Speakers
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Dr. K K PandeyProfessor, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA)Dr. K.K. Pandey, Professor, Urban Management and Coordinator, Centre for Urban Studies at IIPA holds Ph.D in Urban Finance and PG Diploma in Housing Planning from Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Netherlands (1985), Advance course in Urban Management from University of Birmingham (1994) and Course on Population Studies from EWC, University of Hawaii, USA (1991) and online course on Municipal Finance in 2001 from UNESCAP and University of Cardiff UK.
Dr. Pandey has intensively worked on urban management and finance during last four decades and coordinated empirical research, training and advisory services on matters related to urban governance, infrastructure and housing. He also has several publications to his credit. He has also travelled extensively on various academic assignments within India and abroad.
Dr. Pandey has been member of seven UN expert committees constituted by UN-HABITAT, UNESCO and UNESCAP on urban finance, governance, Training of Trainers, leadership, pro-poor PPP, sustainable development and urban management. He has been also member of seven Expert Committees of United Nation (UN) and other committee in the Government of India, States and Metro cities. He also headed a study group of the Government of India on Economic Activity in the National Capital Region.
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Dr. Ravikant JoshiSenior Fellow (Senior Finance & Governance) CPPR, Former Chief Accounts Officer, Vadodra Municipal CorporationDr. Ravikant Joshi is an Urban Finance and Management specialist and has worked in India and abroad. He is former chief accounts officer of Vadodara Municipal Corporation with more than 35 years of experience. He was responsible for the conceptualisation, designing and implementation of Municipal Financial, Budgetary and Accounting System Reforms and their computerization in Vadodara Municipal Corporation.
• At present since August 2019, Dr. Joshi is working as an Advisor to Urban Management Centre – Ahmedabad, also he is working as a freelance consultant.
• 2017 to 2019 Dr. Joshi worked as a Team Leader – Technical Support Group to National Urban Livelihood Mission – Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs – Government of India
• Dr. Ravikant Joshi worked as an Advisor – Urban to CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions, Mumbai from 2002 to 2017.
• He has worked as a short-term consultant (STC) for multilaterals like World Bank, Water & Sanitation Program, ADB, USAID, DFID, UN Habitat, CLGF and for various national/state level organisations on urban issues.
• He conceived, designed and spearheaded implementation of Accrual Base Double Entry Accounting System in 159 municipal bodies of Gujarat. -
Sarthak PradhanPublic Finance Researcher, Takshashila InstitutionSarthak Pradhan is an Assistant Professor at the Takshashila Institution. He teaches economic reasoning, researches public finance and conducts tutorials on government budgets. He has a PGP in Public Policy from the Takshashila Institution. He holds a dual degree from BITS Pilani.
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Soumyadip ChattopadhyayAssociate Professor, Department of Economics and Politics, VISVA-BHARATI UniversitySoumyadip Chattopadhyay teaches at the Department of Economics and Politics, Visva Bharati University. He holds a PhD from University of Calcutta. He was associated with Graduate School of Geography Clark University as a C V Raman Fellow and Department of Urban Studies and Planning University of Sheffield as a Commonwealth Academic Fellow. His research interests lie in the field of development studies and more specifically focuses on urban finance, urban inequality and ongoing transformations in urban governance in Indian cities. He is currently serving as one of the Associate Editors of International Journal of Rural Management.
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Vidyadhar K. PhatakFormer Dean, Faculty of Planning, CEPT UniversityHe worked for 28 years till 2004 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. Thereafter till 2016 he worked as freelance consultant on various aspects of urban development. Outcome of one such assignment in 2013 was the report on “Land Based Fiscal Tools and Practices for Generating Additional Financial Resources” for the Ministry of Urban Development. From 2016 to 2019 he was Dean, Faculty of Planning, CEPT University.
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: Jul 12 2024
- Time: 8:30 am
Strengthening Municipal Finances in India: Augmenting Municipal Revenues (Part 01)
In India, municipal revenue and expenditure are not only low, hovering around 1% of GDP (as against 7.4% in Brazil and 6% in South Africa), but they have also remained stagnant over time. There is a gross mismatch between the functions and finances of the urban local bodies. The current levels of own taxes and non-taxes are insufficient to fund the expenditure demands of urban areas adequately. Consequently, urban local bodies have increasingly relied on funding from the Union and state governments, placing them in a vulnerable position over time.
The poor finances of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have detrimental effects on urban infrastructure and service delivery, ultimately lowering living standards. Moreover, these financial constraints serve as a barrier to the continued expansion of cities, impeding national economic growth. Considering the substantial contribution of cities to India’s GDP (>60%), it is imperative to prioritise their development and advancement. An essential step towards achieving this goal is addressing and improving municipal finances.
In our endeavour to strengthen municipal finances, we are hosting a three-session webinar series on municipal revenue, expenditure and institutional design. The sessions will have leading economists, policy practitioners, public finance scholars, urban planners, etc., to discuss various municipal finances. The goal of these webinars is to generate actionable suggestions for policymakers. Thus, the discussion will focus primarily on exploring potential solutions, with limited discussion on the problem’s context, nature, and extent.
Key Questions to be addressed:
How can the current tax and non-tax revenue sources be leveraged further? What are potential alternative avenues for generating both tax and non-tax revenue? Are there any technical or political-economic hurdles in expanding the municipal revenue base? How effectively are municipal bodies managing their revenue collection efforts? What needs to be done to facilitate borrowings?
