13-07-2025
Nominated councillors to get development funds
In a landmark decision, the Delhi Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal to allocate development funds to nominated councillors, commonly referred to as aldermen, putting them on par with elected councillors for the first time in the city's history.
Until now, only elected councillors received financial support under the Councillor Local Area Development Fund to carry out civic works in their wards. However, a recent proposal passed by the MCD House has extended the same funding privileges to the ten nominated councillors appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
These aldermen, although unelected, have long held the right to attend and speak in corporation meetings and participate in zone-level discussions. However, the absence of funding limited their ability to initiate or oversee developmental work.
The newly passed provision now allows nominated councillors to receive equal funding whenever allocations are made to elected members. This move is expected to empower them to address civic issues directly within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) areas.
Nominated councillor Manoj Jain welcomed the decision, calling it a much-needed and practical step. 'People approach nominated councillors with problems related to parks, street lighting, and broken pavements. Earlier, we could only raise these issues-now we'll be able to solve them,' Jain said. He noted that in areas like Daryaganj, where the elected representative is from the Aam Aadmi Party, several local issues were overlooked. 'I have already secured approval for road and park repairs there through my efforts,' he added.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, Section 3(3)(b)(i), ten individuals above the age of 25 with special knowledge or experience in municipal affairs are nominated by the Administrator (Lieutenant Governor) to serve as councillors.
While these nominated councillors cannot vote in the main corporation meetings, they are allowed to vote in ward committee matters and in elections to the MCD Standing Committee, and can even stand as candidates for that influential body.
