PurposeThe paper aims to explore the problems related to the financial management
of municipal corporations in India and to suggest solutions.Design/methodology/approachThe
study is based on primary data collected from a sample of 577 employees of municipal
corporations working in four metro cities of India, namely Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata,
and Delhi. Data were put through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for
problem identification and inferences were classified and grouped to map the solutions
for these problems.FindingsThe study found that municipal corporations in India face
four major problems or issues in their financial management. These problems are mainly
related to the four dimensions: Power, Interruptions, Finances, and Resources. The
model used to explore these four types of issues is named as "PIFR model" by the author.Originality/valueThe
findings suggest that real-world problems can be represented through a conceptual
model that helps in identifying practical suggestions which can be implemented by
municipal corporations at the ground level for better financial management.
