Report No: ACS18249 . Republic of India Service Level Benchmarking, Citizen Voice and Performance Improvement Strategies in Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project Synthesis Report . MAY 2016 . GWASS SOUTH ASIA . . . . Standard Disclaimer: This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ The World Bank. The findi ngs, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. . Copyright Statement: . The material in this publication is copyrighted. 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Table of Contents Executive Summary......................................................................................................................... 2 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Overview of Technical Assistance ................................................................................................... 4 Results Framework ...................................................................................................................... 5 Process......................................................................................................................................... 6 Outputs ........................................................................................................................................... 7 I. ‘SLB Connect’ innovative approach for tracking citizen feedback operationalized ................ 7 II. Sector policy/ strategy informed for strengthening performance orientation in planning and financing processes ....................................................................................................... 17 III. Client capacity increased at national and state/ utility level to undertake performance monitoring of UWSS services ............................................................................................... 19 Recommendations & Way Forward .............................................................................................. 21 ANNEXURES 1. SLB Connect Report – “Using ICTs for citizen feedback surveys to mainstream demand side monitoring” 2. SLB Connect – Detailed survey and workshop documents 3. SLB Connect – Resource material pack 4. Support to Govt of Odisha for development of Prioritization framework and investment planning under the State Urban Water Supply Policy 5. National Performance Monitoring Cell & 14th Finance Commission report – relevant sections and analytical notes 6. Rapid assessment for Sector MIS under Kerala Jalanidhi-II project Acronyms AMRUT Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation CSO Civil Society Organization CATI Computer Assisted Telephonic Interview HUDD Housing and Urban Development Department ICT Information and Communication Technology IVRS Interactive Voice Response System JnNURM Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission MAPI Mobile Aided Personal Interview MoUD Ministry of Urban Development NPMC National Performance Monitoring Cell PHEO Public Health Engineering Organization SIP Service Improvement Plan SLB Service Level Benchmarks SLB-C SLB Connect UWSS Urban water supply and sanitation 1 Executive Summary 1. This synthesis report details the process, outputs and intermediate outcomes of the Water and Sanitation Program - World Bank (WSP) Technical Assistance (TA) to Service Level Benchmarking, Citizen Voice and Performance Improvement Strategies in Urban Water Supply and Sanitation (UWSS) in India (P131968). 2. This technical assistance (TA) sought to strengthen accountability for service outcomes in urban water and sanitation, by providing support for strengthening (i) supply and demand side monitoring processes under national programs, and (ii) integrating use of performance data into decision making by public providers in select states, with specific focus on services to the poor. 3. This TA was a continuation of WSP’s past technical assistance to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) on adoption of benchmarking and accountability processes for the urban water supply and sanitation sector. During the period 2008-12, WSP had extended support to MoUD for development of the Handbook on Service Level Benchmarks (SLB), implementation of a national pilot followed by its rollout across the country. This TA was designed to provide follow up support for deepening of these performance monitoring and reporting processes, and activate demand side monitoring mechanisms to strengthen accountability. These were meant to contribute to and help inform the next phase of urban programs that have been launched since 2014 onwards. 4. This TA has contributed to the following outcomes: (a) Demonstrated an innovative approach for ICT-based citizen feedback processes (“SLB Connect”) which has been leveraged for conduct of city level ratings under a national urban program, informed preparation of city level service improvement plans, and been integrated in the design of a Bank funded project. Drawing from the experience of conducting ICT based citizen feedback surveys covering 30,000 households across 8 cities, the SLB Connect (SLB-C) system and survey approach has been adapted for conduct of City Sanitation Rankings (‘Swachh Survekshan’) in 75 cities under the Swachh Bharat Mission, wherein 80,000 citizen responses were also collected. The SLB-C approach has also been incorporated in the social accountability component of the World Bank funded Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project. (b) Strengthened use of performance data for planning and investment processes in one state including development of a prioritization framework to guide allocations. Based on request from Govt of Odisha, WSP supported initiation of performance informed sector planning and investment processes in alignment with the principles and priorities articulated under the Odisha State Urban Water Supply Policy 2013. This has helped the state adopt more rationalized processes for budgetary allocations of 2014-15, and also use the analysis for informing proposal submissions under national urban programs. (c) Supported analytical work and advocacy for strengthening of performance monitoring processes at the national and state levels. As a continuation of WSP’s past engagement with MoUD on the SLB program, analytical and advocacy support was extended to strengthen performance reporting and monitoring under the next phase of urban programs and formulations. SLBs has been incorporated as a condition for performance grants in the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission; and provisioning has been made in the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) program guidelines 2 (2015) for creation of a National Performance Monitoring Cell. State level sector monitoring processes have been capacitated through analytical support provided in the state of Odisha, and advisory inputs for design of a sector M&E system in Kerala (under a World Bank supported project). Background 5. India’s urban population is witnessing rapid growth, with the UN projecting an urban population of 590 million by 2030, implying the addition of 10 million urban dwellers per year. Even while coverage is reportedly high with approximately 70% households having access to tap water and 82% having access to toilet facilities, the quality of services is poor, resulting in high coping costs, especially for the urban poor In many cities drinking water services are no longer safe, reliable or predictable. This results in negative health and socio-economic impacts which disproportionately affect the urban poor. 6. Various initiatives have been launched by central, state and local governments to address the service delivery shortfalls in urban water supply and sanitation. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)1, an estimated 60% of total investments (approx. $20 billion) was allocated to UWSS services. Several urban programs have been launched thereafter to address growing urban infrastructure requirements. The AMRUT program and Swachh Bharat Mission2 have explicit focus on UWSS services, while the Smart Cities Mission is focused on increased use of ICTs for enabling citizen centric service delivery (including water and sanitation). 7. The Government of India has also taken up several initiatives in recent years, aimed at making service delivery more ‘citizen centric’ e.g. Right to Public Services enactments; National E- governance plan; Public Disclosure Law. 3 However, these have tended to focus on public services which are more transactional in nature (e.g. birth certificates, marriage certificates, property registration, bill payments), and not utility services such as water supply and sanitation. Public consultations/ participation has also been mandated under various urban programs, but implementation on the ground tends to be weak, due to inadequate capacity and motivation of local governments. Accordingly, these various interventions have had limited impact in making utility services like water supply and sanitation more accountable to citizens. 8. The Service Level Benchmarks (SLB) program was introduced by the Government of India’s Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) in 2009, with the aim of shifting focus from infrastructure creation to the delivery of service outcomes. A standardized framework was developed of 28 performance indicators for measuring four basic services, namely water supply, 1 Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was a flagship program of the Govt. of India, for urban infrastructure development, implemented during the period 2005-14 2 Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) is a national government led sanitation program (launched in 2014), aimed at ensuring universal access to toilets in urban areas, and provision of solid waste management services. AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) is also a national program (launched in 2015) aimed at provision of basic services in urban areas, with a focus on ensuring household level access to piped water supply and wastewater management services. 3 Right to Public Services enactments stipulate timeframes for public service delivery with penalties for deviation. The National e-Governance plan aims to provide IT infrastructure and mobile platforms to allow citizens easier access to government services. The Public Disclosure Law requires municipalities to disclose organizational, financial and operational information in the public domain. 3 wastewater, solid waste management and storm-water drainage. 4 The SLB indicator definitions for water supply largely drew from the globally accepted IBNET 5 indicator framework. SLBs were included in the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission (2010) as per which notification of SLBs was made a pre-condition for release of performance grants to municipalities. Following this, along with a national rollout led by MoUD, over 1000 municipalities are reporting performance on the SLB indicators annually. 9. Since its introduction, the SLB program helped increase focus on monitoring and reporting of service outcomes and also got mainstreamed into select sector formulations. However, the availability and quality of performance data remained poor; and was seen to reflect only the service provider’s point of view , not the service experience of citizens. There was also limited use of SLB data to inform planning processes and operational decision making. Dedicated institutional capacity such as performance monitoring cells, was not created to strengthen quality of reporting by cities or monitor/ analyze the SLB data. Citizens largely remained unaware of the SLB data reported by their city, and it was therefore not helping to foster dialogue between citizens and municipalities on issues related to service delivery. 10. WSP had extended support to MoUD under a previous engagement (2008-13), in launching the SLB program and its scaling up. As lead technical partner, assistance was provided in finalizing the SLB Handbook (2008), implementing a national pilot covering 28 cities (2009), and thereafter jointly with other development agencies, facilitating adoption of performance reporting by municipalities across the country. Support was also provided to select states to strengthen data collection, and reporting processes, and advocating for use of performance data in decision making linked to UWSS services. Analytical and advocacy work was undertaken to support greater integration of SLBs into project appraisal and state and national urban programs (viz. JNNURM6). There were however, challenges in achieving these objectives, due to frequent administrative changes, uncertainties associated with closure of JNNURM and planning for next phase of urban programs (partly dependent on outcome of national elections which were to be held in 2014). 11. In this context, there was need for continued support to sustain the SLB program which was seen to be an important intervention in facilitating a shift in sector focus from asset creation to service delivery. To strengthen accountability for delivery of service outcomes, there was need for further improvement in performance monitoring, citizen feedback and greater use of performance data in planning and operational processes related to service delivery. Overview of Technical Assistance 12. This technical assistance (TA) has sought to strengthen accountability for service outcomes in urban water and sanitation, especially to the urban poor, by providing technical assistance to interested states / service providers in strengthening (i) supply and demand side monitoring processes under national programs, and (ii) integrating use of performance data into decision making by public providers in select states, with specific focus on services to the poor. 4 Details are available in the Handbook of Service Level Benchmarks which can be accessed at – http://moud.gov.in/sites/upload_files/moud/files/pdf/Handbook.pdf 5 http://www.ib-net.org/ 6 Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was a flagship program of the Govt. of India, for urban infrastructure development, implemented during the period 2005-14 4 Results Framework Intermediate Indicator(s) Results Outcome(s)  Innovative ICT based Achieved. SLB Connect has been operationalized as a citizen feedback system comprehensive approach for conduct of ICT based citizen “SLB Connect” feedback surveys. Using an integrated mobile to web system operationalized developed under this TA, SLB-C has been implemented in 8 cities across 6 states covering over 35,000 households. This has been done under the ambit of MoUD’s Service Level Benchmarks program. Feedback data is publicly accessible on an interactive online platform (www.slbconnect.in).  At least one Bank Achieved. SLB-C has been integrated into the design of the project informed by World Bank funded Karnataka Urban Water Supply citizen feedback surveys Modernization Project wherein SLB-C will be used to Innovative approach conducted in identified conduct citizen feedback surveys under the Social for tracking citizen cities. Accountability component; an indicator on citizen feedback feedback developed has also been included in the Results M&E framework for and operationalized the project. SLB-C has also been leveraged by MoUD for undertaking City Sanitation Ratings as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). Data was collected from 75 cities in two weeks through the use of mobile to web systems, and citizen feedback was used for the first time in the rating assessment framework. - SLB CONNECT PROJECT REPORT - WEBSITE www.slbconnect.in - SLB CONNECT SURVEY DOCUMENTS - SLB CONNECT RESOURCE PACK  At least one state sector Achieved. WSP supported development of a prioritization policy/ strategy framework, preparation of service improvement plans using Sector policy/strategy informed by WSP’s performance data. These were used by the state urban informed for analytical work department to develop a preliminary phasing of investments strengthening analytical work on envisaged under the Policy (2015-27), and also to review performance integration of capital works proposals for funding under the FY 2016 state orientation in performance data into plan allocations leading to greater rationalization of planning and decision-making related budgetary allocations. financing processes to planning and - PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK AND INVESTMENT PLANNING FOR financing processes. ODISHA STATE URBAN WATER SUPPLY POLICY 2013 5 Intermediate Indicator(s) Results Outcome(s)  Use of performance Partially achieved. Performance monitoring processes data embedded in under the SLB program were supported and strengthened appraisal and outcome through technical assistance provided to MoUD in monitoring processes partnership with other development agencies. These related to national contributed to (i) provisioning being made in the AMRUT funding programs. program guidelines for creation of a National Performance Monitoring Cell to monitor implementation of SLBs in urban basic services; (ii) SLBs being retained under the 14 th Finance Commission recommendations as a pre-condition for release of performance grants to municipalities. - AMRUT PROGRAM GUIDELINES AND 14TH FINANCE COMMISSION Client capacity REPORT - RELEVANT SECTIONS & ANALYTICAL NOTES increased at national and state/ utility level  Performance monitoring Partially achieved. A rapid assessment was undertaken and to undertake performance processes strengthened inputs provided for strengthening sector MIS as part of monitoring of UWSS and institutionalized for support extended to the World Bank funded, Jalanidhi II- at least one state Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project. This has services government/ utility. helped inform the next steps envisaged for developing sector MIS under project. Support was provided to Govt of Odisha for deepening SLB reporting and monitoring processes. At the behest of MoUD, the TA provided support to Delhi’s water utility (Delhi Jal Board) for initiating development of a performance monitoring and benchmarking system (activity was discontinued at an intermediate stage due to a change in the client’s administrative priorities). - RAPID ASSESSMENT OF SECTOR MIS UNDER KERALA JALANIDHI -II PROJECT Process 13. Technical support has been extended to the national government, select state/ local government agencies and service providers, to inform and develop the capacity of decision makers on performance monitoring, citizen feedback systems and use of performance based processes for investment planning processes. The nature of interventions included analytical notes and studies, development of software solutions, conduct of field surveys, city/ national level consultations, presentations, workshops, and dissemination activities. In order to deliver greater impact, most of these have been undertaken in partnership with existing and proposed government programs and Bank projects related to water supply and sanitation. The areas of support under this TA are in alignment with the government’s overall agenda for the sector in terms of strengthening accountability, capacity and viability of the sector. 6 Outputs I. ‘SLB Connect’ innovative approach for tracking citizen feedback operationalized ANNEXURE 1. SLB CONNECT PROJECT REPORT ANNEXURE 2. SLB CONNECT SURVEY DOCUMENTS ANNEXURE 3. SLB CONNECT RESOURCE PACK 14. An important objective of this TA was to strengthen accountability for service delivery, by strengthening demand side monitoring systems. Towards this SLB Connect (SLB-C) was operationalized as an ICT based approach for conducting citizen feedback surveys on water and sanitation services in Indian cities. The initiative was designed as an extension of the Service Level Benchmarks (SLB) program of Govt of India, under which urban local bodies are required to report on service delivery performance. SLB-C was developed to help mainstream demand side monitoring and serve as a complement to the supply side reporting done by service providers under the SLB program. Detailed description of the SLB-C initiative and implementation experience is provided in Annexure 1, and detailed city-wise reports on survey findings are available in Annexure 2. This section provides an overview of the initiative, the survey findings and observations on the implementation experience. 15. Specific objectives of SLB-C were to - o facilitate tracking of service outcomes using citizen feedback o provide a reality check for performance data reported by service providers o generate more granular feedback on services at the intra-city level (ward/ zone) that could help identify problem hotspots and design area-specific interventions o highlight service inequities across user groups (e.g. households in slum settlements), and strengthen the voice of vulnerable groups in service delivery. Through these processes the aim was to create an enabling environment for strengthening accountability pressures on providers to deliver improved service outcomes. 16. Using the typology provided in the “Strategic Framework for Mainstreaming Citizen Engagement in World Bank Group Operations” 7, the SLB Connect approach corresponds to interventions that entail ‘Collecting, Recording, and Reporting on Inputs from Citizens’ as well as ‘Citizen led monitoring’. Two characteristics define the SLB-C approach, namely - (i) use of demand side metrics that are aligned with supply side indicators, facilitating ready integration with decision making; and (ii) use of an integrated and scalable ICT solution to enable transparent data collection, improved quality assurance, real time analysis and public dissemination of citizen feedback. 17. The scope of SLB-C currently covers the following aspects: 7 Table 3.2, page 24 7 Demand side metrics associated with the above service attributes align with the corresponding SLB indicators (definitional details are provided in Annexure 1). For example, Access: SLB-C metric- % of HHs reporting individual/ shared connection as a primary source of water supply [SLB indicator - % HHs with individual/ shared connection for water supply] Continuity: SLB-C metric- Median value of duration of supply reported by HHs [SLB indicator: Duration of supply as reported by service provider] 18. The ICT platform for SLB-C is an integrated workflow based mobile to web system designed primarily for conduct of household surveys, also known as Mobile Aided Personal Interview (MAPI) surveys. It has three main components, namely- (i) data collection through a mobile based survey app, (ii) real time monitoring through an online survey management module, and (iii) real time analysis through an online dashboard that is publicly accessible. Further details on ICT functionalities are available in Annexure 2 (“SLB Connect Application Overview”). Apart from MAPI surveys, additional modes of collecting feedback have also been tested under SLB-C (namely, telephone surveys and SMS polls), which have been conducted using ICT solutions available off the shelf. Figure 1: System components of SLB-C 19. Till now, SLB-C has been implemented in eight cities across six states, representing a variety of service delivery arrangements and implementation environments. Feedback has been collected from about 35,000 households as part of the surveys, all of which have been conducted at the behest of MoUD. For the purpose of analysis, the implementation experience has been categorized into three phases – a. Pilot phase of MAPI surveys (2012-14), encompassing the proof of concept in Pimpri Chinchwad (Maharashtra), followed by implementation in Mehsana (Gujarat) and Delhi; 8 the latter two cities were taken up in partnership with other agencies 8. In Delhi, the survey was conducted at a locality level in two slum settlements (as against a city-wide survey). b. Scaled up demonstration of MAPI surveys (2014-15), in which implementation was taken up across five cities using an upgraded SLB-C ICT platform with enhanced functionalities and capacity. The cities covered included - Ajmer and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, Rae Bareli and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. c. Repeat surveys based on Additional modes of feedback (2014-15), conducted in Pimpri Chinchwad using CATI 9 based systems and SMS polls. While in the first phase a simple ICT solution was operationalized, during the second phase, an upgraded platform was developed with enhanced capacity and functionalities to support scaled up implementation. This is publicly accessible at - www.slbconnect.in10. Figure 2: Implementation of SLB-C 8 Survey in Mehsana was implemented in partnership with Urban Management Centre (UMC) and CEPT, under a project funded by the Gates Foundation. Survey Delhi was conducted by Centre for Urban & Regional Excellence (CURE), under a USAID funded project. 9 Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviewing systems 10 This platform has the data for five cities covered in the scaled up demonstration phase, while data for cities covered in the pilot phase are accessible on the old platform - old.slbconnect.in. 9 20. Details of service delivery arrangements and scope of the surveys undertaken in the scaled up demonstration are provided in the tables given below. Table 1. Service delivery arrangements in surveyed cities City Water Supply Sanitation Delhi Delhi Jal Board (water utility) Delhi Jal Board (water utility) Ajmer, Jhunjhunu Public Health Engineering Department Municipal Corporation (Rajasthan) (State agency) Rae Bareli (U.P.) Municipal Corporation Municipal Corporation Varanasi (U.P.) Jal Kal Department11 (Municipal Jal Kal Dept. - Sewerage Corporation) - O&M functions Municipal Corporation - Septic tanks etc. Jal Nigam (State agency) - Capital works Jal Nigam (State agency) - Capital works Jabalpur (M.P.) Municipal Corporation Municipal Corporation Table 2: City and Survey Sample details Jabalpur Varanasi Rae Bareli Ajmer Jhunjhunu City profile Total population 1,069,292 1,597,051 191,056 542,580 118,473 Population in Slum areas 45% 19% 23% 20% 4% Sample details No. of wards 70 90 31 55 45 No. of respondents 6693 9330 3134 5500 3823 -from slum areas 48% 22% 26% 18% 4% -female respondents 45% 32% 23% 38% 28% 21. Key findings emerging from the SLB-C surveys are summarized below (detailed analysis is available in Sections 4 and 5 of Annexure 1; city wise survey reports are available in Annexure 2). a. Feedback for water supply tended to be better on access levels compared to service quality aspects. Poor water quality emerged as an important area of concern for citizens in most cities. This also resulted in high dependence on alternate sources of water (e.g. private bore wells), even in cities otherwise having adequate water supply (e.g. Varanasi, Jabalpur). Other areas of priority were adequacy and regularity of supply. Toilet access was reasonable in most cities except Rae Bareli, but sewerage was lacking in all except two cities (Varanasi and Rae Bareli), where also coverage was poor. b. Alignment between supply (SLB) and demand side (SLB-C) data appeared to be greater for infrastructure based metrics (e.g. household connections, toilet access, sewerage access, metering). Significant gaps were observed in metrics linked to service quality (e.g. water quality, continuity of supply, complaint redressal, and adequacy). This resonates with the sector’s accountability context, which emphasizes infrastructure creation (requiring coverage data to be reported for preparation of projects, plans) and not service delivery. 11 Ring fenced water department 10 c. Granular analysis revealed service inequities between slum and non-slum areas. These were more on infrastructure aspects (e.g. house connections, toilet access, sewerage access), primarily due to “eligibility” constraints. Inequities in quality of services (e.g. adequacy, water quality) were in several cases attributable to the type of source being accessed (e.g. public stand post users reporting higher incidence of dirty water supply). Significant inequities were evident in ward-wise performance, with peripheral areas being characterized by poorer service levels. Service inequities could therefore be seen to be a corollary to broader systematic issues such as informal status of land ownership, and poor quality of urban planning. (See spatial maps provided below). JABALPUR- Hours of supply per day (piped sources) VARANASI- Households connected to sewer 11 d. The share of respondents lodging complaints was low (5-15%), of which typically 1/3 reported resolution. This could be a reflection of the perceived inefficacy of complaint redressal mechanisms12. In cities where service delivery was a municipal responsibility (e.g. Pimpri Chinchwad, Jabalpur), citizens preferred channeling their complaints through councilors (more so for residents in slum areas). By contrast, most citizens in cities served by state departments (e.g. Ajmer and Jhunjhunu) lodged their complaints directly at the Helpdesk. In general, in the cities surveyed, respondents preferred a face to face interaction, with negligible use of helplines, SMS or online facilities (also mirrored in preferred modes for bill payment). This could be due to lack of trust in the latter type of complaint channels, or lack of awareness of their availability. The preferred channel of complaint reveals the perceived influence of various functionaries/ stakeholders (e.g. Councilors) on the service delivery function, and hence opportunities for activating accountability pressures for improving service levels. e. Despite service levels being relatively poor, in most cities about 80-90% respondents were partially or fully satisfied with services (with the exception of Jhunjhunu, where the figure was lower at 67%). The share of ‘Fully Satisfied’ respondents was lowest in Varanasi (27%). In all cities, this figure was lower for respondents in slum areas. Also, about 90% respondents felt services were the same or better than the previous year. Given the apparent low expectations on service delivery, there may be limits to the extent of civic mobilization possible for service improvement. A mitigating factor is that in several cities (especially where service delivery is a municipal responsibility), councilors were sensitive to the feedback on “services compared to the previous year”. Such political pressure points could be leveraged for improving services. 22. On completion of surveys, the findings were disseminated at the city level. Traditional methods were used such as city level workshop for councilors, civil society groups and other stakeholders; and local media coverage. In addition, results were made publicly accessible on the SLB-C online platform. A flyer providing a summary of results in English and Hindi, was uploaded on the website and the web link was disseminated to residents through bulk SMS. City level sharing at Jabalpur and Rai Bareli with Mayor, Commissioner and Ward Councilors 12 Thisalso resonates with the findings from the World Bank’s 2014 Review “Grievance Redress Mechanisms – On Paper and in Practice” - as referenced in the “Strategic Framework for Mainstreaming Citizen Engagement in World Bank Group Operations” 2014, Box 4.4 page 45. 12 Dissemination in local media and Results Flyer 23. The response of city functionaries and stakeholders showed considerable variation across the cities. The schematic given below (Figure 3) provides a snapshot of the response of local functionaries from the five cities covered in the scaled up demonstration (further details of the analysis are provided in Section 4.2 of Annexure 1). Some of the factors influencing the response, were as follows: - Extent to which the municipality was responsible and accountable for service delivery - Degree of cohesion (or dissent) among local political leaders and parties, and their working relationship with city administrators - Orientation of the city manager (Commissioner) and local leaders to participatory processes - Local survey partner’s capacity and working relationship with city authorities - Service improvement plans under development, offering an opportunity to incorporate survey findings and address service gaps - Familiarity and comfort of municipal officials with use of ICTs 24. With specific reference to just one factor from the above, where service delivery was a municipal responsibility (e.g. Pimpri Chinchwad, Jabalpur), the pressures for accountability were more localized (e.g. through municipal councilors). Among these, the response was greater in cities where service providers were better capacitated to take action (e.g. Pimpri Chinchwad). In contrast, where service delivery was the responsibility of the state department (e.g. Ajmer), pressures for accountability would need to be invoked through the state government. Similarly, in cities where due to weak capacity there was greater dependence on the state government, or infrastructure interventions were through a state agency (e.g. Varanasi), the response through just local accountability pressures was relatively weak. In other words, depending on the nature of service delivery arrangements, the accountability pressures were located either at the local level or at the state level, or a mix of both. 13 Figure 3. Response of city functionaries JBP 80 70 60 50 40 30 JJN VRN 20 Willingness 10 0 Ownership & involvement Interest in findings AJM RBL 25. The city of Pimpri Chinchwad was most engaged in the implementation process, and responsive to feedback received under the various SLB-C surveys. The feedback showed relatively weak performance on complaint redressal, and low dependence on formal channels for lodging complaints (respondents preferred to lodge complaints through councilors or other informal channels). The municipality recognized this as a reflection of lack of awareness and trust in the formal complaint channels. In response, a new helpline facility (SARATHI) was launched for all urban services, which had more streamlined processes for lodging complaints, provision for monitoring and follow up. Importantly, the launch was accompanied by intensive outreach efforts to make citizens aware of the facility. Follow up monitoring and interventions were also taken up for zones which had reported higher incidence of dirty water supply. Subsequent to implementation of the follow up CATI survey and SMS polls, the municipality took a decision to operationalize a Customer Services Monitoring Cell which could undertake such feedback surveys regularly to track service experience. In other cities as well, the survey findings were accepted, and two of them provided a link to the SLB-C dashboard on their municipality website. The SLB-C data was used to inform preparation of service improvement plans, funding proposals for submission under state/ national urban programs (e.g. AMRUT, Smart Cities, Swachh Bharat Mission). 26. Dissemination activities were also undertaken at the national level, through interactions with senior sector practitioners and policy makers (Advisory Committee meeting held in January 2015), presentations at various events, and organization of a national workshop (November 2015). Consequent to this on-going engagement with sector counterparts, the Ministry decided to use the SLB-C platform for conduct of city sanitation ratings (‘Swachh Survekshan’) under the Swachh Bharat Mission (urban), and also included citizen feedback for the first time as a part of the rating assessment framework. Through the use of mobile to web systems, data collection (including field observations) was completed for 75 cities, in a record time of two weeks in January 2016. In addition, feedback was collected for the first time, from over 80,000 14 respondents (at least 1000 responses per city) using Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS), which helped make the assessment more citizen-centric. The results dashboard along with field observations collected for each city are publicly accessible on the Ministry’s online platform (https://gramener.com/swachhbharat/). Going forward, the Ministry proposes to use a similar approach for conduct of ratings with greater frequency and for a larger number of cities. 27. During project implementation, the SLB-C approach was also shared internally within the Bank to obtain feedback and assess relevance for Bank projects. This led to integration of SLB-C in the design of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project, under the social accountability component. SLB-C will be used to conduct regular citizen feedback surveys on service levels, with the aim of helping to track service improvements in a more transparent and citizen centric manner, and thereby foster greater stakeholder trust under the project. Survey findings will be made available on a publicly accessible online platform and also disseminated through other channels. 28. Some observations emerging from the implementation experience of the SLB-C initiative are summarized below. Outcomes - The feedback surveys were seen to provide concrete and relevant data on the status of WSS services which helped inform cities in preparation of their plans and proposals under various urban programs e.g. AMRUT, Smart Cities, Swachh Bharat. - Provision of granular feedback at the ward level, spatial maps, as also access to detailed survey records (with GPS and time-stamping), added credibility to the process and increased acceptance of the findings. It helped generate more interest among councilors, highlighted service inequities, provided actionable information and enabled prioritization of interventions. - The demand side metrics provided a reality check for the SLB data reported by cities. While it validated the performance reporting on some metrics (e.g. coverage, continuity), it also highlighted significant gaps between reported performance and actual service experience (e.g. water quality, complaints). - G-to-C communication was activated through SMS’s sent at different stages of the survey viz. thank you messages on collection of feedback, introductory messages for CATI and SMS surveys, dissemination of web links to summary survey findings. Program design - The alignment of SLB-C with the SLB program helped in two ways. Firstly, it secured the involvement of Ministry of Urban Devt in the rollout of the program. Secondly, use of SLB terminology helped create greater receptivity to engage in the exercise among municipal functionaries, and use of the data in plans. - The project implementation experience has demonstrated applicability of the SLB-C approach across diverse institutional environments and scales of implementation (viz. city level, or local community). - The use of an integrated and modular ICT platform with built in questionnaires, survey management functionalities and data analytics enabled implementation across multiple cities within a short timeframe, with limited number of technical experts. 15 - Field work was conducted by locally recruited manpower (e.g. students from local colleges, institutes), which helped improve the optics of the exercise. It was seen as an assessment by the city’s own residents rather than outsiders, making the councilors and functionaries more receptive to the survey findings. It also demonstrated local capacity to replicate such ICT based exercises in future. - The multiple channels for collecting feedback were found to be complementary to each other. While MAPI household surveys provided detailed feedback on services and helped create a profiled database of respondent contact numbers; CATI surveys provided a quicker (but less robust) means of doing follow up tracking on service aspects; SMS polling helped track specific areas of concern. The experience in PCMC showed that municipalities could use a mix of mechanisms to obtain feedback. The low share of complaints lodged through formal channels also showed that these mechanisms need to be accompanied by mechanisms to collect feedback proactively, in order to obtain a complete picture of citizen feedback and facilitate engagement. Stakeholder engagement & response - Implementation of SLB-C in all cities was undertaken in close coordination with local functionaries. Their involvement in the preparatory process helped better planning of the survey, and greater ownership at the dissemination stage. Dissemination activities in all cities involved participation of the municipal mayor, commissioner and head of the service department. Municipality logos have been used on the SLB-C online dashboard, and several municipal websites provided links to the SLB-C online dashboard. - The extent of involvement of local functionaries varied across the cities at different stages of implementation, depending on various factors linked to the institutional and socio-political context (see para 23). - As part of the implementation approach followed, councilors were involved only at the dissemination stage. However, views were expressed on the need to involve councilors from the preparation stage onwards as they are closely linked to citizens on issues related to service delivery (see para 21.d.).13 This becomes more important in areas where citizen expectations from service providers is low, limiting the potential for civic mobilization. - Even while the feedback surveys captured the citizens’ perspective and provided useful information to improve the dialogue on service delivery, there were limits to the extent of citizen engagement facilitated through this process. More sustained support is required to capacitate local citizen groups and functionaries to engage in a meaningful dialogue on service delivery and enable citizen participation in decision making. 29. Based on the implementation experience it can be inferred that the TA achieved its stated objectives with respect to, providing a systematic means to capture citizen feedback, which could serve as a reality check on reported data; enabling granular analysis of service levels which highlighted inequities within the city; and helping to inform planning processes. Through these features it becomes more possible to hold providers accountable for delivery of service outcomes. These features also enabled integration of SLB-C in the national urban program and the World Bank project. However, the TA achieved partial success in facilitating citizen dialogue, on service delivery which was seen to require a more sustained engagement for capacitating and generating awareness among citizen groups, local functionaries, and other stakeholders, 13 However, there were also counter views to this, which cautioned against early involvement of councilors, as it could bring undue pressure on the survey implementation process. 16 especially in cities with weak service providers lacking in customer orientation. Moreover, while such interventions help strengthen accountability pressures, in order to deliver service improvements on a sustained basis, other enabling interventions are also required such as institutional role clarity, rationalized incentives, technical capacity, financial resources for undertaking improvements and citizen oriented local leadership. II. Sector policy/ strategy informed for strengthening performance orientation in planning and financing processes ANNEXURE 4: PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK & INVESTMENT PLANNING FOR ODISHA STATE URBAN WATER SUPPLY POLICY 30. This TA contributed to deepening the use of performance data by Govt of Odisha in sector planning and investment allocation processes. In an earlier engagement, WSP had provided support to Govt of Odisha for implementing performance reporting processes under the Govt of India’s SLB program. As part of that engagement, advocacy and analytical work had also been undertaken to encourage use of the performance data in preparation of plans and project proposals and to guide investment allocations in the sector (i.e. shift from adhoc to performance based allocations; and from incremental to more composite proposals)14. This analytical and advocacy work helped inform the drafting of the Odisha State Urban Water Supply Policy (2013). 31. The Policy envisages an investment of Rs.44 billion over a period of 12 years, and incorporated several guidelines reflecting a shift towards increased performance orientation (refer Box below for guidelines). In order to help operationalize these, at the request of Govt of Odisha, support was provided for the following activities under this TA: a. Development of a prioritization framework and based on it, a medium term investment plan, in alignment with the policy framework; b. Review of investment proposals submitted by the Public Health and Engineering Organization (PHEO)15 for FY 2015-16, by a panel of experts constituted by the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD); recommendations provided; c. Drafting of terms of reference for hiring of a firm to implement a Technical Support Unit under the PHEO in order to support monitoring and project preparation processes; d. Lead technical inputs for conduct of an asset survey towards preparation of Service Improvement Plans (SIPs) for water supply services for all municipalities. These were presented at a state level workshop (19th November 2014) chaired by the Minister and Special Secretary, HUDD. The SIPs captured past SLB trends, service gaps, proposed action plan and annual targets for FY 2018-19, and quarterly targets for FY 2016 Guidelines under Odisha State Urban Water Policy (2013) o New projects including augmentation of existing infrastructure shall be developed after assessment and feasibility study on availability of a sustainable source, availability of land, implementation feasibility, project viability and expected performance improvement. o Outcome evaluation shall be the key factor for selection of project o A non-discriminatory project approval system shall be put in place based on objective criteria o All funding and budgetary allocation for both Capex and Opex shall be linked to performance. o An evaluation and prioritization analysis shall be prepared to justify the funding, giving due consideration to basic needs and minimum service levels 14 A review of the FY14-15 plan showed that 70% of total allocations was to incremental proposals, and only 22% was to composite proposals that were systemic, linked to city-wide service improvement plans. Incremental proposals represented piecemeal and adhoc interventions with unclear service outcomes. 15 PHEO is the Odisha’s state de partment responsible for delivery of water supply services in the state. 17 e. Facilitating of MoUs between municipalities and PHEO to enhance municipal participation in service improvement planning and PHEO accountability for delivery of services Odisha State Workshop on Service Improvement Planning for Water Supply in Municipalities (19 th Nov., 2014) 32. The Prioritization Framework helped provide an objective, non-discriminatory and data based framework for prioritizing and selecting projects. It integrated need based and efficiency criteria to provide a ranking of municipalities in the state, which met specified eligibility conditions (see Annexure 4 for further details on the framework). The framework was used by the state urban department to develop a preliminary phasing of investments envisaged under the Policy (2015- 27), and also to review capital works proposals for funding under the FY 2016 state plan allocations. The TA has helped Govt of Odisha adopt a more rationalized budgetary allocation for FY 2016. The share of incremental proposals though still high (44%), is lower than the previous year (70%) and even for selection of these, guiding criteria have been used (see Annexure 4 for details of review panel recommendations). The SIPs, investment estimates and rankings, developed with support from this TA, helped inform preparation of funding proposals under the AMRUT program i.e. the Service Level Improvement Plans prepared by municipalities, and the State Annual Action Plan using need based selection of cities. Figure 4. Prioritization framework for Composite Proposals 18 33. Some lessons from the above engagement are as follows: - It took sustained advocacy and engagement with the client to create willingness to address a critical process like investment allocations. This advocacy contributed to embedding of performance and prioritization principles in the state policy which in turn formed the basis for development of the prioritization framework and approach. - The advocacy was facilitated by the parallel engagement on performance monitoring (see para 38.a.) which also helped bring out the inconsistencies in sector development efforts.16 Highlighting these inconsistencies strengthened the case for rationalizing investment processes. - Pressure was created through dialogue with not just the line (urban) department, but also the planning department which was responsible for state plan allocations, and had interest in rationalizing the allocations. Active efforts were also made to engage the state engineering department head to facilitate adoption of this intervention. - Transitioning to a more rationalized investment allocation process will take a couple of budgetary cycles due to the backlog of capex commitments from earlier years. Accordingly, in the initial stage the prioritization listing has been used more to review and guide selection of mainly new commitments. III. Client capacity increased at national and state/ utility level to undertake performance monitoring of UWSS services ANNEXURE 5: OUTPUTS RELATED TO NMPC AND 14TH FINANCE COMMISSION ANNEXURE 6: RAPID ASSESSMENT OF SECTOR MIS IN KERALA 34. Since its introduction in 2009, MoUD’s SLB program was seen as an important step in fostering a shift in the focus of urban service providers from “asset creation” to “service outcomes”. With its inclusion under the 13th Finance Commission recommendations, over 1000 municipalities have been notifying their SLB data on an annual basis. Moreover, it had been mainstreamed into national / state formulations viz. the 12th Five Year Plan document, the report of the High Powered Expert Committee on Indian Urban Infrastructure and Services, the draft National Framework Water Law, state urban policies/ programs (e.g. Odisha, Maharashtra), and also in PPP contracts for the water sector. While SLBs was helping to make sector vocabulary and formulations more focused on service delivery, there were significant shortcomings in the program that needed to be addressed, namely – uneven adoption of reporting across states, monitoring processes were not institutionalized at the national/ state level, data quality was poor, integration with national programs was partial and further refinements were required in the indicator framework. 35. To address the above, there was need for sustained advocacy, capacity building of states/ municipalities, review and analysis of the reported data to help inform programs/ decision making. The expectation was for these functions to be performed at the national level by MoUD, and concerned urban departments at the state level. However, due to frequent administrative changes, and uncertainties associated with planning for the next phase of urban programs (post JNNURM), these functions were not taken up at the Ministry level. Moreover, with the 13th 16For example, cities with adequate treatment capacity were receiving additional funds for capacity augmentation even as their coverage in terms of house connections was relatively low 19 Finance Commission drawing to a close in FY15, continuation of this important incentive for municipalities to notify SLB data was also in doubt. 36. Accordingly, WSP along with other development partners (e.g. CEPT, ASCI, GIZ)17, advocated and provided technical support for (i) further integration of the SLB framework in national formulations; and (ii) strengthening of institutional capacity at the national level to anchor and drive the SLB program. To implement these strategies, the following activities were taken up under this TA: a. Support to MoUD in advocating for continuation of SLBs as a pre-condition for performance grants under the 14th Finance Commission formulation. b. Advocacy in MoUD through analytical work and interactions with counterparts, for creation of a dedicated national cell to undertake the monitoring of service levels (water and sanitation) in the next phase of national urban programs. Support was provided to MoUD for developing terms of reference (including resource requirements), and coordinating with partners for technical assistance in operationalizing the Cell. c. Convening of a roundtable with partners for review of SLB indicator framework, and models for institutionalizing performance monitoring at the national level (23rd December, 2014) 37. These interventions contributed to the following results: a. The 14th Finance Commission retained notification of SLBs as a pre-condition for municipalities to access their performance grants (totaling about US$ 2.6 billion for the period 2016-20). This was the only pre-condition that was retained out of the nine pre- conditions under the previous (13th Finance Commission) formulation. b. The AMRUT Program Guidelines incorporated provisioning for creation of a National Performance Monitoring Cell (NPMC) to enable tracking of service improvements. However, while the NPMC has been included in the guidelines, it is yet to be operationalized. Administrative processes are underway to implement the Cell under the ambit of the Ministry, but hosted by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).18 38. In addition to interventions at the national level, technical support was provided to select interested states/ utilities for strengthening their performance monitoring systems. Details of these interventions are as follows: a. Govt of Odisha- support for strengthening and expanding performance reporting by municipalities in the state viz. review of performance data, analysis for state level decision makers, guidance on data quality improvement measures, and presentations in capacity building workshops for local officials. b. Govt of Kerala - technical advisory inputs on sector M&E processes as part of the Bank supported Jalanidhi-II project. Rapid assessment undertaken of the state’s monitoring systems (covering rural and urban water supply). This helped identify gaps in existing monitoring systems, highlight opportunities for improved synergies in data collection/ analysis, and new initiatives that could strengthen sector planning and governance. 17CEPT – Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology; ASCI- Administrative Staff College of India 18NIUA is a government supported research institute that works in close coordination with MoUD, and undertakes research, capacity building, and knowledge management activities in support of various national / state government led urban programs. 20 Findings were presented to state functionaries at a workshop (19th March, 2015) convened under the project, and have been used to inform next steps envisaged for developing a comprehensive state level sector MIS system. c. Delhi Jal Board – support was provided at the behest of MoUD, for initiating design of a performance monitoring and benchmarking system for the utility. It was aimed at helping the utility to improve tracking of performance at a zonal/ departmental level, identify gaps, improve internal accountability processes, and strengthen performance orientation within the utility. Under the TA, dialogue was facilitated with the utility managers, preliminary analytical work was undertaken to prepare a monitoring framework for the utility’s operations. This TA was discontinued after completion of the interim report due to change in the client’s administrative priorities. 39. Some observations emerging from the above engagements are given below. - Development partners associated with the SLB initiative played a critical role in helping to provide continuity and commitment to the program through a period of administrative transitions. - The performance grants under the Finance Commission recommendations have been linked to reporting of SLB data, and not the level of services reported. At this stage of the program, this would be the preferred strategy as the aim is primarily to encourage reporting on performance by local bodies and help the process to get institutionalized. - The entry points for the three state engagements were different, as also the commitment to operationalizing monitoring systems. The critical determinant in all cases was the interest of the administrative leadership, which made the commitment level vulnerable to administrative changes. In Odisha (where the engagement was longest) this was partially mitigated through intensive engagement with the state engineering department head who over time began using SLB data in departmental meetings and internal review processes. - In all the engagements, there was indication of data being collected at the ground level by different units, and data sets being available (though of variable quality). The missing elements were the follow up steps viz. systematic aggregation of data, synthesis into reports, and finally its use in decision making. In most cases, there was inadequate ‘pull’ for data from senior levels of management, other than what was required for reporting to the national government or for compliance purposes. This could be on account of several factors e.g. lack of institutional focus on performance, inadequate technical resources at senior levels to review and assimilate the information, or lack of faith in the reported data. Recommendations & Way Forward PERFORMANCE REPORTING AND IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES 40. The TA on “Service Level Benchmarking, Citizen Voice and Performance Improvement Strategies in Urban Water Supply and Sanitation” has played an important role in helping to sustain institutional commitment for the SLB program through a transition period, and supported its mainstreaming into the next phase of urban formulations viz. the 14 th Finance Commission, and the provision of an NPMC under the AMRUT guidelines. These provide an enabling environment to institutionalize the performance monitoring function at various levels. It would be important to operationalize the NPMC at the earliest, so that it can further strengthen performance monitoring processes in the sector. The support under this TA to interested state governments also contributed to deepening their monitoring processes, and embed use of performance data 21 in planning processes. As part of support to Govt of Odisha, a prioritization framework was developed which helped guide the state’s investment planning and allocations to the sector. 41. Drawing from the experience under this TA, some inferences for future such engagements are given below. a. Development of standardized performance indicator frameworks can play a catalytic role in moving towards increased focus on service delivery. These enable next level interventions such as incentive programs, performance informed financing, institutional reforms for performance orientation. However, active evangelization and advocacy is required to help adoption and mainstreaming of such indicator frameworks. b. Development agencies and other sector players can play a critical role in the mainstreaming of these frameworks, in partnership with the government. Referencing and inclusion of these performance indicators in programs, sector assessments, government formulations, helps to endorse the framework and give it credibility. However, sustained capacity building support is required to drive, strengthen and institutionalize reporting/ monitoring processes at local, state and national levels. c. Deepening of monitoring and reporting systems, requires sustained advocacy and capacity building at all levels within service providers. While on the one hand, it is important for administrative leaders to demand performance information and use it in decision making, it is also critical to get the buy in of operational heads and staff to increase ownership for data, and enable integration with operational decision making. Apart from improving data collection processes, interventions also need to help streamline data flows for better aggregation, analysis and reporting. These can help make the data more readily available in a usable format for decision making purposes. d. The national government has an important role to play in encouraging the adoption of performance monitoring processes in the sector (even if it is in the domain of the state/ local government, as is the case in India). Some functions that could be performed are - hosting the performance database, conducting secondary checks for data quality, supporting capacity building efforts for improved data collection and reporting processes, bringing out advisories on how to analyze data and use it for decision making, undertaking sector analysis using the performance data to help inform policy making at the national and state levels. 42. Going forward, in the Indian context, it would be important to operationalize the NPMC at the earliest, so that it can further strengthen performance monitoring processes in the sector. The NPMC could take much needed steps to improve the quality of reporting, analyzing data to inform sector programs, doing capacity building, and developing guidance materials to facilitate greater integration of performance data into decision making. Current and proposed World Bank engagements with MoUD could contribute to efforts in this direction, in partnership with other development agencies. Engagements with state and local governments, could also incorporate capacity building activities to improve data collection processes, development of sector MIS systems, and encourage use of performance data planning and financing processes. Global knowledge from past World Bank interventions in these areas, should be curated and synthesized to help inform future engagements. 22 CITIZEN FEEDBACK 43. The TA has also delivered significant outcomes in demonstrating an effective approach to strengthen Citizen Feedback processes, which has been incorporated in a national urban program and a World Bank supported project, and also been used by other development partners in their project implementation processes. SLB-C has also helped inform service improvement plans prepared by the various project cities, and triggered improvement actions as well. The linkage between supply and demand side reporting has been found to be mutually complementary, which could be considered in future citizen feedback initiatives. The TA has also demonstrated the scale and efficiencies provided by ICTs in conducting such feedback surveys, while also addressing the challenges posed by the digital divide (through the use of MAPI surveys). 44. Drawing from the experience of the SLB-C initiative, some recommendations are provided below which could be considered while designing citizen feedback programs going forward. a. Use of demand side metrics that are aligned with supply side indicators, makes it easier to activate both upward and downward pressures of accountability. By using a framework of demand side metrics and analytics that are similar to supply side (reported) data it becomes easier to integrate feedback data into plans and decision making processes. It helps government or funding agencies to strengthen monitoring of service providers and track service outcomes under various projects/ programs (e.g. as envisaged for the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project). The metrics along with the detailed analysis also helps reduce the information asymmetry between the provider and the overseeing agencies19 which makes it difficult to hold the former to account. This is especially relevant in environments where quality of data or access to information is weak. Simultaneously, provision of such metrics in a disaggregated form (e.g. ward level), provides citizens with service delivery data that they can relate to. If this is disseminated and deliberated upon, it could be used to generate pressure on service providers through political representatives, CSOs or media. Moreover, use of a common vocabulary of service metrics by providers as well as consumers can also help the two engage more effectively in a dialogue on service delivery. Given these advantages, as an extension of the World Bank’s work on performance monitoring and indicators, it could be useful to develop a more exhaustive list of demand side metrics that could help capture service levels through such feedback processes. b. Feedback surveys designed for replicability and implementation at scale, could help address capacity constraints that often hinder localized interventions. Most local bodies lack capacity to undertake citizen engagement and feedback surveys. There is also limited availability of technical experts to design and oversee such surveys. A tool or approach (typically ICT based) for undertaking such initiatives should therefore address the “how to” question and design for implementation at scale. Attributes which enable this include, o a templatised approach (e.g. question bank, default questionnaire, sampling methodology – all embedded in an ICT based solution with options for customization) o provision for remote monitoring of surveys at multiple/ remote locations, so as to maximize use of limited technical experts for survey monitoring, review and analysis 19 Such as the state urban department, city administrators, municipal councilors. In other contexts where operationalized, Regulatory agencies could perform the oversight functions and use such surveys to improve monitoring and accountability of providers. 23 o modular design to address different geographic scales (e.g. city, ward, locality), and service areas (e.g. water supply, sanitation) o provisioning for implementation through partners (e.g. an online platform hosted by a nodal agency, used by multiple agencies for conduct of survey and dissemination). Potential for scaling up is the most when the system is hosted by a Nodal agency which can anchor the online platform, and also provide advisory and analytical inputs to various implementing agencies using the system’s functionalities to conduct surveys. This role could potentially be performed by a monitoring unit in the government, a regulatory agency, a research institution/ CSO, or some other such entity with the requisite credibility and technical expertise. Such an approach could also be considered in World Bank operations where platforms like SLB-C could be used to streamline implementation of feedback surveys on service delivery under different projects. 20 Where replication of the platform is not feasible, other options could be considered to implement such feedback surveys such as open source data collection tools (e.g. Open Data Kit) integrated with data analytics products (e.g. Tableau) configured for default survey analysis. c. ICTs should be leveraged not just for speed and efficiency, but also for enhanced data integrity, transparency and impact. Integrated workflow based ICT systems can help improve the integrity of data collection processes and demonstrate transparency of process to stakeholders. ICT functionalities can also help deliver greater impact from the survey findings. This is made possible in the following ways: o Better quality control is exercised on survey process through built in checks, flags and real time monitoring reports. o Greater transparency and data integrity is ensured because all the data collected is readily accessible (including rejected records, enumerator details, time stamp, geo- coordinates, photo images), thus making the survey findings more credible and acceptable to decision makers and stakeholders. o Since results are available immediately, the findings are more current and relevant for decision makers (as against traditional methods where survey reports are available 5-7 months after the survey, by when findings could become dated). o Granular analysis in the form of spatial maps and stratified analysis (across user categories/ locations), provides more actionable and credible information which helps to identify hotspots and interventions required to address service gaps as well as inefficiencies (e.g. maps showing water quality hotspots could help identify leaks). o Survey findings can be rapidly and widely disseminated through online dashboards, sending bulk SMS’s with survey highlights or web links to results, updates on social media websites. This could be accompanied by traditional dissemination methods such as workshops, flyers, coverage in local media. d. The various modes of feedback such as MAPI surveys, telephone surveys, SMS polls, IVRS systems, need to be used in a complementary manner. Often these modes are viewed as interchangeable substitutes for obtaining feedback. However, given the relative advantages and disadvantages (see Figure 5), it is more appropriate to consider a mix of mechanisms for 20If the platform is based on open source software and available for replication, incremental system related costs would be low (limited to installation and hosting services). These additional costs would be offset by the gains in speed, reliability and transparency of the survey process. 24 a feedback program, depending on the context and objective of the program.21 For instance, while MAPI surveys are more resource intensive, their dependence on citizen motivation is low and hence more usable in a low equilibrium context22 (where incentives for self- reporting are low). Also, MAPI surveys overcome challenges posed by the ‘digital divide’, as these cover all groups, making the process more inclusive. Modes such as SMS polls, crowd sourced feedback are easier to implement and less resource intensive, but also less detailed, inclusive and representative. A possible approach could be to use MAPI surveys in poor service delivery contexts, or at the start of a project, to periodically capture detailed feedback, with more real time follow up on specific aspects being done using other channels. Where service delivery arrangements are more mature, and digital access is widespread, feedback could be tracked using just the lighter modes. Conversely, in several contexts (especially, those with poor service quality, low capacity), there will continue to be need for face to face interactions such as community level meetings, town halls and so on, to ensure inclusive and meaningful engagement. Figure 5. Comparing feedback channels e. Clarifying how citizen feedback is expected to improve services, could help decide the extent and nature of civic mobilization and stakeholder engagement required. Citizen feedback could be leveraged in many ways to improve service delivery e.g. mobilizing public opinion and generating pressure on service providers to deliver improved services; or to inform providers of service gaps and customer perception issues; or improve the design of projects/ plans under development; or strengthen tracking of service outcomes under programs (especially where reported data lacks reliability). As is apparent, not all of these require civic mobilization and extensive stakeholder engagement. 21 Could also include mechanisms such focused group discussions, panels, touchpoint audits. The aim here is not to describe the entire menu of feedback mechanisms but to highlight their complementarity. 22 Low equilibrium is where the service provider has low capacity, poor customer orientation and credibility, leading to low expectation of improvement/ response, and hence weak public motivation and incentive to provide feedback. 25 Even where accountability pressures need to be strengthened, the means to do this may vary depending on the institutional context for service delivery. For instance, where service delivery is a municipal responsibility, the accountability pressures would be relatively localized (at the city level). In contrast, where service delivery is more centralized, the radius of accountability might go beyond the city with higher levels of government (e.g. state or national) being invoked to generate pressures for improved services. An additional consideration is where customers have low expectations of service delivery, there could be limits to how much civic mobilization is possible to create pressure on service providers. In such situations, local councilors (who often act as intermediaries for problem resolution) could play a role in generating accountability pressures for improved services. Local officials also need to be engaged in implementation of feedback processes, to get their buy in, and obtain a better response to the feedback data, once available. Therefore, while planning a citizen feedback initiative it would be necessary to undertake a clear assessment of the context and develop a holistic strategy for how the feedback would be leveraged to deliver maximum impact in terms of improved service levels. 45. Going forward, with the growing emphasis on transparency and citizen centric service delivery, the role of feedback and engagement processes will only increase. Emerging ICT innovations will offer new opportunities for making these processes more intelligent, inclusive and efficient. Accompanying interventions are also required to rationalize institutional arrangements and improve incentivizes for delivery of service outcomes. The Government of India could facilitate adoption of feedback and engagement processes by, - providing guidance, capacity building and advisory support to interested states/ cities; - hosting or making available such ICT based solutions23 for use by interested state and local governments; - strengthening incentives for adoption by integrating these processes in government programs and formulations24; - developing orientation modules for citizen groups and political representatives on different feedback mechanisms, how to interpret demand side data/ metrics, and use it for advocacy efforts on service improvements. Several of these roles are envisaged in the scope of the proposed NPMC, which could undertake these activities when it is operationalized. Additional support efforts could include training and capacity building of civil society actors, networks that could facilitate the interaction between citizens and service providers. 46. It would also be important for institutions such as the World Bank to support clients in adopting these interventions in their operations and decision making. The recent World Bank directive mandating inclusion of beneficiary feedback processes can give further impetus to adoption of such processes in projects. To make these more impactful, feedback processes in projects should not be limited to self-reporting options like helplines, SMS, online feedback, but also include mechanisms to collect feedback proactively. Feedback should encompass tracking of service delivery under the project, and not be limited to project implementation processes. Efforts also need to be made to identify factors that inhibit the use of formal grievance redressal 23 These could also include ready to use cloud sourced solutions, multi-channel interface for on-going feedback, integration across multiple service areas for convenience of citizens. The adoption of these would depend on the extent of ICT penetration in the environment, institutional structures and service orientation of the providers. 24 To begin with, incentives could be for adoption of regular feedback mechanisms by local governments / service providers, and their use in planning/ review processes. Later these incentives could be linked to the feedback on service quality (i.e. rewards for good performers and/ or penalties for poor performers). 26 mechanisms by citizens, and initiate interventions to make these more accessible and responsive. It would be useful to consolidate learnings from World Bank experiences such as Maji Voice (Kenya), Vozelectrica (Dominican Republic), Citizen Feedback Monitoring Program (Pakistan), SLB-Connect (India) and other emerging initiatives, to help inform future interventions and make them more effective. To prevent duplication of effort and facilitate adoption, it would also be useful to explore a virtual platform where these initiatives can be hosted for ready access by teams/ clients in different countries. Such knowledge sharing efforts could reduce the cost of implementing CE interventions and help obtain buy-in from clients. 27