State of Urban Services in India's Cities: Spending and Financing

摘要

Provision of adequate infrastructure and civic services in urban areas is becoming more and more challenging with the ever increasing pace of urbanisation in India. The civic bodies of various cities are under tremendous pressure given the limited budgetary support and the increasing demand for infrastructure services like roads, water, sanitation etc. The Constitution (Seventy-Fourth Amendment) Act (1992) clearly lays down provisions regarding functions, taxation powers and arrangements for revenue sharing with state governments, apart from providing directives on the election and composition of urban local bodies (ULBs). However, the availability of public services seems to be far from adequate even after one and a half decades of the passing of this Constitutional Amendment Act.