With the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) about to kick off,the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is awaiting the central nod for its detailed project report (DPR) chalked out capacity building measures-a mandatory reform under JNNURM-for employees and elected representatives,an exercise pegged at Rs 4 crore.
PMC is the first urban local body (ULB) to have submitted the DPR.
The central government norms talk of earmarking 5% of central grants for capacity building. As per official documents of the JNNURM cell of the central government,capacity building would include training employees and elected representatives in facets of urban governance like solid waste management,water supply,urban planning and public health issues.
The programme includes changing the accounting system for water and energy audit. Special training is also to be conducted for elected representatives,especially women representatives. Their training would cover personality building and conflict-resolution skills,besides poverty alleviation and other services for the urban poor.
Talking about the DPR,additional municipal commissioner Anup Kumar Yadav said the DPR would include courses in e-learning,external courses,and study tours in India. Experts would guide the representatives through special residential programmes.
According to the human resources department of the PMC,the total staff strength of the civic body is 16,628 against the sanctioned 19,374. There are 108 grade-1 officers,411 grade-2 officers,5,022 grade-3 and 6,309 grade-4 employees. The training and capacity building proposes to target 5 categories,including senior management/heads of departments,and core middle management personnel who often get transferred across departments. The technical engineering staff and finance and administrative personnel would be included in the next other two categories. Grade C and D support staff would be trained especially for cutting-edge delivery in implementation of government schemes.