High-Level Expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure
Context:
Citing the critical absence of an integrated, long-term urban investment and strategy framework, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs has recommended that the government constitute a new High-Level Expert Committee.
The Need for a New Committee:
Fragmented Planning:
In its recent report submitted to Parliament, the Standing Committee argued that without a cohesive framework, India risks facing fragmented planning, poor resource allocation, and significant financing stress in the future.
Limitations of Current Schemes:
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs highlighted ongoing missions like AMRUT 2.0 (tap water supply and sewerage), Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, PMAY-U 2.0 (housing), Metro Rail projects, and PM e-Bus Seva as drivers for the 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision.
However, the parliamentary panel noted that these flagship programmes remain largely "scheme-driven and sector-specific" rather than forming a comprehensive national strategy.
The Proposed Mandate for 2047:
The recommended High-Level Expert Committee would be tasked with comprehensively assessing India's urban landscape up to the year 2047.
Its mandate would include evaluating:
Urban infrastructure requirements.
Financing needs.
Governance reforms.
Capacity-building imperatives.
Historical Context and Current Gaps:
The 2011 Assessment:
The most recent comprehensive urban infrastructure assessment was conducted by a High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) over a decade ago, in 2011.
The 2011 HPEC report only covered projections up to the year 2031, predicting that 75% of Indians will live in cities by 2030.
The parliamentary panel highlighted that currently, no updated national-level evaluation exists for urban demands beyond 2030.
This gap persists despite important reports, such as the 2022 NITI Aayog and Asian Development Bank (ADB) study ("Cities as Engines of Growth"), stressing the strong correlation between urbanization and GDP growth.