- Overall updates (since the last update)
The Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan (DSER) programme received Cabinet Approval in February 2024. This convergence programme was conceptualized by the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (DoHUA), Government of Assam, to help undertake the following:
• Integrate efforts and activities in ULBs
• Develop resources and capacities at the ULB to ensure long-term success
• Provide direct funding as well as access other funding for ULB transformation
The 10 cities chosen by the programme by the Govt were Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, North Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Nagaon, Tezpur, Kokrajhar , Dhubri and Silchar. These 10 cities account for nearly 25% of Assam’s urban population and were envisioned as testing grounds to decentralize urban growth away from Guwahati. Guwahati’s urban population is projected to reach around 1.22 million in 2025, growing at over 2% per year - a surge that places immense demand on housing, services, and infrastructure.
The programme identified 10 focus areas, with core components including Solid Waste Management, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Public Infrastructure, Blue-Green Infrastructure, Traffic Management, and Urban Planning. These were supported by three key enablers: Digital and Online Municipal Services, Manpower Rationalisation and Capacity Building, and Financial Strengthening.
Janaagraha’s role in Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan:
Progress on Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan:
Janaagraha was formally onboarded to the programme in March 2024, initiating a series of activities to help shape the design of the Doh Shaher programme.
Phase 1: City Dossiers: Context, Challenges and Vision
The following were conducted:
- Identifying universe of indicators and metrics for the components of Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan
Based on the components identified under Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan, a set of indicator frameworks were reviewed to develop a comprehensive pool of indicators and metrics that could be used to assess improvements in each component at both the inception and conclusion of the programme.
- Conduct of Working Group sessions
Five working groups comprising of heads of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Assam Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Swachh Bharat Mission, Guwahati Utilities Company Ltd., Directorate of Municipal Administration, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, Guwahati Smart City Ltd., Public Works Department, Assam State Transport Corporation, Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd., Directorate of Town and Country Planning, were constituted through a Government Order. 3-4 hour sessions were held with each working group to gain high level understanding from State Line Departments on the cities and their progress and gain consensus on priority of indicators from the larger pool indicators and metrics for each component. These working group sessions helped distill the broader universe of indicators into a more contextualised set - tailored to Assam’s state-specific priorities, the urbanisation patterns of each city, and local conditions such as flooding.
- City Visits to ascertain baseline status
To gain a deeper, grounded understanding of the ten participating cities, the team undertook 1–3 day visits to each location. These visits were designed to gather insights into the local context, as well as the status of each programme component. The methodology included interviews with municipal staff and citizens, transect walks, and targeted field visits to observe on-the-ground realities. To capture the unique characteristics, histories, and aspirations of each city, the team developed detailed City Profiles. These were informed by conversations with a range of stakeholders, including engaged citizens, senior retired officers, and other local influencers who have contributed to or witnessed the cities’ development trajectories.
Across the ten cities, the effort was comprehensive:
• 300+ interviews conducted with officials, community leaders, and residents
• 95+ field visits carried out to understand service delivery and infrastructure
• Coverage of 150+ critical locations, including markets, heritage sites, public spaces, and key infrastructure zones
These visits were further strengthened by the participation of Urban Designers from Jana Urban Space (JUSP). They led the transect walks and spatial site assessments in each city, focusing on critical touchpoints that shape everyday urban life.
Following the fieldwork, the MEPI framework was applied to assess urban infrastructure:
• Move: Roads, footpaths, traffic junctions
• Eat: Marketplaces, street vending zones, food courts
• Play: Parks, lakes, playgrounds, and other blue-green infrastructure
• Include: Community spaces such as Namghars, community halls, and other social infrastructure
Each MEPI category was assessed across three parameters: Accessibility, Availability, and Quality. This structured assessment enabled the identification of infrastructure gaps, while also highlighting assets that can be built upon. Based on the MEPI findings, a longlist of potential projects was developed in each city. These were then prioritised using a three-part filter:
• Visibility – Projects that would have a tangible, visible impact
• Scalability – Interventions that could be expanded or replicated across the city or other towns
• Quick Wins – Projects that were feasible and could be implemented swiftly to build momentum
This combined approach ensured that project identification was data-informed, community-sensitive, and aligned with city-specific needs and capacities.
- City Dossiers
As a result of this process, City Dossiers were developed to capture each city’s profile, vision, current status across key components, and a set of proposed actions. These dossiers were then shared with 20–25 key stakeholders in each city including District Commissioners, Municipal Board members, Executive Officers, municipal staff, and representatives from 8–12 line departments such as Water Resources, Public Health Engineering, Public Works, Forests, and Town and Country Planning. The objective was to gather feedback, build consensus for the next phase of Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan, and foster shared ownership of the programme.
City Action Plans are a key tool for city-level planning and accountability. These bottom-up, participatory plans are designed to identify and address local urban challenges through structured community engagement and city-wide consolidation. As part of this phase, City Action Plans are being drawn up for all the Doh Shaher Ek Rupayan cities thereby pioneering a shift from scheme-bound urban reforms to institutionalized, locally tailored planning processes.
Institutional Design: Municipal Planning Committees (MPCs)
At the heart of the city-level planning process lies the Municipal Planning Committee (MPC) constituted by the District Commissioner. The MPC ensures coordination, legitimacy and broad-based participation in urban governance. The MPC is chaired by the District Commissioner, bringing in administrative oversight and ensuring alignment with district-level development goals. The Municipality Chairperson serves as the Vice-Chair, reinforcing the democratic foundation of the body. Membership includes representatives from all relevant line departments and parastatal agencies, enabling cross-sectoral collaboration for a place-based approach, while ensuring a greater presence of elected Municipal Council members, which helps anchor the planning process in local priorities. To support more specialized aspects of planning and project formulation, Thematic Sub-Committees are formed under the direction of the District Commissioner. Importantly, the MPC model integrates Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations, particularly those formed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), thereby enhancing grassroots participation and embedding a gender-sensitive lens into the planning process.
Participatory Process: The City Action Plans
The preparation of City Action Plans follows a structured, inclusive and transparent multi-stage process. It begins with the formal constitution of the MPC and its Sub-Committees by the District Commissioner, followed by a decision by the Municipal Council to initiate the planning exercise. The first meeting of the MPC marks the official launch of the planning process.
Subsequently, a city-level consultation is held involving key stakeholders and representatives from SHGs to ensure diverse voices are heard from the outset. SHGs are trained to carry out participatory ward-level planning, which they use to prepare preliminary Ward Plans. A highlight here has been the deployment of SHG leaders under NRLM from the rural areas - who already have the experience of GPDP - for training and handholding their urban counterparts. These are presented in Ward-level Citizen Assemblies, providing a platform for broader public deliberation and feedback.
The second MPC meeting is then convened to consolidate and review the ward-level plans. These drafts are further examined by the Thematic Sub-Committees, who work on translating community inputs into implementable, fundable projects. The final City Action Plan is approved in the third MPC meeting and formally endorsed by the Municipal Council.
Through this process, the MPC is positioned not just as an institutional requirement but as a deliberative and participatory platform, capable of guiding cities as true units of governance and development. The involvement of the District Commissioner ensures interdepartmental coordination for place-based approach, while the Thematic Sub-Committees play a pivotal role in refining and integrating grassroots priorities into the formal project pipeline. City Action Plans have been completed in 8 of the 10 cities under the Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan programme outlining a set of prioritised projects and initiatives tailored to each city’s context and needs.
- Progress on the goals listed while on-boarding
Identification and kick off of two Lighthouse Projects
Completion of 8 City Action Plans
- Any challenges
Some notable challenge are delays in partner onboarding, institutionalising City Action Plans with bottom up ownership from the stakeholders of the city, ensuring convergence in program design.
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Any new avenues of collaboration (with other Grantees of RCF or other NPO/NGO): This is work in progress but we are engaging with a set of 20 CSOs to identify collaboration opportunities.
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Highlights from the initiatives being undertaken as part of your organization : The City Action Plans and the role they can play in place based governance for climate has been an exciting area of work for us to explore.
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Outcomes you are chasing for the next 6 months (these can remain the same if unchanged since the last update): Completion of the City Action Plans, finalisation of the DSER Implementation strategy are key focus areas.
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KPIs (please use this section to let us know of the impact and reach of your work since the last update): Will be updated from the next update.
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Can Rainmatter be of help with anything at all: We are in conversations on critical areas of support.
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Any additional details you would like to provide
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Please also share any images or videos that you have documented as part of your work