73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments
Role of Local Bodies in Waste Management
The 73rd Amendment (Panchayati Raj) and 74th Amendment (Municipalities) of 1992 transferred 18 and 12 functions respectively to local self-governments through the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules of the Constitution. Solid waste management is explicitly listed in the Twelfth Schedule (Entry 6) as a function of urban local bodies. However, in practice, most Indian municipalities lack the financial and technical capacity to manage waste, leaving the gap between constitutional mandate and ground reality very wide.
- Twelfth Schedule, Entry 6: "Public health, sanitation conservancy and solid waste management" — responsibility of Urban Local Bodies.
- Eleventh Schedule (rural local bodies) also covers sanitation and public health.
- Kerala has consistently ranked high on devolution of powers to local bodies in Finance Commission assessments.
- The State Finance Commission mechanism is meant to provide funds to local bodies for these functions — implementation varies widely across states.
● Tracked since April 02, 2026 · last seen April 16, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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