-
CENTRES
Progammes & Centres
Location
This workshop aims to develop a Strategic Urban Resilience Framework (SURF) for Jhansi, grounded in the city’s unique context and long-term aspirations. Jhansi, one of the most climate-vulnerable cities in Uttar Pradesh, experiences acute water stress, receiving an average annual rainfall of just 884.6 mm, alongside extreme heat conditions that peaked at 49°C, with 69 days above 40°C recorded in 2024.
While Jhansi has made commendable progress through various Climate Action and Resilience Plans, critical gaps remain in translating these strategies into sustained, on-the-ground impact. Urban systems and vulnerable communities continue to face mounting climate risks, including extreme heat, erratic rainfall, and prolonged dry spells. There is an urgent need to identify and address the systemic and implementation-level barriers that hinder resilience-building efforts. The workshop will convene a diverse set of stakeholders—policymakers, government officials, private sector experts, IGOs, academia, and civil society—to reflect on Jhansi’s climate vulnerabilities, define priority resilience domains, and co-create actionable pathways to integrate resilience into the city’s development agenda. This initiative is part of a wider effort to establish city-level SURF models across Uttar Pradesh, aligned with the state’s vision for climate-smart urbanisation and contributing meaningfully to Viksit Bharat 2047.
The Government of Uttar Pradesh recently launched the "Viksit UP 2047" portal on October 4, under the leadership of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). ORF, along with the Climate Rise Alliance, is leading this effort and working closely with the CMO and the Urban Development Ministry to advance the state’s resilience agenda.
10:30 - 10:45 (IN)
Welcome Address (virtual)
Keynote Address (virtual)
Vote of Thanks
10:45 - 11:15 (IN)
This session will focus on developing a long-term vision that shifts Jhansi 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
Moderator
11:15 - 11:30 (IN)
11:30 - 11:40 (IN)
Building on the vision, this session will define the key domains for a climate-resilient and people-centred Jhansi, focusing on water security, drought resilience, heat mitigation, climate-smart agriculture, public health, and sustainable governance by co-designing actionable strategies that embed climate and urban resilience into city systems, policies, and planning frameworks
Scene Setter
Rahul Kumar Yadav, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Jhansi
How can Jhansi’s urban governance systems evolve today to build the foundations of a climate-resilient, inclusive, and future-ready city by 2047?
11:40 - 12:00 (IN)
What urban planning principles and infrastructure design decisions made today can ensure that Jhansi remains resilient, inclusive, and adaptive by 2047—while sustaining its strong performance in air quality management and advancing towards cleaner, healthier urban environments?
Initiators
12:00 - 12:15 (IN)
How can citizen participation be institutionalised today to become the foundation of climate-resilient governance in Jhansi, making people not just beneficiaries, but co-creators of urban resilience?
Initiators
12:15 - 12:30 (IN)
12:30 - 12:50 (IN)
How can Jhansi transform its water future by rejuvenating the Betwa and Pahuj rivers, reviving traditional tanks and stepwells, and rethinking groundwater use to overcome recurring droughts and water scarcity—ensuring a reliable, equitable,and climate-resilient water system for all by 2047?
Initiators
12:50 - 13:00 (IN)
By 2047, what should Jhansi’s integrated urban resource systems—linking water, land use, and peri-urban agriculture—look like to ensure climate resilience, equity, and sustainability? How can local governance structures and community institutions, especially women-led groups, drive this transition through climate-smart practices, water conservation, and inclusive urban resource management?
Initiators
13:00 - 13:15 (IN)
13:15 - 14:00 (IN)
14:00 - 14:15 (IN)
How can a resilient public health system be built that can anticipate and withstand climate shocks, disease burdens, and mental health crises by 2047?
Initiators
14:15 - 14:45 (IN)
Building on its strong foundation in waste management (ranking 6th in Uttar Pradesh in the Swachh Survekshan Awards), how can Jhansi advance towards a circular and sustainable urban future that safeguards public health, improves air and water quality, and enhances overall urban well-being by 2047?
Initiators
14:45 - 15:00 (IN)
15:00 - 15:30 (IN)
Given Jhansi’s recurring power reliability challenges, how can energy sector reforms drive the city’s transition towards a resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon growth pathway by 2047? What governance, financial, and technological innovations are needed to strengthen local grid stability, diversify energy sources through renewables and clean fuels, and power Jhansi’s industrial and urban transformation under the Viksit Bharat vision?
Initiators
15:15 - 15:30 (IN)
15:30 - 15:45 (IN)
What strategies—such as green skilling, technology adoption, and local industry–can strengthen both urban resilience and inclusive economic growth?
Initiators
15:45 - 16:00 (IN)
