GK Question

Answer: True

12th Schedule and functional devolution: (a) 12th Schedule (74th Amendment): Lists 18 functional items that may be devolved to Municipalities: Urban planning, regulation of land-use, slum improvement, water supply, public health, sanitation, fire services, urban forestry, roads, street lighting, etc., (b) Constitutional framework: Article 243W empowers State Legislatures to endow Municipalities with powers/authority for these functions, but does not mandate automatic devolution, (c) Ground reality: Devolution depends on: (i) State legislation: States must enact laws devolving specific functions, funds, functionaries to Municipalities; many States have incomplete legislation, (ii) Political will: State governments may be reluctant to devolve powers, fearing loss of control, political patronage, (iii) Capacity: Municipalities need staff, resources, training to effectively perform devolved functions; capacity gaps limit effective devolution, (d) Applications: (i) Progressive States: Tamil Nadu, Gujarat have substantially devolved 12th Schedule functions to Municipalities, enabling local planning, service delivery, (ii) Lagging States: Many States have minimal devolution; Municipalities remain dependent on State departments for implementation, (iii) Sectoral variation: Some functions (e.g., water supply, waste management) more widely devolved than others (e.g., urban planning, fire services), (e) Illustrates cooperative federalism: 12th Schedule provides menu of functions for urban governance; actual devolution requires State-level legislation, political commitment, capacity building to operationalize constitutional framework.