Category Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies

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Andhra Pradesh RTGS: Reinventing Governance Through Data

After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the state faced major governance challenges in coordinating departments and delivering timely public services to over 49.5 million citizens (CAG, 2017) Isolated departmental systems and periodic reporting created data silos, delaying critical decisions in disaster response, welfare delivery, and grievance redress. Poor inter-departmental coordination hindered accountability, transparency, and performance tracking. Furthermore, the lack of integrated, real-time data severely limited predictive capacity, preventing proactive disaster management and evidence-based policymaking.

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Dedicated Freight Corridor: What a Decade of Rail Investment Achieved

Rail transport has traditionally been a more cost-efficient mode of freight transportation than road. But in India, it has remained a problem due to the coexistence of freight and passenger services on the same rail routes, and this has constrained the efficiency and capacity of freight movement.

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From MGNREGA to VB-GRAM-G

For twenty-one years, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 gave every rural household a legal entitlement to 100 days of unskilled work a year. Its funding was generous to states: the Centre covered full unskilled wages and 75% of material costs, leaving states only a quarter of materials, plus administration and unemployment allowance.

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Varanasi Digital Twin Project: Reimagining Urban Planning and Governance

The Urban Spatial 3D City Model (Digital Twin) Project is a key initiative of Varanasi Smart City Limited (VSCL). The project aims to use geospatial technologies to improve urban planning, urban governance and public engagement. The city of Varanasi was selected due to its unique combination of historical and cultural value, its dense urban development including narrow streets, busy markets, heritage and religious places and an influx of tourists and pilgrims.

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Right to Walk Urban governance challenge or opportunity for municipalities?

Recently the Supreme Court of India has recognized the Right to Walk on Footpaths as a Fundamental Right under Part III Article (19)(1)(d) along with Article 21 of the Constitution. The decision was delivered by a division bench composed of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice A.S. Chandurkar. The apex court has urged the government to introduce a new law that declares this right. This ruling is considered a landmark judgement in India's existing urban policy space as it placed the pedestrian rights above the motorised vehicular traffic.

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