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Samvad Framework for analysis of participatory practices in India
India has a diverse range of participatory practices that enable citizen engagement in governance. These vary in purpose, structure, participants, and outcomes, offering important insights for strengthening deliberative democracy, particularly through tools like citizen assemblies and deliberative mini-publics.
There is a need to clearly distinguish different participatory processes in terms of their objectives, design, and outcomes. The framework presents key components of deliberative mini-publics, enabling comparison with existing participatory mechanisms in India. The aim is to identify opportunities and synergies.
The framework is primarily intended for practitioners and researchers in India, with the potential for wider dissemination, where useful. The Framework analyses key participation and deliberation opportunities available for common citizens.
This is a working draft of the framework. We welcome comments and suggestions.
Please email us at ceeurban@ceeindia.org.
From Participation to Deliberation: Indian Case Studies in Democratic Practice
This case series brings together Indian examples of public participation, community engagement and deliberative practice across sectors such as health, mobility, urban planning, local governance and service delivery. The cases have been developed as learning resources for those interested in strengthening deliberative democracy and citizens’ assembly practice in India.
Each case uses an appreciative inquiry approach. It asks what worked well, what tools or design elements may be useful for deliberative processes, and what opportunities exist to deepen inclusion, evidence-informed discussion, collective judgement, institutional response and accountability. The cases are not formal evaluations of the initiatives. They are reflective accounts intended to support practitioners, public officials, civil society organisations, researchers and facilitators in designing more meaningful and effective public participation processes.
Case 01 Read the case.
Ward Committees and Area Sabhas in Bhuj
Aseem Mishra (Homes in the City) and Amarnath Karan (Centre for Environment Education)
Bhuj offers an important case of decentralised urban governance in a small Indian city. The Homes in the City and Bhuj SETU Abhiyan ecosystem has worked to strengthen citizen mobilisation and engagement. Bhuj has 11 wards. In four wards with a higher proportion of households from marginalised groups and slum settlements, SETU has activated area committees comprising about 350 households. Each ward has 8 to 9 such area committees. The case is not a citizens’ assembly in the strict sense. It is a sustained participatory governance process. Its relevance to citizens’ assemblies lies in the democratic infrastructure it has created: regular local forums, community networks, women’s participation, ward planning, documentation, civil society facilitation and links to public authorities. It shows how democratic practice can be cultivated over time. It is not only an event-based consultation, but participation is a part of everyday urban governance.
Case 02 Read the case.
Higher Education Institutes - Community Engagement for Improving Water Services in Informal Settlements of Ajmer
Anshuman Karol, Sowmia Philip, Rabi Raj (Participatory Research in Asia) and Kunal Jaiswal, Sanskriti Menon (Centre for Environment Education)
In Ajmer, Rajasthan, PRIA (Participatory Research in Asia) led an initiative in partnership with Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), and women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission. The project focused on improving water services in informal settlements, where residents often face irregular supply, inadequate formal connections, dependence on shared or intermittent sources, and limited avenues for service accountability. The intervention adopted a participatory action research approach that brought together SHG women, residents of informal settlements, faculty members and students, municipal officials, PHED engineers, ward representatives and community leaders. Through participatory mapping, water quality assessments, household surveys and structured dialogues with public authorities, community members were supported to identify service gaps, generate evidence and engage directly with decision-makers. The initiative also contributed to integrating community engagement and field-based learning into university curricula. The case is an example of how community knowledge, academic engagement and government responsiveness can be brought into the same process. While the process was not a citizens’ assembly in the strict sense, it contains several building blocks that are highly relevant for deliberative democracy and citizens’ assembly design.
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