No city govt 'controls' all 18 functions as per 74th Constitutional amendment

By A Representative
A senior expert has revealed that despite more than a quarter of a century of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, which mandated setting up and devolution of powers to Urban local bodies (ULBs) or city governments are not abiding by its provisions. The Act, said Dr Soumyadip Chattopadhyay, senior fellow, Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI) and associate professor, Viswa Bharti University, mandates 18 principles be followed by the city government. “But not a single city government has control over all 18 functions”, he regretted.
According to Dr Chattopadhyay, who was participating in a webinar on re-thinking city governance amidst Covid-19 organised by the Centre for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS) and IMPRI, in association with the Department of Social Work, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, urban local bodies are trapped in a vicious circle where paucity of resources leads to poor service delivery and thus, poor revenue generation.
According to the expert, it is important to identify functions of municipalities and weak financial health of city governments. Empowering city government is not a choice but a necessity in the current situation of pandemic, he said, even as proposing 3-Fs-Functions, Forms and Functionaries for effective administration of city governments.

Those who participated included Shipra Maitra, Delhi chair professor, Institute of Human Development; Bharathy Jayaprakash, chief financial controller, Esyasoft Technologies; Raj Cherubal, CEO, Chennai Smart City Ltd; Irudaya Rajan, professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram; and Dr Simi Mehta, CEO and editorial director, IMRI.

The making of a self-made woman: How eighty sheep changed everything for Kalawati Ninama

By Vikas Meshram* About forty-two kilometres from Rajasthan's Banswara district, in the tribal heartland of Ghatol block, lies the small village of Ubapana. This is where Kalawati Ninama, her husband Dhulji, and their four children make their home. Their days unfold much like those of their neighbours—bustling mornings, long hours of farm labour through the afternoon, and evenings spent tending livestock. For this family, farming and livestock were once simply a means of putting food on the table. Today, they have become the sturdy foundation of something far greater: genuine self-sufficiency.

India has spent billions on skilling. Where are the jobs?

By Vikas Gupta India loves the photograph of a certificate ceremony. A minister on a stage. A banner bearing the word “skill.” Young people holding folders that promise a future. It is a reassuring image because it tells us the problem has a manageable answer: train the young, make them job-ready, and work will follow.

BAPS, the Eiffel Tower and the curious silence on secularism

By Rajiv Shah I was a little surprised to see how some of those whom I respect for taking a firm stand on patriarchal issues reacted to the manner in which they responded to the recent incident in Paris, in which women employees of the Eiffel Tower were asked to remain "invisible" on September 5 when 100 BAPS sadhus visited one of the world's top tourist destinations.

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