India’s Richest Civic Body Will Now Track Mumbai’s Happiness Index

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, India’s richest civic body, unveiled a budget of Rs 33,441 crore for 2020-21.

On 4 February, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country's richest civic body, unveiled a budget of Rs 33,441 crore for 2020-21.

The total budget estimates for the next financial year are 8.95% more than the previous fiscal, when it had presented a budget of Rs 30,692 crore.

Among the measures announced in the BMC’s budget is the plan to track how Mumbai is performing on the Happiness Index.

Municipal Commissioner Shri Praveen Pardeshi presented the budget to Hon’ble Chairman, Standing Committee, Shri Yashwant Jadhav #mybmcBudget pic.twitter.com/rTX0KbanaO

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) February 4, 2020

Key Takeaways

Here are the other key takeaways from the BMC’s budget.

• The Budget has set aside Rs 800 crore for major repairs on 47 bridges and minor repairs on 184 bridges. This is a 131% rise from last year’s allocation. The allocation assumes significance in light of the Himalaya bridge collapse in March 2019.
  
• The Budget proposes to increase the lease, rent and premiums of all vacant land tenancy properties, which include several gymkhanas and clubs in the city.
  
• BMC has allocated Rs 2 crore for Kasturba Hospital to to equip the hospital and increase preparedness for tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

Happiness Index on BMC Agenda

Here are some of the other measures proposed by the BMC in their budget.

BMC Proposed to not just transform Mumbai into developed city but to make Happy city. For that BMC wants to measure Happiness index @QuintHindi @TheQuint

— rounak kukde (@rounakview) February 4, 2020

As per our vision for #Mumbai2030, to transform Mumbai into a developed & happy city, it is our intention to provide all civic services to the rising population through budget #mybmcBudget

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) February 4, 2020

To provide students with a first-hand experience of space science, a budget allocation of Rs. 26 lacs has been made to set up a digital telescope. #mybmcBudget

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) February 4, 2020

To ease the administrative works carried by the teacher's and increase the instructional time in classrooms, @mybmc to setup a Digital Information Management System. #mybmcBudget

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) February 4, 2020