NITI Aayog launches urban management programme for capacity building

NITI Aayog

NITI AayogNITI Aayog in collaboration with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) and Temasek Foundation, Singapore has organised an Urban Management Programme (UMP) for Capacity Building of officials of State Governments and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in implementing the Urban Rejuvenation Mission.

The Programme, held in the National Capital April 27, covers areas of urban planning & governance, water, wastewater & solid waste management and public financing (PPP) of urban infrastructure. It is followed by a workshop on Urban Planning & Governance spread over two days from April 28-29.

The UMP was designed by NITI Aayog, Temasek Foundation and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) under the platform of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between NITI Aayog and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) to tap the expertise of Singapore in urban sector to build capacities in State Governments and ULBs.

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During the programme, Singaporean experts imparted training in highly interactive workshops and share Singapore’s and international experiences with the participants. The workshops and advisory sessions were highly interactive and focused on Urban Planning & Governance, Water and Wastewater Management, Solid Waste Management and bringing in private sector efficiencies in urban infrastructure. Towards the end of the Programme, Strategic Baseline Frameworks would be developed in this areas of Urban Management.

To ensure that the urbanisation is efficient, it is imperative to improve the provisioning of basic infrastructure and governance in our cities so that the cities enable better living and drive economic growth and emerge as ‘Engines of Economic Growth’ and moreover do so in a sustainable manner. The urban centres have to become areas of intense mobility, socio-economic activity and hope for a large number of population. To transform the urban landscape in the country, the Government has recently launched the Urban Rejuvenation Mission (URM) comprising of Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission and Housing for All.

The urban management programme was chaired by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya and was attended by the Aayog member Dr Bibek Debroy, Singapore High Commissioner, CEOs of SCE & Temasek Foundation and senior officials from state governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam.