Vikasit Agra 2047: Strategic Urban Resilience Framework

Inaugural Session

Welcome Address

Jaibal Naduvath, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)

Keynote Address (pre-recorded)

Brajesh Pathak, Honourable Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Medical Health, Family Welfare, Mother and Child Welfare, Uttar Pradesh 

Arvind Kumar Sharma, Honourable Minister for Energy and Urban Development, Uttar Pradesh

Vote of Thanks

Aparna Roy, Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Energy, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, ORF

Session I: The Visioning | From Sustainable to Regenerative Agra

This session will focus on developing a long-term vision that shifts Agra from sustaining its systems to regenerating ecological and social well-being. It will articulate current challenges the city faces and define its resilience priorities.

Key Speakers

Dharampal Singh Chauhan, Member of Legislative Assembly, Etmadpur, Agra

Hemlata Divakar Kushwaha, Mayor, Agra Nagar Nigam 

Lt. Gen. Yogendra Dimri, Vice Chairman, Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (UPSDMA)

Babita Chauhan, Chairperson, Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission

Ashu Rani, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra 

Rumi Aijaz, Senior Fellow, Urban Policy Research Initiative, ORF 

Moderator

Aparna Roy, Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Energy, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, ORF Delhi

Break

Session II: Systems Mapping | Towards a Viksit Agra in 2047

Building on the vision, this session will identify and define the key domains that must be addressed to build a climate-resilient and people-centred Agra. These include housing, water, tourism, health, livelihoods, mobility, governance and economy.

Scene-setter

Ankit Khandelwal, Municipal Commissioner, Agra 

How can Agra’s urban governance systems evolve today to build the foundations of a climate-resilient, inclusive, and future-ready city by 2047?

1. Future-Proofing Agra’s Urban Form: Planning for 2047

What urban planning principles and decisions made today will ensure that Agra is resilient, inclusive, and adaptive by 2047?

Initiator

Ashok Priya Gautam, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, Agra 

Discussant

Bijal Brahmbhat, Director, Mahila Housing Trust and Rohit Magotra, Deputy Director, IRADe

2. Healthy Agra in a Changing Climate

How can a resilient public health system be built that can anticipate and withstand climate shocks, disease burdens, and mental health crises by 2047?

Initiator

Sanjeev Verma, Chief City Health Officer, Health Department, Agra Nagar Nigam 

Discussant

Ritika Kapoor, Climate Change and Health Specialist, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

3. Water Secure Agra: Rivers, Rain, and Resilience

What systemic shifts in water governance, infrastructure, and climate adaptation are required to ensure that by 2047, every citizen of Agra has reliable access to clean water and the city’s rivers and aquifers are climate-resilient and thriving? 

Initiator

Arunendra Kumar Rajpoot, General Manager, Jal Kal Department, Agra Nagar Nigam

Discussant

Soma Sarkar, Associate Fellow, Urban Studies Programme, ORF

4. Reviving Yamuna: A Thriving Urban Lifeline in 2047

What policy, citizen, and ecological actions must be taken to restore Yamuna as the centre of Agra’s cultural and ecological identity by 2047?

Initiator

Ambar Dwivedi, Founder-Executive Director, Social Association for Nurturing, Knitting and Linking People (SANKALP)

Discussant

Rajiv Sinha and Debashish Bhattacharya

5. Agra Without Waste: Circular Economy Vision for 2047

How can Agra transition from waste management to a circular economy that powers green livelihoods, clean neighbourhoods, and resource efficiency by 2047

Initiator

Pankaj Bhushan, Environment Engineer, Agra Nagar Nigam

Discussant

Sonia Garga, Chief Strategy Officer, Saahaas

6. From Tourist City to Living Heritage Club

What does a climate-resilient tourism economy look like for Agra in 2047, and how can heritage be reimagined as a living, regenerative force?

Initiator

Rajiv Saxena, President, Tourism Guild of Agra 

Discussant

Shahena Khan, Consultant- Heritage Management & Urban Development, World Resources Institute (WRI) India

Break

Session II: Systems Mapping | Towards a Viksit Agra in 2047 (Continued)

7. Connected Agra 2047: Clean, Accessible, and Smart Mobility

What should Agra’s mobility systems in 2047 look like to be sustainable, equitable, and climate-friendly—and what barriers must we remove now?

Initiator

Kishor Nathani, Managing Director & CEO, Urban Mass Transit Company 

Discussant

Sourav Dhar, Programme Lead, Sustainable Mobility, Council on Energy, Environment, and Water 

and Nandan Dawda, Fellow, Urban Studies Programme, ORF

8. Agra Ready: Reducing Risk in a Climate-Volatile Future

What institutional, technological, and community-driven innovations are needed to make Agra disaster-resilient by 2047?

Initiator

Shivam Kumar Misha, Disaster Expert, Collectorate Agra (New)

Discussant

Manish Kumar

9. People-Led Planning: Participatory Urban Governance 

How can citizen participation be institutionalised today to become the foundation of climate-resilient governance in Agra, making people not just beneficiaries, but co-creators of urban resilience?

Initiator

Mohd. Arshad, Director, Institute of Social Sciences, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra 

Discussant

Siddharth Agarwal, Executive Director, Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC) and Barsha Poricha, Technical Head, Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE)

10. Towards an Equitable Agra 

What must change in Agra’s social fabric and institutions to ensure that by 2047, no woman, child, elderly person, or marginalized community is left behind in the face of climate impacts- and that they are active in building resilience?

Babita Chauhan, Chairperson, Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission

Break

Session III: Recommendations | Institutionalising Resilience from Policy into Practice

The final session focuses on identifying practical entry points for implementation. It will pinpoint strategic synergies between the SURF and Agra’s existing initiatives to maximise impact. The session will explore how the framework can be linked to existing policies, programs, and planning instruments, and what institutional mechanisms can sustain it over time.

A. Governance Levers

What ongoing program, policy or budgetary mechanism could align with the goals of Vikasit Agra’s Resilience Framework? 

Each speaker is invited to briefly highlight:

• One or two existing policies, programs, or planning instruments that align with Agra’s long-term urban resilience goals.
• A key implementation challenge or coordination gap they face in scaling or sustaining these efforts.
• A proposed mechanism or support tool (e.g., inter-departmental coordination body, community engagement platform, digital tool, funding model, or technical partnership) that could help overcome this challenge and institutionalise climate resilience.

Ankit Khandelwal, Municipal Commissioner, Agra Nagar Nigam

Arunendra Kumar Rajpoot, General Manager, Jal Kal Department, Agra Nagar Nigam

Sanjeev Verma, Chief City Health Officer, Health Department, Agra Nagar Nigam

Pankaj Bhushan, Environmental Engineer, Agra Nagar Nigam

Sudesh Yadav, Sanitary Inspector, Agra Nagar Nigam

B: Co-Design Table: Experts then respond to specific gaps or opportunities raised:

How can these be institutionalised to ensure climate resilience? What partnerships, policy shifts, or accountability mechanisms can help?

Valedictory Remarks

Purshottam Khandelwal, Member of Legislative Assembly, Agra North