Andhra Pradesh Charts Roadmap for Future-Ready Urban Governance

Taking a decisive leap toward strengthening the capabilities of urban local bodies (ULBs), Andhra Pradesh Government in collaboration with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), Government of India, organised a State-level orientation workshop for the officials under the Mission Karmayogi framework on Tuesday.

The event was hosted at the School of Planning & Architecture, here and marks the beginning of a transformative capacity-building journey for urban administration in the State. The meeting discussed how Andhra Pradesh is witnessing rapid urban expansion, with nearly 40- 45% of its population now living in urban areas. This demographic transformation calls for a paradigm shift—from traditional administrative models to agile, digitally empowered urban governance.

The workshop brought together Municipal Commissioners of 123 ULBs and key State urban departments, including MEPMA, public health and municipal engineering, and town and country planning. The sessions focused on bridging skills gaps,

integrating digital learning, and fostering a culture of continuous professional development.

A key highlight of the workshop was the demonstration of the iGOT Karmayogi platform, the digital hub of Mission Karmayogi. With over eight lakh government officials already onboarded nationwide, the platform offers role-based, modular learning

content tailored for ULB functionaries. Courses range from municipal finance and e-governance to urban resilience, inclusive planning, and citizen engagement.

In his inaugural address, S. Suresh Kumar,Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, emphasised that as urban landscapes evolve, so must the administrative capabilities governing them.

“This is not just a training event—it’s a strategic shift. Urban governance today demands not only technical proficiency but also leadership, adaptability, and community-centric thinking. Our vision is to create a future-ready municipal workforce equipped with competencies to serve a fast-urbanizing Andhra Pradesh,” he stated.

“We are committed to building a professional, ethical, and adaptive urban governance ecosystem. This workshop marks the beginning of that journey,” Suresh Kumar, said.

At the meeting, AP Municipal Administration and Urban Development announced that each ULB in the State will be supported in developing its own capacity development roadmap, aligned to the city’s vision and citizen needs. This will be implemented through blended learning models, combining digital courses with classroom training, field exposure, and peer-to-peer

mentoring.

The workshop saw participation from several senior dignitaries from the Government of India and domain experts, including:

Dr. Alka Mittal, Member (Admin.), CBC, V. Lalithalakshmi, Secretary, CBC and CEO, Karmayogi Bharat, Shubham Katyayan, Program Manager ULBs, CBC Soumi Banerjee, General Manager, iGOT Karmayogi Bharat, Sudhir Aggarwal, Director, Wadhwani Centre for Government Digital and Transformation and Digbijoy Bhowmik, SME – ULBs, CBC.