Janaagraha

The National Conference of Mayors and Chairpersons of Urban Local Governments (ULGs) was convened by the Sixteenth Finance Commission (FC) of India on 26 November 2024. Janaagraha was pleased to partner with the FC for this landmark event at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The day-long conference brought together heads of city governments from 25 states, representing nearly 60 cities and towns. Dr Arvind Panagariya, Chairman, Sixteenth Finance Commission, chaired the event, with all FC members in attendance. The conference featured three distinct sessions for Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Town Panchayats, with Mayors and Chairpersons delivering detailed presentations and engaging in discussions. Santosh Nargund, Head - Participatory Governance, Janaagraha, and Prabhat Kumar, Head - Public Finance Management, Janaagraha, moderated these sessions. Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO, Janaagraha, set the context for the event, while Dr Panagariya delivered the opening and closing addresses. The conference witnessed active participation from the Mayors and Chairpersons highlighting the challenges they face as first-mile leaders in the governance of their cities and towns to deliver improved quality of life to citizens. Suggestions from the participants were positively received by the Commission. #UrbanGovernance #LocalGovernment #MunicipalReforms #Mayors #FinanceCommission #ULGs #ULBs #UrbanDevelopment #PublicFinance #PublicFinanceManagement Apula Singh | Kaye Lushington | Guru Ratnam | Maansi Verma | Manjunatha Hampapura L |

This year, Assam made a landmark move in urban governance by introducing three distinct municipal cadres: Executive Officials (EOs), Financial Management Officials (FMOs), and Technical Officials (UTOs). The state recently wrapped up a three-week foundational training for FMOs and UTOs. This training provided the new municipal officers with an in-depth orientation on their roles and responsibilities, setting the stage for impactful contributions in their municipalities. Janaagraha was pleased to lead the design of the training programme for FMO, alongside delivery of some of the sessions for FMOs and UTOs. Built on the Competency-Based Human Resource Management framework, the design of training programme and content was thoughtfully curated to equip officials with the behavioural, domain-specific, and functional skills they'll need to make a real impact throughout their tenure. The FMO training programme included blended theory with practical exercises to build a robust understanding of financial management in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Key components included: Classroom Training; Interactive Discussion; Group Activities and Exercises; Hands-On Exercises; Case Studies. We express our sincere appreciation to our partners - Management and Governance Consulting, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and National Urban Digital Mission NUDM-NIUA for their crucial support in training these officials. Building on this foundation, we look forward to developing a sustainable and integrated continuous learning programme for the future. To learn more about our previous session, click here: https://lnkd.in/g2fmd2Vh Prabhat Kumar | Veronica Quikiumaliu Wijunamai | Saumya Jauhari | Sajith Sukumaran | Prarthana Ramesh | Shobana Subbu | Deepak . S | Padmaja Rao | Shreshtha Saraswat | V R Vachana #AssamGovernance #MunicipalReform #UrbanGovernance #CapacityBuilding #MunicipalCadre #CitySystems

We're thrilled to share that we've partnered with Janaagraha, a not-for-profit organisation focused on addressing urban city challenges and improving infrastructure through a unique model involving collaboration with citizen and government bodies. Through the Civic and Social Action Program (CSAP), we aim to nurture civic responsibility and climate action among students from grades 6-10 attending 25 government schools in Kurukshetra, Haryana. We're excited to begin this new chapter and work together to shape a generation of informed, responsible, and active citizens. #IDFCFIRSTBank #FIRSTIMPACT #SocialImpact #CSR

Janaagraha is delighted to share that our 7th Annual Conclave on Shaping India's Urban Agenda will be taking place today in New Delhi. This Conclave will bring together elected representatives, senior policymakers from state and local governments, and domain experts from civil society, research, and academia for discussions on:    • Governing India’s Cities: Re-imagining Institutional Design    • Participatory Governance: Imperative for Local Action on Environment and Equity     • Building State Capacities: A Framework at the Intersection of People, Process, and Finance.    The discussions will draw from the findings of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) 2023 Report, Janaagraha’s ongoing work with governments to reform city-systems, and initiatives to catalyse active citizenship in neighbourhoods. We look forward to a meaningful and engaging dialogue on systemic reforms to transform India's cities.    Swipe to meet our esteemed panelists.  Stay tuned for key insights and takeaways from this urban dialogue. #JanaagrahaAnnualConclave2024 #ShapingUrbanIndia #CitySystems

It has been an honour and privilege to partner with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on this seminal work, the ‘Compendium of Performance Audits on the Implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992: Landscape Across India.’ Volume 1 of this groundbreaking series, launched on 11 November in New Delhi, is a first-of-its-kind audit examining the 74th CAA implementation across 18 states, with insights presented in State Legislative Assemblies.   Our journey began five years ago with the office of the Principal Accountant General, Karnataka, for the pioneering performance audit, which was tabled in September 2020. This initial audit set the precedent, paving the way for similar assessments across the country.   This compendium stands as a crucial tool for spurring the political will needed to drive decentralised, participatory governance in India’s cities. We look forward to this body of work inspiring tangible, transformative action. V R Vachana Srikanth Viswanathan Anand Iyer Subir Mallick Yashodhara Raychaudhuri Priyanka Tibrewal #UrbanGovernance #UrbanDevelopment #UrbanLocalBodies #CAG #ParticipatoryGovernance

At Janaagraha, we recently concluded an in-depth study on "Just Transitions to Clean Energy: Bottom-up Pathways for Low-Income Urban Settlements in Odisha," surveying over 5,000 households across Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Koraput. The findings reveal a strong aspiration among these communities to adopt cleaner energy solutions like community biogas, Solar Nutan, LPG, and solar PV — all driven by a desire for a healthier, more sustainable quality of life.   Recently, we held a symposium to foster a real-time dialogue between the demand side, supply side and government stakeholders, on how we can make clean energy accessible for cooking and electricity in the low-income settlements in Odisha. The event brought together voices from the Director of Municipal Administration, Debasis Singh (who delivered a keynote address), the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, self-help groups, technology providers, vendors, funders, and more.   Key insights from the discussions: 🔹 The importance of a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach 🔹 Designing solutions that are grounded in the day-to-day realities of communities 🔹 Creating local showcases for new technologies 🔹 Moving from isolated technologies to integrated “technology stacks” Stay tuned for the release of detailed findings and next steps. Anand Iyer Katie Pyle NEHA MALHOTRA SINGH Mohammad Mansoor A Nikhila Vijay Selva Raj #CleanEnergy #JustTransitions #UrbanDevelopment #UrbanPlanning #Odisha

Yesterday marked an inspiring milestone in Sivsagar, Assam, as women leaders from the Self-Help Group (SHG) network came together to deepen their understanding of participatory planning. These leaders will now empower their SHGs to create and present development plans at the upcoming Ward Level Planning sessions.   This initiative is part of the 'Doh Shaher Ek Rupayan' programme, a convergence effort by the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs in Assam, which unites schemes, departments, and resources to tackle urban challenges holistically. Currently focused on ten cities, the programme’s innovative approach is poised to reshape urban development across Assam.   As the anchor partner, alongside Jana Urban Space, Janaagraha is honoured to support Assam’s journey toward a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban future. #UrbanPalnning #UrbanDevelopment #Assam #GovernmentofAssam

Rajkot became the first city in India to issue a municipal bond in FY23-24 and only the 17th city in India to raise funds through the bond market. Rajkot's ₹100 crore bond issuance will be used to fund eight water and sanitation projects, demonstrating how cities can leverage market borrowing for essential public infrastructure development.   Shreshtha Saraswat, Senior Manager - Municipal Finance, Janaagraha, shared her perspective in a Hindustan Times article written by Soumya Chatterjee. She emphasised that while this issuance marks a positive development in creating financially self-reliant cities, municipal bonds should be viewed as one of several avenues to bridge the funding gap in infrastructure projects, instead of an end goal.   Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gqUceF5A

Join us in shaping the future of Assam's cities!  We are seeking committed interns to support our work on the Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan - 10 Cities Programme under the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of Assam. The internship will give you hands-on experience in participatory city planning, event logistics, and community engagement. If you are passionate about urban planning, social impact, and are based in Guwahati, apply now!  Duration: 1-2 months Location: On-site, Guwahati Start Date: Immediate Qualifications: Bachelors in Humanities, Social Work, Urban Planning, Urban Governance or other relevant fields.Send your resume to rituparna.nath@janaagraha.org or nidhishree.n@janaagraha.org #UrbanGovernance #Guwahati #UrbanPlanning #CityAction #UrbanGovernance #Internship #Guwahati #Janaagraha Sajith Sukumaran Prarthana Ramesh Nidhishree N Kumar Papori Banikya Rituparna Nath

Santosh Nargund, Head - Participatory Governance, Janaagraha will be speaking at an upcoming webinar on Community Engagement in our Cities. The discussion will explore the importance of involving people in decision-making processes and examine the link between community engagement and governance.   Sarah Misra, Chief Operations Officer, Reap Benefit will be a part of the panel, with Siddharth Pandit, CEO, Urban Collective Action Network (U-CAN) as moderator.   🗓️ Date: 18 October, 2024  ⏰ Time: 5:00 - 6:00 PM IST   Register now: https://lnkd.in/g2MDSrgS