Latest news with #74thConstitutionalAmendment
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Residents storm M-east ward office in protest against hospital privatisation
MUMBAI: On Monday, around 200 residents and activists marched from Samvidhan Chowk in Lallubhai Compound to the M-East ward office, protesting the proposed privatisation of two newly constructed civic hospitals. Residents see the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model as the final blow after years of inadequate public healthcare. 'There were times when pregnant women and infants were referred from one hospital to another at the risk of their lives due to a shortage of resources at the nearest hospital,' said Ajma Sheikh, a Maharashtra Nagar resident for 15 years. ' The point is to strengthen existing services,' she added. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The M-East ward faces a high burden of tuberculosis, malnutrition, and respiratory illnesses. Of its 8 lakh residents—mostly project-affected families of daily wage workers—only Shatabdi Hospital in Shivaji Nagar, with 220 beds, is functional. Its 10-bed ICU was shut for months. Since May, BMC tried to hand over the newly built 580-bed teaching hospital on the Shatabdi campus under PPP. Due to insufficient bids, tenders were repeatedly extended. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Glicemia acima de 100? Ele usou isso Saúde Nacional Undo The same applies to Lallubhai Compound Hospital, which took a decade to build and remains unused. Under the proposed PPP, BMC plans to run only 150 of 410 beds there. Among the protesters was former Mumbai Mayor Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar. 'As per the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, and the 74th Constitutional Amendment, it is BMC's legal duty to provide public healthcare. As one of the richest civic bodies in the country, it can fulfil this responsibility,' she said. She is part of a coalition of 25 political and civil society groups, including Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, under the 'Aspatal Bachao, Niji Karan Hatao' campaign. Their six demands include filling all healthcare vacancies and holding monthly public health reviews with residents. Dr Chandrakant Pawar, Chief Medical Superintendent of peripheral hospitals, was unavailable for comment. M-East Ward MOH Dr Pradeep Kashale said, 'We've heard their demands, but these are policy decisions. I'm trying to arrange a meeting between the protesters, Dr Pawar, and the DMC Health.'
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Mayor stresses women's role in governance
Lucknow: Mayor Sushma Kharkwal participated in a two-day national conference of urban local body (ULB) heads in Manesar (Haryana) and stressed on urban development and the role of women in local governance. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Representatives from across the country, including mayors, municipal corporators, zila parishad heads, and urban planners, participated in the event. Kharkwal highlighted the need to implement the 74th Constitutional Amendment in full, to give ULBs more authority in decision-making, financial matters and administration. She presented steps taken by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, including the use of electric vehicles for waste collection, installation of smart toilets, digital property tax systems, open gyms, water ATMs, and mobile apps for public feedback. She also spoke about city's efforts toward becoming a Zero Waste City. The event included discussions on the role of local bodies in democracy, urban planning, and the need for practical innovation. Speakers included Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, and other officials. In a session on women's participation in local bodies, Kharkwal noted that women now hold nearly 46% of municipal corporators posts. She called for better training, administrative exposure, and support for women leaders, particularly in areas like digital governance, climate planning and financial management.
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ready to assist states in certifying municipal accounts: CAG
File photo: Comptroller and Auditor General Sanjay Murthy NEW DELHI: To increase transparency and attract private investment in urban infrastructure, Comptroller and Auditor General Sanjay Murthy on Saturday said the federal auditor is ready to assist states in certifying their municipal accounts. Such certifications add credibility and value, encouraging private players to invest in urban projects, he added. The CAG will soon highlight best practices and models that municipalities can adopt, and if they adopt them, there will not be any financial audit observations, Murthy said. However, he said such an assurance would only be possible if municipal accounts are properly maintained and revenue sources clearly tracked. Transparent and reliable financial systems are essential to attracting serious bidders and funding for urban projects, Murthy said at an online event organised by think-tank Janaagraha to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 74th Constitutional Amendment, which granted constitutional status to urban local bodies. The announcement to certify accounts of municipalities comes ahead of the Centre's anticipated roll-out of the Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund, aimed at supporting large-scale projects through public-private partnerships. The housing and urban affairs ministry is finalising the framework for this, first announced in the Budget. On greater opportunities for municipal bodies with the Centre offering the Urban Challenge Fund, he said, 'We have a greater role to play in ensuring the transparency of accounts that urban local bodies do.' 'Therefore, we have envisaged or embarking on a initiative to ensure that any state govt which wants the assistance of the CAG in certification of their accounts, we will be open to work with the them to ensure that we provide this service to them to ensure the larger goal of getting investments in the urban local bodies based on certification done by the CAG, which adds greater value,' he said. Murthy also highlighted persistent challenges faced by even large municipal bodies, such as the lack of robust project reports, a key requirement for private funding. To address this, he said the CAG is planning to showcase successful models and best practices for municipalities to adopt. 'Reinventing the wheel wastes time,' he said. 'If municipalities implement proven models, we can assure them that there will be no audit objections,' the CAG said.
New Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Activists criticise GBA, warn of BBMP power erosion
BENGALURU: Kathyayini Chamraj, Executive Trustee of CIVIC, criticised the successive governments for delaying the BBMP elections, alleging that the delay was intended to undermine the Palike administration. She claimed the garbage, engineers, and real estate mafia had ruined BBMP. He was addressing a panel discussion involving civic activists, organised to discuss the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and its impact on local governance in Bengaluru on Saturday. CIVIC also stated it would challenge the GBA in court. 'In the GBA, all para-statals come under its ambit. All schemes are prepared by the government. Where is the autonomy of the local body? What authority will the elected body have if everything is controlled by the GBA?' Chamraj questioned. She said that MLA Rizwan Arshad, who chaired the joint legislature panel that introduced the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, was misleading the public. Arshad had claimed that the 74th Constitutional Amendment does not provide for control over agencies like Bescom, but the GBA bill covers them all. 'Autonomy of the local body has been reduced to just fixing potholes. Earlier, there was a ward committee, but it also has now been reduced to an advisory body whose recommendations are ineffective,' she said. Retired bureaucrat T R Raghunandan, who delivered the keynote address, warned that frequent delimitation and the creation of new municipalities under the GBA would disrupt reservation rotations for Scheduled Castes, Tribes, OBCs, and women, favouring elite candidates. 'The government's aim is to prevent the rotation of reservations,' he said, adding that the government's actions violated the equity mandates of the 74th Constitutional Amendment. He also observed that frequent delimitation creates new electoral cycles, diluting the representation of marginalised sections. He said cities like Manila and Brussels have decentralised municipalities with clear roles, a model that Bengaluru should adopt.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bengaluru citizen activists, experts come down heavily on GBG Act
Citizen activists and experts have voiced strong opposition to the newly enforced Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Act 2024, calling it a direct threat to the constitutional mandate for decentralised urban local governance. They argued that the GBGA, which came into effect on May 15 this year, centralises power under the State government and sidelines the principles of the 74th Constitutional Amendment. At a seminar hosted by CIVIC (Citizen Voluntary Initiative for the City) on Saturday, former IAS officer and decentralisation advocate T.R. Raghunandan condemned the Act for placing authority in the hands of the Chief Minister, instead of enabling elected urban local bodies to function independently. 'This Act flies in the face of the Nagarapalika framework, which explicitly advocates for local self-government,' he said. Echoing his concerns, Kathyayini Chamaraj, civic activist, emphasised that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had already been stripped of substantial powers and that the GBG Act further reduces local officials to an advisory role, weakening accountability and grassroots governance. Satyajit Arikutharam, former Chief Technical Advisor at DULT, warned that opaque infrastructure decisions—such as a car-only underground tunnel—highlight the risk of elite-centric planning under the new regime. 'Future generations will bear the financial burden of projects that serve a privileged few,' he said. While Mr. Raghunandan advocated for the division of Bengaluru into smaller administrative units to aid decentralisation, Ms. Chamaraj warned this could lead to financial inequality between zones. 'Prosperous areas like Mahadevapura would retain their revenues, leaving others underfunded,' she cautioned. CIVIC plans to legally challenge the Act to restore democratic and accountable governance to the city.
