NITI Aayog launches Urban Management Programme
NITI Aayog on 27 April 2016 launched the Urban Management Programme in New Delhi. The Programme Launch event was held in Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi. The Launch event was chaired by Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr Arvind Panagariya. Member NITI Aayog, Dr Bibek Debroy, High Commissioner of Singapore, Mr. Kong Wy Mun, CEO of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE), Mr. Kong Wy Mun, CEO of Temasek Foundation Mr Benedict Cheong and senior officials from State Governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Poverty Alleviation, other Central Government Ministries, NITI Aayog, academic institutions like School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi etc attended the event. The state participation was at the level of Secretaries of Urban Development, Municipal Commissioners and other senior officials of State Government and parastatal bodies. About 150 participants were present in the event.
Dr Bibek Debroy while addressing the participants emphasized on improving governance particularly of the census towns whose number has significantly increased between census 2001 and 2011. He also mentioned that to successfully achieve the vision of urban transformation it would be important to build the municipal cadre and provide stability of tenure to officials in municipalities. CEO of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and CEO of Temasek Foundation also addressed the participants and emphasized on the importance attached by Singapore to their partnership with NITI Aayog for the Urban Management Programme.
“Collaboration Document” for organising this Urban Management Programme was also signed during the Launch event between NITI and SCE, by Ms. Sunita Sanghi, Adviser, Urbanization, NITI Aayog and Mr. Kong Wy Mun, CEO of Singapore Cooperation Enterprise. The year long Programme would comprise of a series of highly interactive workshops and advisory sessions and focus on Singapore’s and international best practices in areas of Urban Planning & Governance, Water and Wastewater Management, Solid Waste Management and bringing in private sector efficiencies in urban infrastructure and also identify key challenges faced by implementing agencies in these areas.
Urban Management experts from Singapore from Surbana Jurong, CH2M and Pricewaterhouse Coopers would conduct the workshops. Towards the end of the Programme, advisory sessions would be held to develop Strategic Base line Frameworks to address the key challenges in identified areas of Urban Management. The inaugural session of the Launch Programme ended with a vote of thanks by Mr Jeetendra Singh, Director Urbanisation of NITI Aayog.
In the second session a complete overview of the Urban Management Programme was given by SCE and Temasek Foundation. The experts from Singapore explained in detail the structure and content of workshops on Urban Planning & Governance Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Management and Public Financing (PPP). The participants from the States raised issues related to challenges faced by them in water and sanitation, waste management, structuring and administering PPP contracts etc. These issues would be taken up in detail in the sessions in workshops to be held focussing on individual subjects. The first two day workshop on Urban Planning and Governance would be held on 28 and 29 April 2016 in New Delhi.