Status of Common Service Center Program in India: Issues, Challenges and Emerging Practices for Rollout

The Common Service Centre is a 1.2 billion USD initiative by the Government of India. It is an integral pillar of the Government’s National e-governance Plan. The project was started in the year 2004 with the vision to develop these centres as the front-end delivery points for government, private and social sector services to rural citizens of India in an integrated manner. However as on 31st May, 2010, six years after the initiation of the project, only about 50 percent of the States had reported success in achieving 70 percent rollout status of these centres. Even the successful States were being plagued by issues which were hindering the operation and threatening the sustainability of these centres. In this paper we have discussed the current status of implementation of the CSCs across the nation and the pertinent issues that are being faced by the various stakeholders in the project. It was interesting to find out that though the country wise rollout had not yet reached the cent percent mark there were some states that were doing well, compared to others, despite the fact that some of these failing states were the first to initiate the exercise.We have also conducted field studies in the states of Jharkhand,Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya in order to understand the ground level issues and challenges hampering the implementation of these centres. This paper is an attempt to understand the various challenges and bottlenecks that are being faced in making these common service centres sustainable. Given that the CSCs are designed to provide the last mile linkage to G2C and B2C services, the importance and impact of these centres are immense and the program has the potential to overturn the issues related to accessibility that pulls back the sizeable percentage of the populace. It is however, noteworthy that these perceived benefits to the citizens from this project can only be accrued when these centres are operational. Thus it becomes imperative to study the factors that are hindering the setting up and the functioning of these centres. The study also reveals that there was lack of fool-proof planning at the government’s end in terms of having no structured framework for roll out and no risk mitigation plan in place for a project of this dimension. Moreover, the study shows that there has been a substantial evolution in the business model (based on PPP) that was being used initially across various states in the country to a business model (based on PPP) that is emerging to be more successful and sustainable than what was initially planned for.

National Policies for Local Urban Sustainability: A New Governance Approach?

Cities have become a focal point for efforts to transition towards a more sustainable, low-carbon society, with many municipal agencies championing ‘eco city’ initiatives of one kind or another. And yet, national policy initiatives frequently play an important – if sometimes overlooked – role, too. This chapters provides comparative perspectives on four recent national sustainable city programmes from France, India, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The analysis reveals two key insights: first, national policy is found to exercise a strong shaping role in what sustainable development for future cities is understood to be, which helps explain the considerable differences in priorities and approaches across countries. Second, beyond articulating strategic priorities, national policy may exercise a ‘soft’ governance function by incentivising and facilitating wider, voluntary governance networks in the effort to implement sustainable city projects locally. This innovative role, however, depends on the ability of national policy to produce resonance among societal actors and on its effective interaction with formal planning processes

Rural knowledge centres : harnessing local knowledge via interactive media; Policy Makers Workshop, 8-9 Oct. 2003, Chennai

Annexure 46 of final repor

Mobilising the state? Social mobilisation and state interaction in India, Brazil and South Africa

This paper explores how social mobilisation and the state interact, influence and mutually constitute each other in India, Brazil and South Africa. Given their broad similarities of democratic political structures, as emerging economies that now often commonly characterise them as ‘middle-income’ and of their persistent socioeconomic inequalities, a focus on these three countries offers opportunities for a comparative analysis on whether and to what extent democracy is deepened to meet the needs of the poor through state-society interactions. Through a political process approach that combines historical analysis with select cases from each country, we critically examine the modes of interaction between forms of mobilisation that raise citizen demands and the state response. The findings show that these states find it comfortable to adopt participatory modes and to engage with forms of mobilisation that are perceived (from within their institutional ranks) to be close to their own framework and strategy of action. However, the cases in which citizens raise legitimate yet contentious demand through protests and other forms of contestations are highly likely to meet state resistance. However, from the citizen’s point of view, action is important, and despite the potential lack of state response, contributes to a sense of agency and empowerment which is crucial for democracy. Not letting the state off the hook, the paper argues, is in itself an empowering expression of citizenship and political identity

Biodiversity and the Indian judiciary: tracing the trajectory

The Covid-19 narrative spotlights the necessity to conserve biological diversity (biodiversity) including ecosystems and wildlife. Biodiversity problems are global, and associated governance issues range beyond geographical and spatial boundaries. The globalisation and internationalisation of biodiversity concerns have resulted in the emergence of biodiversity legal frameworks designed to conserve and sustainably use our planet’s biological resources. As an “organic and evolving discipline,” biodiversity laws are increasingly important and affect the Earth’s natural systems that support human life. The article analyses the judicial space that makes, interprets and enforces laws that conserve and support the sustainable use of biodiversity. The proactive, creative judiciary, acting as amicus environment, has produced a major shift in the Indian environmental landscape. The use of public interest litigation (PIL) in both environmental and biodiversity matters is welcomed by the senior judiciary (Supreme Court and High Courts) and also by the specialised environmental tribunal, National Green Tribunal (NGT). The terminological reach of the popular descriptive words, environment, nature and ecology, on occasions including biodiversity, introduced matters litigated in the courts and tribunal. The combination of legal, scientific, and technical expertise in the three judicial fora recognize and consider conservation and protection of biodiversity as an inextricable part of life. The article follows the chronological path of biodiversity litigation, i.e. pre 1992–2002; then 2002–2010 and finally 2010–2020 and examines significant aspects of the three decades of biodiversity litigation

Transformation in development planning frameworks for promotion of sustainable development of agriculture in Bangladesh

This research provides a critical investigation of Bangladesh agricultural development planning frameworks in light of principles of sustainable development of agriculture (SDA) with a view to guide the government in finding ways to promote sustainable development in the agriculture sector through planning process. Even though development planning is not a panacea for the promotion of sustainable development at the national level, this process is suggested in many important international consensuses for implementing the internationally agreed agendas at country level. The international consensus on sustainable development as formulated in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also suggest that governments find ways for internalisation of SDGs in governments’ planning processes and synchronise the SDGs with relevant ongoing processes of development. The integrated and universally applicable Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) incorporate some sustainable agriculture goals that have relevance to the principles agreed in different international forums for promotion of sustainable development. Moreover, sustainable agriculture goals are integrated with other relevant sustainable development goals, such as poverty eradication, elimination of inequality, biodiversity protection, addressing climate change and promotion of governance and citizen participation, right to information and access to justice at country level. These diversified but integrated goals are critical for sustainable development of the agriculture sector. Given that the SDGs are aspirational and seek internalisation at country level through development planning frameworks, this research finds some internationally agreed principles as the basis for internalisation of the goals of sustainable development of agriculture at country level. This policy research examines the appropriateness of Bangladesh development planning frameworks in promoting the SDA in light of seven SDA principles, derived from internationally agreed guidelines on sustainable development in the context of agriculture. These principles provide the basis for reviewing the adequacy of development planning frameworks at national level. Before reviewing the Bangladesh development planning frameworks, the research examines the agricultural development approaches of India that pursues sustainable development of agriculture through its planning frameworks. India has been selected for this purpose because of its similarities with Bangladesh in respect to planning frameworks, legal system and agricultural development approach. The Bangladesh development planning framework is reviewed to identify the gaps and improvements required for the promotion of SDA based on internationally agreed SDA principles and comparative experiences. This research finally recommends transformative proposals for filling the competency gaps in planning frameworks for promotion of SDA in Bangladesh. The promotion of SDA through development planning frameworks in Bangladesh requires an integrated agenda by different agencies, at different levels of the government, in a coordinated way. This change will need political commitment both at national and local level as well as good governance through transparent, participatory and accountability processes. The strong commitment of the government can advance the transformational agendas as has been seen in assistance to subsidies and other safety net programmes in Bangladesh. International cooperation in respect of technological development, capacity building and financing for implementing sustainable development interventions is also critical in promoting the SDA in Bangladesh

World Bank and urban water supply reforms in India : a case study on Karnataka

In 2002, the Indian government initiated a broad range of programmes that proposed market-based reforms for water. Inspired by World Bank’s policy ideas, the processes have often led to conflicts in India. The conventional wisdom on water sector policies in developing countries insists that international structures constrain and determine state behavior in initiating policy change. However, I argue that changes in urban water policies in India is, primarily, not a case of sole dominance of international financial institutions and imposition of external preferences; rather they also reflect the new global realities of transformed ‘state interests and institutions’ emerging in India. My argument is, while external engagement in water sector continues, the developments of the federal state in an globalised era of political and economic interchanges has led to new equations in the central-local relations. Within the new governance structures emerging in the decentralized context, the sub-national units emerge as significant influences on the speed, pace, and extent of enactment and implementation of global water policies in India. The adoption of national and State water policies, since 2002, and implementation of 24/7 water supply programme illustrates my argument. To support my argument I draw on the policy transfer literature to explain global policy initiatives in water in India. I develop a framework based on theories of policy transfer and political economy of policy reform for a critical and systematic analysis on global policy transfer in the context of World Bank programmes in India. Using case study evidence of transfer to a single sub-national-state in India, and drawing out comparisons on design and implementation of two water supply projects, I provide critical insights on implementation of global policy ideas within local settings, undertaken by the sub-national political and policy elite in India. My findings highlight a coincidence of interests between sub-national policy elite and global actors in introducing market mechanisms in water, and thereby link global neoliberal restructuring of water to transformed state power and interests at domestic levels. The ‘political economy of policy transfer’ in water therefore contributes to the theoretical and empirical literature on water policy-making in an era of increased global exchanges.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo