Mumbai 1st
November 2025: Praja Foundation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and UN-Habitat India, hosted the Grand Finale of Prajatantra 2025 — a national youth festival empowering
India’s youth to understand, examine, and express their perspectives on city
governance.
The Compendium of Prajatantra 2025, featuring insights from over 100 finalists from across India, was
launched by Ashish Shelar,
Minister of Information Technology and Cultural Affairs, Government of
Maharashtra; Yogesh Sagar, MLA,
Government of Maharashtra; Manglesh
Srivastava, Mayor, Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation; Tikender Singh Panwar, Former Deputy
Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation; Nitai
Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee, Praja Foundation; and Milind Mhaske, CEO, Praja Foundation.
Speaking at the Compendium launch, Ashish Shelar said, “In India’s governance structure, we need to
strengthen initiatives at the local level to ensure sustainable development and
achieve our goals. We must define, discuss, and democratise city-level
objectives while ensuring greater citizen involvement. The discussions held
through Prajatantra and the insights from young minds across the country
contribute meaningfully to this vision.”
Sharing his thoughts with the youth, Yogesh Sagar noted, “We need to enhance citizens’ ownership of
cities to make them more liveable and sustainable. Through the program,
process, and platform of Prajatantra, the young generation gathered here has
the power to make this vision a reality in the next 10–20 years. I congratulate
Praja on successfully conducting such a remarkable event.”
The Grand Finale’s opening ceremony was graced by Manglesh Srivastava, Mayor, Gorakhpur
Municipal Corporation; Shubha Raul,
Former Mayor, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation; Tikender Singh Panwar, Former Deputy Mayor, Shimla Municipal
Corporation; Nitai Mehta,
Founder and Managing Trustee, Praja Foundation; and Milind Mhaske, CEO, Praja Foundation.
The theme
for Prajatantra 2025, “Artificial
Intelligence for Sustainable Cities,” underscored the transformative
potential of technology in shaping resilient, inclusive, and efficient urban
futures. At Prajatantra, participating teams formed a fictional city government, including roles such as Mayor and
Committee Chairperson, and presented their ideas, vision, and policies for
model governance. Through immersive role-play and interactive simulations,
participants experienced the workings of city administration and explored how
AI can enhance service delivery, participatory governance, and evidence-based
policymaking.
Speaking
at the opening ceremony, Manglesh
Srivastava, Mayor, Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation, remarked: “The youth today hold immense knowledge —
Prajatantra has brought them together and transformed that knowledge into a
force for building better cities.”
Highlighting the significance of
the event, Dr.
Shubha Raul, Former Mayor, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation,
said: “Through
the Prajatantra platform, Praja has done a remarkable job of connecting
citizens and elected representatives. The event represents a movement towards
the civic and leadership awakening of youth and marks a transformative step
towards making cities more participatory and sustainable.”
Sharing insights on the occasion, Tikender
Singh Panwar, Former Deputy Mayor, Shimla Municipal
Corporation, remarked: “Citizens should be encouraged to think critically about the
present and future of their cities. The youth, in particular, must remain
aware, active, and engaged in local governance. Prajatantra serves as a vital
enabler of this awareness.”
Nitai Mehta,
Founder and Managing Trustee, Praja Foundation, said: “Prajatantra
is a celebration of civic consciousness and the democratic spirit. The youth of
today are not merely the citizens of tomorrow — they are the co-creators of the
cities we aspire to build. Their energy, innovation, and empathy hold the key
to reimagining urban governance. Prajatantra 2025 witnessed unprecedented
national participation, with over 3,800
youth from 194 cities and towns across
all 28 states and 8 union territories, representing 344 academic institutions and six civil society organisations.
Participants from diverse disciplines — including social sciences, law,
engineering, architecture, management, and medicine — came together to develop
people-centric and sustainable policy ideas for India’s cities.”
Milind
Mhaske, CEO, Praja Foundation, added: “Since its
inception in 2019, Prajatantra has grown from a Mumbai-based event into a
nationwide movement celebrating democracy, sustainability, and youth-driven
governance. This year, a collective of 110 young organisers led the event’s planning and
execution, embodying the spirit of participatory leadership that Prajatantra
stands for. Each edition of Prajatantra deepens our commitment to empowering
young minds with knowledge, participation, and purpose. As India’s cities
evolve, it is essential that the next generation understands governance not as
a distant process, but as a shared responsibility.”
Over the two days, finalists will present
in competitions like Mayor’s speech, Policy on Municipal Finance and Leveraging
AI to Enhance Municipal Services, Policy Debate, Op-ed Writing, Quiz
Competition, Digital Poster Making and Reel Making competition.
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