While there is progress in living & working conditions, change for the better is slow

The government has since Independence repeatedly stressed that India lives in its villages. But it was at the JNNURM of 2005 that it for the first time acknowledged that cities need attention too. It’s only a matter of time before more Indians live in towns and cities.

 Our cities have given a mixed performance. While there has been progress in living and working conditions, the change for the better has been slow. On the governance front, the decentralisation intent of the 74th Constitutional amendment has not been implemented effectively enough. Consequently, states continue to have a major say in city affairs. We suffer from a multiplicity of agencies with low accountability and poor integration across them. There are huge challenges in garbage management, traffic, pollution, health indicators, shrinking public spaces, ecological destruction, infrastructure, and so on. Civic behaviour too could be better.

 But there is hope. Increased citizen awareness, involvement and demands for a better city are putting pressure on the system. Governments too are working on collaborative partnerships and focusing on being enablers. The appeal of cities as job magnets is increasing and we need to find ways for job creation to thrive while working on improving living conditions. Things will, hopefully, be better by India@75.