Building India’s First Developed City

Shimla has the potential to be among the first Indian cities to afford a first world quality of life to its inhabitants. The Shimla Development Plan is aimed at raising the bar on the quality of transportation, health care, education and the environment with the aim of boosting productivity while generating profitable employment to its citizens.

Himachal Pradesh has arrested population growth by birth (fertility rate of ~1.5), has a high per capita income, educated population, good law and order, political stability. It is time for the city to reap the benefits of its prior investments in human development.

Travel and Transportation

Shimla needs to transport about a similar number of people as population a large tourist enterprise like the Delhi Airport, or a large theme park like Universal Studios. A frequent, high capacity public transport network that brings down travel time to 20 minutes between any major crossings. The productivity improvements from a better transport system is key to transforming the city and this can be done in a profitable way at lower costs than current expenditures in this sector! Currently transport expenditure can be up to 40% of costs for basic needs like going to school or getting to the hospital. More here…

Health care

Upgrading existing health centers across Shimla are expected to deliver superior care, closer to home. A digitally networked delivery mechanism in a public-private partnership is expected to make both acute and chronic care more accessible. One can envisage a system where any city resident does not have to travel over 2 Km for a quality consultation, where each resident has a basic yearly health checkup and has a professional to reach out to. Further, education in schools can uplift the standards of awareness and skills for every family in Himachal Pradesh. More here…

Education and employment

Shimla is blessed with some of the best educational institutions in the region, from primary schools to higher education and research institutions. Yet, it’s youth are often migrate away in pursuit of employment. Building skills and encouraging profitable enterprises that compete to resolve the challenges faced by residents is expected to drive high skilled, productive growth synergistic with the needs of the city. The economy would also benefit with diversification beyond tourism, agriculture and liquor as key revenue sources for the state. More here….

Environment

Unwittingly, the residents through municipal services and taxes subsidize the disposal of packing material of consumer goods. A right to return packaging , and a regulatory requirement for companies to collect their own packaging will ensure a cleaner environment while encouraging a circular economy. Encroachments and unregulated construction can be curbed if the property tax payments also include a regular demarcation of land and assessment of construction on it. Indeed, Shimla can aim to increase its green cover every year by 2%. More here..

Finances

A developed city incurs fewer resources and expenditure as it is more productive and efficient. Shimla cannot afford to remaining an under developed city as the costs on its citizens and the environment are increasingly high!

The city has the potential to deliver profitable and quality services to its residents in areas of transportation, health care, and education. The residents currently incur higher expenditures on these due to an inefficient social delivery mechanism. For example, tolls to discourage private vehicles and enhancing public transport options can generate revenue for more productive social expenditure. Diversification of industries and revenue sources is expected to yield a more robust financial standing for the state.

Direct money transfers to those that qualify as economically weaker each year brings transparency and precision to the subsidies.

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