Municipal Government
The 74th Amendment, 1992 — Part IX-A (Urban)
The 74th CAA constitutionalised urban local government — Part IX-A, in force 1 June 1993, Articles 243P–243ZG + Twelfth Schedule (18 functions). Spur: rapid urbanisation; the Charles Correa-chaired National Commission on Urbanisation (1988).
Three municipality types
- Municipal Corporation — larger urban area
- Municipal Council — smaller urban area
- Nagar Panchayat — transitional area
Twelfth Schedule (18 fns)
- urban planning
- water supply
- sanitation
- fire services
- land-use regulation
- public health
- solid waste
- slum improvement
Core provisions
- direct ward elections; nominated experts (by law)
- reservation: SC/ST & not less than 1/3 women + chairpersons
- 5-year tenure; SEC; State Finance Commission
- Article 243W — economic development & social justice
- Ward Committees (larger cities)
- DPC (243ZD) · Metropolitan Planning Cmte (243ZE)
Why ULBs stay weak — the “unfulfilled dream”
| Fault line | Detail |
|---|---|
| Incomplete functional devolution | 12th-Schedule functions not fully devolved; state agencies implement key services |
| Financial weakness | octroi abolished; weak property tax; ignored SFCs — Isher Judge Ahluwalia |
| Weak mayoral system | ceremonial mayor; Municipal Commissioner holds real power; short tenures |
| Parastatal dominance | BDA overshadows BBMP; DDA + MCD fragment Delhi governance |
| Special Purpose Vehicles | Smart Cities SPVs bypass elected councils |
| Delayed elections | e.g. Maharashtra corporations left without elected bodies for a period |
“Democratic decentralisation is barely alive… local governments remain hamstrung and ineffective; mere agents to do the bidding of higher-level governments.”
T. R. Raghunandan
“unwillingness of the system to devolve responsibility and funding to the city level”
Isher Judge Ahluwalia
Reforms: 3Fs + subsidiarity; property-tax reform, GIS assessment, municipal bonds (Pune’s INR 200 crore water-supply bond), user charges; JNNURM (65 cities); convert 3,784 Census Towns to statutory ULBs; municipal ombudsman, public hearings, social audit. China paradox: India is democratic yet municipalities lack power; the Mayor of Shanghai holds status comparable to the Mayor of London.
District Planning Committees & Integrated Planning
Composition (Art. 243ZD)
- elected representatives from Panchayats & Municipalities
- share based on rural–urban population of the district
- chairperson elected/appointed per state law
Functions
- consolidate Panchayat + municipal plans
- prepare draft district development plan
- integrate rural & urban priorities; spatial + sectoral
- prioritise projects, allocate resources, review
Problems: states delay constitution; DPCs lack real planning power; district administration dominates; departmental schemes run separately; peri-urban growth complicates planning. Metropolitan Planning Committees (Art. 243ZE) face similar problems.
What UPSC has asked
Ten years of PSIR Mains questions, each with the flow snapshot and the model answer.
Open the PYQ Finder →How this is taught
The same ground, taught in the order the subject holds together, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.