The Governance Challenge

Globally, governance has shifted from welfare-state model towards economic development model, which demands governments to be more innovative and entrepreneurial in an increasingly competitive world. Governance is now associated with digital technology to develop approaches that can make cities smarter.

Indian cities contribute more than 60% of the national economic output, nearly 80% of the total tax revenue, and it is estimated that by 2021, over 70% of new jobs shall be concentrated in India’s cities. However, the state of development and maintenance of urban infrastructure and public service delivery in Indian cities remains unsatisfactory, challenging its potential to drive sustained economic development.

India, the largest democracy in the world, started its ‘Smart Cities Mission’ in 2015, with a US$7.5 billion investment over 5 year and the statement that such urban areas should drive economic growth, improve the quality of life of all its citizens, and promote a sustainable environmental footprint. Among 11,000 submitted proposals in the last few years, 2,300 became active projects across 100 cities in India.

This session intends to run deliberations on developing a governance framework which stimulates multiple sector collaborations and public-private partnerships with mutual benefits, to promote capacity building and entrepreneurship, and also nurture community engagement.