Page 9 - HUDCO Award for Best Practices - 2024

PREFACE

India has been experiencing rapid urbanisation in the last decade and consequently the urban population is
projected to increase from 377 million in 2011 to 675 million by the year 2035 as per UN’s projections. India
has some of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. However, rapid urbanisation has also put immense
pressure on the civic services and urban infrastructure in terms of housing shortages, air pollution, over-
crowding and lack of adequate livelihood opportunities. To address the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation
and its impact, there is a need for our urban managers and administrators to explore various innovative
solutions including environment friendly and climate-change responsive technologies and strategies. Cities are
said to be the engines of economic growth. With urban areas contributing about two-thirds to our GDP, how
well India manages its urban development sector, will play a critical role in realising India’s goal of becoming a
developed nation- Viksit Bharat, by 2047, the 100th year of India’s independence.

HUDCO, a leading techno-financial navratna CPSE, with its 54 years of contribution in the housing and
urban infrastructure development sector, has been playing an important role through financing, consultancy
services and capacity building initiatives to address the urban development needs of India. In this respect,
for encouraging, sharing of innovative initiatives, which has contributed to the improvement in the living
environment, HUDCO had instituted ‘HUDCO Awards for Best Practices to improve the Living Environment’
in the year 2011-12. Various stakeholders in the urban sector such as state government departments, parastatal
agencies, urban local bodies, Non–Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and research and academic
institutions have actively participated in the award process. The award winning entries have demonstrated
innovative initiatives and would contribute towards helping address some of the urban challenges facing our
cities and towns. The award consists of a cash prize of Rs. One Lakh, a Certificate and a Plaque. For the award-
cycle 2023-24, ten awards winners have been announced and the same shall be presented to the winners.

I congratulate HUDCO’s HSMI for their initiative in bringing out this compendium to document and
disseminate the award-winning best practices and I sincerely hope that this publication would help in wider
sharing of these best practices among the urban managers.

I also extend my heartiest congratulations to all the award winners and to all other participating agencies for
sending their entries. I am confident that HUDCO’s HSMI would continue to receive good participation in the
future as well.

M. Nagaraj
Director (Corporate Planning), HUDCO

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