Rural Local Self-Government
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. The official in charge of a block samiti is known as the Block Development Officer (BDO).
2. The local self-government body at the village level is known as Gram Panchayat.
3. All the measures that the gram panchayat plans to implement are discussed in the Gram Sabha.
4. The head of the village panchayat is known as the Sarpanch.
5. The Sarpanch supervises the working of the panchayat.
6. The Zila Parishad functions at the district level.
7. One-third seats are preserved for women in a panchayat samiti.
8. India has a democratic form of government.
9. The zila parishad is also known as the District board.
10. A panchayat samiti is formed by a group of village.
II. Answer these questions.
1. Define government. State the three levels of government in India.
= A government is formed by a group of people responsible for running a country. It is a body which makes laws and decisions for a country.
The level of government is India are -
i) Union or Central Government.
ii) State Government.
iii) Local Self-Government.
2. What does gram sabha mean?
= The gram sabha literally means a 'meeting of village'. It is an assembly comprising the adult members of a village.
3. Who can become a member of a gram sabha?
= All men and women in a village who are eighteen years and above, having the right to vote, are members of the gram sabha.
4. What are the roles and responsibilities of a gram sabha?
= The responsibilities of a gram sabha are -
i) To ensure participation and mutual cooperation of people in the decision making processes.
ii) To enable the election of members of the panchayat and make the panchayat fulfil its role and responsibilities.
5. How does the Panchayati Raj system function in India?
= The Panchayati Raj is a system of local self-government at the village level. The villages have been divided into three-tier system of the Panchayati Raj. the three-tier system of the Panchayati Raj solves problems prevalent in rural areas. It encourages people's participation at the grass-roots level and serves as a medium through which people can participate in the governance of their country.
6. Discuss the importance of gram sabha.
= The importance of gram sabha are -
i) It helps people to solve their day-to-day problems.
ii) It helps bind the people together because they are convinced that a gram panchayat functions for their welfare.
7. Who is a panch?
= The other members of the Panchayat, except Sarpanch, are known as panch.
8. What is the relationship between the gram sabha and the gram panchayat?
= Gram Sabha elects the members of the panchayat and make the panchayat fulfil its role and responsibilities.
9. Describe the composition of a panchayat samiti.
= The panchayat samitis consist of the following members.
i) Sarpanch of all the panchayats within a block.
ii) Members of the legislative assembly(MLAs) and the members of the parliament(MPs) of that area.
iii) Elected members of the zila parishad from that block.
iv) Chairperson of the town area committees or notified area committee of that block.
v) Representatives of the scheduled casts and scheduled tribes.
vi) One-third of the seats are reserved for women.
11. Mention three compulsory and three optional functions of the gram panchayat.
= Three compulsory functions of the gram panchayat are -
i) to levy and collect local taxes, tolls and fees.
ii) to provide primary education.
iii) to ensure overall welfare of the people.
Three optional functions of the gram panchayat are -
i) maintenance of libraries and reading rooms.
ii) organise cultural events and educational programmes.
iii) establish sources of entertainments like cinema and theatres, and install television sets.
12. What are the main sources of income of a gram panchayat and a zila parishad?
= Sources of income of a gram panchayat are -
i) Tax levied on houses and shops and other open spaces in the village.
ii) Professional tax, taxes on pilgrimages, fairs and markets and animal trade.
iii) Admission fees from people who take their disputes to the nyaya panchayat.
iv) Fines paid by people guilty of committing petty crimes.
v) Grants from the state government and zila parishad.
Sources of income of a zila parishad are -
i) Taxes paid by factories.
ii) Funds given by state and central government.
iii) Taxes paid on land, houses and water.
13. Describe the composition of zila parishad.
= The zila parishad includes the following members -
i) All the chairpersons of the panchayat/blocks samitis in the district.
ii) Members of state legislative assembly and members of the parliament elected from the district.
iii) Representatives of the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and women.
iv) Important officers such as district collectors, district judges and police officers.
vi) Chairpersons of the municipalities in the district.
14. Mention any two functions of zila parishad.
= Two functions of zila parishad are -
i) Supervising the work of the panchayat samitis and the block samitis.
ii) Acting as a link between the panchayat samitis and the state government.
15. Do you think that local self-governance serves the requirements of villages in India? Justify your answer.
= Yes, I think the local self-governance serves the requirements of villages in India. The three-tier system of the Panchayati Raj solves problems prevalent in rural areas. It encourages people's participation at the grass-roots level and serves as a medium through which people can participate in the governance of their country.
III. Write short notes on the following topics.
1. Nyaya Panchayat:- Nyaya Panchayats preside over petty cases as minor thefts, trespass, family feuds and other small cases at the village level.
Their members are appointed by the gram panchayat. The nyaya panchayats can impose fines up to a hundred rupees but can not send anyone to prison.
The nyaya panchayat helps to resolve minor cases at the local level in an inexpensive way. These cases are resolved fast and help the parties involved to save money and time.
2. Composition of Gram Sabha:- All men and women in a village who are eighteen years and above having the right to vote, are members of the gram sabha.
3. Composition of Block Samiti:- The block samiti consists of the following members -
i) Sarpanch of all the panchayats within a block.
ii) Members of legislative assembly(MLAs) and the members of the parliament(MPs) of that area.
iii) Elected members of the zila parishad from that block.
iv) Chairperson of the town area committee or notified area committee of that block.
v) Representatives of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
vi) One-third of the seats are reserved for women.
4. Sources of income for Gram Panchayats:- The sources of income for gram panchayats are-
i) Tax levied on houses and shops and other open spaces in the villages.
ii) Professional tax, taxes on pilgrimages, fairs and markets and animals trade.
iii) Admission fees from people who take their disputes to the nyaya panchayat.
iv) Fines paid by people guilty of committing petty crimes.
v) Grants from the state government and zila parishad.
IV. Match the following.
=
|
1.one-third seats |
a. three-tier
system. [4] |
|
2. gram Sabha |
b. urban local
body. [3] |
|
3. Cantonment
board |
c. elects panch.
[2] |
|
4. Panchayati Raj |
d. gram
panchayat. [5] |
|
5. headed by
sarpanch |
e. reserved for
women in panchayat samiti. [1] |
V. State whether true or false.
1. The members of zila parishad do not include people from schedule caste and scheduled tribes. [F]
2. A municipal corporation is an urban local self-government body. [T]
3. The gram sabha elects the members of the gram panchayat. [T]
4. Funds allocated by the central and state governments are an important source of income of the zila parishad. [T]
5. Providing primary education is a compulsory function of the gram panchayat. [T]