The 74th Amendment gave constitutional status to urban local bodies, mandating elected municipalities, regular elections, reservation of seats for women and disadvantaged groups, and ward committees. It listed eighteen functions, including town planning, that states were to devolve to cities, alongside ward-level planning and metropolitan and district planning committees. In practice devolution of funds and powers has remained uneven across states.
It is the constitutional foundation of modern Indian urban local government and the framework for decentralised city planning.
See it on the timeline →