Need for Revision

In his article “Finances of Municipalities: Issues before the Fourteenth Finance Commission” (EPW, 1 June 2013) O P Mathur raises the important issue of the financing of municipalities of cities and towns as a constitutional provision vis-à-vis the steps taken by the centre, state, Finance Commission, State Finance Commissions, etc, to improve their conditions and make them liveable. In this context we note that the 2011 Census has shown higher levels of urbanisation than was projected, the largest decadal addition to urban population, and extraordinary increase in the number of census towns. With these new figures the problems of municipalities seem to have multiplied.

“Census Towns” are formed probably by “computer programming” if the region has a population of more than 5,000, a density of population of at least 400 persons per square kilometre, and at least 75% of the male main working population engaged in a non-agricultural pursuit. There is nothing sacrosanct regarding these numbers and percentages, except that they have been constant for the last 50-60 years. In fact, with development and the passage of time, it is logical that these norms are revised.