In India and elsewhere, there is a growing realisation that deepening democratic governance is of paramount importance to address the problems of poverty, marginalisation and injustice in society. Democratic governance encompasses effective and efficient delivery of services to citizens and emphasises participation and civic engagement in policy formulation, planning and resource allocation, resource utilisation and service delivery performance. The centrality of this project lay on promoting citizen participation to demand accountability from urban governance institutions by creating a synergy between different actors – primarily civil society. The project also built capacities of elected councillors and municipal officials to promote and sustain democratic governance in cities by creating spaces for citizen voices and exercising of rights (particularly for the poor and marginalised), improving effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery, and implementing mechanisms to make municipal institutions transparent and accountable to all stakeholders.
The main objective of the project was to improve citizens’ (with greater focus on the poor and marginalised) access to information, basic services and urban governance institutions.
Bihar (Chhapra and Bihar Sharif), Chhattisgarh (Raipur and Bilaspur) and Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi)
Promoting citizen voices and participation through the strengthening of Neighbourhood Committees and facilitating participatory ward level plans
Promoting social accountability tools and approaches like Citizen Report Card, Citizen Charter, Grievance Redressal Mechanisms, and Pro-active Disclosure of Information
Conducting research studies and convening advocacy dialogues
Prepared participatory ward level plans in Bilaspur and Bihar Sharif
Conducted Citizen Report Cards (CRC) in Bilaspur and Bihar Sharif which were shared with citizens, elected representative and officials of the respective municipalities
Provided support to Varanasi Municipal Corporation to establish a “Toll Free Number” for registering citizen grievances telephonically and to establish a separate cell named “Shikayat Prakosth” at the municipal office to handle citizen grievances related to municipal services
Provided support to Bihar Sharif Municipal Corporation to establish a grievance redressal system with helpline numbers (land line and mobile). Bihar Sharif Municipal Corporation became the first city in Bihar to establish a grievance redressal system at the city level
Provided support to Bilaspur Municipal Corporation to develop its Citizen Charter and a format for Pro Active Disclosure under RTI Act
Published an occasional paper on “Participatory Urban Planning and Service Delivery to Urban Poor”
Published two city level issue papers for the cities of Bilaspur and Bihar Sharif
Prepared a working paper titled “Mending the Wheel of Power: How to Promote Citizen Participation and Engagement in Urban Governance in Wards and Neighbourhoods? Thoughts on the Institutional and Legal Design of the Nagara Raj in India”
Published two policy briefs on “Establishing Social Accountability Mechanisms to Improve Municipal Service Delivery” and “Institutional and Legal Design for Citizen Participation and Engagement in Urban Governance in Wards and Neighbourhoods”
An e-newsletter Prakria - Making Cities Inclusive, was published (bi-monthly) and circulated among 400+ readers, electronically
A Council of Urban Local Bodies (CULB) was formed in Bihar involving key citizen leaders
Issues related to social accountability in urban local bodies were shared with networks such as Affiliated Network of Social Accountability-South Asia Region (ANSA-SAR), Community of Practice on Social Accountability (CoPSA), and Solution Exchange website (promoted by UNDP)
2010-2012
The Ford Foundation