Urban Local Bodies and the 74th
NCERT Class 11 - Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 7
Urban Local Bodies and the 74th
The 74th Amendment of 1992 did for towns and cities what the 73rd did for villages. It added Part IXA, Articles 243P to 243ZG, and the Twelfth Schedule with 18 subjects for urban local bodies.
Three types of urban bodies
| Body | Area it serves |
|---|---|
| Nagar Panchayat | A transitional area, moving from rural to urban |
| Municipal Council | A smaller urban area |
| Municipal Corporation | A larger urban area |
- The classification depends on population, density, revenue, employment outside agriculture and economic importance, as decided by the Governor.
- Other urban authorities that exist outside this scheme include cantonment boards, town area committees, notified area committees, port trusts and special purpose agencies such as development authorities and water boards.
Composition and elections
- Members are directly elected from wards; the state legislature decides how the chairperson is chosen.
- Ward committees are compulsory in municipalities with a population of three lakh or more, to bring representation closer to the neighbourhood.
- The term is five years, with fresh elections within six months of dissolution.
- Reservation follows the same principle as for panchayats - seats for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in proportion to population, and not less than one-third for women, with reservation of chairperson posts as the state provides.
- The State Election Commission conducts the elections and the State Finance Commission reviews municipal finances, the same bodies as for panchayats.
Planning and functions
- Article 243ZD - a District Planning Committee in every district consolidates the plans prepared by panchayats and municipalities into a draft district plan.
- Article 243ZE - a Metropolitan Planning Committee for every metropolitan area with a population above ten lakh.
- The Twelfth Schedule lists functions such as urban planning, regulation of land use, roads and bridges, water supply, public health and sanitation, fire services, urban forestry, slum improvement, urban poverty alleviation, and provision of urban amenities.
- Municipal revenue comes from property tax, user charges, licence fees, state grants and share in state taxes, but most urban bodies remain financially dependent on the state.
- The chief problems are weak finances, dependence on parastatal agencies that are not elected, and incomplete devolution of functions.
हिंदी संकेत: 73वें संशोधन में ग्यारहवीं अनुसूची और 29 विषय, तथा 74वें संशोधन में बारहवीं अनुसूची और 18 विषय हैं। ये दोनों जोड़ियां सबसे अधिक पूछी जाती हैं।
Exam me kaise aata hai
Factual questions ask which schedule and how many subjects belong to the 74th Amendment, and the population threshold for ward committees. Match-the-following links the type of urban body with the area it serves. Statement-based questions compare the two amendments.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
The analytical point is that urban local government is weaker than rural, because parastatal agencies - development authorities, water and transport boards - hold much of the real power and are appointed rather than elected. Financial autonomy through a buoyant property tax and predictable state transfers is the standard reform prescription.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ The Twelfth Schedule has 29 subjects | ✓ It has 18; the Eleventh Schedule has 29
✗ Ward committees are compulsory in all municipalities | ✓ They are compulsory where the population is three lakh or more
✗ A nagar panchayat governs a large city | ✓ It governs a transitional area moving from rural to urban
Ek nazar me
- The 74th Amendment added Part IXA, Articles 243P to 243ZG, and the Twelfth Schedule.
- The Twelfth Schedule lists 18 subjects for urban local bodies.
- Three types - nagar panchayat, municipal council and municipal corporation.
- Ward committees are compulsory where the population is three lakh or more.
- Term five years, elections within six months of dissolution, one-third seats for women.
- District Planning Committee under Article 243ZD and Metropolitan Planning Committee under 243ZE.
- Weak finances and unelected parastatal agencies limit real urban local autonomy.
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