The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje chaired the workshop on Rajasthan Urban transformation Blueprint on 30th September and 1st October in Jaipur. Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan and Swati Ramanathan, members of the Chief Minister’s Advisory Council, and founders of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, structured and convened the workshop. This event brought together infrastructure industry leaders such as the TATA’s, GMR, L&T, few local builders from Rajasthan, and government representatives to discuss the way forward for improving the quality of infrastructure and the quality of life in the cities of Rajasthan.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Government of India, showcased his views on reforms required for urbanization to prosper in India and in the State of Rajasthan. The gathering witnessed discussion on the following agenda items;

 Smart SURE (Specifications for Urban Utilities and Road Execution)  Urban Management Capacities ( Municipal Staffing and Financial Management)  Affordable Housing  Spatial Planning

The Smart SURE (Specifications of Urban Utilities and Road enhancement) concept built on lines of Tender SURE (“Specifications for Urban Roads Execution” developed by Jana Urban Space Foundation) for city roads, was proposed for implementation in Rajasthan cities with the help of private sector investment. Smart SURE will bundle all civic utilities which either run underneath the roads or above it, into one utility corridor. This will bring together services such as water supply, sewerage, electricity distribution, natural gas pipeline and traffic support infrastructure, in one single window. This initiative will ensure that public infrastructure is built and maintained in a smart way and allows room for private sector investment in public services. Smart SURE will also ease the financial burden on Urban Local Bodies as capital cost is met by private sector and paid to them through regular annuity streams by government agencies. The meeting witnessed consensus among government and private sector stakeholders to identify potential cities in Rajasthan for the implementation of Smart SURE.

As part of the Management Capacities discussion, Janaagraha along with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has agreed to engage with the State Government for implementing reforms agenda on building management capacity within the accounts departments of ULBs. Janaagraha will further engage in developing capacities among staff members of municipal corporations through its program on Destination Organization Charts. Also, Jana Urban Space Foundation (JUSP) will engage with the local governments for creating master plans for major cities in Rajasthan.

The workshop demonstrates a transformative change in India’s urban scenario and reforms debate, with Janaagraha leading the systemic reforms required to improve the quality of life in India’s cities. The follow up meeting scheduled shortly for undertaking the agenda items arising out of the workshop will provide the direction towards structural reforms that will shape urbanization and municipal governance in our country.