The 74th constitutional amendment mandated that the local government should have adequate representation of historically marginalized groups, typically belonging to the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. It also mandates that at least ⅓ of the seats should be reserved for women, both in reserved and in unreserved seats.
Read MoreTypically, the number of seats to be filled by a person chosen by direct elections is specified by the respective municipal acts of the states. This is specified as either minimum or maximum number of councillors often with respect to population.
Read MoreThe number of citizens represented by a councillor, or the representation ratio, has direct implications on the effectiveness of local government and the degree of citizen engagement. In India, two factors determine the number of representatives in a city council. These are the population of the city and proportion of historically marginalised groups living in the city.
Read MoreCitizens are represented based on where they live. In our country, local governance is distinguished separately for urban and rural areas. Urban local governments are further dependent on whether a city is big or small, where it is located, what do the people living in the city do for a living etc. Therefore to understand how we are represented, it is important to see how city governments i.e. how the term ‘urban’ is defined in India.
Read MoreThe urban local bodies or city governments are composed of different actors who take up different roles in the government to run the city. However, these actors are broadly divided into two groups, the administrative and the legislative. But out of these two groups, who represents us- the citizens? In a democratic setup, the answer is, the legislative group. The legislative body of councillors has members that are directly elected by the citizens of the city and is generally the most powerful body in the city government.
Read MoreRepresentation is key in identifying and addressing community priorities and enabling action of necessary policy decisions. Citizens can take their demands and grievances to the elected representatives and have them voice their concerns in the local legislature.
Read MoreIt is a critical component of urban governance, especially in urban areas where the population densities are high and there are complex challenges in the management of services.
Read MorePublic transportation services in India have been patchy and impaired with various inefficiencies (TERI, 2020) even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For a long time, developments in the public transportation sector were mainly oriented towards the major metropolitan cities. Various other factors such as women’s safety concerns, lack of last-mile connectivity and poor infrastructure have also deterred many from availing public transit.
Read MoreWe have reviewed more than 50 studies produced post-2010 to evaluate issues around urban mobility. Through our review, we identified multiple windows which can be built upon to create policy based solutions for sustainable mobility in small and mid-sized cities. Some of these windows include Knowledge on Mobility in Small Cities; Context Specific Knowledge on Mobility; Frequency and Timeliness of Knowledge and; Diversity of Knowledge Producing Institutions.
Read MoreThe Constitution of India provided for special powers to certain regions to decide upon their local governance, according to their traditions and culture. The Constitution created two such categories through Article 234 under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules: Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas respectively. While PESA was passed in 1996 and panchayats have been formed under it, MESA still has not been passed. Yet, municipal governments have been formed in Scheduled areas. The conflict that municipal governance faces in Scheduled Areas is because of this lack of legislative protections.
Urbanisation is inevitable and is taking place in tribal dominated areas as well. Urban areas need governance systems which are geared towards their particular needs.
Read MoreAccording to Nagrika’s analysis, 69 different municipal acts in India govern 3,941 statutory towns in the country, however, one third of all the Acts are for West Bengal and Tamil Nadu alone. Broadly, there are three types of municipal acts - state-wide municipalities acts, state-wide municipal corporation acts and specific municipal corporation acts. Out of the 69 Municipal Acts in the country, a majority were legislated before the introduction of the 74th CAA.
Read MoreMunicipal acts are legislation passed by respective states to frame laws for their urban local governments.
Read MoreThe 74th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1993, made municipal governments a formal part of the three-tier governing system, along with the Union Government and the State Governments.
Read MoreThe 74th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1993, made municipal governments a formal part of the three-tier governing system, along with the Union Government and the State Governments.
Read MoreThe 74th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1993, made municipal governments a formal part of the three-tier governing system, along with the Union Government and the State Governments.
Read MoreWhile local governments are still a subject under the State List, 18 functions have been devolved to these governments by the Constitution of India. From delivery of essential services to representing citizens in their ward, city governments can coordinate the most urgent, pressing needs at the local level
Read MoreCity Governments are more commonly known as urban local body, nagar nigams, or municipality. Closest to citizens, these governments are composed of elected as well as bureaucratic officials.
Read MoreThere are many variations in how cities are defined across the world, even within a country. In India, an area defined as ‘urban’ can even be administratively rural.
Read MoreThe word ‘city’ comes from the latin root ‘civis’ which means ‘citizen,’ which means that at the heart of the city are those who inhabit them. Politically legitimate or not, it is the citizen that defines the city.
Urban governance is the system that administers our cities. It is how our infrastructure is kept in running condition, basic daily services like garbage collection and water supply are delivered, and how our grievances are heard.
Our work has ensured that smaller cities become part of policy agendas of urban policy making. With an extremely small and talented team, we have been putting our best efforts to produce this knowledge. We continue striving to create quality and reliable publicly available knowledge that can can empower decisions of citizens and city governments.
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