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India has initiated a special audit covering 101 cities to evaluate ease of living from the perspective of citizens, with a focus on quality of life, sustainability and urban accessibility. Comptroller and Auditor General K Sanjay Murthy announced the initiative during the 5th BRICS Supreme Audit Institutions Leaders’ Summit in Bengaluru, where urban mobility emerged as a central theme. The audit comes amid rising urbanisation pressures, increasing congestion and growing demand for integrated transport infrastructure across Indian cities. The exercise is expected to assess whether infrastructure investments are translating into measurable improvements in commuting efficiency, connectivity and public service delivery.
India has launched a comprehensive audit exercise across 101 cities to assess urban ease of living from the citizen’s perspective, reflecting growing institutional focus on mobility, sustainability and integrated infrastructure planning amid rapid urban expansion. Advertisement
The initiative was announced by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) K Sanjay Murthy while inaugurating the 5th BRICS Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) Leaders’ Summit in Bengaluru earlier this week. The three-day summit, hosted by the Office of the CAG during India’s BRICS Chairmanship year, is centred on the theme ‘Ease of Living with a Focus on Urban Mobility’.
According to Murthy, the audit will evaluate cities across parameters including quality of life, accessibility, sustainability and public perception. The exercise comes at a time when Indian cities are facing mounting pressure from population growth, increasing congestion and rising infrastructure demands.
Addressing delegates from BRICS member nations, Murthy observed that urban mobility has become one of the most visible indicators of governance quality for citizens. He stated that mobility challenges directly affect daily life, influencing commute times, productivity and access to opportunities.
He noted that Indian cities currently occupy only around 3 per cent of the country’s land area while contributing nearly 60 per cent of national GDP. By 2030, nearly 70 per cent of all new jobs in India are expected to be generated in urban areas, intensifying the need for efficient and integrated urban infrastructure systems.
Murthy highlighted that global congestion indices have risen from 20 per cent to 25 per cent by 2025, resulting in urban commuters losing between 100 and 180 productive hours annually. He argued that the challenge is not merely the creation of roads or metro systems but the inability of urban infrastructure systems to function cohesively.
According to him, cities often continue to develop transport assets in isolation, including metro corridors that lack integration with bus networks or flyovers that merely redistribute congestion rather than solve it. He stressed that governance frameworks should focus on measurable outcomes such as reduced commute times, improved air quality and equitable access to infrastructure rather than solely measuring construction outputs.
Murthy also stated that the CAG is currently auditing multi-modal transport systems and first-mile and last-mile logistics in collaboration with institutions including the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management and the World Bank.
Beyond conventional audit reporting, the CAG’s office is increasingly adopting broader evaluation mechanisms including departmental appreciation notes, management letters and thematic study reports to improve public sector accountability and infrastructure governance.
The summit has brought together 42 delegates, including heads of Supreme Audit Institutions from BRICS nations. Discussions are focused on shared urban development challenges such as mobility, affordable housing, environmental sustainability and equitable access to public services.
According to the Office of the CAG, participating countries including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and the UAE are scheduled to present case studies and policy approaches related to urban finance and mobility systems.
The summit is expected to conclude with the adoption of the Bengaluru Declaration and the BRICS SAI Work Plan for 2027–28, which will outline collaborative priorities among member nations on governance and public infrastructure oversight.
Source - PTI
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