Municipal Strengthening for Improved Urban Services
February 2024
This report has been developed by the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance, a national working group, comprising of 30+ organisations and individuals across India. The vision of the Alliance is to create an enabling environment to accelerate progress towards universal access to safely managed urban sanitation and address the massive challenge of safe storage, collection, transport, treatment and reuse of human waste in India.
The report highlights the need for strong municipal governance with a specific focus on the delivery of essential services, such as sanitation with the need to adopt an inclusive lens, in urban India. It articulates the gaps and challenges in municipal governance that deter delivery of quality services and further identifies mechanisms to enable municipal strengthening, especially in relation to institutional arrangements and financing. It also offers a comprehensive list of actionable recommendations for adoption by the central, state and local governments in India.
CWAS as a partner in the NFSSM Alliance has supported the development of the section on Strengthening Finances of Municipal Governments. This chapter reviews municipal finances with respect to both inter-governmental transfers and own revenues. It compares the system in India with that in other countries, to highlight municipal governments’ need for adequate and predictable financial resources. This is important for the sustainability of municipal services.
