Nagpur: In a major push towards sustainable urban development and citizen participation, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has proposed an innovative “My Vibrant and Smart Ward” competition to transform municipal wards into smart, environmentally sustainable and citizen-friendly neighbourhoods. The initiative, announced in the NMC Budget, aims to encourage healthy competition among wards while rewarding excellence in cleanliness, civic management and environmental conservation.

The proposal was unveiled by Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare while presenting the civic body’s Budget under the leadership of Mayor Neeta Thakre and with the guidance of Deputy Mayor Leela Hathibed and Leader of the House Narendra (Balya) Borkar.

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As part of the initiative, the ward securing the first position in the competition will receive an additional development grant of Rs 50 lakh for carrying out further civic improvement works.

According to the Budget proposal, wards will be evaluated on parameters such as implementation of smart and sustainable development initiatives, environmental conservation, cleanliness, efficient waste management, green cover enhancement, and overall civic infrastructure. Outstanding performance in property tax and water tax collection will also be considered while selecting the winning ward.

If the pilot initiative proves successful, the competition will be expanded to all 38 municipal wards through a citywide “Clean Mohalla Competition”, encouraging residents and elected representatives to collectively work towards cleaner and better-managed neighbourhoods.

The Budget also seeks to foster a sense of civic ownership through the campaign “I Am the Ambassador of My Lane”, urging every citizen to take responsibility for keeping their street, locality and neighbourhood clean and well maintained. The civic administration believes the campaign will strengthen public participation, promote environmental awareness, increase Nagpur’s green cover and help transform the city into a cleaner and more eco-friendly urban centre. Corporators have been urged to actively lead the movement and inspire community participation.

Partnership with premier institutions for better governance

In another forward-looking proposal, the NMC plans to leverage the expertise of leading educational and research institutions located in Nagpur to improve civic administration through evidence-based policymaking and good governance.

The Budget notes that, owing to the initiatives of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, several prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Nagpur, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and Symbiosis International University have established campuses in the city.

To harness their academic expertise, the civic body proposes to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIM Nagpur. Under the arrangement, experts and researchers will undertake in-depth studies of the functioning of various municipal departments and recommend measures to improve efficiency, transparency and service delivery.

Students and interns from these institutions will also be given opportunities to work across different departments of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, enabling them to gain practical administrative experience while providing the civic body with innovative ideas, research-backed recommendations and policy inputs. The NMC also plans to undertake impact assessments and adopt global best practices in urban governance for effective implementation.

Startup incubation centre for Gen Z entrepreneurs

The Budget has also laid special emphasis on promoting entrepreneurship among the younger generation. A Jamsetji Tata Startup Incubation Centre has been proposed to nurture innovation and encourage Gen Z entrepreneurs to launch startups in Nagpur.

The proposed incubation centre will provide aspiring entrepreneurs with a platform to develop business ideas, receive mentoring and create employment opportunities, reinforcing Nagpur’s emergence as a growing hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.