The following is an excerpt from a report in domain-b.com.

The CRISIL Awards for Excellence in Municipal Initiatives were recently presented by S Jaipal Reddy, minister for urban development, at the national conference on Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) at DRDO Bhavan, in New Delhi.

Of the 35 cities that participated in the evaluation, nine were awarded across four categories viz. mega cities, million plus cities, other JNNURM cities, and states.

The winners in each of the categories were the municipalities of Chennai, Vishakapatnam, Ajmer, and State of Orissa respectively. …

When the centre launched JNNURM in December 2005, it recognised that mere funding of infrastructure projects would not transform cities. A strong focus on reforms, both at the urban local body (ULB) level and at the state level are essential for a city’s sustainable long-term growth.

Hemant Joshi, managing director & CEO, CRISIL risk and infrastructure solutions, explained, “CRISIL recognises the significance of this combination of funding & reforms, and its potential to create vibrant, eminently liveable, people-friendly cities. The Awards were launched by CRISIL in partnership with Ministry of Urban Development and this year’s theme was ‘Commitment to Reforms under JNNURM'”.