KUSP Goals: 

• Reduced Poverty in West Bengal 
• Improved Quality of Life and opportunity for poor people in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area 
• Improved Urban Planning and Governance in the KMA 
• Improved access to Urban Services
• Economic Development promoted

The KUSP project is so designed that sustainability becomes a part of its make up, or you may call 'the' obligatory part. Project aims to reach this goal by interacting at different levels of governance and as well as with different set of stakeholders. The proposed course of actions are as follows:

Strengthening of Urban Governance

i.  Municipal Level Reforms - Administrative, Technical, Revenue and Accountsi.

ii.Identification of the responsibilities of -
                                                        a. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs )
                                                        b. State Level Agencies.

Organisational Review :

• The KUSP will support organisational review of ULBs and state level organisations and implementation of the review are to :
• undertake an organisational review of MAD and other support organisations (ILGUS, SUDA, MED, DLB, WBVB) and facilitate development of organisational development plans for the organisation;
• undertake organisational review of all the KUSP programme and facilitate development of organisational development plans for the ULBs; and
• recommend measures to address development plans (mentioned above), relevant accountability and transparency issues.

KUSP attempts to strengthen the urban governance by catalysing unicipal level reforms in the sectors of administration, technical, revenue and accounts.

Scope of Organisational Review :

• keeping in view the KUSP objectives, perticularly its governance and organisational development (OD) agenda, the ULBs and support organisations will be reviewed, and make recommendations, including capacity building measures, to help them perform according to their new roles. Their roles should broadly conform to the stipulations of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, particularly for the ULBs as the institutions of self governance, equipped with powers, resources and capacities to deliver pro-poor services. Also undertake a SWOT of the training institutions, and recommend an institutional development plan.

  KUSP  Vision

The Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor programme (KUSP), which is set to start, seeks to improve urban planning and governance, access to services for the poor and promote economic growth in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area.This will support capacity building of municipalities, state support organisations and infrastructure at the community, town and inter-municipal level. Central to KUSP will be the preparation of comprehensive town development plans by each municipality covering all municipal functions. The programme is to be implemented by the Municipal Affairs Department with the strategic overview of the Kolkata Metropolitan Planning Committee. DFID support of up to 102 million pounds will be available for KUSP, which is to be implemented over next 8 years.

KUSP envisions to improve the livelihood status of urban poor by appraising different sectors in a focussed manner. Some important aspects are specified below:

l   Social Development – Strengthen policy framework for informal settlements, institutionalise pro-poor planning, develop framework for poverty monitoring, develop uniform procedures and capacity of ULB functionaries, Consolidate BPL surveys,  empower the poor through neighbourhood groups.

l   Governance – Capacity building of ULBs and facilitators like DLB, ILGUS, SUDA, MED, WBVB, networking of stakeholder agencies.

l   Economic and Finance – Facilitate policy changes for revenue enhancement of ULBs and better accounting and financial systems, self-sufficiency of The ULBs , maximum benefits for the poor.

l   Enterprise Development – Develop sustainable and cost-effective strategies to evaluate the citizens’ needs in general and in particular for encouraging enterpreunership; market integration linkages, Identify the job oriented informal and manufacturing  sectors for the poor especially women; SCs; minorities and slum dwellers, participation of  local private sector to improve civic services.

l  Environment – Prepare strategic environmental plan  for the KMA and ULBs, include environmental considerations into planning at municipal and trans-municipal levels, preparation of a simple but cross-sectoral ‘state of the environment’ report and ensuring that ULBs have the skills and resources necessary to plan and manage the urban environment.

l   Water Supply – Improve efficiency of distribution and rehabilitate water supply infrastructure.

l   Sewerage and Sanitation – Improve access , identify least-cost solutions, rehabilitate existing infrastructure.

l   Solid Waste Management (SWM) – Increase community awareness and partnerships between SWM operators, Community Based Organisations and the municipalities.

l   Transport – Improve access for the poor.

l      Howrah – Support ‘Howrah development and rejuvenation plan’.

l   Slums – Take improvement projects with a broader perspective