Urbanisation — Practice Questions
UPSC-pattern practice questions on urbanisation: Census 2011 urban data, the 74th Amendment, urban missions and Mains answer frameworks on urban problems.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
With reference to Census 2011, consider the following statements:
- The number of census towns was larger than the number of statutory towns.
- The number of census towns nearly tripled between 2001 and 2011.
- Census towns are, by definition, governed by municipal bodies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
- Statement 1 — incorrect: 4,041 statutory towns vs 3,894 census towns.
- Statement 2 — correct: from 1,362 (2001) to 3,894 (2011).
- Statement 3 — incorrect: census towns meet population, occupation and density criteria and are usually governed by panchayats; statutory towns have municipal bodies.
Answer: B
Which of the following is not a type of municipality provided for under Article 243Q of the Constitution?
Solution
Article 243Q provides for a Nagar Panchayat (area in transition from rural to urban), a Municipal Council (smaller urban area) and a Municipal Corporation (larger urban area). Cantonment Boards are set up by the Union under cantonment legislation; the Census counts them as statutory towns, but they are not municipalities under Article 243Q.
Answer: D
How many of the following functions are listed in the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution?
- Urban planning including town planning
- Slum improvement and upgradation
- Urban poverty alleviation
- Policing and public order
Solution
Items 1, 2 and 3 are among the 18 functions of the Twelfth Schedule. Police and public order are State List subjects and are not in the Twelfth Schedule. Three are listed.
Answer: C
Which of the following urban missions were launched in 2015?
- Smart Cities Mission
- Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
- Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
The Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT were launched in June 2015 (together with PMAY-Urban). JNNURM was launched in 2005.
Answer: A
Mains
Slums are a symptom, not the cause, of the urban crisis in India. Comment.
Solution
Introduction: Census 2011 counted about 6.5 crore slum dwellers in 2,613 towns. Slums are where migrants and the urban poor find housing that the formal market and planning do not provide.
Body:
- Why slums form: shortage of affordable housing; land and building rules that price out the poor; migration for informal jobs; weak rental housing markets.
- Symptom of wider failures: inadequate planning for growth, poor infrastructure, insecure tenure, lack of portable welfare.
- Contributions of slums: they house the workforce of cities — domestic workers, construction workers, vendors.
- Remedies: in-situ upgrading with tenure security; affordable rental housing; PMAY-U; inclusive zoning; basic services regardless of tenure status.
Conclusion: Slum eviction treats the symptom. Affordable housing, inclusive planning and basic services address the cause.
“Three decades after the 74th Constitutional Amendment, Indian cities are still not governed by their own governments.” Discuss, and suggest reforms for urban governance.
Solution
Introduction: The 74th Amendment (1992) gave municipalities constitutional status, regular elections, reservation, State Finance Commissions and planning committees, and listed 18 functions in the Twelfth Schedule.
Body:
- Shortfalls: incomplete devolution of the Twelfth Schedule functions; parastatals control water, planning and transport; weak mayors with short or indirect terms in many States; delayed elections in some cities; Metropolitan Planning Committees weak or absent.
- Finance: low own-source revenue, under-collected property tax, dependence on State and Union grants.
- Capacity: shortage of trained urban planners and staff.
- Reforms: full devolution of funds, functions and functionaries; empowered mayors with fixed terms; property-tax reform and municipal bonds; functional MPCs and DPCs; bringing census towns and peri-urban areas under urban local bodies; citizen participation through ward committees and area sabhas.
Conclusion: Cities will drive India’s growth only when they are run by accountable, empowered and financially capable local governments, as the 74th Amendment envisaged.