About the Awards

The V Ramachandran Awards For Excellence In Urban Decentralisation have been instituted in the memory of Mr V Ramachandran, a doyen of decentralisation, to recognise ground-breaking work in decentralisation in the urban context by State Governments, Municipalities ( all categories of Urban Local Bodies), Civic Agencies, State Election Commissions and State Finance Commissions.

Mission

More than two decades have passed since the enactment of the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, but decentralisation continues to be a crucial governance reform agenda in India. This is more so in the urban context given how Panchayati Raj has marched far ahead of Nagara Raj, and the rapid urbanisation that India is witnessing, with 50% of India's population expected to be in urban areas by 2050.

V Ramachandran Awards seek to recognise outstanding work that either enables decentralisation in cities through laws, policies and institutions or operationalizes decentralisation in cities through execution and implementation. Rather than reward past achievements, it seeks to identify and honour present accomplishments that germinate far-reaching impact.