Urban governance today demands leadership, adaptability and community-centric thinking along with technical proficiency, says official

Urban governance today demands leadership, adaptability and community-centric thinking along with technical proficiency, says official

As urban landscapes evolve, the administrative capabilities governing them should also evolve, said Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Department Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar.

Speaking at a workshop on ‘Capacity Building for Urban Local Bodies’ Officials’ at the School of Planning and Architecture in Vijayawada on June 3, Tuesday, Mr. Suresh Kumar said urban governance today demands leadership, adaptability and community-centric thinking along with technical proficiency.

The workshop, organised by the State government in collaboration with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) and Government of India, brought together Municipal Commissioners of 123 ULBs and key State urban departments, including MEPMA, Public Health and Municipal Engineering, and Town and Country Planning.

“Our vision is to create a future-ready municipal workforce equipped with competencies to serve a fast-urbanising Andhra Pradesh,” Mr. Suresh Kumar said, adding that 40- 45% of the State population is now living in urban areas, which calls for a shift from traditional administrative models to agile and digitally empowered urban governance.

Under the Mission Karmayogi (that aims to create a future-ready civil service) framework, the State is initiating comprehensive gap assessments to evaluate existing capacities within ULBs and identify key functional, domain and behavioral competencies required at various roles. Based on these findings, minimum annual training hours will be prescribed for municipal officials, he said. The training will not be limited to technical domains, he added.

He said the State is promoting holistic development, with certificate courses offered in areas such as leadership, communication, ethics, digital literacy, and even personality development—ensuring that public servants are equipped not just with professional skills, but with the confidence and emotional intelligence needed to engage meaningfully with citizens.

To encourage active participation, the government is considering a framework for non-monetary incentives, such as certificates of recognition, preference in transfers, postings, visibility in performance appraisals, linked to training milestones.