JNNURM to speed up development of cities & towns-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times

JNNURM to speed up development of cities & towns-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times: "

Urban development secretary M Ramachandran dwells upon policy initiatives aimed at finding resources to build urban infrastructure and the importance of increasing the financial position of urban local bodies.The 74th amendment of the Constitution in 1992 introduced the third tier of the government. But local governments, including urban local bodies (ULBs), continue to be largely hamstrung, both financially and functionally.It is true that despite the 74th constitutional amendment, the functional and financial status of the ULBs have not improved as desired. Given the low level of resources at the disposal of ULBs, unbundling of certain basic urban services for private participation is needed.The urban development ministry has recently prepared an agenda for action for ULBs aimed at their better management. The 21-point agenda includes suggestions for citizen charter, tips for improving basic services, assistance under central sector schemes, management of urban areas, revision of building bye-laws, use of IT, urban transport, financial system etc. (snip)

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