Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) initially known as Centre for Training and Research in Municipal Administration (CTRMA), later renamed as CUS in 1974-75, was established in IIPA in 1966 with the support from Government of India (Ministry of Health and Family Planning the then nodal ministry on urban local bodies/governments) as a result of recommendations from Nuruddin Committee Report (1963). It was duly endorsed by RURC (Rural Urban Relationship Committee) in 1966.
Initially Centre was guided by a senior level advisory committee having the then minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shri I.K. Gujral and Mr. Nuruddin Ahmad (the than
Mayor of Delhi) as members and representatives from Ministries of Health & Family Welfare, Petroleum, Planning Commission etc. Subsequently, the advisory committee was replaced by a Steering Committee having representation from Ministry of Works & Housing/Urban Development and now Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, regional urban centres and select state governments. As a part of IIPA CUS since beginning has developed and strengthened its national and inter country outreach and coverage of stakeholders. Director IIPA is director CUS and chairperson of steering committee and Coordinator CUS is the member secretary of Steering committee.
National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Regional Centres for Urban and Environmental Studies (Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai), IIT-Roorkee, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO), NBCC, MES, National Institute of Urban Management, Hyderabad and 14 Indian states/UT (NCTD, Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J & K, Chandigarh,Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh, Ladakh and Jharkhand)
European Union, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies Netherlands, UNHABITAT.
Objectives
The Centre was created with specific objectives to operate as an apex institution at national level:
Synopsis
India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047 envisions a nation built on the strength of its cities– acting as dynamic centres that generate prosperity, innovation, and inclusive growth. Urban India, which is home to nearly 500 million people today and projected to host over 875 million by midcentury1, will shape the country’s economic and social trajectory. As cities are expected to contribute over 70 per cent of India’s GDP by 2030, the ability of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to plan, manage, and deliver efficiently will define the nation’s developmental success. At the heart of this transformation are the ULBs, which shoulder the responsibility for delivering essential r4rban services, promoting sustainable development, and improving citizens’ quality of life. Achieving this goal, however, depends on strengthening institutional capacity, investing in skilled human resources, and adopting modern systems of urban governance at every administrative level.
This background note showcases the evolution of India’s urban capacity-building landscape from the decentralisation thrust of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (1992) to the development of today’s structured, competency-based, and digitally driven Rameworks. It explores how the Five-Year Plans, the Administrative Reforms Commission, and national programmes such as JNNURM, AMRUT, the Smart Cities Mission, and the Swachh Bharat Mission embed training, institutional reform, and knowledge sharing within urban development agendas. The note also draws attention to recent initiatives like Mission Karmayogi and the National Urban Learning Platform (NULP), which have shifted capacity building from a periodic exercise to a culture of continuous learning and professional growth. It underscores that the next phase of India’s urban transformation must move beyond training to transformation that includes building empowered institutions, capable leadership and digital ecosystems that make learning continuous, measurable and performance linked. Finally, it advocates a shift from fragmented initiatives to an integrated, results-driven model of urban capacity building, one that empowers every official, institution and citizen to contribute towards a resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive urban India by 2047.
Drawing from inputs received from ULBs across Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Tripura, the note identifies critical capacity gaps, like human resource shortages, weak technical expertise, limited digital literacy, and fragmented institutional structures, and outlines key priority areas for action. more......
Training and related activities of CUS cover (a) Institutions and agencies of Govt. of India, (b) state government agencies, (c) ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) and para-municipal agencies dealing with specific services, programmes and schemes of Govt. of India and respective state government. These include workshops, seminars, roundtable conferences, induction/ foundation courses, mid-career courses and career enhancement courses.
Further, CUS also extends exposure on urban agenda of government of India to a cross-section of government functionaries from All India Services, Central Services and Defense Services under various programmes ranging from 3 day to one year. These include IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, ITS, IAAS, and state services from various states.
At national level CUS covers CPWD (Central Public Works Department), HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation), NBCC (National Buildings Construction Corporation), DDA (Delhi Development Authority) etc. (a) Induction courses, (bi) Career Enhancement Courses, (c) Mid-career Courses and (d) Workshop/Seminars.
At State level the coverage of CUS programmes include Municipal Corporation, Municipalities, Development Authorities, Improvement Trust, Housing Boards, SUDAs (States Urban Development Authorities), DUDAs (District Urban Development Authorities) etc.
At Local level CUS covers all the three type of ULBs (i) Municipal Corporation, Municipalities & TAC, (ii) Canttonment Boards, (iii) Development Authorities/Improvement Trust etc.
CUS has also started first of its kind digital training programmes in the country to build capacities of middle and senior level urban functionaries through online training. These programmes also tend to seek lessons from Mission KarmYogi launched by the NDA government in September, 2020. Initial modules developed by CUS include.
Important Capacity Building Activities during last one year
|
Sl. No. |
Name of the program |
Duration |
No. Participants |
|
1 |
Special Training Program on Climate Smart Delivery of Municipal Services held at Narnaul |
May 27, 2025 |
40 |
|
2 |
National Urban Conclave on Future Ready Cities |
May 19, 2025 |
157 |
|
3 |
Three-day Training Program on Financial Management of Urban Local Bodies |
April 23-25, 2025 |
28 |
|
4 |
Sustainable Urban Futures: Policy, Planning, Management-A Multi-Disciplinary International Conference (in collaboration with XIM University, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha as Knowledge Partner) |
February 13-14, 2025 |
55 |
|
5 |
Two-day Special Training Program on Urban Governance held at Mandi |
February 11-12, 2025 |
40 |
|
6 |
Five-day Comprehensive Training Program on Urban Development: Status, Issues and Strategies |
February 3-7, 2025 |
14 |
|
7 |
Two-day Special Training Program on Urban Governance held at Dharamshala |
January 8-9, 2025 |
65 |
|
8 |
Two-day Urban Study Visit to Hyderabad of Senior Govt. Officers |
November 28-29, 2024 |
11 |
|
9 |
Two-day Urban Study Visit to Bengaluru of Senior Govt. Officers |
November 28-29, 2024 |
12 |
|
10 |
Training-of-Trainers on ‘Integrated Urban Planning using GIS-based tools in India’ |
November 18-20, 2024 |
28 |
|
11 |
Five-day Comprehensive Training Program on Urban Development: Status, Issues and Strategies |
November 4-8, 2024 |
25 |
|
12 |
Special Training Program on Climate Smart Delivery of Municipal Services held at Karnal |
October 25, 2024 |
56 |
|
13 |
Special training Program on Climate Smart Delivery of Municipal Services held at Panchkula |
September 3, 2024 |
41 |
|
14 |
Five-day Comprehensive Training Program on Urban Development: Status, Issues and Strategies |
July 8-12, 2024 |
19 |
|
15 |
Two-day Special Training Program on Urban Governance held at Kargil |
June 21-22, 2024 |
39 |
|
16 |
Two-day Special Training Program on Urban Governance held at Leh |
June 18-19, 2024 |
36 |
Last Eight Years Training Programme List
Recent Research activities include policy research to Government of India and states and major ULB’s, Action research for functionaries at cutting edge level and evaluation of specific scheme and programmes. Research is also used to develop contents for capacity building programmes and disseminate information through a range of publications. CUS also carries out documentation of best practices on specific urban innovations.
Recent studies cover ULB specific work on NDMC Gurugram, Bengaluru, TNA for TNUDP, SIA studies in Delhi.
CUS brings out a quarterly journal of high repute namely NAGARLOK. Knowledge pool of CUS also includes Dissertations, field visit reports, articles by faculty and TV talks, and webinars.
