Speakers
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Ayesha SaeedDeputy News Editor, Urban UpdateAyesha Saeed is a writer, researcher and communications professional based in New Delhi, writing about cities, policy, culture, and gender. She is Deputy News Editor at Urban Update, a magazine published by the All India Institute of Local Self-Government, where she oversees editorial production, scripts and presents video content for the magazine’s YouTube channel. Her reporting and editorial interests include cities, migration, language, culture, and the ways in which public policy shapes everyday life. As part of her research, she is particularly interested in the intersections of language, identity and urban space in South Asia.
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Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd.)Director General, AIILSGDr Jairaj Moreshwar Phatak is an IAS officer of the 1978 batch. He served as the 25th Municipal Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from May 2007 to October 2009, succeeding Johny Joseph. He is known for his encyclopaedic knowledge and sharp replies. Earlier in his career, he served as Principal Secretary in the Urban Development Department of the Maharashtra Government. During his tenure as Secretary of the School Education Department, he was lauded for his efforts to improve student welfare. Throughout his career, as Collector of Nagpur, Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, or Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Corporation, Dr Phatak made his presence felt at every posting. He retired from service in 2015, after more than three and a half decades of service.
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Dr. (Prof.) Sneha PalnitkarCEO and Members Secretary of Waste Management Research Centre, AIILSGDr. (Prof.) Sneha Palnitkar is the Chief Executive Officer and Members Secretary of Waste Management Research Centre at All India Institute of Local Self-Government, Mumbai. She is also the founder member of RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief) India. She represents many reputed institutions, organisations in the capacity of Board Member or Advisory Member. Entities like Technical Committee on Authorization – Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Govt of Maharashtra, Interim Governing Committee Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), UK to name a few. She is also a visiting professor in many educational institutes like Mumbai University, TISS, IIT, CEPT, etc.
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Dr. Kulwant SinghFounder, 3R Waste FoundationDr. Kulwant Singh is the CEO of 3R WASTE Foundation and Board Member of the KSS-Institute of Spatial Planning and Environment Research, Panchkula. An internationally recognised expert in urban development, water, sanitation and waste management, he advises organisations including UN-Habitat under its Waste Wise Cities Programme and the BusWorld Foundation, Belgium. He previously served as Chief Technical Adviser with UN-Habitat’s Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch, where he led policy dialogues and urban basic services initiatives across Asia and the Pacific. Dr. Singh is also the Founder Trustee of the Indian Heritage Cities Network, serves on the Board of FINISH Society, and has been a visiting faculty member at UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Rotterdam.
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Hitesh VaidyaUrban Practitioner and former Director of NIUAHitesh Vaidya is a distinguished urban development practitioner with over 25 years of experience in policy design, project formulation, and large-scale program management. He has worked extensively with global development institutions including the United Nations, World Bank, and USAID, contributing to transformative initiatives in urban governance, infrastructure management, and inclusive poverty alleviation.
Prior to joining the National Institute of Urban Affairs, he served as Country Representative of UN-Habitat India, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the ecosystem for the design and rollout of India’s flagship urban missions. Renowned for his strategic leadership, he excels in building robust institutional frameworks and driving effective project implementation through strong coordination among governments, multilateral agencies, and diverse stakeholders.
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Ravi Ranjan GuruDeputy Director General, AIILSG, Program Manager – South South West Asia, UCLG ASPAC
Ravi Ranjan Guru is a highly experienced professional with expertise in climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development. He is pursuing a PhD on climate change with a Master in Energy Systems from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies. Ravi has worked in South & Southeast Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Korea, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, and has managed national and international projects on CDM, GHG accounting, energy efficiency and solar energy. Some examples of projects include the Climate Roadmap for South Asian Cities; WWF’s Living Ganga Project; and multi-megawatt solar projects. Ravi has worked in stakeholder engagement and management; proposal writing; media relations; and carbon credits negotiation. He has technical depth and strategic insights into the changing climate and energy landscape.
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Sudhir KrishnaFormer Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, GoIDr. Sudhir Krishna is a former IAS officer with 37 years of experience in urban governance and public policy. He led landmark initiatives including JNNURM, the National Mission for Sustainable Habitats, and the Sustainable Urban Transport Programme, while contributing to the conceptualisation of the Smart Cities Mission. A former Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, he has chaired several high-level government committees and the Fifth Delhi Finance Commission. He currently chairs the BIS Technical Committee on Sustainable and Smart Cities and serves as a national resource person on leadership development.
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Tikender Singh PanwarFormer Deputy Mayor (Shimla)Tikender is the former deputy mayor of Shimla, where he championed participatory urban planning and resilience. He authored four books on urbanization, contributes to national dailies on sustainability and Himalayan ecology, and was a speaker at COP21, UN Habitat III, and the BRICS conference. He advises urban think tanks, trains elected officials, and serves as convenor of NCU and professor of practice at Shoolini University.
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: Jul 24 2026
- Time: 5:30 am - 7:30 am
AIILSG@100: Empowering Local Governments for a Developed India
The All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG), in collaboration with Habitat Forum INHAF, invites you to a special webinar commemorating 100 years of AIILSG’s pioneering contribution to strengthening local self-governance and advancing urban development in India.
As India moves towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, empowered Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will play a transformative role in creating resilient, inclusive, and citizen-centric cities. This landmark webinar will bring together eminent policymakers, urban practitioners, researchers, and institutional leaders to reflect on AIILSG’s century-long legacy and discuss the future of local governance, institutional reforms, climate resilience, innovation, and capacity building.
This webinar offers a unique opportunity for government officials, urban planners, researchers, academics, development practitioners, students, and civil society organisations to engage in meaningful dialogue on strengthening local governments for a sustainable and developed India.