India’s Urbanisation: Top-Down Missions vs Local Needs
Why in the news
A commentary argues that India’s urbanisation, guided largely from the Centre since the post-1990s liberalisation, needs a shift from top-down control to locally driven planning.
Key facts
- Urban growth picked up rapidly after the 1990s liberalisation.
- Urban development is a State subject, but the Union government has been pivotal through JNNURM and five urban flagship missions.
- The Centre controls financial allocations and project structure, leaving cities little room for context-specific choices.
- Cities are seen as growth engines and infrastructure as essential to the $5 trillion economy goal.
Central missions
| Sector | Missions |
|---|---|
| Housing | Indira Awas Yojana, Rajiv Awas Yojana, PMAY |
| Basic services | BSUP (UPA era), AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission |
| Mobility | City mobility plans, metro rail (about 30% of urban budget under NDA) |
Concerns
- Finance Commissions attach conditionalities, such as the 15th FC’s link of property tax growth to State GDP.
- States differ: Kerala and Karnataka show rural-urban continuums; Gujarat shows core-periphery sprawl; housing needs vary by city.
- Universal mandates like SBM overlook local sanitation and water needs, and ignore migration patterns such as north to south.
- Results include unused funds (Smart Cities Mission experience) and irrelevant infrastructure built to meet bureaucratic targets.
Way forward
- Send 70% of the Union urban budget as direct transfers to States and cities; retain 30% for national priorities such as climate resilience.
- Earmark transfers for mobility, sanitation, housing, water, waste and innovation.
- Let States and cities set priorities with knowledge agencies and local consultation.
- The Centre should guide and enable rather than prescribe, and empowered city governments can link governance to citizens.
Exam angle
- Urban development is a State subject in the Constitution’s distribution of powers.
- Schemes to recall: JNNURM, AMRUT, PMAY, SBM, Smart Cities Mission.
- Suggested split: 70% direct transfers, 30% central priorities.