Popularly known as NCR, the National Capital Region is one of a kind in the world. It not only has the largest spatial extent but also brings together under one planning jurisdiction 13 districts of Haryana, seven districts of Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Rajasthan, which covers the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi.
After Partition, Delhi witnessed a decadal growth rate of about 50 per cent in its population of migrants. Delhi is considered a hub of jobs and opportunities that led to the inflow of people from adjacent areas. A recent survey has proved that Delhi is home to one-fourth of jobs created in eight big cities (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Delhi).
Rapid migration led to a shortage of housing and basic infrastructure accompanied by deteriorating physical environment. As a result, the first step to the planned development of Delhi was taken in 1956 through Town Planning Organisation (TPO) which prepared an interim general plan for Greater Delhi.
The plan suggested that ‘serious consideration should be given for a planned decentralisation to outer areas and even outside the Delhi region’. This indicates that the National Capital Region is not a new entity. In the early 1970s, it was defined in geographic terms encompassing an area of over 30,000 sq km divided into inner core, middle tier and outer ring. This covered Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida, Panipat, Alwar, Meerut and Rohtak.
In this process of planning a spatial development of both the rural hinterland and urban infrastructure, the government of India in concurrence with the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan passed an Act of Parliament in 1985.
This Act brought into being the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB).
In 1989, this board brought into force the Regional Plan of 2021 – a blueprint of various initiatives and policy imperatives needed to decrease the pressure of migration on Delhi. It identified regional centres or ‘priority towns’ in the NCR where the population will be deflected to.
The planning exercise has been continuously decentralised to sub-regional levels (Uttar Pradesh – 1992; Rajasthan – 1994) and functional levels (transport, power, telecommunication). In 2005, the board also notified Regional Plan (RP) – 2021 which is currently in force. RP-2021 attempts to outline future options in tackling the problems of this imbalance in the pattern of growth of Delhi and its surrounding region in the light of new economic realities post 1991.
The concept of the RP-2021 is to develop the entire NCR as a region of global excellence by promoting economic growth and balanced development. We have seen that various areas witness a spurt in the growth after getting included in the NCR.
Being a part of NCR, districts get qualified for financial assistance in the shape of soft loans and grants. It also props up the real sector. For example, Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana were included in the NCR in the year 2015. These districts will now be linked with the proposed Regional Rapid Transit System, a high-speed mass transportation rail network facilitating faster movement of traffic among the regional centres.
To boost the growth, the board provides loans to the state governments for water supply, sewerage, sanitation, drainage, solid waste management, roads and flyovers, transmission, distribution and generation of electricity at an interest rate of 7.5 per cent. However, the population in Delhi has continued to grow at a pace faster than anticipated.
It is estimated that by 2021 the population of the national capital city would be 204 lakh; and 163.5 lakh, 49.38 lakh and 203.5 lakh respectively for the sub-regions of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Fifty per cent of the total area of NCR has been urbanised and by 2021 no rural space will be left.
Here are three steps that may help solve the crisis.
First, jurisdictions in Delhi and other states have to figure out common priorities. Priorities of states are not in consonance with Delhi’s development policies which has hindered development. Once becoming a part of NCR, states are bound by the regional plan prepared by the NCRPB. This leaves very little room for the state government to use its discretion.
Second, we need enough housing initiatives to control unplanned settlements. Public sector is failing to deliver the requisite housing units in terms of number or cost, and, therefore, the housing problem is accentuating. Slums and squatter settlements are increasing. Private sector should make the best use of affordable housing scheme – Pradhan Mantri Awaaz Yojana – by the government. Also, as recommended by B K Sundar Ray, states can either purchase existing EWS plots and flats available for immediate occupancy or invest in fresh developments of such facilities.
Third, core regional infrastructure like road, rail, telecommunication and power network should be developed ab-initio, so that the private sector continues feeling enthusiastic about investing in industries, wholesale trade, commerce, social infrastructure etc. We are witnessing a remarkable increase in the entry of private real estate developers, but to sustain a planned growth, urban infrastructure and private real estate has to be in sync.
Today, NCR is the largest metropolitan region in India with 34,144 square kilometres. It is also the most populated area. NCR is a unique example of inter-state regional planning and development, bringing together four administratively independent units. It is crucial for the region to develop and keep in mind the objective with which it was established. National Capital Region is a hub of opportunities – for people as well as improvements. We must not let it fail.
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- In the Large States category (overall), Chhattisgarh ranks 1st, followed by Odisha and Telangana, whereas, towards the bottom are Maharashtra at 16th, Assam at 17th and Gujarat at 18th. Gujarat is one State that has seen startling performance ranking 5th in the PAI 2021 Index outperforming traditionally good performing States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but ranks last in terms of Delta
- In the Small States category (overall), Nagaland tops, followed by Mizoram and Tripura. Towards the tail end of the overall Delta ranking is Uttarakhand (9th), Arunachal Pradesh (10th) and Meghalaya (11th). Nagaland despite being a poor performer in the PAI 2021 Index has come out to be the top performer in Delta, similarly, Mizoram’s performance in Delta is also reflected in it’s ranking in the PAI 2021 Index
- In terms of Equity, in the Large States category, Chhattisgarh has the best Delta rate on Equity indicators, this is also reflected in the performance of Chhattisgarh in the Equity Pillar where it ranks 4th. Following Chhattisgarh is Odisha ranking 2nd in Delta-Equity ranking, but ranks 17th in the Equity Pillar of PAI 2021. Telangana ranks 3rd in Delta-Equity ranking even though it is not a top performer in this Pillar in the overall PAI 2021 Index. Jharkhand (16th), Uttar Pradesh (17th) and Assam (18th) rank at the bottom with Uttar Pradesh’s performance in line with the PAI 2021 Index
- Odisha and Nagaland have shown the best year-on-year improvement under 12 Key Development indicators.
- In the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu and, the bottom three performers are Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram; and, the bottom three performers are Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
- Among the 60:40 division States, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the top three performers and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland; and, the bottom three performers are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
- Among the 60:40 division States, Goa, West Bengal and Delhi appear as the top three performers and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the top three performers and Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were the bottom three performers
- West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were the top three States amongst the 60:40 division States; while Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan appeared as the bottom three performers
- In the case of 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura were the top three performers and Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand featured as the bottom three
- Among the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and the bottom three performers are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Goa
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland and the bottom three performers are Manipur and Assam
In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)