“The Governance Series looks at how our cities are managed through the lens of city governments. ”

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 Governance Series looks at how our cities are managed through the lens of city governments. Being the most local form of government body, city governments are uniquely placed; they are part of the three-tier system of governance, and they are close to the citizens, accessible enough to listen to complaints and suggestions and hopefully empowered enough to take action based on them.

The Governance Series explores the what, how and who of the urban governance system in India. Governance as a concept explains how four principles can allow governance to help society or groups within society to organise themselves and make decisions. The piece What is Urban Governance? tells us what governance means in the context of a city in India - that everything from maintaining infrastructure, to services like garbage collection and water supply fall under the framework of governance.

Citizens of a City talks about how the essence of a city is the citizen or the person who inhabits it and briefly touches upon the various connotations of citizenship and identity. What is a City puts a complicated picture into perspective - the various definitions of urban areas and cities, that are not uniform even within a country. It brings to light the first piece of the fragmented puzzle that is city governance.

What is a City Government explains the structure and composition of the local municipality or nagar-nigam, while What do City Governments do explains the role, responsibilities and powers of urban local bodies, as well as their nodal responsibility of liaising between citizens and state and central governments.

The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act discusses aspects of the Amendment in detail, as well as its historical precedence. What was the need for the 74th CAA elaborates on just that, in terms of how municipal governments needed a legal mandate to work as autonomous bodies; how state governments required a formal, constitutional provision to initiate devolution of powers to the local. What changes did the 74th CAA introduce elaborates on the changes that were recommended by the Act, such as setting up State Electoral, Finance Commissions, reservations for women, institutionalising ward committees.

What is a Municipal Act brings another legislation into the frame, one that is passed by respective states to frame laws for their local governments. How do municipal acts vary discusses the number of acts passed by each state, and shows us how only a few states have passed specific acts for Municipal Corporations. It also illustrates that most Acts were passed before 1993 and do not, in fact, ensure that provisions of the Amendment are guaranteed.