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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

Long Road to Thriving Rural India

India’s rural transformation risks stalling without urgent recalibration.

With 65 percent of its population residing in villages heavily dependent on agriculture, India's path to sustainable development is inextricably tied to fortifying its rural foundations. Successive governments have recognised this, placing rural welfare schemes at the heart of policy. Among them, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act stands as a critical pillar for livelihood generation. Complementing this, the Ministry of Rural Development has pursued a range of initiatives designed to drive holistic progress and lay the groundwork for a thriving countryside.


The 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census, released in 2015, exposed a stark rural housing shortage of 4.03 crore homes. In response, the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Grameen (PMAY-G) in 2016, aiming for "Housing for All" by 2022, coinciding with India’s 75th year of independence. Phase one targeted the construction of 1 crore houses by 2019, while phase two aimed for another 1.95 crore houses by 2022. Beneficiaries were promised Rs.1.2 lakh per unit in plains and Rs.1.3 lakh in hilly areas, alongside an optional Rs.70,000 housing loan subsidised at three percent.


Progress was initially brisk. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the pace, necessitating extensions: first to 2024, and more recently to 2029. As of January 2025, 2.71 crore houses have been completed despite persistent bureaucratic and political hurdles. Problems such as lack of awareness among beneficiaries, land shortages, mismanagement of funds, and permanent migration have hindered completion rates. Several state governments, notably Assam, Bihar, and Maharashtra, introduced financial aid programmes to support land acquisition. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee recommended multi-storey housing options to overcome land scarcity, but uptake remains sluggish. An audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2023 uncovered misrepresentations in construction progress, including duplicated photographs and unrelated imagery. Recommendations for tighter controls and enhanced financial support were made in 2023 and 2024, but await implementation.


Reliable, all-weather road connectivity is another cornerstone of rural development. The Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana, initiated under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, sought to connect eligible rural habitations. The scheme's five verticals focus on linking villages of different sizes, upgrading major link roads, consolidating market connectivity, reaching Left Wing Extremism-affected areas and building roads for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups under the PM-JANMAN programme.


By January 2025, PMGSY had achieved 93 percent of its ambitious 8.33 lakh kilometre target, connecting 1.61 lakh habitations. Yet progress under RCPLWEA and PM-JANMAN remains slow, hampered by law-and-order challenges and inhospitable terrain.


Road maintenance, handled first by contractors and later by state governments, is now monitored through the digitised e-Marg system, which tracks 3.36 lakh kilometres of rural roads. Nonetheless, maintenance funding remains vulnerable to political whims and changing state priorities. Encouragingly, PMGSY’s impact has been profound: the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency noted a 12-percentage-point increase in non-farm employment in connected areas, while a World Bank study credited PMGSY with substantial reductions in rural poverty. Remote and hilly regions, however, continue to lag behind.


Parallel to infrastructure development, financial empowerment has been a priority. The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission has sought to reduce rural poverty by strengthening access to financial services and employment generation through Self-Help Groups. The programme has been transformative: by January 2025, 91.75 lakh SHGs, covering 10 crore households, had benefited. SHGs achieved a remarkable 98 percent loan repayment rate in 2022, supported by government grants and priority lending from nationalised banks.


The Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana complements this by offering placement-linked skill training. Between 2016 and 2024, it trained 13.95 lakh youths, of whom 9.53 lakh secured employment. Yet recent operational challenges have prompted the ministry to plan revamps to enhance effectiveness.


Social security remains a crucial plank through the National Social Assistance Programme, which supports vulnerable groups such as the elderly, widows, and the disabled. COVID-19 prompted increases in benefits, particularly for women and the elderly. Though complaints persist over irregular payments and occasional inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries, studies confirm NSAP’s role in rural upliftment.


The government’s emphasis on digitisation, particularly through Direct Benefit Transfers to Jan-Dhan Accounts, has yielded a globally lauded model of efficiency. Yet, fundamental challenges threaten to blunt momentum. The continued reliance on 2011 census data is increasingly anachronistic, failing to capture India’s rapid rural transformation. To sustain the Viksit Bharat mission and realise a genuinely inclusive rural renaissance, an expedited census and recalibration of schemes is not just advisable but imperative.

(The author is a Chartered Accountant with a leading company)

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