Cities are important. They are at the forefront of our economy, they provide education and employment opportunities, and they act as hubs of new ideas. The lives of urban Indians are enmeshed with the cities they live in, and yet, we are so under-informed when it comes to the governing structures that ensure their smooth functioning.

The Nagrika Governance Series looks at how our cities are managed through the lens of city governments. They are part of the three-tier system of governance and form the tier closest to the citizens. They are accessible enough to listen to citizens’ complaints and suggestions and are hopefully empowered enough to take action based on them.

In this article, we look at the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. This act has been instrumental in providing constitutional recognition to our municipal governments. Before the Act, the municipalities lacked safeguards and mechanism to ensure their smooth functioning. The Act has addressed some of the problems, while some of the problems still remain.