UGC directs HEIs to adopt NITI Aayog’s urban planning reforms

The NITI Aayog report lists down a set of 14 recommendations for reforms. The Advisory Committee suggests ‘developing India-centric solutions’.

UGC directs HEIs to adopt NITI Aayog’s urban planning reforms

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all the Higher Education Institutions across the country to comply with the recommendations in ‘Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India’, a report by NITI Aayog’s advisory committee.

The NITI Aayog report lists down a set of 14 recommendations for reforms. The Advisory Committee suggests ‘developing India-centric solutions’. The report recommends that the history of human settlements in the Indian subcontinent be taught to all young planners in a manner that can help them learn about the planning and management of ancient and medieval human settlements in India.

The Advisory Committee also recommends more exposure in curricula on Economics’ and a deeper focus on the subject matter of economics to be brought in by the educational institutions while educating future planners. NITI Aayog had constituted an Advisory Committee on ‘Reforms in Urban Planning Education in India' in October 2020. The consultative process resulted in a comprehensive document called "Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India" September 2021. It presented a condensed outcome of the deliberations with the committee members, eminent experts, academia, and professionals.

As per the report by NITI Aayog, the way to strengthen the urban planning education system is that the Central universities and technical institutions in all the States, Union Territories (UTs) of the Indian Himalayan Region should be encouraged to establish a ‘department of planning and public policy’ and offer postgraduate degree programmes (MTech) with specializations in ‘hill area planning’, ‘environmental planning’, ‘regional planning’, and ‘rural area planning’. The Advisory Committee also recommends that all such institutions may coordinate with the Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and respective state rural development departments or directorates and develop demand-driven short-term programmes on rural area planning.

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