Annex F
ON-GOING URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES SUPPORTED
BY DFID INDIA
Andhra Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor
(APUSP) was a partnership project between the Government of
Andhra Pradesh and DFID, which resulted in a sustainable improvement
in urban governance and reduction in the vulnerability and poverty
of the urban poor in Andhra Pradesh. The project was launched
in 1999 and completed in March 2008 with a total financial
commitment of £94.4 million grant funds. It initially
covered 32 Class 1 towns in Andhra Pradesh (population
exceeding 100,000) but, after the mid-term review, project coverage
was extended to 42 towns.
Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor (KUSP)
was started in 2003, with a financial commitment of up to £102 million
over 7 years. It is a partnership with the Government of
West Bengal to improve urban governance, access to services for
the urban poor, economic development and livelihoods. It initially
covered all the municipalities in Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA)
except Kolkata Municipal Corporation, but specific components
of the programme have now been extended to all the other (85)
municipalities in West Bengal including:
— Preparation of development plans.
— Roll out of accounting reforms.
— Preparation of citizens' charters.
Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project
(KEIP) DFID is working with AsDB to support sustained improvement
in the environmental health and quality of life for the communities
served by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). DFID support is
in the form of a grant of up to £28.3 million over six
years alongside the AsDB loan for infrastructure upgrading/creation.
The DFID component specifically supports capacity building activities
with KMC.
Madhya Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor (MPUSP)
includes a financial commitment of £41 million over
a period of five years, and initially covers four cities; Bhopal,
Gwalior, Jabalpur and Indore. Once satisfactory progress has been
demonstrated in these cities it is expected that a programme of
limited reforms will be extended to a further 10 towns. The
support complements the AsDB funded Urban Water Supply and Environment
Improvement Project (UWSEIP) for the urban poor and will support
the reform of the state and municipal corporations. It is strongly
aligned with Government of India national policy and the JNNURM.
Policy Unit Support to MoHUPA for implementation
of JNNURM and UIDSSMT. This project of £1.5 million
is being implemented through the DFID Trust Fund with the World
Bank and is providing for a team of policy experts to work alongside
senior management in the Ministry to set strategies and take forward
initiatives to ensure the effective implementation of the two
missions.
What has been achieved so far?
The DFID projects have been successful in reforming
urban service provision—city revenues have increased, Citizens
Charter and e-governance measures have been introduced, urban
poverty cells have been established and community linkages have
been transformed. The achievements of these schemes are seen as
being model examples of urban reform and through our support to
Government of India at the national level the experience and learning
from these schemes is being used in the implementation of JNNURM.
Specific achievements from DFID-supported initiatives
are as follows:
APUSP
— CMAPP—(Comprehensive Municipal
Action Plan for Poverty Reduction) evolved and implemented in
all municipalities, for infrastructure planning and interventions
in poor settlements.
— Municipal Reforms include; Efficiencies
in procurement procedures, accounting reforms, property tax assessment
and collection, new tax net, complaint management systems.
— The creation of all-women self-help groups,
federating them, and linking them to banks.
— Upadhi programme on wage employment.
— Municipalities' own resources increased
by 300%.
— Initiatives on energy saving and on water
and sanitation reform.
— Third party quality assurance for all
municipal works.
KUSP.
— Quick slum survey based completed in
all slums in KMA area.
— Development planning in all 40 ULBs.
— Accounting Reforms with the Government
of West Bengal in all 40 ULBs, switching over to the new
accounting system from FY 2006-07.
— OD reforms being supported in the Municipal
Administration Department, and the ULBs.
— Slum infrastructure work in progress
and 3rd Party Quality Assurance procedures introduced.
— Slum infrastructure being executed through
community contracting—through the all women Community Development
Societies.
— E-governance system procured. Being rolled
out across 40 ULBs.
— Public Affairs Foundation, Bangalore
conducting citizens' satisfaction survey of 40 ULBs.
— Community based urban sanitation pilot
implemented in Kalyani municipality. Support being provided to
GoWB to prepare and implement a state wide, community based urban
sanitation strategy.
KEIP
— Significant increase in KMC's resource
mobilisation.
— Organisational reform initiative in progress
to delegate functions downwards and set up corresponding accountability
mechanisms within the existing three tier structure at the Corporation,
borough, and ward levels.
— GIS mapping in progress for the KMC area,
as well as the system design for e-governance, including business
process re-engineering and accounting reforms.
MPUSP
— City level workshops completed to firm
up early action plans.
— State level and city level technical
support teams in place to begin implementation.
Next steps for DFID
The key constraint to effective utilisation
of JNNURM and UIDSSMT funds is proving to be the capacities at
state and city level. Our ongoing urban schemes are primarily
aimed at capacity building at local government level to allow
cities to implement the reforms, access the funds and use them
well.
With GoI and other partners we are providing
capacity building for the effective implementation of JNNURM.
We have agreed to extend the pilot phase of support at the national
level and design of a further programme of support of around £13.5 million
is ongoing. This project will be closely aligned to the World
Bank programme, but focussing on the poverty elements.
Urbanisation in Bihar is low at 10% and there
has been little investment in infrastructure in urban areas, thus
inhibiting their role as growth centres. As part of our developing
engagement in Bihar we are designing a project that will draw
on our wider urban experience in India to improve the capacities
of the urban local bodies for effective municipal governance.
This will be alongside infrastructure investments in the urban
areas from World Bank and AsDB and will allow those loans to be
used most effectively and the infrastructure to be managed for
the benefit of all citizens.
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