‘Empowerment of urban local bodies remains a concern’: G20 engagement group

“The empowerment of our ULBs remains a pressing concern, necessitating a larger pool of trained professionals and sufficient resources. Establishing a mechanism of accountability for all officers and government officials is crucial to effectively address the demands of the people,” Kumar, who is also Director, Smart Cities Mission, said, as per a tweet by the U20 India handle.

Indore MP Shankar Lalwani asked the delegates to focus on digitisation and the opportunities created due to urbanisation. Lalwani said the discussions on Thursday were in continuation of earlier conferences in the series and would lead up to the Mayoral Summit, which is to be held in July in Ahmedabad.

The U20 group is being chaired by the Ahmedabad Mayor as the city is the host.

Ahmedabad has chosen six topics as the priority areas—encouraging environmentally responsive behaviour; ensuring water security; accelerating climate finance; leveraging ‘local’ potential and identity; reinventing urban governance and planning frameworks; and catalysing digital urban futures.