Separate municipal cadre must under JNNURM II

Setting up of a dedicated municipal cadre by states is a mandatory condition if they intend to get urban development funds under the centrally sponsored JNNURM scheme in future.

“States that make separate cadres for municipal administration and appoint them in urban local bodies are eligible for getting funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Phase II,” a senior official in the Urban Development Ministry told Deccan Herald.

The JNNURM II is likely to start mid 2014 as the Ministry of Urban Development is finalising the scheme.

In the municipal cadres, the states have to recruit suitable candidates in the streams of finance, public private partnership, solid waste management, waste water management, municipal administration, urban transport and urban planning and post them only to urban local bodies.

Though the Centre has been insisting on the state governments to recruit a dedicated stream of people to municipal administration by making separate cadres, none of them, except Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, have taken any steps in this regard so far.  

“In view of lukewarm reactions from the states to set up separate municipal administration cadre, the Centre is linking it with JNNURM funding to make states to fall in line,” said the official.

Having separate cadres will have more advantages as urban local bodies have dedicated staff with areas of expertise and they can involve themselves in addressing problems in urban areas like urban planning or waste management, said the official.

Unlike JNNURM I, which was started in 2005 and two cities in each states picked up by the Centre for funding, in JNNURM phase II, there is no restriction on the number of cities covered in each states.