City: Mumbai

“Are we not 'ladki bahins' too?” wonder some women from migrant families of Chinchpada, Airoli in Thane. When the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was launched, these low-income families hoped to benefit from the scheme, which promises women a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 if their family’s annual income does not exceed Rs 2,50,000. This initiative seems like it would offer some relief to low-income migrant worker families in Chinchpada. However, it raises the question: who qualifies as a 'Ladki Bahin' (ladki bahin means dear sister)? A key barrier is the lack of essential documentation, such as Aadhaar cards,…

Maharashtra assembly elections are here and Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is witnessing tough fights between various parties for 36 out of a total 288 seats. With many political defections and splits in parties, the number of contesting candidates has gone up by 28% since 2019. A total of 4,140 candidates will contest the polls, including 420 candidates for Mumbai. Amidst this politically volatile atmosphere, in all likelihood, the focus will be on who forms the next government. Issues that need to be discussed and are of relevance to people, will remain on the periphery as the political campaigns gather…

Candidates from various political parties are vying for votes in the upcoming Assembly elections. While the youth vote often takes centre stage, one demographic tends to be overlooked during election campaigns — senior citizens. According to data released by the Election Commission of India on October 30, 2024, there are 1.78 crore voters aged 60 and above, making up 18.34% of the total voter population.The interests of this 18.34% have been collated in a manifesto released by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Maharashtra, which represents 26 organisations working for senior citizens including NGOs, researchers and academics from the field…

Several infrastructure projects have been launched or inaugurated in Mumbai over the last five years, in the backdrop of huge political upheavals in Maharashtra with unexpected alliances, fractured coalitions, and the overthrow of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) by the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti. Celebrated as an engineering feat, the Mumbai Coastal Road, named Dharmveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road, was inaugurated by chief minister Eknath Shinde with deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on 11th March. This is amongst the major infrastructure projects that have been completed in the past five years and being counted as one…

On September 22nd, the playground on the Raosaheb Patwardhan Park resembled a happy space where people gathered to enjoy and chat, children played football, a few played badminton or even hula hoops. A group jived over Zumba dance moves, while others danced to the live percussion music. The crowd had gathered to celebrate the playground being saved from the clutches of cemented development. A cake was cut to celebrate the occasion. Elected representatives from all the major political parties, Varsha Gaikwad, Mumbai head of the Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi from the Shiv Sena and even Ashish Shelar, the local Bharatiya Janata…

Praja, the NGO which works to ensure government accountability, has released a target based manifesto for reforms in Maharashtra for the upcoming assembly elections. The manifesto is designed to empower local governments as they are best placed  to understand and resolve local urban issues. It outlines four major urban governance reforms, each with clearly identified goals, issues and targets which are in alignment with the sustainable development goals. Urban governance reforms Empowered City Elected Representatives and Legislative Structure: Empowered governance leads to effective governance. This requires urgent measures like timely and regular municipal elections and training for councillors. Service delivery: Devolution…

Maharashtra is at a critical juncture in its urban development. As cities expand and populations grow more diverse, the state's transportation infrastructure struggles to keep pace. Rising pollution, worsening congestion, and increasing social inequities have escalated from issues of inefficiency to a full-blown crisis. As the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections approach, these mobility challenges require urgent action. Also Read: Local and ethical candidates only, Govandi citizens tell political parties ahead of elections To address this, Parisar, Waatavaran, and Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), with support from the Sustainable Mobility Network (SMN), have co-drafted the Maharashtra Urban Mobility Charter…

As Maharashtra assembly elections draw closer, all one gets to hear about is political clashes, leaders switching parties, candidates promising the moon and more and an overall atmosphere of unreal declarations amidst unbelievably high decibel campaigns.  In this cacophony, Mumbaikars, who are notorious for lukewarm voting patterns, may feel more distant than ever. The city has been in a state of perpetual construction and redevelopment activities with several infrastructure projects such as the Coastal Road and Metro phase III going on. Pollution has worsened and so have condition of roads and overall quality of life.   Some of this may be…

The members of Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum have written an open letter for the political parties about candidates they field from the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency in the upcoming assembly elections. The letter stresses that citizens want their candidates to be local and ethical candidates. Based on the opinions of voters, citizen groups, and citizen welfare associations, the letter outlines the qualities that the voters are looking for in their leaders. Infrastructure challenges in Govandi The constituency has several issues such as poor infrastructure, poor sanitation and substandard living conditions. The letter highlights the following challenges. Slum conditions: With a large population…

Mumbai has numerous dams at about 100 km from the municipal boundaries of the city. Yet many in the city do not have access to water. If you look closely at who cannot use this water, it is mostly people living in informal settlements and bastis. In 2012, we at Pani Haq Samiti filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, demanding water for all in Mumbai, as per Article 21 of the Constitution, which highlights the right to dignity and the right to life.  The HC verdict directed the BMC to create a “Water for All”…