With special reference to administration and political problems.

The founding fathers of the Constitution were unambiguous; categorical and crystal clear that the concept of Statehood for Delhi is impractical and cannot be given effect to as long as Delhi remains India’s Federal capital and the seat of Central Government. However; notwithstanding unanimity of views expressed by them; some political parties at the local level; driven unabashedly by narrow vested interests and in contradiction to the vision and wisdom of our national icons; continued to demand full Statehood for Delhi from time to time. Thanks to the maturity and sophistication of Delhi voters; they have now bottled up the issue by puncturing the plank of Statehood in the recently concluded Parliamentary elections; 2019 by not giving even a single seat in Lok Sabha to the protagonists of this concept. An unmissable book on the subject which unravels many mysteries.

First published in 1999, this volume begins with a panoramic survey by Nigel Harris of the drama of Asian Urbanization, based on the inaugural plenary lecture he gave to the 5th Asian Urbanization Conference held in London. In the following chapters many experts and practitioners from different countries and cities provide a stimulating portrayal of the processes and outcomes of one of the greatest shifts of population (not just absolutely but proportionately as well) ever to have occurred in human history. Asia includes more than half the world’s population, but, apart from the Tiger economies and Japan, it is still overwhelmingly rural. In the last decade or so urbanization has really begun to take off and the shift of population to the cities represents one of the greatest population movements the planet has ever seen. By 2030 more than 50% of Asia’s population will be urban and between now and then more than 500 million people in Asia will have moved - looking for jobs, housing, food and water. They will be both part of a problem and most of the solution - building around them the cities they will live in.

India, long known for its huge population, religious conflicts and its status as not-quite best friend ally of the United States has moved from the backwaters of world attention to centre stage. Afghanistan and Pakistan with whom India is in almost conflict, are neighbours. India has developed a nuclear capability which also has a way of grabbing attention. This book discusses current issues and historical background and provides a thorough index important to a better understanding of this diverse country.

In 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was elected to govern Delhi promising to improve public services, including education through government schools that would be the equal of private-school provision. Media reports, along with the party’s re-election in 2020, suggest strong public confidence that AAP are delivering on that promise. But is this success reflected by experience in schools? Delhi’s Education Revolution offers a critical evaluation of the AAP’s education reforms by exploring policy and practice through the eyes of one key group: the government-school teachers tasked with making the AAP’s pledge a reality. Drawing on 110 research interviews conducted via Zoom during the Covid pandemic in the summer of 2020, teachers explain how the reforms have changed their profession and practice, and whether education really has improved for children of all backgrounds. Analysis of views about critical issues such as inclusion and the pressure of achievement targets in classrooms that often contain more than 50 students, informs their observations about the reform programme itself. The study paints a more qualified picture of success than suggested elsewhere and makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of education reforms in India, and most especially, in Delhi.

The collection of scholarly articles by eminent scholars capsulate the welfare and development schemes and their many-handed implementation in the lives of people of cities and towns to construct the urban infrastructure as well as boost up the rich dividends of economy, as felt of the independence. A positive story of the experiments useful for academic community.