Category Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies

Urban Policy and City Planning Cohort 4.0

Urbanisation is reshaping India's economic, social and environmental landscape. Cities provide employment, education, healthcare, housing and other essential services, while also acting as centres of economic activity and innovation. However, rapid urban growth has brought several interconnected challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, traffic congestion, housing shortages, environmental degradation, water stress, waste management difficulties and growing socioeconomic inequalities. Addressing these challenges requires more than constructing infrastructure or introducing government schemes. It calls for integrated urban planning, effective governance, sustainable financing, evidence-based policymaking and meaningful public participation. Urban policies must also account for the different experiences of people living and working in cities, particularly women, migrants, informal workers and other groups that are often overlooked in conventional planning.

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KIRAN Helpline (2020): Improving Access to Mental Health Support and Counselling in India

The KIRAN Helpline (2020) is a 24×7 toll-free mental health rehabilitation service launched by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. It was introduced to address the rising incidence of mental illness, especially the psychological distress triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, including stress, anxiety, depression, and related emergencies.

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World Diabetes Day (14 November): Early Action on Diabetes and India’s Detection-to-Care Gap

World Diabetes Day is observed every year on 14 November, commemorating the birth anniversary of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin with Charles Best in 1921. The day was established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and was formally recognised by the United Nations in 2006 through Resolution 61/225.

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Clean Plant Programme (CPP), 2024: From Healthy Roots to a Prosperous Future

Healthy planting material is a major determinant of the productivity of various agricultural crops including horticultural crops. Fruit crops take a considerable period (2-3 years or more) to bear fruit, and viruses can be systemic and affect fruit quality and yield. Orchards, therefore, need to be strengthened with healthy planting materials. Responding to the challenges faced by the fruit production sector and the need to enhance India’s horticultural competitiveness, the Union Cabinet, on 9 August, 2024, approved the ‘Clean Plant Programme (CPP)’ with an outlay of Rs. 1,765.67 crore under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). The Programme aims to provide quality planting materials and strengthen the fruit and horticulture production of the country (Press Information Bureau [PIB], 2024a).

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National Education Day (11 November): Honouring Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Contribution to Indian Education

On 11 November every year, India observes National Education Day to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888–1958). He was a scholar, journalist, freedom fighter and independent India's first Union Minister of Education.

The day is a reminder that free India's education system did not grow by chance. Much of it was planned by one man in the first eleven years after independence. With about 65% of Indians now under 35 years of age (Press Information Bureau [PIB], 2026), his central idea, that education is a birthright and the base of citizenship, is still the test for every education policy, including NEP 2020.

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Ayush Grid(2018): India’s Digital Backbone for Ayush Healthcare Ecosystem

The healthcare ecosystem in India has long been characterized by a dual reliance on modern allopathic medicine and traditional Indian systems of medicine, collectively known as AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy). While mainstream healthcare rapidly digitized using global electronic health standards, the AYUSH sector remained highly fragmented, relying on paper-based records, isolated institutional repositories, and uncoordinated supply chains.

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National and District Mental Health Programmes (1982 and 1996): Expanding Community Based Mental Healthcare in India

The National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) was launched by the Government of India in 1982 to address the heavy burden of mental disorders and the severe inadequacy of specialised mental health infrastructure and professionals in the country. At the time, an estimated 6–7% of the population suffered from mental disorders, with most remaining untreated due to limited services concentrated in a few institutions, widespread stigma, myths, and poor awareness (National Health Mission, 1982 onwards). The programme marked a deliberate shift from custodial, hospital centric care toward community based mental healthcare integrated with the general health system.

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