UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Assembly passes new Bill to build ‘modern Hyderabad’

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly and the law it replaces: 1. The Bill replaces a municipal statute of 1955 that was originally enacted as the Hyderabad Municipal Corporations Act. 2. Unlike the statute it replaces, the Bill is built around the theme of 'one city, one administration, one law', while providing for decentralised administration at the level of individual corporations. 3. The Bill dissolves the existing municipal corporations of the core urban area and vests all their functions in a single newly created corporation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Bill replaces a municipal statute of 1955 that was originally enacted as the Hyderabad Municipal Corporations Act.
  2. Unlike the statute it replaces, the Bill is built around the theme of 'one city, one administration, one law', while providing for decentralised administration at the level of individual corporations.
  3. The Bill dissolves the existing municipal corporations of the core urban area and vests all their functions in a single newly created corporation.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the Core Urban Region (CURE) defined under the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026, consider the following civic bodies: 1. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation 2. Cyberabad Municipal Corporation 3. Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation 4. Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority Which of the above is/are correctly identified as constituent municipal corporations of the Core Urban Region?

  1. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
  2. Cyberabad Municipal Corporation
  3. Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation
  4. Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. The municipal statute that governed Hyderabad's civic administration for over seven decades before being replaced in 2026 was originally enacted under which one of the following titles?

  • A. The Andhra Pradesh Municipal Corporations Act, 1994
  • B. The Hyderabad Municipal Corporations Act, 1955
  • C. The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1950
  • D. The Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019

Q4. Consider the following pairings relating to the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026: 1. Structure of the Bill — five parts, 43 chapters, 319 sections and nine schedules 2. Statute replaced by the Bill — the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955 3. Population of the area covered by the Bill — nearly 1.3 crore 4. Constitutional provision under which a municipality is constituted as an institution of self-government — Article 243P Which of the above pairings is/are NOT correct?

  1. Structure of the Bill — five parts, 43 chapters, 319 sections and nine schedules
  2. Statute replaced by the Bill — the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955
  3. Population of the area covered by the Bill — nearly 1.3 crore
  4. Constitutional provision under which a municipality is constituted as an institution of self-government — Article 243P
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q5. The debate on the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 contrasted Hyderabad's present population of nearly 1.3 crore with a figure of about 15 lakh. That 15 lakh figure pertains to which one of the following decades?

  • A. The 1930s, in the final decade of undivided Hyderabad State under the Nizam
  • B. The 1950s, around the time the city's municipal corporation statute was enacted
  • C. The 1970s, before the growth of the city's western industrial suburbs
  • D. The 1990s, before the development of the information technology corridor

Q6. The population living in the area brought under the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026 amounts to approximately what share of Telangana's total population?

  • A. About one-fifth
  • B. About one-third
  • C. About one-half
  • D. About one-tenth

Q7. Consider the following statements about the pre-legislative and legislative process followed for the Core Urban Region (Integrated Governance) Bill, 2026: 1. The draft Bill was placed in the public domain for consultation on 5 July 2026. 2. Suggestions and feedback from the public on the draft Bill were invited up to 24 July 2026. 3. The Bill was passed by the legislature in September 2026, after the consultation exercise had concluded. 4. The Bill was passed by the Telangana Legislative Council, with the Legislative Assembly subsequently recording its concurrence. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The draft Bill was placed in the public domain for consultation on 5 July 2026.
  2. Suggestions and feedback from the public on the draft Bill were invited up to 24 July 2026.
  3. The Bill was passed by the legislature in September 2026, after the consultation exercise had concluded.
  4. The Bill was passed by the Telangana Legislative Council, with the Legislative Assembly subsequently recording its concurrence.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. In the process followed before the CURE Bill was taken up by the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the expression 'draft Bill placed in the public domain' is best understood as denoting which one of the following?

  • A. A measure already approved by the House and awaiting only the Governor's assent, which must be published so that objections may be filed
  • B. An ordinance already in force, which necessarily lapses unless every suggestion received from the public is incorporated into it
  • C. A measure referred by the Speaker to a Select Committee, whose report on the public's suggestions is binding on the government
  • D. A proposed text circulated for citizen and stakeholder feedback before introduction in the legislature, carrying no legal force of its own

Q9. The tax whose proposed increase was reduced from 20 per cent to a ceiling of 10 per cent during the passage of the CURE Bill, 2026 is levied and collected by which one of the following?

  • A. The Commercial Taxes Department of the Government of Telangana
  • B. The municipal corporations constituting the Core Urban Region
  • C. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, as the region's planning body
  • D. The Central Board of Direct Taxes under the Union Ministry of Finance

Q10. Consider the following statements about the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022: 1. It replaced the three municipal corporations that had existed since the 2011 trifurcation with a single Municipal Corporation of Delhi. 2. It raised the maximum number of seats in the unified corporation from 250 to 272. 3. It transferred to the central government the power to decide matters such as ward delimitation and the Commissioner's salary and allowances. 4. It empowered the central government to appoint a Special Officer to exercise the powers of the Corporation until its first meeting was held. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It replaced the three municipal corporations that had existed since the 2011 trifurcation with a single Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
  2. It raised the maximum number of seats in the unified corporation from 250 to 272.
  3. It transferred to the central government the power to decide matters such as ward delimitation and the Commissioner's salary and allowances.
  4. It empowered the central government to appoint a Special Officer to exercise the powers of the Corporation until its first meeting was held.
  • A. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. D. Sridhar Babu, who piloted the CURE Bill, 2026 through the Telangana Legislative Assembly and announced the moderation of its property tax provision, holds which one of the following portfolios?

  • A. Municipal Administration and Urban Development
  • B. Finance and Planning
  • C. Legislative Affairs
  • D. Revenue and Housing

Q12. Consider the following statements comparing the constitutional schemes for rural and urban local government in India: 1. Both the 73rd and the 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts were passed in 1992, the latter coming into force on 1 June 1993. 2. Article 243Q, in Part IXA, requires every State to constitute Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations, while the corresponding scheme for rural local bodies is contained in Part IX. 3. The functional items of urban local bodies are enumerated in the Eleventh Schedule, whereas those of panchayats are enumerated in the Twelfth Schedule. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Both the 73rd and the 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts were passed in 1992, the latter coming into force on 1 June 1993.
  2. Article 243Q, in Part IXA, requires every State to constitute Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations, while the corresponding scheme for rural local bodies is contained in Part IX.
  3. The functional items of urban local bodies are enumerated in the Eleventh Schedule, whereas those of panchayats are enumerated in the Twelfth Schedule.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3