THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 25, 2026

The two-day National Urban Conclave 2026 concluded here on Sunday with a series of recommendations for strengthening urban governance, empowering municipal bodies and improving civic service delivery as India works towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

The conclave brought together representatives from the Centre and state governments, urban local bodies, industry, academia and knowledge institutions to deliberate on emerging urban challenges and identify practical solutions through seven technical sessions.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, delivering the valedictory address, said the conclave aimed to deliberate on the future challenges facing Indian cities. He highlighted the contribution of national programmes, including AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and PM SVANidhi, in expanding water and sanitation services, improving waste management, strengthening urban mobility and promoting financial inclusion.

Emphasising sustainable urban development, the minister called for affordable housing near employment centres and public transport, greater circularity in construction practices and scientific remediation of legacy waste. He noted that more than half of the country's legacy waste had been remediated and stressed the need to sustain the progress while preventing fresh waste accumulation.

Satendra Singh, Secretary in the Department of Urban Development under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, said the success of urban initiatives should be measured by the quality of services delivered rather than merely by the completion of projects.

He underscored the need to strengthen institutional capacity, inter-agency coordination, municipal finances and accountability, while reaffirming the Centre's commitment to working with states and cities to implement the conclave's recommendations.

NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba called for comprehensive reforms in urban governance, planning and municipal finance to address India's accelerating urbanisation. He stressed that smaller cities must be empowered through greater devolution of administrative powers and financial resources to urban local bodies.

Gauba also advocated stronger municipal accountability, improved mobilisation of own-source revenue and reforms in conventional land-use planning. Higher-density development, mixed-use neighbourhoods and transit-oriented planning, he said, could help improve housing affordability and economic productivity.

He also highlighted initiatives such as the Urban Challenge Fund and City Economic Regions, urging states to undertake structural reforms and link funding under national urban missions to their implementation.

The seven technical sessions identified a range of measures to make cities more inclusive, resilient and future-ready. The discussions on the 'Right to Walk' called for incorporating pedestrian rights into statutory plans, securing pedestrian spaces, improving accessibility and establishing dedicated funding mechanisms for walking infrastructure.

The session on water, waste and resource efficiency recommended integrated planning for water supply, wastewater and solid waste management, greater reuse of treated water, circular resource recovery and outcome-based service delivery. Sustainable financing through public-private partnerships, municipal bonds and climate finance was also emphasised.

On affordable housing, participants recommended reserving land for economically accessible homes, integrating housing with transport and employment centres, promoting rental and transit housing and simplifying approvals. The discussions on integrated urban development stressed GIS-based planning, transit-oriented growth, coordinated infrastructure investments and stronger municipal creditworthiness.

Other sessions called for citizen-centric service delivery, digital monitoring, performance-based contracts, simplified building regulations, climate-resilient construction standards and greater transparency in urban approvals.

The conclave also recommended empowering mayors with five-year tenures and clearly defined executive powers, strengthening municipal fiscal autonomy and technical staffing, and enhancing the role of ward and zonal committees.

Several initiatives and publications were launched during the concluding day, including the Used Water Marketplace under AMRUT 2.0, which will connect urban local bodies with industries and other potential users of treated water.

The Urban Challenge Fund portal was introduced to facilitate project submission, appraisal, tracking and monitoring, while an Online Interactive Municipal Finance Data Hub is intended to support knowledge-sharing and improve access to municipal revenue and expenditure data.

Other launches included Street Food Hubs under PM SVANidhi, the children's book 'Swachhata Ke Superheroes', the CPWD Nirman project-monitoring application and CPWDway, a digital learning platform for engineering professionals. An internship scheme for engineering and architecture students through the National Internship Portal was also announced.

The conclave further saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation to promote the circular use of treated used water.

The recommendations emerging from the two-day event are expected to inform the next phase of urban reforms, with a focus on stronger institutions, integrated planning, sustainable financing and accountable service delivery.