment planning and reform initiatives at the state and urban local body (ULB) levels, integrating cutting-edge digital technologies.
Ms Mukherjee emphasised the programme’s alignment with India’s urban sector strategy, envisioning cities as livable hubs of economic growth through the provision of inclusive, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure. Mr Konishi highlighted the support for state and ULB-level reforms, particularly under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, with a digital focus on universal access to water supply and sanitation, reducing water losses, recycling treated sewage, and rejuvenating water bodies.
AMRUT was launched initially in selected 500 cities and towns across the country. The Mission focuses on the development of basic infrastructure, in the selected cities and towns, in the sectors of water supply; sewerage and septage management; storm water drainage; green spaces and parks; and non-motorised urban transport. A set of Urban Reforms and Capacity Building have been included in the Mission.
The programme adopts a holistic approach, incorporating digital technologies in urban planning reforms to control sprawls, foster planned urbanisation, and enhance legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks. The integration of digital tools in capacity building, community awareness, and the modernisation of building bylaws, land pooling, and comprehensive urban mobility planning through transit-oriented development aims to transform cities into well-planned centres of economic growth.
With a keen eye on climate and disaster resilience, the programme promotes nature-based solutions, improves the urban environment, and enhances cities’ financial sustainability by incorporating digital tools for revenue generation. Cities will be incentivised to become creditworthy through digital-led reforms in property taxes, user charges, and expenditure rationalisation, facilitating innovative financing avenues such as municipal bonds and public-private partnerships to bridge infrastructure investment gaps.
This ambitious endeavour underscores India’s commitment to digital transformation as a catalyst for sustainable urban development, resilience, and economic growth, setting a precedent for leveraging technology to create future-ready cities.
The Indian government is committed to fostering inclusive development that encompasses all sectors of society, with a focus on ensuring that every citizen is well-informed about various schemes and initiatives. OpenGov Asia reported that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has approved the Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023 marking a significant milestone for the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC).
The policy empowers CBC to conduct campaigns in the digital media realm, aiming to effectively disseminate information about government schemes, programmes, and policies in response to the evolving media landscape and increasing digitalisation of media consumption.