NCERT Textbook: Grassroots Democracy — Part 3: Local Government in Urban Areas | Indian Polity for UPSC CSE PDF Download

 Page 1


173
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Local Government in  
Urban Areas
CHAPTER
12
 
I desire that … a full-fledged local body should be immediately 
formed, … so that people may know really what is an 
administration, what are the franchise, what are the powers, 
what are the rights and what are the privileges in a small 
sphere, in their own town, in their own villages.
1. What are urban local bodies  
and what are their functions?
2. Why are they important in 
governance and democracy?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 12.1. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai 
(originally ‘Bombay Municipal Corporation’) was created in 1865.
— Rustom K. Sidhwa, Member, Constituent Assembly 
(during the Constituent Assembly Debates, 13 October 1949)
12_100724_v3.indd   173 12_100724_v3.indd   173 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM
Page 2


173
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Local Government in  
Urban Areas
CHAPTER
12
 
I desire that … a full-fledged local body should be immediately 
formed, … so that people may know really what is an 
administration, what are the franchise, what are the powers, 
what are the rights and what are the privileges in a small 
sphere, in their own town, in their own villages.
1. What are urban local bodies  
and what are their functions?
2. Why are they important in 
governance and democracy?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 12.1. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai 
(originally ‘Bombay Municipal Corporation’) was created in 1865.
— Rustom K. Sidhwa, Member, Constituent Assembly 
(during the Constituent Assembly Debates, 13 October 1949)
12_100724_v3.indd   173 12_100724_v3.indd   173 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM
174
Exploring Society: India and Beyond  
Governance and Democracy
Introduction 
Earlier chapters have shown us how, 
in a democracy, good governance 
aims to empower the citizens so they 
may actively participate in their 
country’s functioning, whether it is 
at the rural, regional, urban, state 
or national level. This is the broader 
concept of participatory democracy. 
We saw the basics of the system in 
a rural context. Let us now see how  
it works in an urban scenario. Since 
the latter is generally more complex 
and diverse than the former, it is understandable that the 
urban governance system needs to be more complex too. 
We will however limit ourselves here to its basic principles.
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai more complex 
and diverse than a village or a town?
 Æ With your classmates, make a list of diverse communities 
residing in any city that you are familiar with. How many 
were you able to list? What else do you observe in the list?
Before we explore governance and administration in 
urban areas, it helps to take an overall look at the Indian 
system of governance, from rural to national, as depicted in  
Fig. 12.2 on page 175. The base of the pyramid is the local 
level, closer to the people, while the top is the national level. 
In Chapter 11, we explored the left side of the pyramid; we 
will now take a look at the right side.
12_100724_v3.indd   174 12_100724_v3.indd   174 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM
Page 3


173
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Local Government in  
Urban Areas
CHAPTER
12
 
I desire that … a full-fledged local body should be immediately 
formed, … so that people may know really what is an 
administration, what are the franchise, what are the powers, 
what are the rights and what are the privileges in a small 
sphere, in their own town, in their own villages.
1. What are urban local bodies  
and what are their functions?
2. Why are they important in 
governance and democracy?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 12.1. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai 
(originally ‘Bombay Municipal Corporation’) was created in 1865.
— Rustom K. Sidhwa, Member, Constituent Assembly 
(during the Constituent Assembly Debates, 13 October 1949)
12_100724_v3.indd   173 12_100724_v3.indd   173 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM
174
Exploring Society: India and Beyond  
Governance and Democracy
Introduction 
Earlier chapters have shown us how, 
in a democracy, good governance 
aims to empower the citizens so they 
may actively participate in their 
country’s functioning, whether it is 
at the rural, regional, urban, state 
or national level. This is the broader 
concept of participatory democracy. 
We saw the basics of the system in 
a rural context. Let us now see how  
it works in an urban scenario. Since 
the latter is generally more complex 
and diverse than the former, it is understandable that the 
urban governance system needs to be more complex too. 
We will however limit ourselves here to its basic principles.
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai more complex 
and diverse than a village or a town?
 Æ With your classmates, make a list of diverse communities 
residing in any city that you are familiar with. How many 
were you able to list? What else do you observe in the list?
Before we explore governance and administration in 
urban areas, it helps to take an overall look at the Indian 
system of governance, from rural to national, as depicted in  
Fig. 12.2 on page 175. The base of the pyramid is the local 
level, closer to the people, while the top is the national level. 
In Chapter 11, we explored the left side of the pyramid; we 
will now take a look at the right side.
12_100724_v3.indd   174 12_100724_v3.indd   174 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM
175
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
LET’S EXPLORE
In Fig. 12.2 above, what similarities and differences do y ou 
notice between the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local 
government?
Urban Local Bodies
Local government structures in urban areas are called 
‘urban local bodies’. They are decentralised, which means 
that instead of operating under a central authority at the 
Published by Survey of India
Scale 1:16M
Union
Government
at the  
national level 
State
Government 
Local 
Government 
Urban –
Urban Local 
Bodies
Municipal 
Corporation or 
Municipal Council
or City Council                
 (Nagar Panchayat)
Ward Commitee
People of the Ward
Rural –   
Panchayati
Raj Institutions
Zila  
Panchayat
Gram Panchayat 
Gram Sabha
Panchayat  
Samiti
Fig. 12.2
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Page 4


173
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Local Government in  
Urban Areas
CHAPTER
12
 
I desire that … a full-fledged local body should be immediately 
formed, … so that people may know really what is an 
administration, what are the franchise, what are the powers, 
what are the rights and what are the privileges in a small 
sphere, in their own town, in their own villages.
1. What are urban local bodies  
and what are their functions?
2. Why are they important in 
governance and democracy?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 12.1. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai 
(originally ‘Bombay Municipal Corporation’) was created in 1865.
— Rustom K. Sidhwa, Member, Constituent Assembly 
(during the Constituent Assembly Debates, 13 October 1949)
12_100724_v3.indd   173 12_100724_v3.indd   173 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM
174
Exploring Society: India and Beyond  
Governance and Democracy
Introduction 
Earlier chapters have shown us how, 
in a democracy, good governance 
aims to empower the citizens so they 
may actively participate in their 
country’s functioning, whether it is 
at the rural, regional, urban, state 
or national level. This is the broader 
concept of participatory democracy. 
We saw the basics of the system in 
a rural context. Let us now see how  
it works in an urban scenario. Since 
the latter is generally more complex 
and diverse than the former, it is understandable that the 
urban governance system needs to be more complex too. 
We will however limit ourselves here to its basic principles.
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai more complex 
and diverse than a village or a town?
 Æ With your classmates, make a list of diverse communities 
residing in any city that you are familiar with. How many 
were you able to list? What else do you observe in the list?
Before we explore governance and administration in 
urban areas, it helps to take an overall look at the Indian 
system of governance, from rural to national, as depicted in  
Fig. 12.2 on page 175. The base of the pyramid is the local 
level, closer to the people, while the top is the national level. 
In Chapter 11, we explored the left side of the pyramid; we 
will now take a look at the right side.
12_100724_v3.indd   174 12_100724_v3.indd   174 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM
175
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
LET’S EXPLORE
In Fig. 12.2 above, what similarities and differences do y ou 
notice between the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local 
government?
Urban Local Bodies
Local government structures in urban areas are called 
‘urban local bodies’. They are decentralised, which means 
that instead of operating under a central authority at the 
Published by Survey of India
Scale 1:16M
Union
Government
at the  
national level 
State
Government 
Local 
Government 
Urban –
Urban Local 
Bodies
Municipal 
Corporation or 
Municipal Council
or City Council                
 (Nagar Panchayat)
Ward Commitee
People of the Ward
Rural –   
Panchayati
Raj Institutions
Zila  
Panchayat
Gram Panchayat 
Gram Sabha
Panchayat  
Samiti
Fig. 12.2
12_100724_v3.indd   175 12_100724_v3.indd   175 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM
176
Exploring Society: India and Beyond  
Governance and Democracy
top, the local communities have a direct say on how their 
areas are managed or the issues they face. It is a mechanism 
for citizens living in an area to come together and take 
decisions about what is best for them. 
Cities and towns are divided into smaller units called 
‘wards’, and the ward committees facilitate activities 
such as conducting health camps, organising a campaign 
against the use of single-use plastics, and so on. They also 
keep an eye on anything that might go wrong — a water 
leak, a blocked drain, a damaged road, etc. — and report 
such problems to the authorities. However, the precise 
functioning of wards differs from State to State, depending 
on the rules they make.
Altogether, urban local bodies are responsible for a range 
of functions — helping take care of the infrastructure, 
maintaining the burial ground, garbage collection and 
disposal, checking the implementation of government 
schemes, collecting local taxes and fines, and so on. They 
also have some role in planning for the area’s economic 
and social development. However, for these bodies to be 
12_100724_v3.indd   176 12_100724_v3.indd   176 11-Jul-24   5:01:46 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:46 PM
Page 5


173
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
Local Government in  
Urban Areas
CHAPTER
12
 
I desire that … a full-fledged local body should be immediately 
formed, … so that people may know really what is an 
administration, what are the franchise, what are the powers, 
what are the rights and what are the privileges in a small 
sphere, in their own town, in their own villages.
1. What are urban local bodies  
and what are their functions?
2. Why are they important in 
governance and democracy?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 12.1. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai 
(originally ‘Bombay Municipal Corporation’) was created in 1865.
— Rustom K. Sidhwa, Member, Constituent Assembly 
(during the Constituent Assembly Debates, 13 October 1949)
12_100724_v3.indd   173 12_100724_v3.indd   173 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:44 PM
174
Exploring Society: India and Beyond  
Governance and Democracy
Introduction 
Earlier chapters have shown us how, 
in a democracy, good governance 
aims to empower the citizens so they 
may actively participate in their 
country’s functioning, whether it is 
at the rural, regional, urban, state 
or national level. This is the broader 
concept of participatory democracy. 
We saw the basics of the system in 
a rural context. Let us now see how  
it works in an urban scenario. Since 
the latter is generally more complex 
and diverse than the former, it is understandable that the 
urban governance system needs to be more complex too. 
We will however limit ourselves here to its basic principles.
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai more complex 
and diverse than a village or a town?
 Æ With your classmates, make a list of diverse communities 
residing in any city that you are familiar with. How many 
were you able to list? What else do you observe in the list?
Before we explore governance and administration in 
urban areas, it helps to take an overall look at the Indian 
system of governance, from rural to national, as depicted in  
Fig. 12.2 on page 175. The base of the pyramid is the local 
level, closer to the people, while the top is the national level. 
In Chapter 11, we explored the left side of the pyramid; we 
will now take a look at the right side.
12_100724_v3.indd   174 12_100724_v3.indd   174 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM
175
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
LET’S EXPLORE
In Fig. 12.2 above, what similarities and differences do y ou 
notice between the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local 
government?
Urban Local Bodies
Local government structures in urban areas are called 
‘urban local bodies’. They are decentralised, which means 
that instead of operating under a central authority at the 
Published by Survey of India
Scale 1:16M
Union
Government
at the  
national level 
State
Government 
Local 
Government 
Urban –
Urban Local 
Bodies
Municipal 
Corporation or 
Municipal Council
or City Council                
 (Nagar Panchayat)
Ward Commitee
People of the Ward
Rural –   
Panchayati
Raj Institutions
Zila  
Panchayat
Gram Panchayat 
Gram Sabha
Panchayat  
Samiti
Fig. 12.2
12_100724_v3.indd   175 12_100724_v3.indd   175 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:45 PM
176
Exploring Society: India and Beyond  
Governance and Democracy
top, the local communities have a direct say on how their 
areas are managed or the issues they face. It is a mechanism 
for citizens living in an area to come together and take 
decisions about what is best for them. 
Cities and towns are divided into smaller units called 
‘wards’, and the ward committees facilitate activities 
such as conducting health camps, organising a campaign 
against the use of single-use plastics, and so on. They also 
keep an eye on anything that might go wrong — a water 
leak, a blocked drain, a damaged road, etc. — and report 
such problems to the authorities. However, the precise 
functioning of wards differs from State to State, depending 
on the rules they make.
Altogether, urban local bodies are responsible for a range 
of functions — helping take care of the infrastructure, 
maintaining the burial ground, garbage collection and 
disposal, checking the implementation of government 
schemes, collecting local taxes and fines, and so on. They 
also have some role in planning for the area’s economic 
and social development. However, for these bodies to be 
12_100724_v3.indd   176 12_100724_v3.indd   176 11-Jul-24   5:01:46 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:46 PM
177
12 ? Grassroots Democracy – Part 3
able to perform their functions efficiently, people living in 
the city must also perform their duties, which means that 
they must show care and concern for their area (remember , 
this is a participatory democracy). For instance, if people 
carefully follow instructions regarding waste segregation, 
garbage collection becomes easier; or if they notice a water 
leakage in a street, reporting it promptly will prevent 
further wastage of precious water. 
LET’S EXPLORE
Can you think of four or five more actions that respon sible 
citizens might take to help their area of the city?
The Madras Corporation (now Greater Chennai Corporation), 
established on 29 September 1688, is the oldest municipal 
institution in India. The East India Company issued a charter 
the previous year constituting the town of ‘Fort St. George’ and 
all territories within 16 km from the Fort into a corporation. A 
Parliamentary Act of 1792 gave the Madras Corporation power 
to levy municipal taxes in the city, which is when the municipal 
administration properly began.   
Fig. 12.3. The Madras Corporation
12_100724_v3.indd   177 12_100724_v3.indd   177 11-Jul-24   5:01:47 PM 11-Jul-24   5:01:47 PM