Urban Local Bodies(ULBs)

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29-Sep-2022: Waste processing capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) increase from a mere 18% in 2014 to 73% at present

Speaking about India’s exemplary journey of becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF), Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, remarked that when the honourable Prime Minister announced the Swachh Bharat Mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August 2014, he spoke of the need to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi in October 2019. Such a large-scale transformation had never been imagined before. Despite a poor performance on sanitation till then, India achieved the target of ODF in the next five years because the mission evolved to become a ‘Jan Andolan’ instead of a typical sarkari programme.

Addressing the inaugural event of Swachh Shehar Samvad and Tech Exhibition today, the Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs said that as a result of efforts under SBM, all 4,372 ULBs (100%) in India have now been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). Not only did we build over 73.45 lakh individual and community toilets, we also restored dignity and health to millions of urban poor, including the Divyaang Jan. At the same time, waste processing capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) have increased from a mere 18% in 2014 to 73% at present. We are now accelerating implementation to reach 100% saturation at the earliest.

Swachh Shehar Samvad & the Tech Exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Hardeep S. Puri here today. Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), senior officers from Ministry, representatives of State governments and other stakeholders were also present at the event.

Noting the importance of ‘Waste to Wealth’ for a circular economy and efforts of government for transforming India to a ‘Garbage-Free India’, Shri Hardeep S. Puri mentioned that “India is embarking on its next journey of Swachhata under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0. We are now targeting to go from an ODF India to a ‘Garbage-Free India’. He further added that the second iteration of the Mission has been launched with an overall outlay of nearly 2.5 times of the first mission. The increased budget is an affirmation of the confidence placed upon the government by the people of India. Continuing with the ethos of SBM (U), the overarching principle towards this next journey of Swachhata is based on the philosophy of “waste to wealth”, and adopts the principles of circular economy as its core tenets.

During the event, the Minister highlighted the key actions and initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission. He mentioned about setting up of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in every city for ensuring further sorting, processing or recycling of segregated dry waste and setting up of processing/upcycling facilities for Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste.

Speaking about the ‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsite Challenge’, the Minister said that all legacy dumpsites containing 16 crore metric tonnes of waste, and taking up 15,000 acres of prime land, will be remediated within the mission period. I am proud to note that Action Plans for over 1,000 legacy dumpsites—including those in Delhi—containing 12.8 crore metric tonnes waste have been approved by MoHUA, with total project cost of more than 8000 crore rupees, of which the Centre is contributing almost 3,000 crore rupees.

Bio-methanation plants and waste-to-energy plants are being put up in large cities, he said.

Swachh Shehar Samvad & the Tech Exhibition, inaugurated today is a capacity building initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 to equip States and Cities with an understanding of all recent developments in waste management. It comprises high quality technical and administrative discussions specially curated around topics related to management of municipal solid waste and liquid waste to enable States and cities to deliberate on strategies, best practices, and challenges in their journey towards Garbage Free status. The Tech exhibition showcasing best-in-class models in waste management from across the country is also a part of the Samvad. Around 35 technology providers are demonstrating cutting edge technology in waste management. Working models are on display on various aspects of solid waste management/sanitation such as IT and GIS based applications, used water management, packaging options and 3Rs(Reduce-Recycle-Reuse), processing of municipal solid waste, mobile and portable units, construction and demolition waste and remediation measures. There are also thematic experiential exhibitions on mission initiatives inclusive of Garbage Free Cities, aspirational toilets, used water management etc.

17-Sep-2021: Grant of Rs. 2427 crore released to States for Urban Local Bodies

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance today released an amount of Rs. 2427 crore to 11 States for the Urban Local Bodies.  The amount released is the 1st instalment of tied grants for the year 2021-22.  These grants have been provided for the Non-Million Plus cities (NMPCs) including Cantonment Boards. 

The 15th Finance Commission in its report for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 has divided the Urban Local Bodies into two categories: (a) Million-Plus urban agglomerations/cities (excluding Delhi and Srinagar), and (b) all other cities and towns with less than one million population(Non-Million Plus cities) and has recommended separate grants for them. Out of the total grants recommended by the Commission for Non-Million Plus cities, 40% is basic (untied) grant  and the remaining 60% is as tied grant.  Basic grants(untied) can be utilised for location specific felt needs except for payment of salary and incurring other establishment expenditure.

On the other hand, tied grants for the Non-Million Plus cities are released for supporting and strengthening the delivery of basic services out of which 50% is earmarked for ‘Sanitation Solid Waste Management and attainment of star ratings as developed by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MOH&UA) and the remaining 50% is tied to ‘Drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling’.

The tied grants are meant to ensure availability of additional funds to urban local bodies over and above the funds allocated by the Centre and the State for sanitation and drinking water under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and provide quality services to citizens.

The States are required to transfer the grants to the ULBs within 10 working days of receipt from the Union Government.  Any delay beyond 10 working days requires the State Governments to release the grants with interest.

5-Aug-2021: Grant of Rs. 685.80 crore released to Urban Local Bodies(ULBs)

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released an amount of Rs. 685.80 crore to 4 States for providing grants to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).  Out of this, an amount of Rs.494 crore has been released to Uttar Pradesh, Rs.110.20 crore to Gujarat, Rs. 74.80 crore to Jharkhand and Rs.6.80 crore to Mizoram.

Grants for Urban Local Bodies have been released as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission.  They are aimed at improving basic civic services including fulfilling location specific felt needs. These grants are intended for smaller (Non-Million Plus) cities including cantonment Boards. 

The 15th Finance Commission has divided the urban local bodies into two categories: (a) Million-Plus urban agglomerations/cities (excluding Delhi and Srinagar), and (b) all other cities and towns with less than one million population (Non-Million Plus cities). Out of the 15th Finance Commission recommended grants for Non-Million Plus cities, 50% is basic (untied) and the remaining 50% as tied grant.

Basic grants (untied) can be utilised for location specific felt needs except for salary or other establishment expenditure. The tied grants are to be utilized for (a) drinking water (including rainwater harvesting and recycling) and (b) solid waste management.

The grants are meant to ensure provision of additional funds to urban local bodies over and above the funds allocated by the Centre and the State for sanitation and drinking water under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

The States are required to transfer the grants to the ULBs within 10 working days of receipt from the Union Government.  Any delay beyond 10 working days requires the State Governments to release the grants with interest.

18-March-2018: Need to Strengthen and Empower Urban Local Bodies(ULBS) for Equitable, Sustainable and Democratic Process of Urban Transformation - Hardeep Puri

  1. Strengthen ULBs by greater decentralization and empower them by meaningful devolution of the 3Fs i.e funds , functions and functionaries.
  2. The state governments were expected to devolve functional autonomy, administrative support and financial resources to the local bodies, but success on this front has been unsatisfactory.
  3. A radical change is needed if cities are to provide a socio-economic environment that will be inclusive, contribute to better quality of life, and sustain rapid growth. To achieve this following steps are necessary 
    1. Local governments should have functional autonomy
    2. They should have financial autonomy and should aim to be financially viable.
    3. Parastatals should not be allowed to undermine the authority of ULBs.
    4. Need to establish a dedicated and a specialised trained cadre to serve and cater to the complex needs of Urban local body governance.

Participatory democracy, transparency and accountability are the key pillars for new urban governance where formal participation procedures should be complemented by collaborative partnerships which go beyond consultation of policies/interventions, recognizing ward committees and area sabhas as active “partners” Innovative and effective participation tools should be adopted to foster meaningful engagement bringing equality, Liveability and democratic governance to the process of urban transformation.

There is urgent need to establish urban local bodies as viable units and the unfinished agenda of reforms in 74th amendment needs to be taken up with high priority . He reiterated the Centre's commitment to positively consider the suggestions and recommendations which came up during the event for improvement in local self-governance.

Pin It
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Urban Local Bodies ULBs

 

29-Sep-2022: Waste processing capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) increase from a mere 18% in 2014 to 73% at present

Speaking about India’s exemplary journey of becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF), Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, remarked that when the honourable Prime Minister announced the Swachh Bharat Mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August 2014, he spoke of the need to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi in October 2019. Such a large-scale transformation had never been imagined before. Despite a poor performance on sanitation till then, India achieved the target of ODF in the next five years because the mission evolved to become a ‘Jan Andolan’ instead of a typical sarkari programme.

Addressing the inaugural event of Swachh Shehar Samvad and Tech Exhibition today, the Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs said that as a result of efforts under SBM, all 4,372 ULBs (100%) in India have now been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). Not only did we build over 73.45 lakh individual and community toilets, we also restored dignity and health to millions of urban poor, including the Divyaang Jan. At the same time, waste processing capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) have increased from a mere 18% in 2014 to 73% at present. We are now accelerating implementation to reach 100% saturation at the earliest.

Swachh Shehar Samvad & the Tech Exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Hardeep S. Puri here today. Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), senior officers from Ministry, representatives of State governments and other stakeholders were also present at the event.

Noting the importance of ‘Waste to Wealth’ for a circular economy and efforts of government for transforming India to a ‘Garbage-Free India’, Shri Hardeep S. Puri mentioned that “India is embarking on its next journey of Swachhata under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0. We are now targeting to go from an ODF India to a ‘Garbage-Free India’. He further added that the second iteration of the Mission has been launched with an overall outlay of nearly 2.5 times of the first mission. The increased budget is an affirmation of the confidence placed upon the government by the people of India. Continuing with the ethos of SBM (U), the overarching principle towards this next journey of Swachhata is based on the philosophy of “waste to wealth”, and adopts the principles of circular economy as its core tenets.

During the event, the Minister highlighted the key actions and initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission. He mentioned about setting up of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in every city for ensuring further sorting, processing or recycling of segregated dry waste and setting up of processing/upcycling facilities for Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste.

Speaking about the ‘Lakshya Zero Dumpsite Challenge’, the Minister said that all legacy dumpsites containing 16 crore metric tonnes of waste, and taking up 15,000 acres of prime land, will be remediated within the mission period. I am proud to note that Action Plans for over 1,000 legacy dumpsites—including those in Delhi—containing 12.8 crore metric tonnes waste have been approved by MoHUA, with total project cost of more than 8000 crore rupees, of which the Centre is contributing almost 3,000 crore rupees.

Bio-methanation plants and waste-to-energy plants are being put up in large cities, he said.

Swachh Shehar Samvad & the Tech Exhibition, inaugurated today is a capacity building initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 to equip States and Cities with an understanding of all recent developments in waste management. It comprises high quality technical and administrative discussions specially curated around topics related to management of municipal solid waste and liquid waste to enable States and cities to deliberate on strategies, best practices, and challenges in their journey towards Garbage Free status. The Tech exhibition showcasing best-in-class models in waste management from across the country is also a part of the Samvad. Around 35 technology providers are demonstrating cutting edge technology in waste management. Working models are on display on various aspects of solid waste management/sanitation such as IT and GIS based applications, used water management, packaging options and 3Rs(Reduce-Recycle-Reuse), processing of municipal solid waste, mobile and portable units, construction and demolition waste and remediation measures. There are also thematic experiential exhibitions on mission initiatives inclusive of Garbage Free Cities, aspirational toilets, used water management etc.

17-Sep-2021: Grant of Rs. 2427 crore released to States for Urban Local Bodies

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance today released an amount of Rs. 2427 crore to 11 States for the Urban Local Bodies.  The amount released is the 1st instalment of tied grants for the year 2021-22.  These grants have been provided for the Non-Million Plus cities (NMPCs) including Cantonment Boards. 

The 15th Finance Commission in its report for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 has divided the Urban Local Bodies into two categories: (a) Million-Plus urban agglomerations/cities (excluding Delhi and Srinagar), and (b) all other cities and towns with less than one million population(Non-Million Plus cities) and has recommended separate grants for them. Out of the total grants recommended by the Commission for Non-Million Plus cities, 40% is basic (untied) grant  and the remaining 60% is as tied grant.  Basic grants(untied) can be utilised for location specific felt needs except for payment of salary and incurring other establishment expenditure.

On the other hand, tied grants for the Non-Million Plus cities are released for supporting and strengthening the delivery of basic services out of which 50% is earmarked for ‘Sanitation Solid Waste Management and attainment of star ratings as developed by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MOH&UA) and the remaining 50% is tied to ‘Drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling’.

The tied grants are meant to ensure availability of additional funds to urban local bodies over and above the funds allocated by the Centre and the State for sanitation and drinking water under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and provide quality services to citizens.

The States are required to transfer the grants to the ULBs within 10 working days of receipt from the Union Government.  Any delay beyond 10 working days requires the State Governments to release the grants with interest.

5-Aug-2021: Grant of Rs. 685.80 crore released to Urban Local Bodies(ULBs)

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released an amount of Rs. 685.80 crore to 4 States for providing grants to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).  Out of this, an amount of Rs.494 crore has been released to Uttar Pradesh, Rs.110.20 crore to Gujarat, Rs. 74.80 crore to Jharkhand and Rs.6.80 crore to Mizoram.

Grants for Urban Local Bodies have been released as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission.  They are aimed at improving basic civic services including fulfilling location specific felt needs. These grants are intended for smaller (Non-Million Plus) cities including cantonment Boards. 

The 15th Finance Commission has divided the urban local bodies into two categories: (a) Million-Plus urban agglomerations/cities (excluding Delhi and Srinagar), and (b) all other cities and towns with less than one million population (Non-Million Plus cities). Out of the 15th Finance Commission recommended grants for Non-Million Plus cities, 50% is basic (untied) and the remaining 50% as tied grant.

Basic grants (untied) can be utilised for location specific felt needs except for salary or other establishment expenditure. The tied grants are to be utilized for (a) drinking water (including rainwater harvesting and recycling) and (b) solid waste management.

The grants are meant to ensure provision of additional funds to urban local bodies over and above the funds allocated by the Centre and the State for sanitation and drinking water under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

The States are required to transfer the grants to the ULBs within 10 working days of receipt from the Union Government.  Any delay beyond 10 working days requires the State Governments to release the grants with interest.

18-March-2018: Need to Strengthen and Empower Urban Local Bodies(ULBS) for Equitable, Sustainable and Democratic Process of Urban Transformation - Hardeep Puri

  1. Strengthen ULBs by greater decentralization and empower them by meaningful devolution of the 3Fs i.e funds , functions and functionaries.
  2. The state governments were expected to devolve functional autonomy, administrative support and financial resources to the local bodies, but success on this front has been unsatisfactory.
  3. A radical change is needed if cities are to provide a socio-economic environment that will be inclusive, contribute to better quality of life, and sustain rapid growth. To achieve this following steps are necessary 
    1. Local governments should have functional autonomy
    2. They should have financial autonomy and should aim to be financially viable.
    3. Parastatals should not be allowed to undermine the authority of ULBs.
    4. Need to establish a dedicated and a specialised trained cadre to serve and cater to the complex needs of Urban local body governance.

Participatory democracy, transparency and accountability are the key pillars for new urban governance where formal participation procedures should be complemented by collaborative partnerships which go beyond consultation of policies/interventions, recognizing ward committees and area sabhas as active “partners” Innovative and effective participation tools should be adopted to foster meaningful engagement bringing equality, Liveability and democratic governance to the process of urban transformation.

There is urgent need to establish urban local bodies as viable units and the unfinished agenda of reforms in 74th amendment needs to be taken up with high priority . He reiterated the Centre's commitment to positively consider the suggestions and recommendations which came up during the event for improvement in local self-governance.

15-Feb-2017: Nagaland women demand 33% Reservation in ULBs

15-Feb-2017: Nagaland women demand 33% constitutional Reservation in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

Issue: 74th amendment of the Constitution, provides for 33% reservation to women in municipalities. But, Article 243T(reservation of seats for women) conflicts with Article 371A(Naga customary law) of the constitution. As a result women are not allowed to run the institutions of governance.

Background: Nagaland Municipal (First Amendment) Act of 2006 adopted 74th constitutional amendment provision to provide reservation for women in ULBs. But elections were not held and only one Naga woman was elected to the Parliament. Naga Hoho, a body of 16 tribal groups, say that women representation in ULBs is against their customary law and argues that they are not against women’s representation in these bodies but won't accept nomination to ULBs with voting rights. Contrastingly, the village council bodies in the state have 25% reservation for women.