Delhi's Development Priorities: Interconnected and Requiring Public-Private Partnerships

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s development priorities, including urban infrastructure, public transport, healthcare, education, water management, energy and digital governance, are interconnected and cannot be planned or delivered in isolation, Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu said on Tuesday. Sandhu said public-private partnerships (PPPs) have a role in advancing the vision of a “Viksit Delhi” by 2047, but stressed that they are not the answer for every project. He said the first principle is to determine whether a PPP is the appropriate model for a particular project, as not every public service is suited to the same delivery mechanism. The decision, he said, must be based on the nature of the service, the capacity of the public authority, the potential for private participation, the distribution of risks and the outcomes expected by citizens. A PPP, Sandhu emphasised, is not simply an alternative source of financing. It is a framework that combines public purpose with private-sector capabilities while clearly defining responsibilities, risks, performance standards and accountability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised this approach to infrastructure development under Gati Shakti, from planning through development and utilisation. The L-G asked government officers to assess projects across their entire lifecycle and evaluate public outcomes rather than focus only on departmental responsibilities.