{"id":7145,"date":"2026-03-23T01:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/?p=7145"},"modified":"2026-03-23T01:31:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:01:18","slug":"1-niti-aayogs-gauba-warns-that-infrastructure-spending-without-governance-overhaul-will-undermine-viksit-bharat-2047-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/?p=7145","title":{"rendered":"NITI Aayog\u2019s Gauba Warns That Infrastructure Spending Without Governance Overhaul Will Undermine Viksit Bharat 2047 Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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India\u2019s Cities at a Crossroads: Conclave Demands Urgent Governance Reforms to Balance Growth and Liveability<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

New Delhi <\/strong>\u2013 With India\u2019s cities contributing nearly 60 percent of the nation\u2019s GDP and housing an estimated 520 million people, the pressing question is no longer whether they will drive economic growth, but whether they can do so without collapsing under the weight of deteriorating liveability. This was the central theme of the Urban Conclave 2026, convened in the capital by Janaagraha and the Jana Urban Space Foundation, where policymakers and experts called for a fundamental restructuring of urban governance.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Viksit Bharat\u2019 Hinges on Urban Rejuvenation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Delivering the keynote address, Rajiv Gauba, Member of NITI Aayog, underscored the urgency of the moment. \u201cUrban transformation and rejuvenation is a pressing need. It is crucial for India to realise the PM’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047,\u201d he said, adding that cities require massive upgrades in infrastructure, spatial planning, resource mobilisation, and above all, governance restructuring.<\/p>\n

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Report Warns of Crisis by Design, Not Default<\/strong><\/p>\n

The conclave served as the launchpad for a critical new report,\u00a0\u2018Shaping Urban India – By Design, Not by Default,\u2019<\/em>\u00a0which argues that economic growth and liveability are interdependent and shaped entirely by city-systems. Presenting the findings, Anita Kumar, Director \u2013 Policy and Insights at Janaagraha, warned of the demographic tidal wave ahead. \u201cBy 2050, over 723 million Indians could be living in our cities, making the question of urban liveability both urgent and central to India\u2019s future,\u201d she said. \u201cHow citizens experience cities is a direct outcome of how they are planned and governed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report proposes five big shifts to catalyse reform, including significant investment in walkability and public transport, adopting differentiated governance models for various city types, and recognizing urban local governments as empowered entities.<\/p>\n

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Governance Deficit: The Missing \u2018Three Fs\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

A recurring theme across panels was the governance vacuum at the municipal level. Speaking on a panel about building inclusive cities, Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, highlighted the paralysis in one of India\u2019s key tech hubs. \u201cThe absence of an elected city government in Bengaluru for the past several years reflects a deeper governance gap across Indian cities,\u201d he said. \u201cIf our cities are to function effectively, they must be meaningfully empowered with the three critical Fs\u2014Funds, Functions, and Functionaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarada Muraleedharan, former Chief Secretary of Kerala, echoed the need for systemic, not just incremental, change. \u201cWhile states like Kerala have made progress in devolving the three Fs, institutional strengthening cannot be a one-time effort. What we now need is a more transformative shift in how our urban institutions are designed, empowered, and supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Beyond Infrastructure: Gender, Data, and Small Cities in Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other sessions at the conclave focused on the intersection of gender and urban planning, where panelists underscored that cities can only be truly inclusive when women actively shape them. Discussions also highlighted the role of data transparency in city finances and the necessity of integrated planning for smaller cities through City Action Plans.<\/p>\n

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Collaboration Critical as Urbanisation Accelerates<\/strong><\/p>\n

Across the discussions, a consensus emerged that while migration remains essential to economic growth, collaboration between government, the private sector, and citizens is critical to ensure that cities do not become constraints on prosperity. With the clock ticking toward 2047 and a rapidly urbanising population, the conclave made it clear that while India\u2019s urban journey is filled with promise, it requires immediate collective action to ensure that the cities of tomorrow work for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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India\u2019s Cities at a Crossroads: Conclave Demands Urgent Governance Reforms to Balance Growth and Liveability New Delhi \u2013 With India\u2019s cities contributing nearly 60 percent of the nation\u2019s GDP and housing an estimated 520 million people, the pressing question is no longer whether they will drive economic growth, but whether they can do so without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-politics"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":65,"today_views":0},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7145"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7149,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7145\/revisions\/7149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianow.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}