{"id":1982,"date":"2020-09-01T11:30:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T11:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/want-a-better-quality-of-life\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T08:34:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T03:04:15","slug":"want-a-better-quality-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/want-a-better-quality-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Want a better quality of life?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the struggles governments face in managing basic services and providing relief in a crisis, particularly for marginalised communities. It has also highlighted the need for empowered local governments and civic participation at the local level, and has highlighted that efficient and targeted services such as public health and sanitation require decentralised channels of delivery.<\/p>

The Constitution (74th Amendment) Act<\/a> of 1992 mandated the formation of ward committees under municipalities in Indian cities to decentralise power to local levels. The Community Participation Law<\/a> (CPL) introduced the concept of area sabhas, which are linked to ward committees and comprise of all registered voters in a polling booth (similar to a gram sabha). Despite these constitutional provisions for the devolution of power, implementation on the ground has remained a distant dream. Several states have enacted the CPL and constituted ward committees, but out of India’s major cities, only Hyderabad and Guwahati<\/a> have constituted area sabhas in all wards. Even then, no city in India has functioning ward committees or area sabhas city-wide.<\/p>

Related article: How can we empower city governments?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

\"What<\/a><\/div>

Larger cities in India currently function with concentration of power and authority in a centralised administration. This is often dominated by the bureaucracy rather than elected representatives. Without functioning formal platforms for citizen participation at the local level, there is a fundamental disconnect in Indian cities between citizens and the state.<\/p>

In this article, I share insights and evidence from studies conducted in several Indian cities to assess the state of civic awareness and participation and its impact on the quality of services received by citizens.<\/p>

It begins with low <\/strong>awareness of and attendance at ward committee meetings<\/strong><\/h3>

Janaagraha<\/a> is working with Brown University<\/a> on an on-going research study with the objective of gathering systematic data on the relationship between citizenship (civic and political knowledge and participation) and delivery of public services such as electricity, water, sanitation, and roads. We are surveying 1,000-3,000 citizens in a total of 17 cities, which includes Tier I-III cities, as well as megacities. 1<\/a> Here, we share some early insights from seven of them that were studied in 2019.<\/p>

In these seven cities, there is little evidence of wide-spread implementation and functioning of local government bodies.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Our findings highlight the low awareness among citizens of any committees at the ward-level discussing local issues, and low attendance at such committee meetings. As shown in the figure below, the highest level of awareness was seen in Hyderabad, followed by Chennai, but the figures were still low at 16 percent and 14 percent respectively. Among those aware of the ward committees, attendance was again highest in Hyderabad (74 percent) and Chennai (66 percent). In Kochi, while awareness is lower (10 percent), more than 50 percent of those who are aware attend meetings. Overall, at least in these seven cities, there is little evidence of wide-spread implementation and functioning of local government bodies.<\/p>

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Source: Janaagraha<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>

Evidence suggests that civic participation can improve quality of life for citizens<\/strong><\/h3>

Our cities are plagued with challenges around service delivery and infrastructure, which will likely only worsen as India continues to urbanise at a rapid pace<\/a>. Thus, we need effective and functioning platforms for civic engagement. Plus, constitutional provisions of ward committees and area sabhas need to move into the next phase of actual implementation. Research<\/a> points to how increased civic participation leads to improved service delivery and accountability at the local level, and builds trust between citizens and governments. There is a need to enable grassroots democracy to provide a voice to citizens.<\/p>

\"donate<\/a><\/div>

There is a need to enable grassroots democracy to provide a voice to citizens.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Our study in Bengaluru<\/a> showed that generally, when citizens, particularly the urban poor, have higher ‘levels of citizenship’, they receive better services and infrastructure. As shown in the figure below, those living in informal slums, with a citizenship index<\/a> (CI) score greater than the Bengaluru average (of 0.32 out of 1), and have better quality of services (0.57 out of 1 on the basic services index<\/a>) than those who score below the Bengaluru average (0.26 on the basic services index). Interestingly, this difference is much more pronounced for citizens living in informal slums, than for those in notified slums and other types of housing.<\/p>

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Source: Janaagraha<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>

The relationship between civic participation and improved services was also highlighted during our study in the seven cities listed above. For instance, across Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi, citizens who attend neighbourhood meetings to discuss local issues have better service delivery than those who don’t attend them. This is particularly true, and more consistently so, for those living in slum-type housing. Of the citizens who live in slum-type housing:<\/p>