By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved Andhra Pradesh’s proposal for establishing Municipal Shared Service Centres (MSSCs), recommending a grant of ₹50 crore under the 15th Finance Commission.

The first instalment of ₹25 crore had been released, the State government announced on Thursday.

The initiative, driven by the Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Department, aims to transform service delivery across 123 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) by pooling resources, leveraging technology, and enhancing financial sustainability.

Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar described the project as a “blueprint for modern municipal governance,” aligned with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s Swarna Andhra-2047 vision.

The MSSC model will centralise finance, payroll, procurement, and legal services, while digitising property tax, certificates, and utility management through GIS mapping, drone surveys, and a unique ‘One Household–One QR Code’ system. It will also streamline citizen services through Ward Seva Kendras, doorstep delivery, WhatsApp-based grievance redress, and multilingual AI support.

Key objectives

Key objectives include boosting property tax revenues, unlocking municipal land potential via PPP models, ensuring wastewater reuse, and driving energy efficiency in streetlighting, water supply, and infrastructure.

He said the project would enhance transparency, improve municipal revenues, and provide faster, citizen-centric services, setting a national benchmark for inclusive, technology-driven urban governance.