MPPSC 2026 Prelims Paper-I · Question 15 of 100

Correct — A, a transitional urban area. Article 243Q(1)(a), inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment, requires a Nagar Panchayat to be constituted 'for a transitional area, that is to say, an area in transition from a rural area to an urban area'. Madhya Pradesh gives effect to this through the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1961, under which a Nagar Panchayat is set up for such a transitional area. Whether an area qualifies is specified by the Governor by public notification, having regard to its population, the density of that population, the revenue generated for local administration, the percentage of employment in non-agricultural activities and its economic importance.

• (b)Small-scale area — A smaller urban area gets a Municipal Council (Nagar Palika Parishad) under Article 243Q(1)(b) — the middle rung of urban local government, one step above a Nagar Panchayat.
• (c)Industrial area — An industrial township is the exception to the municipality scheme, not a category within it: the proviso to Article 243Q(1) allows a municipality not to be constituted where an industrial establishment itself provides the municipal services in that area.
• (d)Large urban area — A larger urban area gets a Municipal Corporation (Nagar Nigam) under Article 243Q(1)(c) — the top rung, meant for big cities, not a Nagar Panchayat.

Part IX-A of the Constitution (Articles 243P to 243ZG), inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, created a uniform three-tier structure of urban local bodies. Article 243Q(1) prescribes a Nagar Panchayat for a transitional area, a Municipal Council for a smaller urban area and a Municipal Corporation for a larger urban area. Which area falls in which class is decided by the Governor through a public notification based on population, density, revenue generated for local administration, the share of non-agricultural employment and economic importance — with a proviso letting an industrial township be left outside the municipality system altogether.

Think of it as a size ladder and match each rung to its body: just-urbanising settlement → Nagar Panchayat; small town → Municipal Council (Nagar Palika Parishad); big city → Municipal Corporation (Nagar Nigam). The 'industrial area' option is the standard trap — an industrial township is an exception carved out of the scheme rather than a fourth type of municipality. Note also that the criteria are not population alone; the Governor weighs density, local revenue, non-agricultural employment and economic importance too.

• Article 243Q(1)(a): a Nagar Panchayat is constituted for a transitional area — an area in transition from rural to urban.
• Article 243Q(1)(b) and (c): a Municipal Council for a smaller urban area and a Municipal Corporation for a larger urban area.
• The Governor specifies these areas by public notification, considering population, density, revenue for local administration, non-agricultural employment and economic importance.
• Proviso to Article 243Q(1): a municipality need not be constituted in an industrial township where the industrial establishment provides municipal services.
• In Madhya Pradesh, Nagar Panchayats and Municipal Councils are governed by the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1961; the constitutional framework came with the 74th Amendment in 1992.

• Equating a 'transitional area' with an 'industrial area' — industrial townships are an exception under the proviso, not a Nagar Panchayat trigger.
• Swapping the ladder — a Municipal Council is for a smaller urban area, a Municipal Corporation for a larger one.
• Believing Article 243Q provides for only two kinds of municipality; it provides for three.

Usually a one-line 'Nagar Panchayat is constituted for ___', or a statement-based question on Article 243Q that quietly drops one of the three categories. Anchor the three-step ladder plus the industrial-township proviso, and remember that the classifying authority is the Governor.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Under Article 243Q of the Constitution, a Municipal Council is constituted for:

  • (a)a transitional area
  • (b)a smaller urban area
  • (c)a larger urban area
  • (d)an industrial township

  Answer(b) a smaller urban area — Article 243Q(1)(b).

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which authority specifies an area as a 'transitional area', a 'smaller urban area' or a 'larger urban area'?

  • (a)The Governor, by public notification
  • (b)The State Election Commission
  • (c)The District Collector
  • (d)The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

  Answer(a) The Governor, by public notification under Article 243Q(2), having regard to population, density, local revenue, non-agricultural employment and economic importance.