Municipalities & 74th Amendment — Set 4

Correct Answer: A. A scheme for creating slum-free cities by providing housing for urban poor and slum dwellers

Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) was a central government scheme launched in 2009 for creating slum-free cities by providing housing and basic amenities to slum dwellers. Under RAY, states were required to assign property rights to slum dwellers and develop in-situ upgrading projects with central assistance. The scheme envisaged a multi-pronged approach including slum rehabilitation, prevention of new slums, and bringing all slums under formal planning. RAY was subsumed under the PMAY-Urban from 2015.

Correct Answer: A. A mission to provide quality healthcare services to urban poor through urban primary health centres

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) was launched as a sub-mission of the National Health Mission to provide quality health services to the urban poor and other vulnerable groups. NUHM focuses on setting up Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) and Urban Community Health Centres (UCHCs) in slum areas. Community health workers called ASHA Urban workers support health services delivery at the community level. The mission aims to reduce urban health inequalities and improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Correct Answer: A. A land pooling mechanism where landowners contribute their land for infrastructure development and get back developed plots

Town Planning Scheme (TPS) is an innovative land management tool used primarily in Gujarat and Maharashtra where private landowners in a development area pool their land. The planning authority takes over the pooled land, develops infrastructure like roads, parks, and public facilities, and then returns developed plots to the original owners in proportion to their original holding. Owners get smaller but more valuable serviced plots. TPS is an effective way to develop urban areas without requiring large-scale compulsory land acquisition.

Correct Answer: A. The ratio of total floor area of a building to the size of the land on which it is built

Floor Area Ratio (FAR), also known as Floor Space Index (FSI), is a key parameter in urban planning and building regulations that specifies the maximum ratio of a building's total floor area to the size of the plot of land on which it is constructed. For example, a FAR of 2.0 on a 1,000 sq m plot allows a total floor area of 2,000 sq m spread over multiple floors. Higher FAR allows denser development. FAR is a major tool in urban development control and affects the intensity of land use in cities.

Correct Answer: A. A continuous urban spread consisting of a city and its outgrowths or adjacent towns

Urban Agglomeration is a concept used in the Indian Census to identify a continuous urban spread that may include a core city together with its urban outgrowths (areas adjoining the city that are essentially urban in character but may not have been constituted as separate municipalities), or adjacent towns that have grown together. The Census defines specific criteria for Urban Agglomerations. The Mumbai Urban Agglomeration is the largest in India. The concept is important for urban planning and development policy.

Correct Answer: A. A mission to reduce poverty among urban poor by organizing them into self-help groups and providing skill training

The National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), now renamed Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), is a central government scheme that aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households by building strong grassroots-level institutions. It works through organizing urban poor into self-help groups, providing skill development and entrepreneurship training, facilitating access to credit, and supporting street vendors. Urban local bodies and state governments implement the mission with central support.

Correct Answer: A. Rights granted to landowners whose land is reserved for public purposes allowing them to develop additional area elsewhere

Transferable Development Rights (TDR) is an urban planning tool used in India where landowners whose land is reserved for public purposes (like roads, parks, schools) receive development rights that they can use to construct additional floor area on another plot or sell to other developers. TDR allows the city to acquire land for public use without paying full cash compensation. It is widely used in Mumbai, Pune, and other Maharashtra cities. The TDR system helps balance private property rights with public development needs.

Correct Answer: A. The unplanned expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land creating inefficient land use and infrastructure costs

Urban sprawl refers to the unplanned, low-density expansion of urban areas into surrounding agricultural and rural land. It typically involves single-use zoning, car-dependent development, and the conversion of productive farmland to urban uses. Problems of urban sprawl include increased infrastructure costs, traffic congestion, loss of agricultural land, environmental degradation, and social inequality. Urban planning policies like smart growth, transit-oriented development, and urban growth boundaries are used to manage sprawl and promote compact city development.

Correct Answer: A. Constitution of Municipalities under Part IX-A

Article 243Q of the Constitution, added by the 74th Amendment, deals with the constitution of municipalities. It provides for three types of municipalities: Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, and Municipal Corporation based on the size and nature of the urban area. States are required to constitute these bodies by law. The article also allows states to not apply the provisions to certain industrial townships where the state government or any other authority appoints the governing body.

Correct Answer: A. A statutory authority in Maharashtra that implements slum redevelopment schemes giving legal housing to slum dwellers

The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) is a statutory authority in Maharashtra established to implement slum rehabilitation and redevelopment schemes in Mumbai. Under SRA schemes, slum dwellers who have been residing in the slum since a specified cutoff date are eligible for free housing in new buildings constructed by private developers who are given permission to build commercial or additional residential buildings as incentive. SRA coordinates between the government, developers, and slum dwellers to ensure successful redevelopment of slum areas.