PSEB 12th Class Political Science Solutions Chapter 10 Democracy at Grassroots

Punjab State Board PSEB 12th Class Political Science Book Solutions Chapter 10 Democracy at Grassroots Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

PSEB Solutions for Class 12 Political Science Chapter 10 Democracy at Grassroots

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Describe the structure of Panchayati Raj System in India.
Or
Discuss the composition and functions of the three tiers of the Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:
Late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, in the course of his speech at Rajpura in Punjab on December 4, 1960 said that three revolutions are at root in the whole of the country

More and more education
Use of new tools and methods of Agriculture and
Establishment of Panchayati Raj.

He said that Panchayati Raj is being established in the villages. The people will themselves make efforts to develop the villages and they will run the local administration themselves. In Dec, 1992 two houses of Parliament approved the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Bill which is considered as a landmark legislation in the process of decentralisation of power to the grassroot levels. A new part IX relating to Panchayats has been added in the Constitution of India by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act.

India is a land of villages and 70 per cent of population lives in the villages. It was but natural that government should pay more attention to the development of villages after Independence. Article 40 of the Constitution reads, “The state shall take steps to organise Village Panchayats and endow them to function as units of self government.” In 1952 the government started Community Development Projects and made plans for the development of villages.

In 1957 Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was set up to review the Community Development Programme. Mehta Committee recommended for a three-tier local self-government system in India to ensure decentralisation of power. The Panchayati Raj scheme was introduced first by Rajasthan on October 2, 1959. Then it was adopted by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Assam, Punjab, U.P. etc. At present Panchayati Raj system has been adopted almost in all the states.

What is Panchayati Raj?
Panchayati Raj may be described as a complex system of rural local self-government in India. Panchayati Raj is that system of administration in which the village people are given the right to manage their own local affairs and to satisfy their needs themselves. The villagers use their right through the Village Panchayats and it is called Panchayati Raj.

Structure of Panchayati Raj:
The Panchayati Raj system as recommended by Balwant Rai Mehta Committee has been organised on a three-tier structure Gram
Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the Block level and Zila Parishad at the district level. But there are some states where Panchayati Raj is organised on a two-tier basis. These states are: Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim.

1. Panchayats:
Panchayats have been established in the villages. In Punjab a village with a population of 200 or more than this can have a panchayat of its own. If the population of a village is less than 200 it can have a common Panchayat with some other village. All the adults of a village are the members of Gram Sabha. Gram Sabha elects members of the Panchayat. According to Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, every Gram Panchayat consists of 5 to 13 Panches and one Sarpanch.

The membership of a Panchayat is fixed on the basis of the population of the village. The Village Panchayat runs the village administration and tries to improve the lot of the villages. Its main function is to make all out efforts for the overall development of village life. The Gram Sabha meets at least once in six months and the Village Panchayat presents to it a report of its functions and it also gets its future programme approved by the Gram Sabha. The Village Panchayat is responsible for all its actions and policies to the Gram Sabha.

2. Panchayat Samiti:
In 1952 Development Blocks were made and each Block was placed under a Block Development Officer. In Panchayati Raj each Block has a Block Samiti known as Panchayat Samiti. According to Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, every Panchayat Samiti consists of 6 to 10 members. In Punjab 60 percent of the total seats of Panchayat Samities are indirectly elected from the electoral colleges of Sarpanches. 40 percent of the total seats are directly elected. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women are given special representation.

The members of the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and Lok Sabha elected from the Block are the associate members of Panchayat Samiti. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Block Development Officer are the coopted members of the Samiti. The term of Panchayat Samiti is five years. The Panchayat Samities are expected to help in the execution of development programmes, encourage agriculture and small-scale industry. The Block Development Officer is the executive officer of the Panchayat Samiti. He executes the decisions and orders of the Samiti. The Panchayat Samiti looks after the working of Panchayats and gives them every possible assistance whenever required.

3. Zila Parishad:
Zila Parishad is the third and highest tier of Panchayati Raj. A Zila Parishad has been established in each district. The members of Zila Parishad are directly elected by the people and some are elected by the Panchayat Samities and President of each Panchayati Samiti is the member of Zila Parishad. MPs, MLAs and MLCs of the district are also its members. Certain seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women candidates.

According to Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, every Zila Parishad consists of 10 to 25 members. The membership of a Zila Parishad is fixed on the basis of the population of the Zila Parishad area. Representatives of co-operative societies and municipalities of the district are also its members. The Zila Parishad looks after the working of Panchayat Samities and co-ordinates their working. It makes efforts for the development of the whole district.

Question 2.
What changes have been made in Panchayati Raj System under 73rd Constitutional Amendment?
Answer:
The Seventy-third amendment passed by the Parliament in December 1992 constitutes a major milestone in the history of rural local government in India. Seventy-third amendment became operative from 24 April 1993. In the Constitution, Part-IX and Schedule XI have been inserted which contains certain provisions for Panchayat bodies at village, intermediate and district level. Some of the important provisions contained in the Act are:

1. Constitutional Sanction to democracy at the grass-root level:
The 73rd Amendment Act has sought to provide constitutional Sanction to democracy at the grassroot level by inscribing in the Constitution a new part and a new schedule relating to Panchayats in the Constitution. Before the passage of this act, the Panchayats in India did not enjoy constitutional sanction.

2. Definition of Gram Sabha:
The 73rd Amendment Act provides the definition of Gram Sabha. According to it “Gram Sabha means body consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls relating to a village comprised within the area of Panchayat at the village level.”

3. Definition of Panchayat:
According to 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, Panchayat means an institution of self-government constituted by the government for the rural area.

4. Constitution of Panchayati Raj Institutions:
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act provides that the state government shall consitute Panchayati Raj institutions in its territory as under:

• A village Panchayat in every village at village level in rural area.
• Panchayat Samiti at the intermediate (Tehsil or Development Block) level.
• A Zila Parishad at the district level.

5. Direct Election of the Members:
According to 73rd Amendment, all members of the Gram Panchayat are directly elected by the voters of the Gram Sabha. For this purpose the territorial area of each Gram Panchayat is divided into territorial constituencies—and one member is elected from each constituency. Minimum age of members of Panchayat is fixed at 21.

6. Reservation of Seats:
(i) According to 73rd Amendment Act, seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes in proportion to their population in the Gram Panchayat. Not less than one-third of the total number of the elected seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes.

(ii) One seat is reserved for Backward Classes in a Gram Panchayat where population of Backward Classes in the Gram Sabha area is more than twenty per cent of the total population of the Gram Sabha area.

(iii) Not less than one-third (including the number of elected seats reserved for women belonging to the scheduled castes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Gram Panchayat shall be reserved for women. .

7. Tenure of Panchayat:
According to 73rd Amendment Act, the tenure of Panchayats in all the states is 5 years. If a Panchayat is dissolved or superseded before the expiry of its tenure, it is obligatory to hold election within six months. Next elections of the Panchayat must be held before its term is over.

8. Powers and Functions of the Panchayati Raj Institutions:
According to 73rd amendment the state governments shall give the Panchayats powers and functions relating to subjects mentioned in the 12th Schedule.

9. Sources of Income of Panchayats:
The 73rd Amendment Act provides for the evolution of resources to local bodies and also empowers them to raise some resources of their own. Panchayats may be empowered by the State legislature to impose taxes and fees and duties and may be assigned a share in state government taxes and grants-in-aid.

10. State Election Commission:
For the supervision, superintendence and control of election staff of Panchayati Raj instittions, provision for the establishment of independent election commission at the state level has been made. The State Election Commission shall be appointed by the Governor and can be removed only in the manner prescribed for the Judge of the High Court.

11. Finance Commission:
According to 73rd Amendment Act, the Governor of a state shall appoint Finance Commission to review the financial position of the Panchayats and to make recommendation to the governor to improve the financial position of the Panchayats. The Finance Commission shall make recommendations for distribution of income of the state between the government and the municipalities and Panchayati Raj Institutions.

12. District Planning Committee:
The 73rd Amendment provides for the constitution of a District Planning Committee. District Planning Committee is responsible for the consolidated development plan for the district on the basis of development plans of municipalities and Panchayati Raj institutions of the district.

13. Audit of Accounts of Panchayats:
The Legislature of a state may by law, make provision with respect to the maintenance of accounts by the Panchayats and the auditing of such accounts.

14. Metropolitan Planning Committee:
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act also provides for the constitution of Metropolitan Planning Committee for making development plan for a metropolitan area consisting of two or more municipalities and Panchayati Raj institutions.

15. Election Petitions:
The 73rd amendment has provided that the state legislature shall make law for the hearing of election petition pertaining to the election of municipalities and Panchayati Raj institutions.

16. Part not to apply to Certain Area:
Nothing in this part shall apply to scheduled areas referred to in clause

• and the tribal areas referred to in Clause
• of Article 244.

17. Bar to interference by Court in Electoral Matters:
The 73rd Amendment Act puts a bar to interference by courts in electoral matters of Panchayats. According to 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act the state government will have to amend their existing Panchayat acts accordingly. All the state governments have enacted the fresh Panchayat legislations.

The Panchayati Raj, today, is functioning in all the states though there are inevitable variations from state to state. Following states have a three-tier structure- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Manipur, Orissa, and Kerala have a three-tier structure of Panchayati Raj while Jammu-Kashmir, Sikkim, Tripura and Goa have only one-tier. The northeastern states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland have each a traditional council of village elders and thus he outside the network of modern Panchyati Raj institutions.

Conclusion:
New Panachayati Raj system as introduced by the 73rd Constitutional Amendement Act is a historical development in the Indian Political System. The most distinctive feature of the new system is that an election to constitute a Panchayat has to be completed before the expiry of its normal tenure of five years.

Question 3.
Write a note on Gram Sabha.
Answer:
The Gram Sabha is the general body consisting of all the voters residing in the jurisdiction of Gram Panchayat which extends over one village or a group of villages. In some states the Gram Sabha is a statutory body while in some others it is a non-statutory body.

Office bearers:
The Gram Sabha elects a Gram Pradhan for five years. He is also the Pradhan or Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat. The Gram Sabha also elects executive council known as Gram Panchayat.

Meetings:
The Gram Sabha meets at least twice a year. One meeting is held in December after the harvesting of the Sawni crop and the second meeting is held in June after the Harhi Crop. The Gram Pradhan has a right to call special meetings of the Gram Sabha. Quorum of the Gram Sabha meeting is one-fifth of the total members of the Gram Sabha.

Functions of Gram Sabha:
Following are the main functions of the Gram Sabha:

• The Gram Sabha decides the broad policies for the development of the village.
• The Gram Sabha approves the annual budget of the village and it deliberates on the taxes proposed by the Gram Panchayat and votes on impositions of taxes or tolls.
• The Gram Sabha considers the audit report of the Gram Panchayat and also considers administrative report of the Gram Panchayat.
• The Gram Sabha elects the Pradhan and the Panches of the Panchayat.
• The Gram Sabha can remove the Pradhan and Panches of the Panchayat by passing a resolution by two-thirds majority.
• The Gram Sabha promotes programme of adult education and family welfare within the village.
• The Gram Sabha promotes unity and harmony among all sections of society in the village.

The Gram Sabha is supposed to work as a watchdog of the Gram Panchayat. But in practice it is not functioning effectively and it also does not meet regularly. People show little or no interest in attending the meetings of the Gram Sabha. The microscopic minority dominates the show when Gram Sabha meetings are held. Iqbal Narain and P.C. Mathur observed that the Gram Sabha is yet to emerge as a forum of constructive criticism of the working of the Panchayati Raj institutions. Diwakar Committee has suggested that the Gram Sabha will have to be gradually brought into the picture by assigning to it a definite status.

Question 4.
Describe the composition and functions of Gram Panchayat.
Or
Write down the powers and functions of the Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
The Village Panchayat is the main institution for running the administration of local affairs of the village. At present more than 2,50,000 Village Panchayats are working in India. In the past also the Panchayats were attached great importance. The village administration was run by these Panchayats. The Panchayats peformed their functions efficiently even in small villages. With the advent of the Britishers the Panchayats got a big setback. After 1880, the British rule in India made efforts to revive the local self-government system.

It was only in cities that local selfgovernment institutions were established. After Independence our Government paid special attention towards this end. Eighty per cent of India lives in the villages and if the condition of the villages does not improve, the country cannot make any progress. Mahatma Gandhi stressed the need of establishment of Panchayats and of giving more powers to them. In 1952, the Punjab government established Panchayats in all the villages by passing a law to this effect. Steps were taken to establish Panchayats in other States also. At present there are more than two lakh and fifty thousand Panchayats in India.

Composition:
In Punjab Panchayats have been established in all the villages whose population is two hundred or more than this. If the population of a village is less than 200 then a joint Panchayat of two villages is established. The size of the membership of the Gram Panchayat varies from 5 to 31. In Haryana membership of the Panchayat is between 6 and 20 while in Punjab it is between 5 and 13. The membership of a Panchayat is fixed on the basis of the population of the village. In Punjab every Gram Sabha elects a Sarpanch and such number of Panches is as indicated below against each slab of population-

S. No.	Population	No of Panches
1.	For population exceeding 200 but not exceeding 1,000	Five
2.	For population exceeding 1,000 but not exceeding 2,000	Seven
3.	For population exceeding 2,000 but not exceeding 5,000	Nine
4.	For population exceeding 5,000 but not exceeding 10,000	Eleven
5.	For population exceeding 10,000	Thirteen

According to Punjab Panchayati Act 1994, seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes in proportion to their population in the Gram Panchayat.Reservation of Seats:

• One seat is reserved for Backward Classes in a Gram Panchayat where population of Backward Classes in the Gram Sabha area is more than twenty per cent of the total population of the Gram Sabha area.
• In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women in Gram Panchayat.

Election:
The members of the Gram Panchayat are elected by the members of the Gram Sabha directly by secret ballot. Every adult who is a resident of the village has got the right to vote in the Panchayat elections. Any voter who is 21 years of age or more can contest the election and become a member of the Village Panchayat.

Tenure:
Before 73rd Amendment the tenure of Panchayat in all the states was not uniform. Usually the members of a Panchayat were elected for a five year term. But according to 73rd Amendment the tenure of Panchayat in all states is five years. If a Panchayat does not perform its functions properly, the Director of Panchayat can dissolve it. But election to the dissolved Panchayat must be held within six months.

Chairman:
There is the head of the Panchayat who is called the Sarpanch. Other members of the Panchayat are called the Panches. In Punjab Sarpanch is elected directly by the voters. Offices of Sarpanches of Gram Panchayat in the district are reserved for Scheduled Castes in proportion to the population of Scheduled Castes to the total population of the district.

Not less than one-third of the offices of Sarpanches of Gram Panchayat belonging to the Scheduled Castes shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Caste. Not less than one third of the total number of offices of Sarpanches in the district shall be reserved for women including the seats reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Castes. The offices of Sarpanches reserved shall be allotted by rotation to the different Gram Panchayats in such a manner as may be prescribed. The tenure of the office of the Sarpanch co-terminates with the term of the Gram Panchayat.

Functions of the Sarpanch: Following are the main functions of the Sarpanch:

• The Sarpanch is responsible for convening the meetings of the Gram Sabha and presides over its meetings.
• The Sarpanch is responsible for convening the meetings of the Gram Panchayat and presides over its meetings.
• The Sarpanch is responsible for the maintenance of the records of the Gram Panchayat.
• The Sarpanch has the general responsibility for the financial and executive administration of the Gram Panchayat.
• The Sarpanch exercises administrative supervision and control over the work of the staff of the Gram Panchayat.

Quorum: The majority of the members of Gram Panchayat constitute the quorum for the meetings.

Procedure of Taking Decision: All the decisions of the Panchayat are taken by an ordinary majority. The Sarpanch has got the right to exercise a casting vote.
Meetings: The Panchayat must hold its meetings at least once a month and the Sarpanch presides over the meeting of the Panchayat.

Powers and Functions of the Village Panchayat:
Following are the main functions of the Village Panchayat-

• Administrative Functions.
• It maintains peace and order in the village.
• It helps the police in the prevention of crimes and in the arrest of criminals.
• It can oppose the sale of wine in its jurisdiction by passing a resolution by 2/3 majority.
• It keeps a watch on the work of the government officials in the village. The Village Panchayat can lodge a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner against the Patwari, Lambardar and Chowkidar if they do not perform their duties properly.

2. Functions of Public Welfare:

1. It makes sanitary arrangements in the village.
2. It makes efforts for improving the health of the people, and for this purpose it opens hospitals and dispensaries. It also establishes child welfare and maternity centres.
3. It makes arrangements for giving small pox and cholera injections to the people.
4. It makes arrangements for pure drinking water and for pouring medicine in the wells, tanks etc.
5. It makes arrangement for street and road light.
6. It also makes arrangements for providing primary education to the children.
7. It opens libraries and reading rooms in the village.
8. It looks after the public places and makes arrangements for their sanitation.
9. It makes arrangements for cremation and burial grounds.
10. It gets trees planted and looks after them.
11. It tries for the promotion of animal husbandry.
12. It is also the duty of the Panchayat to work for the promotion of agriculture. It makes arrangements for good seeds and acquaints the villagers with improved and scientific methods of agriculture.
13. It tries for the development of cottage industry so that unemployed villagers get employment.
14. It tries to improve the social life of the people by eradicating social evils in society.
15. It helps people economically in case of floods, famine and drought.
16. It makes arrangements for fairs, exhibitions, wrestling matches and kabaddi matches for providing recreation to the people.
17. It constructs and maintains streets, roads and bridges in the village.
18. It formulates and implements development programmes of the village.
19. It works for the welfare of the backward sections of the village communities, especially the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes.

3. Judicial Powers:
It decides minor civil and criminal cases within its areas. Now the villagers need not go to the tehsil or the District headquarters to get their disputes decided. In criminal sphere the Panchayats can hear petty cases involving mischief, assault, theft of property etc. on payment of prescribed fee. These fees are of a nominal nature. They can hear civil cases of the value of 200 rupees. They can impose a fine upto Rs. 200.

One thing is to be noted that the lawyers cannot appear before the Panchayats. Both the parties are to appear before the Panchayat to plead their case. In criminal cases the Panchayat can only impose a fine and it cannot sentence anybody to imprisonment. It can impose a fine up to Rs. 25 upon those who defy its orders. Normally the decisions of the Panchayats are final but an appeal can be made to the court of District Magistrate with its prior sanction.

Sources of Income:
The Panchayat needs money for the performance of its functions. It gets this amount from the following sources:

1. It gets 10 per cent of the total revenue collected from the village.
2. It imposes house tax.
3. Anybody who approaches the Panchayat for deciding a case is to pay a nominal fee. This fee is to be given in cash.
4. It imposes fines on the criminals and keeps that amount with it.
5. It gets profit from the sale of fertilizers.
6. It imposes tax on animals, vehicles, profession etc.
7. Income from water, if provided.
8. Fees for use of rest houses.
9. Drainage fee.
10. It can get subscription from villagers for performing some important duty.
11. It imposes tax on village fairs, markets and exhibitions.
12. The Panchayats are given financial aid by the government annually.
13. The Panchayats issue various types of licences and get a fee for the same.
14. It takes money by selling the skin of dead animals.

Question 5.
Describe the composition, powers and functions of the Panchayat Samiti or Block Samiti.
Or
Discuss the composition, functions and powers of the Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
The intermediate tier in the Panchayati Raj System is known in several states as the Panchayat Samiti. In Madhya Pradesh it is known as Janapad Panchayat while in Gujarat it is known as Taluka Panchayat. In a majority of states, its jurisdiction is co-extensive with the block while in some states it is co-extensive with that of Taluka.

Composition of Panchayat Samiti:
A Panchayat Samiti consists of the following four types of members:
1. Elected or Primary Members. In Punjab every Panchayat Samiti consists of six to ten directly elected members.

2. Representatives of the Sarpanches are directly elected from amongst the Sarpanches of the Gram Panchayats in the Panchayat Samiti area provided that ratio of the representatives of the Sarpanches and that of the directly elected members shall be sixty: forty.

3. Members of the Legislative Assembly State of Punjab, major portion of whose constituency falls in the Panchayat Samiti area.

4. Members of the Legislative Council of the State of Punjab, who are registered as electors within the Panchayat Samiti area.

Right to Vote:
The members of the Panchayat Samiti whether or not chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the Panchayat Samiti shall have the right to vote in the meetings of the Panchayat Samiti except for election and removal of its Chairman or Vice-Chairman.

Reservation of Seats:
According to Punjab Panchayat Raj Act 1994, in every Panchayat, seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes, women and the Backward Classes. In every Panchayat Samiti seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes in proportion to their population in Panchayat Samiti area. One-third of the total number of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes are reserved for the women of the Scheduled Castes. In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women in Panchayat Samiti. One seat is reserved for Backward Classes in a Panchayat Samiti in which the population of Backward Classes is not less than twenty percent of the total population of the Panchayat Samiti area.

Tenure:
Before 73rd Amendment the tenure of the Panchayat Samiti was fixed by the State government and it was not the same in all the States. But 73rd Amendment has fixed the tenure of the Samiti 5 years for all the states. In Punjab tenure of Panchayat Samiti is five years.

Chairman:
The members of the Panchayat Samiti elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman from amongst the elected members. He presides over the meetings of the Samiti. The Chairman discharges all duties imposed and exercises all the powers conferred on him under the Act. The Chairman exercises supervision and control over the executive officer of the Panchayat Samiti for securing implementation of the decision of the Panchayat Samiti. The Chairman exercises over all supervision over the financial and executive administration of the Panchayat Samiti.

Meetings:
A Panchayat Samiti must hold a meeting atleast once in two months. One-third of the members of Panchayat Samiti may make a written request to the Chairman for calling a special meeting of the Panchayat Samiti. The Chairman shall have to convene special meeting of the Panchayat Samiti.

Quorum:
The majority of the total members of Panchayat Samiti constitute a quorum for the meeting of the Panchayat Samiti.

Executive Officer:
The Block Development Officer is the Executive Officer of the Panchayat Samiti. He runs the day-to-day administration of the Samiti. Besides this, there is a Panchayat Officer also. The Executive Officer and the Panchayat Officer work in co-operation with each other.

Powers and Functions
The Panchayat Samiti performs the following functions:
1. The Panchayat Samiti looks after the working of Panchayats in its area.

2. It tries to promote agriculture in its area and distribute among the farmers good seeds, fertilizers and scientific instruments. It makes propaganda of scientific methods of agriculture among the farmers. It advances loans to the farmers for the promotion of agricultural production. It tries to make better arrangements of irrigation in its area.

3. It tries to promote cottage industries in its area.

4. It takes steps for the promotion of animal husbandry.

5. It makes sanitary arrangement in its area. It takes steps for improving the health of the people. It opens hospitals, child welfare centres and maternity centres.

6. It makes arrangements for getting the people injected against various diseases. It also takes steps for the prevention of diseases.

7. It makes efforts to protect crops from rats, locusts and other insects.

8. It constructs and maintains roads and bridges in its area.

9. It extends co-operation to the Co-operative Societies in its area.

10. It makes arrangements for village fairs, exhibitions and markets.

11. It also attends to the promotion of education in its area and it opens reading- rooms and libraries in its area.

12. It starts Community Development Projects and makes every possible effort for the development of the area.

13. It tries to give relief to the people in case of famine, drought and floods in its area.

14. It maintains a record of births and deaths in its area.

15. It maintains and looks after the government’s property.

16. It can acquire property in the interest of public welfare.

17. It maintains playgrounds and gardens.

18. Panchayat Samiti promotes social welfare programme including welfare of handicapped, mentally retarded and destitutes.

19. Panchayat Samiti promotes programmes relating to development of women and children.

20. Panchayat Samiti promotes the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and other weaker sections of society. Panchayat Samiti also protects Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and other weaker sections from social injustice and exploitation.

21. Panchayat Samiti is responsible for the public distribution system of essential commodities.

22. Panchayat Samiti promotes social education through Youth Clubs and Mahila Mandals.

23. Panchayat Samiti promotes rural electrification including distribution of electricity.

24. Panchayat Samiti promotes co-operative activities.

Source of Income or Panchayat Samiti Fund:
Panchayat Samiti Fund is created for every Panchayat Samiti and following items are placed in this fund-

1. All proceeds of local rate allocated to the Panchayat Samiti by the State Government.
2. The proceeds of all taxes, cesses, duties and fees imposed by the Panchayat Samiti under this Act.
3. All funds allocated to the Panchayat Samiti and income arising from all sources of income placed at its disposal.
4. All rents and profits accruing from property vested in or managed by the Panchayat Samiti.
5. All sums contributed to the Fund by the Central Government or any State Government or by any local authority including Gram Panchayat or any private person.
6. All sums received by the Panchayat Samiti in the discharge of functions exercised by it under this Act.
7. All sums paid by the State Government or Central Government for the implementation of Community
8. Development Programmes.
9. All sums paid by the State Government to the Panchayat Samiti to meet expenses for the performance of agency functions.
10. The proceeds of all sources of income which the State Government may order to be placed at the authority of the Panchayat Samiti.

Question 6.
Discuss the composition, functions and financial resources of Zila Parishad.
Or
How is the Zila Parishad organised? Discuss its functions.
Answer:
Zila Parishad is at the apex of the Panchayati Raj System. Zila Parishad is established at the district level. It is known by different names. In Assam it is known as Mahakuma Parishad. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka it is known as the District Development Council and in Gujarat as the District Panchayat.

Composition:
Zila Parishad comprises the following categories of members:

1. The members are directly elected from territorial constituencies in the district, each constituency electing one member. Directly elected members are between 10 and 25.
2. All Chairmen of Panchayat Samities.
3. The members of the Lok Sabha and members of the Legislative Assembly of the district.
4. Those members of the Rajya Sabha who are registered as voters within the district.

All members of a Zila Parishad whether elected or not from territorial constituencies in the Zila Parishad area enjoy right to vote in the meetings of the Zila Parishad except in the election of its Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

Reservation of Seats:
In every Zila Parishad seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and women. Seats reserved for Scheduled Castes are in the some proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that Zila Parishad as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the district bears to the total population in the district. In Punjab, 50% seats are reserved for women in Zila Parishad. One seat is reserved for backward classes in a Zila Parishad in which the population of backward classes is not less than 20 percent of the total population of the district.

Tenure:
Before 73rd Amendment, tenure of Zila Parishad was not the same in all the states. In the majority of the states the tenure of Zila Parishad was five years. In Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal it was four years while in Bihar it was three years. But 73rd Amendment has fixed the tenure of 5 years in all the states. If it is dissolved before the expiry of this term elections must be held within six months. The government can dissolve the Zila Parishad at any time.

Chairman and Vice-Chairman:
Directly elected members of the Zila Parishad and Chairman of the Panchayat Samities of the district elect the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Zila Parishad from amongst the elected members.

Reservation for the office of Chairman and Vice-Chairman:
The Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 provides for the reservation of seats for the offices of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Zila Parishad, for the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes. The number of such offices should be in the same proportion to the total number of offices in the State of Punjab as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the state bears to the total population of the State.

Not less than one-third of the total number of offices of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Zila Parishad are reserved for women.
Tenure of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman. The tenure of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be co-terminus with that of Zila Parishad. However, the elected members of the Zila Parishad can remove the Chairman and Vice-Chairman by two-third majority.

Powers and Functions of Chairman:
The Chairman convenes, presides and conducts the meetings of the Zila Parishad. The Chairman exercises administrative supervision and controls over the Chief executive officer and through him all officers and other employees of the Zila Parishad. He exercises full supervision over the financial administration of Zila Parishad.

Secretary:
Each Zila Parishad has a Secretary who runs the day-to-day administration of the Zila Parishad. He is paid his salary every month. The government makes appointment of the Secretary on the recommendations of the Zila Parishad.

Meetings:
The meetings of the Zila Parishad must be held at least four times in a year. The quorum for holding the meetings of Zila Parishad has been fixed as the presence of l/3rd members of its total membership.

Functions of The Zila Parishad
Following are the functions and powers of the Zila Parishad-

1. Zila Parishad tries to promote agricultural production and it opens and maintains agricultural seed farms and commercial farms.
2. It establishes and maintains godowns and gives training to farmers.
3. Zila Parishad takes steps for development of irrigation and for this purpose it constructs, renovates and maintains minor irrigation works and lift irrigation.
4. Zila Parishad establishes veterinary hospitals and dispensaries; poultry farms, duck farms and goat farms; common cold storage facility for dairy, poultry and fishery products.
5. It tries to co-ordinate the working of Panchayats and Panchayat Samities in the district.
6. The Panchayat Samities pass their annual budget and send it to the Zila Parishad. The Zila Parishad gives its approval to the budget after considering it thoroughly.
7. It keeps a watch on the working of Panchayat Samities in its area.
8. If a Panchayat Samiti does not perform its functions properly, the Zila Parishad can assist it in the performance of its duties.
9. It makes efforts to improve the living standard of the village life. It also tries for the development of village life.
10. It can give suggestions to the government regarding the development of villages.
11. If two or more than two villages have common project, the Zila Parishad tries to co-ordinate their working and helps in making the plana success.
12. The government can shift responsibility of making any plan or project a success on the Zila Parishad.
13. The Zila Parishad with the approval of the government can collect money from the Panchayat Samities.
14. The Zila Parishad can advise the government on the issues of distribution of powers and co-ordination of work among the Panchayat Samities.
15. The Zila Parishad adopts measures to increase agricultural production.
16. The Zila Parishad do construction, renovation and maintenance of minor irrigation works and lift irrigation.
17. The Zila Parishad promotes educational activities, Social Welfare activities and works for the welfare of weaker sections of society.
18. Zila Parishad is responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads other than national and state highways; identification of major link roads connecting markets, educational institutions, health centres and link roads.
19. Zila Parishad is responsible for planning, supervision, monitoring and implementation of-poverty alleviation programmes.
20. Zila Parishad maintains Social Welfare Institutions such as Poor Home Orphanages, Rescue Shelters and the like.
21. Zila Parishad encourages community marriages and inter-caste marriages; identifies free and rehabilitates bonded labour; organises cultural and recreational activities; encourages sports and games and construction of stadium.

Sources of Income:
For every Zila Parishad, Zila Parishad Fund is constituted and fallowing items are included in this fund:

1. Contribution and grants, if any, made by the Central government or by the state government including such part of land revenue collected in the state as may be determined by the state government.
2. Contributions and grants, if any made by a Panchayat Samiti or any other local authority.
3. Loans if any granted by Zila Parishad on security of its assets.
4. The proceeds of road tax and public work tax levied in the district.
5. All receipts on account of taxes, tolls, rates, cess and fee imposed by the Zila Parishad.
6. All receipts in respect of any schools, hospitals, dispensaries, buildings, institutions or works vested in, constructed by or placed under the control and management of the Zila Parishad.
7. The total amount received as gift or contribution and all income from any trust or endowment made in favour of Zila Parishad.
8. Fine and penalties imposed and realized under the provisions of this Act.

Question 7.
Explain the problems of Panchayati Raj.
Or
Explain any six problems of Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
In 1952 Village Panchayats were established and municipal committees were given more powers. Afterwards Panchayati Raj was introduced in the villages. But after so many years of the establishment of Panchayati Raj, it has not been successful in achieving its objectives. The Panchayati Raj System suffers from various defects which are given as follows:

1. Illiteracy:
The majority of the villagers are uneducated and most of the members of a village Panchayats are also uneducated. The Sarpanches of most of the Panchayats are also uneducated and they do not know even how to put their signatures. The people also do not take interest in the working of the Panchayat. As a result of all this incompetent and uneducated people are elected as the members of the Panchayat. No local self-government institution can be a success unless both the electors and the elected are educated.

2. Ignorance:
As majority of the villagers are illiterate, they are ignorant about the aims of the Panchayati Raj. Only one-fifth of the men who run these institutions are aware that the ultimate goal of Panchayati Raj is to make the rural masses more self-reliant. Unfortunately, one-eighth of the rural leadership is conscious that one of the goals of Panchayati Raj is to improve the lot of weaker sections.

3. Communalism:
The villagers have developed the evil spirit of communalism. The villagers not only believe in communalism but they also practise it. During elections to the Village Panchayat, the people are always divided on the basis of religion and caste. The village society is very much caste-ridden and they always vote on the basis of caste. Even after the elections the caste system always remains at the forefront. The Panchayat always remains a divided house and all its decisions are made on the basis of caste of the contending parties. The members of the Panchayat cannot work as a team because each one of them is caste conscious.

4. Groupism:
The people form their groups on the eve of Panchayat elections. The whole mass of the villagers is faction-ridden. The elections of the Panchayats are contested by the people on the basis of their affiliations to political parties. The political parties should have no place in Panchayat elections. People in the village form groups and factions on the basis of caste, religion and creed. As a result of all this, the Panchayats and the municipal committee cannot function successfully.

5. Excessive control of the Government:
The Government exercises a greater degree of control in the working of Panchayats and Municipal Committees. It can interfere in the working of these institutions any time it likes. As a result of this these institutions feel discouraged. The government can reject the resolutions passed by these institutions. It also controls the budget of these institutions. These institutions do not develop the spirit of responsibility because of undue interference in their working by the government. These elected representatives of the institutions always remain at the mercy of the government officials.

6. Want of funds:
These institutions do not have enough funds to meet its needs. Their sources of income are rather very poor and the heads of expenditure are many. This imbalance usually hampers progress. Many of the vital programmes cannot be executed for want of funds. In some cases for their very existence these bodies are to depend on the local government. It is, therefore, essential that efforts should be made to provide more funds to these bodies.

7. Poverty:
The people of India are very poor. The villagers suffer from the social evil of poverty to a very great degree. People cannot pay excessive taxes due to poverty and, therefore, the Panchayats cannot increase their income by imposing more taxes on the people. The poor people are always worried about making their both ends meet and they cannot afford to think about the problems of the village, city and the country. That is why the people do not take interest in their local problems.

8. Urbanisation;
Urbanisation is another problem confronting Panchayati Raj. There is tendency among the educated people to migrate from villages to cities. These educated people may otherwise contribute a lot for the success of Panchayati Raj.

Question 8.
Suggest methods to remove the defects of Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:
The defects of the Panchayati Raj can be removed by following the ways given below:
1. Spread of Education:
The spread of education is most essential for making the Panchayati Raj System a success. The institutions of Panchayati Raj cannot function successfully unless the people are educated and do not perform their duties sincerely. An educated person will make the proper use of his vote and will be above caste and religion. The educated persons can run the administration of their village or city in a better way than the uneducated persons. The educated persons will promote the national interests of the country. The Village Panchayat can be a great success at the hands of educated persons.

2. Less Governmental Interference:
The Panchayati Raj institution should be given more independence and autonomy in the discharge of their duties. Unfortunately governmental control over these bodies is rather excessive. This control is usually very much resented. The government officials do not come with the object of improving the working of these bodies, but with a view to impose their authority, which is resented. This type of control kills initiative. The government, instead of interfering in the working of local bodies, should give them proper guidance.

3. More Financial Aid:
The Panchayati Raj institutions always run short of funds. The government should give liberal financial aid to these institutions. The government should give adequate funds to these institutions for all their schemes which aim at raising the living standard of the people and as eradicating poverty. The government should not at all attach any strings to the financial aid given to these institutions. These institutions should have the power to impose more taxes to increase their income. Efforts should be made to make these institutions quite independent of the financial aid of the government .

4. Ban on Political Parties in the Elections of Local bodies:
The elections to the local bodies should not be held on the basis of political parties. The political parties are responsible for the growth of groupism and communalism among the members of these institutions. In the elections to the local bodies the individuals should contest elections only as independent candidates. This way capable persons would be elected to these bodies and people will not be obliged to cast their votes on party basis. The local self-government institutions will function successfully only when educated and intelligent persons are elected as its members.

Training for the members:
The procedure of working of Panchayati Raj institutions is very complex and complicated. To make Panchayati Raj successful it is essential that the members of the Panchayati Raj institutions should be given proper training so that they become conversant with their duties and responsibilities.

The 73rd Amendment has provided decentralisation of power down to the village level. The 73rd amendment has provided constitution of Panchayats at the village and other levels, direct elections to all seats in Panchayats and reservation of seats for the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes and fixing of tenure of five years for Panchayats. The 73rd Amendment is considered a landmark legislation in the process of decentralisation of power to the grass-roots level. Unlike in the past when the Panchayat Raj institutions were dominated by the money and muscle power, now the under-privileged classes, including rural women, would be able to play more effective role and the people’s democracy would become more genuine.

Question 9.
Explain the achievements of Panchayati Raj in India.
Or
Write down the achievements of Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:
Panchayati Raj has a great importance. Late Pt. Jawahar Lai Nehru had called it a revolution. It is a revolution which will help in building up a new India. The significance of the Panchayati Raj is clear from the following facts:
1. People’s Raj:
The most important thing about the Panchayati Raj is that it is a people’s Raj. People’s administration had been established in the villages. There is no good administration than the administration by the people themselves.

2. Direct Democracy:
Panchayati Raj is not in any way less than the establishment of a democratic government in the village. The villagers themselves control the administration of their village. All the adult citizens of the village in their capacity, as the members of Gram Sabha, meet twice a year and discuss the problems of the village and find their solutions.

3. Self-sufficiency:
Panchayati Raj aims at making every village self-dependent for the purpose of making and executing their development plAnswer: It should decide on its own, it should even solve its own problem and it should run the local administration itself. Panchayats and Panchayat Samities are the people’s own institutions and they impose and collect taxes to meet the requirement of the villagers. Before the establishment of Village Panchayats, the government officials used to make development plans for the villages and they executed them according to their own sweet will. But now the people themselves run the whole show. The Block Development Officer now executes the decisions taken by the Panchayat Samiti.

4. Self-confidence:
Panchayati Raj helps in the development of the spirit of self-confidence among the people, and it helps in building up a great and
grand nation. The villagers themselves make development plans and execute them in their own way. The Panchayats have been given independence in the judicial sphere also. The lawyers cannot appear before the Panchayats. Everybody can have his say freely before the Panchayat. There are no fixed rules for deciding cases by the Panchayat. Each Panchayat decides cases according to its own sweet will. The villagers now need not go to the tehsil and district headquarters for getting their minor disputes decided. The villagers can get all their things in the village itself. They gain confidence by doing everything by themselves.

5. Less outside interference:
With the establishment of Panchayati Raj there is less outside interference in the affairs of the villages. The government officials now cannot interfere in the working of the Panchayats, Panchayat Samities and Zila Parishad. The people decide all the issues of their own sweet accord. Panchayati Raj has helped a great deal in developing the spirit of independence among the people.

6. Training in Administration to the people:
In India there is democratic government and each and every citizen is expected to be ready to shoulder the responsibility of running the government. Panchayati Raj is the best means of giving training in administration to the people. In cities the local self-government institutions provide training in making laws to the people but they do not give training in deciding cases to the people.

The Panchayati Raj provides an opportunity to the people of making and executing development plan, of deciding cases and running the day-to-day administration of the local affairs. This training of running the village administration stands in good stead to the people when they are called upon to run the administration of their State.

7. Rapid development of Rural life:
When Panchayati Raj was introduced in Punjab, the then Development and Panchayat Minister Sh. Gurbanta Singh had remarked that the day is not far when every citizen because of democratic decentralisation will become the architect of his own future. Everybody will have a share in the administration and he will have the power of removing his own illiteracy, ignorance and poverty. Now every villager has the right to develop himself to the fullest extent possible, Panchayati Raj has proved to be boon from heaven for the villagers.

Question 10.
Describe organisation and functions of City Corporation in India.
Or
Describe the functions of Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Municipal Corporation is the topmost of urban local government. A Municipal Corporation is set up under a special statute passed by the state legislature, except in Delhi. The Union Parliament is empowered to set up the corporation of Delhi. First of all in 1849 a Municipal Corporation was established in Bombay (Mumbai).

Organisation:
Organisation of Municipal Corporation in different cities is not the same. The members of the corporation called councillors are elected on adult franchise. The number of members is determined by law on the basis of population of the city. In addition to the elected councillors some dignified residents of the city are elected by the councillors. In Punjab the total number of elected councillors for a corporation is not less than fifty and not more than seventy. Members of the State Legislative Assembly representing the constituencies in which the city or any part thereof falls, or ex-officio members of the Municipal Corporation.

Reservation of Seats:
In every Corporation seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and women.

1. The ratio of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes is in proportion to the total population of Scheduled Castes in the Municipal Corporation area. In Punjab, 50% seats are reserved for women in Municipal Corporations.

2. In every Municipal Corporation two seats are reserved for backward classes.

3. One-third (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election are reserved for women and such seats are alotted by rotation to the different wards in the city.

Tenure:
Before 74th Amendment, the tenure of the Municipal Corporation varies from three to five years. The Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1994 provides that every corporation save as otherwise provided in this Act shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and to longer. New election shall take place before the expiry of five years term.

An election to constitute a Municipal Corporation shall be completed before the expiry of period of six months from the date of its dissolution. A corporation constituted upon the dissolution of a Municipal Corporation before the expiration of its duration, shall constitute only for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved corporation would have constituted. But by 74th Amendment, tenure is fixed as five years.

Qualifications:
Following qualifications are necessary for becoming the member of Municipal Corporation:

• The person should be a citizen of India.
• He must have completed the age of 21 years.
• His name should be in the voter list of the city concerned.
• He should not hold any office of profit under the government of India or any State government of local authority.
• He should not be insolvent and he should not be of unsound mind.
• He should not be held ineligible to contest election for committing a crime.

Officers of the Municipal Corporation:
Following are the main officers of the Municipal Corporation:
1. Mayor:
The Mayor is the first citizen of the city. The Mayor is the political executive of the municipal corporation. In the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation the members elect one of its members to be the Mayor and other two members to be the Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Corporation. The term of the office of a Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor is five years. The Mayor holds office from the time of his election until the election of his successor in office.

Mayor or Senior Deputy Mayor or Deputy Mayor can be removed from his office if a resolution is passed by a majority of the total membership of the Corporation by majority of not less than two-third of the members of the Corporation and present and voting in a meeting of the Corporation. When the Mayor is absent from duty on account of illness or any other cause, the Senior Deputy Mayor and in his absence the Deputy Mayor act as Mayor.

The Mayor is honoured as the first citizen of the city. He presides over the meetings of the corporation and maintains order in the meetings. He has access to all the records of the corporation. The Chief Administrative Officer or the Commissioner submits report on administrative matters to him. He is the proper channel of communication between the Commissioner and the State Government.

2. Chief Administrative Officer:
For running the administration of the Corporation, Chief Executive Officer or Commissioner is responsible. He is appointed by the state government. His salary and service conditions are fixed by the state government. His salary is paid out of municipal funds. He performs all the duties imposed or conferred upon him under the Act and, in times of emergency, may take any action he deems necessary. All municipal employees are subject to his supervision and control. He inflicts punishments for offences committed by the employees. He acts as a secretary to the corporation in furnishing the necessary information.

Functions of Corporation:
The functions of Municipal Corporation are of two types: 1. obligatory and 2. discretionary. The obligatory functions include those functions which must be performed by the corporation. The discretionary functions are those which are not compulsory but may be taken up depending upon its financial resources.

Obligatory Functions:

1. Supply of water and maintenance of water works.
2. Scavenging, removal and disposal of filth and rubbish.
3. Supply of electricity.
4. Construction and maintenance of roads and streets.
5. Lighting, watering and cleaning of public streets and public places.
6. Maintenance of fire-brigade.
7. To establish, manage and supervise schools.
8. Arrangement of transport facilities.
9. The removal of obstructions and projections in or upon streets, bridges and other public places.
10. Prevention of epidemic diseases and distribution of medicines.
11. Checking food adulteration in markets.
12. Regulation of places for disposal of dead bodies.
13. Registration of births and deaths.
14. Vaccination and inoculation.
15. Prevention of water pollution in the city area and air pollution from poisonous gases in industrial area within the city.
16. Publication of annual reports and returns on administration of the corporation.
17. Demolition of dangerous buildings.
18. The naming and numbering of streets and premises.
19. The maintenance of Municipal Offices.
20. The maintenance and development of the value of all properties vested in or interested to the management of the Corporation.
21. To undertake the tasks of slum clearance and rehabilitation of slum dwellers.

Discretionary Functions:

1. Construction of public parks, gardens, libraries, museums, theatres etc.
2. The construction and maintenance of rest houses, poor houses, children’s home, houses for the deaf and dumb and for disabled and handicapped children, shelters for destitutes and disabled persons.
3. Relief to destitute and disabled persons.
4. Planting and care of trees on road sides and elsewhere.
5. Civic reception of V.I.Ps.
6. Registration of marriages.
7. Survey of buildings and lands.
8. Organisation and management of fairs and exhibitions.
9. Playing of music for masses.
10. Opening of orphan houses.
11. Destruction or detention of mad dogs, ownerless dogs etc.
12. The organisation, construction, maintenance and management of swimming pools, public wash houses and bathing places.
13. The construction and maintenance of cattle ponds.
14. The organisation and management of cottage industries, handicraft centres and sales emporium.
15. The establisment and maintenance of veterinary hospitals.
16. The establishment and maintenance of hospitals, dispensaries and maternity and child welfare centres and the carrying out of other measures necessary for public medical relief.
17. The improvement of the city in accordance with improvement schemes approved by the corporation.
18. The construction and maintenance of ware houses and godowns.

Sources of Income:
Following are the sources of income of Municipal Corporation:

1. Water tax
2. Sanitary tax.
3. Taxes for the consumption of electricity
4. Property tax
5. Theatre tax
6. Tax on vehicles and animals
7. Professional tax
8. Entertainment tax
9. Tax on deeds of transfer of immovable property.
10. Betterment tax.
11. Advertisement tax
12. Grants-in-aid from the government.

Question 11.
Write down the functions and sources of Income of Municipal Council/Committee.
Or
Explain the composition and functions of Municipal Council.
Answer:
Municipal Committee or Council is the most important institution of urban government. The Municipal Committees are governed by the Municipal Acts of the states.

Composition:
The membership of the Municipal Committee is fixed by the state government on the basis of the population of the city. In U.P. the total members of the Municipal Committees vary from 20 to 45 according to population. Members of the Municipal Committee are elected on the basis of adult franchise. Every adult citizen who lives within the Municipal jurisdiction has the right to vote.

There is a provision for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that Municipality, as the population of the Scheduled castes, in the Municipal area according to 74th Amendment. In Punjab, 50% seats are reserved for women in Municipality. One seat is reserved for the Backward classes. All members of the Legislative Assembly of the state representing constituencies comprising wholly or partly the Municipal area are members of the Municipal Committee.

Qualifications:
Only that person can contest the Municipal elections who possesses the following qualifications:

• He should be a citizen of India.
• He should have completed 21 years of age.
• He should not hold any office of profit under the government or a Municipal Committee.
• He should be a resident of that city and his name should exist in the voters’ list of that area.

Tenure:
Before 74th Amendment, the tenure of Municipal Committee varied from three to five years. In Punjab and Haryana the tenure of Municipality is five years. The government can suspend or supersede the Municipal Committee even before the expiry of its term and can appoint an administrator to run the municipal administration.

President:
The members of the Municipal Committee elect a President from among themselves. The members of the Municipal Committee can remove the President from office by a majority vote. There are two Vice-Presidents of the Municipal Committee the Senior Vice-President and the Junior Vice-President.

Secretary:
There is a Secretary of the Municipal Committee who is given a fixed salary. He runs the day-to-day administration of the Municipal Committee. He is appointed by the Municipal Committee. In some Municipal Committees there is an Executive Officer instead of a

Secretary:
Besides this, there are many permanent officials in the Municipal Committee. For example, the Engineer, Health Officer, Sanitary Inspector and Octroi Inspector etc.

Functions of the Municipal Committee:
The local bodies run the administration of local affairs. The Municipal Committee is to perform the following functions:

1. Sanitation:
The municipal administration is to look after the sanitary condition of the city. It is to ensure that the public roads are properly swept, cleaned and watered. Suitable arrangements are made for drainage and conservancy. For discharge of these functions a Municipality maintains sanitary staff under a Chief Sanitary Inspector. The Municipalities have also the power to examine and approve the plans of houses proposed to be built in the town. It sees that houses are built according to scientific and sanitary principles. It is the fundamental duty of the Municipal Committee to look after the sanitary conditions of the city.

2. Public Health:
The preservation of public health is a very important function of the Municipal Committee. The Municipal Committee makes arrangements for giving injection of small pox to the people. Functions performed by it are establishment and maintenance of hospitals and dispensaries, vaccination, prevention of the outbreak of diseases, provision of public lavatories, prevention of the sale of adulterated food stuffs, provision of maternity and child welfare facility etc. Every Municipality runs a medical department under the charge of a Health Officer.

3. Roads and Bridges:
It makes arrangements for the construction of roads and bridges within its area. Pucca roads are constructed in the bazaars and the streets. It also gets the roads and the bridges repaired whenever necessary. It provides every facility to the people for the purpose of movement.

4. Education:
The Municipal Committee also makes arrangements for providing education to the people. The establishment and maintenance of primary schools is one of the most important function of the Municipalities. Many Municipalities run colleges also. Reading rooms and libraries are also opened by the Municipal Committees. The Committees also give financial aid to the privately managed schools. Adult Education Centres are also opened by the Municipalities for educating the adults.

5. Water and Electricity:
It is another important function of the Municipal Committee to make arrangement of pure drinking water of the area. Previously the Municipal Committees used to dig wells for this purpose but now water is supplied in the houses of the people. Arrangement of water pumps is made in streets, bazaars and on public places. The municipality also makes arrangement of providing street lights. The arrangement of supply of electricity now-a-days is made by the State Government, but previously the Municipal Committee used to do all this.

6. Transport:
People experience great difficulty in big cities in going from one place to other. The Municipal Committee makes arrangement of tramways to remove this difficulty of the public. It issues licences to rickshaws, tongas and auto-rickshaws.

7. Other Functions:

• The Municipal Committee makes arrangements for cremation grounds,
• It makes arrangements for extinguishing the fire and maintains fire brigade stations for this purpose,
• It makes arrangements for killing the mad dogs and wild animals,
• It makes arrangements for playgrounds, parks and gardens,
• It approves plans for constructing houses,
• In big cities it makes arrangements for providing pure milk, vegetable oil and butter to the people,
• It also pays attention to the recreational activities of the people and makes arrangements for fairs, exhibitions and games for the people.

Sources of Income;
The Municipal Committee requires a huge sum of money for the performance of its functions. It gets the money from the sources given below:
1. Octroi:
The main source of the income of a Municipal Committee is the octroi tax. This tax is imposed on all those things which come to the city from the village. This tax is imposed only upon those things about which the Municipality already decided. The rate of octroi tax is different on different things.

2. House Tax: The Municipal Committee imposes house tax on all the houses in its jurisdiction.

3. Licence Fees:
The Municipality imposes tax on the possession of certain things, for example, tonga, cycle, rickshaw, tempo and other vehicles. The Committee issues licences to this effect.

4. Toll Tax: In certain cities a tax is imposed on the use of a bridge or a stream. Such tax is very much imposed in Uttar Pradesh.

5. Water and Electricity Tax:
The Municipal Committee makes arrangements for the supply of water and electricity in the streets and bazaars and for this purpose it imposes water and electricity tax on the owners of the house. It charges separately for the consumption of water and electricity in homes.

6. Professional Tax: It imposes tax on trade professions in its jurisdiction.

7. Entertainment: The Municipal Committee imposes tax on theatres, cinemas and wrestling matches.

8. Tax on Animals: It imposes tax on the possession of animals by the people.

9. Income from its Property: The Municipal Committee has its own property also which is given on rent. The rent from property is a great source of income.

10. Grants-in-aid from the State Government:
The income of the Municipal Committee is not enough by which all its needs can be satisfied. Every year the State Government gives grants-in-aid to the Municipal Committees.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Explain the meaning of Panchayati Raj System.
Or
What do you understand by Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
Panchayati Raj may be described as a complex system of rural local self-government in India. Panchayati Raj is that system of administration in which the village people are given the right to manage their own local affairs and to satisfy their needs themselves. The villagers use this right through the Panchayats and it is called Panchayati Raj. The three-tier structure of Panchayati Raj is working in India.

Question 2.
Describe three tier system of Panchayati Raj as provided under the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.
Or
Write down the composition of Panchayati Raj System in India.
Answer:
The Panchayati Raj system as recommended by Balwant Rai Mehta Committee has been organised on a three-tier structure : Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the Block level and Zila Parishad at the district level. In Punjab and Haryana, Panchayati Raj is organised on three-tier basis. In Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad are directly elected. But there are some states where Panchayati Raj is organised on two-tier basis. States with less than 20 lakh j population have been given the option to set up or not to set up Panchayat Samiti.

Question 3.
Explain the composition of Village Panchayat.
Or
Describe the composition of Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Both in Punjab and Haryana, Panchayats have been established in all the villages whose population is five hundred or more than this. In Punjab, if the population of a village is less than 200 then a joint Panchayat of two villages is established. The size of the membership of the Gram Panchayat varies from 5 to 31. In Haryana, membership of the Panchayat is between 6 and 20 while in Punjab it is between 5 and 13.

The membership of a Panchayat is fixed on the basis of the population of the village. In Punjab if the population of a village is between 200 to 1000 then the number of Panches is five ; if the population is between 5000 to 10,000 then number of Panches is eleven and if the population is more than 10,000 then the number of Panches is thirteen. There is a provision for the reservation of seats for scheduled castes and backward classes in proportion to their population in the Gram Panchayat. In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women.

Question 4.
What is Gram Sabha?
Or
Write down the composition of Gram Sabha.
Answer:
The state govt, may by notification establish a Gram Sabha by name for every area declared as Gram Sabha area. The Gram Sabha is the general body consisting of all the voters residing in the Gram Sabha area. The Gram Sabha elects a Gram Pradhan for five years. Gram Pradhan is also a Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat. Every Gram Sabha holds two general meetings in each year, one in the month of December and another in the month of June. The Gram Sabha approves annual budget and plan of development programme and it renders assistance in the implementation of development schemes pertaining to the village.

Question 5.
How is Panch elected?
Answer:
Panch is directly elected by the members of the Gram Sabha by secret ballot. Every adult who is a resident of the village has got the right to vote in the Panchayat election. Any voter who is 21 years of age or more can contest the election and become a Panch.

Question 6.
How is Sarpanch elected?
Answer:
Sarpanch is the head of the gram panchayat. In Punjab Sarpanch is elected directly by the voters.

Question 7.
Who is the Head (Sabhapati) of Gram Panchayat? Write his three functions.
Answer:
Gram Pradhan or Sarpanch is the head of the Gram Panchayat. According to 73rd amendment in all states Sarpanch is directly elected by all the members of the Gram Sabha. In Punjab Sarpanch is elected for a period of five years. Following are the main functions of a Sarpanch :

• The Sarpanch is responsible for convening the meetings of the Gram Sabha and presides over its meetings.
• The Sarpanch is responsible for convening the meetings of the Gram Panchayat and presides over 1 its meetings.
• The Sarpanch is responsible for the maintenance of the records of the Gram Panchayat.
• The Sarpanch has the general responsibility for the financial and executive administration of the Gram Panchayat.

Question 8.
Describe any four sources of income of Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Following are the main sources of income of Gram Panchayat:

• Taxes: In most of the states, Gram Panchayats have been empowered to levy a number of taxes optional or compulsory.
• Fees and Fines: In almost all the states, Panchayats are authorised to impose certain types of fees, fines or penalties.
• Grants and Contributions: In all the states, Gram Panchayats depend heavily upon the grants from the state governments. Panchayats having other but very poor sources almost totally depend upon grants.
• It can get fees for use of rest-houses.

Question 9.
Write four sources of income of Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
Panchayat Samiti, generally, collects the money by way of taxes, fees, grants and contributions and some other minor sources.

1. Taxes: A Panchayat Samiti in Punjab and Haryana can levy any tax which the legislature of the state has power to impose under the Constitution of India.
2. Local Rate: In Punjab the most important source of income of the Panchayat Samitis is the local rate. It is a cess levied on land at the rate of 25 paise per rupee of annual value.
3. Fees: In Punjab and Haryana, a Panchayat Samiti may levy fees, with the previous permission of Zila Parishad and Deputy Commissioner respectively and subject to the general direction and control by the government.
4. All rents and profits occurring from property vested in or managed by the Panchayat Samiti.

Question 10.
Write any four public functions of a Gram Panchayat.
Or
Describe any four functions of Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Following are the main functions of the Village Panchayat:
1. Village Panchayat maintains peace and order in the village. It helps the police in the prevention of crimes and the arrest of criminals.

2. It makes efforts for improving the health of the people, and for this purpose it opens hospitals and dispensaries. It also establishes child-welfare and maternity centres. It makes arrangements for giving small pox and cholera injections to the people.

3. It constructs, repairs and maintains public wells, ponds and tanks. It makes arrangements for drinking water and for pouring medicine into the wells, tanks etc.

4. It constructs and maintains streets, roads and bridges in the village.

Question 11.
Write any four functions of Panchayat Samiti.
Or
Mention three important functions of Block Samiti.
Answer:
The Panchayat Samiti performs the following functions:
1. The Panchayat Samiti looks after the working of Panchayats in its area.

2. It tries to promote agriculture in its area and distributes among the farmers good seeds, fertilizers and scientific instruments. It makes propaganda of scientific methods of agriculture among the farmers. It advances loans to the farmers for the promotion of agricultural production. It tries to make better arrangements for irrigation in its areas.

3. It makes sanitary arrangement in its area. It takes steps for improving the health of the people. It opens hospitals, child-welfare centres and maternity centres.

4. Panchayat Samiti promotes Co-operative activities.

Question 12.
Discuss the composition of a Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
In Punjab, a Panchayat Samiti consists of the following types of members :

• Six to ten directly elected members from territorial constituencies in the Panchayat Samiti area.
• Representatives of the Sarpanches are directly elected by them from amongst the Sarpanches of the Gram Panchayats in the Panchayat Samiti area.
• Members of the Legislative Assembly of the state whose constituency falls in the Panchayat Samiti area.
• Members of the Legislative Council, who are registered as electors within the Panchayat Samiti area.
• There is a provision for the reservation of seats for scheduled castes and backward classes in proportion to their population in the Panchayat Samiti area. In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women.

Question 13
What is Panchayat Samiti?
Answer:
The intermediate tier in the Panchayati Raj System is known in several states as the Panchayat Samiti. In Punjab each block has a Block Samiti known as Panchayat Samiti. According to Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 every Panchayat Samiti consists of 6 to 10 members. The Panchayat Samitis are expected to help in the execution of development programmes, encourage agriculture and small scale industry.

Question 14.
Write the composition of Zila Parishad.
Answer:
In Punjab, Zila Parishad comprises the following categories of members :

• The members directly elected from territorial constituencies in the district, each constituency electing one member.
• All Chairmen of Panchayat Samitis.
• Members of the Lok Sabha and members of the State Legislative Assembly representing a part or whole of the district.
• Members of the Rajya Sabha and members of the State Legislative Council, who are registered as voters within the district.In every Zila Parishad seats are reserved for scheduled castes, backward classes and women. In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women.

Question 15.
Write down the four weaknesses of Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:

• The majority of the villagers are uneducated and most of the members of a Village Panchayat are also uneducated.
• The government exercises a greater degree of control in the working of Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads.
• The Panchayati Raj institutions do not have sufficient funds to meet their needs.
• Due to poverty and unemployment people do not take interest in their local problems.

Question 16.
Give any four changes incorporated in the Panchayati Raj Act to improve the Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
73rd constitutional amendment has incorporated the following three important provisions in the constitution to improve the Panchayati Raj :
1. Direct Election of the Members:
According to 73rd amendment all members of the Gram Panchayat are directly elected by the voters of the Gram Sabha. For this purpose the territorial area of each Gram Panchayat is divided into territorial constituencies—and one member is elected from each constituency.

2. Tenure of Panchayat:
According to 73rd Amendment Act, the tenure of Panchayats in all the states is 5 years. If a Panchayat is dissolved or superseded before the expiry of its tenure, it is obligatory to hold election within six months.

3. State Election Commission:
For the supervision, superintendence and control of election staff of Panchayati Raj institutions, provision for the establishment of independent election commission at the state level has been made.

4. The members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions should be given proper training so that they become conversant with their duties and responsibilities.

Question 17.
Write down the importance of Panchayati Raj in India.
Answer:
According to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Panchayati Raj is a new revolution which will help in the building of a new India.

1. People’s Raj: The most important thing about the Panchayati Raj is that it is the people’s raj. People’s administration has been established in the villages.
2. Direct Democracy: Panchayati Raj is not in any way less than the establishment of a democratic government in the village. The villagers themselves control the administration of their village.
3. Self-sufficiency: Panchayati Raj aims at making every village self-dependent for the purpose of making and executing its development plAnswer: The Panchayati Raj institutions make people self-dependent and self-reliant.
4. Panchayati Raj helps in the development of the spirit of self-confidence among the people.

Question 18.
Mention three methods to remove the defects of Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:
1. Education: The spread of education is most essential for making the Panchayati Raj System a success.

2. Autonomy: The Panchayati Raj institutions should be given more independence and autonomy in the discharge of their duties.

3. More Financial Aid:
The Panchayati Raj institutions always run short of funds. The government should give liberal financial aid to these institutions. Efforts should be done to make these institutions quite independent of the financial aid of the government.

4. Training for the members. To make Panchayati Raj successful it is essential that the members of the Panchayati Raj institutions should be given proper training so that they become conversant with their duties and responsibilities.

Question 19.
Write any four functions of Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Following are the main functions of Zila Parishad:

1. A Zila Parishad keeps a watch on the working of Panchayat Samitis in its area. It tries to co-ordinate the working of Panchayat and Panchayat Samitis in the district.
2. The Panchayat Samitis pass their annual budget and send it to the Zila Parishad. The Zila Parishad gives its approval to the budget after considering it thoroughly.
3. If two or more than two villages have a common project, the Zila Parishad tries to co-ordinate their working and helps in making the plan a success.
4. It can give suggestions to the government regarding the development of villages.

Question 20.
Who can contest election to a Municipality?
Answer:
Only that person can contest the Municipal elections who possesses the following qualifications :

• He should be a citizen of India.
• He should have completed 21 years of age.
• He should not hold any office of profit.
• He should be a resident of that city and his name should exist in the voters’ list of the area.

Question 21.
Give the composition of a Municipal Committee.
Or
Write down the composition of Municipal Council.
Answer:
The membership of the Municipal Committee is fixed by the state government on the basis of the population of the city. The total number of members of the Municipal Committees varies from 5 to 50 according to population. Members of the Municipal Committee are elected on the basis of adult franchise. Every adult citizen who lives within the Municipal jurisdiction has the right to vote. There is a provision for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes. In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women. There is also a provision for the election of Aldermen. The Aldermen are elected by the elected members and ex-officio members.

Question 22.
Describe any four sources of income of a Municipal Committee.
Answer:
Following are the main sources of income of a Municipal Committee :

1. Octroi: The main source of income of a Municipal Committee is the octroi tax.
2. House Tax: The Municipal Committee imposes house tax on all the houses in its jurisdiction.
3. Licence Fees: The Municipality imposes tax on the possession of certain things, for example, tonga, rickshaw, tempo and other vehicles. The Committee issues licences to this effect.
4. Toll Tax: In certain cities a tax is imposed on the use of a bridge or a stream.

Question 23.
Mention any four important functions of a Municipality.
Answer:

• The Municipal Committee is responsible for sanitary conditions of the city. It is the function of the Committee to see that public roads are properly swept, cleaned and watered.
• The Municipal Committee makes arrangements for the construction of roads and bridges within its area.
• The Municipal Committee makes provisions for the supply of clean drinking water in its area.
• The Minicipal committee also makes arrangements for providing education to the people.

Question 24.
Who is the Mayor? Write down the role of Mayor in a Corporation.
Or
Who is Mayor? How Mayor of Municipal Corporation is elected?
Answer:
Mayor is the political executive of the Municipal Corporation. In the first meeting of the corporation, Mayor is elected for five years from among the members of the corporation. The Mayor is honoured as the first citizen of the city. He presides over the meetings of the corporation and maintains order in the meeting. He has access to all the records of the Corporation.

He is the proper channel of communication between the commissioner and the state government. Members of the Municipal Corporation can remove the Mayor by passing a resolution to that effect by two third majority. If Mayor does not perform his duties in a proper manner or abuses his powers, then the state government has the right to remove him from office before the expiry of his term.

Question 25.
Explain the local bodies of Urban areas.
Answer:
In order to bring about uniformity in constituting Urban Local Bodies three tier structure of Urban Local Bodies has been envisaged under Article 243 of the Constitution inserted by the Constitution Amendment Act of 1992. These Urban Local Bodies are:

• Nagar Panchayat for a transitional area.
• Municipal Council for a smaller urban area.
• Municipal Corporation for a larger urban area.

Question 26.
What is called Corporation?
Answer:
The term Corporation means the complete entity which embraces both deliberative and executive wings. Municipal Corporation is the topmost of urban local government. It is the topmost, not in the sense that it exercises control over other forms of urban local bodies. The municipal corporation as an institution is more respectable and enjoys more autonomy than other forms of urban local bodies. A Municipal Corporation is set up under a special statute passed by the state legislature, except in Delhi. Municipal Corporation is meant for bigger towns where civil problems acquire a high degree of complexity.

Question 27.
Explain the composition of a Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Organisation of Municipal Corporation in different cities is not the same. The members of the Municipal Corporation called councillors are elected directly on the basis of adult franchise. The government determines the number of elected councillors for a corporation. But the total number of elected councillors shall in no case be less than forty and more than seventy. The number of elected councillors of the corporation of Amritsar is sixty and Ludhiana is seventy.

All members of the Legislative Assembly of the state representing constituencies comprising wholly or partly the Municipal Corporation are ex-officio members of the Municipal Corporation. In every corporation seats are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Two seats in each corporation are reserved for members of the Backward Classes. In Punjab 50% seats are reserved for women. The tenure of the Municipal Corporation is five years. If Municipal Corporation is dissolved earlier then election must be held within six months.

Question 28.
Mention any three sources of income of Municipal Corporation.
Or
Write any four important sources of income of Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Following are the main sources of income of Municipal Corporation:

1. Water Tax
2. Sanitary Tax.
3. Taxes for consumption of electricity
4. Property Tax
5. Theatre Tax
6. Tax on vehicles and animals.

Question 29.
Write down the names of urban local bodies.
Answer:
The names of urban local bodies are as under:

1. Municipal Corporation
2. Municipal Council
3. Municipal Committee
4. Cantonment Board
5. Improvement Trust
6. Port Trust.

Question 30.
What is City Improvement Trust? Explain its functions in brief.
Or
What do you mean by Improvement Trust and what are its functions?
Answer:
Improvement Trust is an urban local body established in big cities. Some members of the Improvement Trust are elected by Municipal Committee and some are nominated by state government. The Chairman of Improvement Trust is nominated by the government. He is also the executive of the Improvement Trust. He has the power to appoint certain employees drawing salary below a particular limit. He also executes the decisions taken by the Improvement Trust. The main purpose of this body is to improve the condition of the city. For this purpose this body plans for new colonies, opens up the congested areas, makes bye-laws etc. The Improvement Trust also has some sources of income. State government has the right to control this body.

Question 31.
Write down any four objectives of Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
Following are the main objectives of the Panchayati Raj System:

• To strengthen the democracy at grass-root level.
• To encourage the spirit of community development and self-reliance among the villagers.
• To provide opportunities to the villagers to solve their problems themselves.
• To promote mutual harmony among the people at village level.

Question 32.
What is Cantonment Board?
Or
What is Cantonment Board? How is it working?
Or
Write a note on Cantonment Board.
Answer:
Cantonment Board is always established in military area. It is formed for the fulfilment of different necessary needs of military personnel. Contonment Board is under the supervision of Command Officer of army. Fifty percent members of Cantonment Board are appointed or nominated and rest fifty percent are elected by the people of military area. Cantonment Board facilitates water-supply, education, health, cleanliness, electricity services etc. for the people of military area.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What do you understand by Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
Panchayati Raj may be described as a complex system of rural local self-government in India. Panchayati Raj is that system of administration in which the village people are given the right to manage their own local affairs and to satisfy their needs themselves.

Question 2.
Describe the composition of Village Panchayat.
Answer:
Both in Punjab and Haryana, Panchayats have been established in all the villages whose population is five hundred or more than this. In Punjab, if the population of a village is less than 200 then a joint Panchayat of two villages is established. The size of the membership of the Gram Panchayat varies from 5 to 31.

Question 3.
What is Gram Sabha?
Answer:
The Gram Sabha is the general body consisting of all the voters residing in the Gram Sabha area. The Gram Sabha elects a Gram Pradhan for five years. Gram Pradhan is also a Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat. Every Gram Sabha holds two general meetings in each year, one in the month of December and another in the month of June.

Question 4.
How is Panch elected?
Answer:
Panch is directly elected by the members of the Gram Sabha by secret ballot. Every adult who is a resident of the village has got the right to vote in the Panchayat election. Any voter who is 21 years of age or more can contest the election and become a Panch.

Question 5.
How is Sarpanch elected?
Answer:
Sarpanch is the head of the gram panchayat. In Punjab state Sarpanch is elected directly by the voters.

Question 6.
0Which part and which schedule is incorporated in Indian Constitution for the establishment of rural self government?
Answer:
Part-IX and schedule 11th is incorporated in Indian Constitution for the establishment of rural self government.

Question 7.
Describe any three sources of income of Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Following are the main sources of income of Gram Panchayat :

1. Taxes: In most of the states, Gram Panchayats have been empowered to levy a number of taxes—optional or compulsory.
2. Fees and Fines: In almost all the states, Panchayats are authorised to impose certain types of fees, fines or penalties.

Question 8.
Mention any two sources of income of Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
Panchayat Samiti, generally, collects the money by way of taxes, fees, grants and contributions and some other minor sources.

1. Taxes: A Panchayat Samiti in Punjab and Haryana can levy any tax which the legislature of the state has power to impose under the Constitution of India.
2. Local Rate: In Punjab the most important source of income of the Panchayat Samitis is the local rate. It is acess levied on land at the rate of 25 paise per rupee of annual value.

Question 9.
Write down any two functions of Gram Panchayat.
Or
Describe any two common functions of Panchayats.
Answer:
Following are the main functions of the Village Panchayat:
1. Village Panchayat maintains peace and order in the village. It helps the police in the prevention of crimes and the arrest of criminals.

2. It makes efforts for improving the health of the people, and for this purpose it opens hospitals and dispensaries. It also establishes child-welfare and maternity centres. It makes arrangements for giving small pox and cholera injections to the people.

Question 10.
Write any two functions of Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
The Panchayat Samiti performs the following functions:
1. The Panchayat Samiti looks after the working of Panchayats in its area.

2. It tries to promote agriculture in its area and distributes among the farmers good seeds, fertilizers and scientific instruments. It makes propaganda of scientific methods of agriculture among the farmers. It advances loans to the farmers for the promotion of agricultural production. It tries to make better arrangements for irrigation in its areas.

Question 11
What is Panchayat Samiti?
Answer:
The intermediate tier in the Panchayati Raj System is known in several states as the Panchayat Samiti. In Punjab each block has a Block Samiti known as Panchayat Samiti. According to Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 every Panchayat Samiti consists of 6 to 10 members.

Question 12.
What are the aims of Panchayati Raj?
Answer:

• The aim of Panchayati Raj is to establish true democracy in rural areas.
• Socio-economic development of rural India is the main aim of Panchayati Raj.

Question 13.
Mention any two weaknesses of Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:

• The majority of the villagers are uneducated and most of the members of a Village Panchayat are also uneducated.
• The government exercises a greater degree of control on the working of Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads.

Question 14.
Give any two changes incorporated in the Panchayati Raj Act to improve the Panchayati Raj.
Answer:

1. Direct Election of the Members: According to 73rd Amendment, all members of the Gram Panchayat are directly elected by the voters of the Gram Sabha.
2. Tenure of Panchayat: According to 73rd Amendment Act, the tenure of Panchayats in all the states is 5 years. If a Panchayat is dissolved or superseded before the expiry of its tenure, it is obligatory to hold election within six months.

Question 15.
Write down the importance of Panchayati Raj in India.
Answer:

1. People’s Raj: The most important thing about the Panchayati Raj is that it is the people’s raj. People’s administration has been established in the villages.
2. Direct Democracy: Panchayati Raj is not in any way less than the establishment of a democratic government in the village. The villagers themselves control the administration of their village.

Question 16.
Write down any two methods to remove the defects of Panchayati Raj System.
Answer:

• Education: The spread of education is most essential for making the Panchayati Raj System a success.
• Autonomy: The Panchayati Raj institutions should be given more independence and autonomy in the discharge of their duties.

Question 17.
Mention any two functions of the Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Following are the main functions of Zila Parishad:

1. A Zila Parishad keeps a watch on the working of Panchayat Samitis in its area. It tries to co-ordinate the working of Panchayat and Panchayat Samitis in the district.
2. The Panchayat Samitis pass their annual budget and send it to the Zila Parishad. The Zila Parishad gives its approval to the budget after considering it thoroughly.

Question 18.
Who can contest election to a Municipality?
Answer:
Only that person can contest the Municipal election who possesses the following qualifications:

• He should be a citizen of India.
• He should have completed 21 years of age.

Question 19.
Discuss the composition of a Municipal Committee.
Answer:
The membership of the Municipal Committee is fixed by the state government on the basis of the population of the city. The total number of members of the Municipal Committees varies from 5 to 50 according to population. Members of the Municipal Committee are elected on the basis of adult franchise. Every adult citizen who fives within the Municipal jurisdiction has the right to vote. There is a provision for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes.

Question 20.
Which part and which shedule is incorporated in Indian Constitution for the establishment of urban local self government?
Answer:
Part-IX-A and Schedule 12th is incorporated in Indian Constitution for the establishment of urban local self government.

Question 21.
Write down any two sources of income of a Municipal Committee.
Answer:
Following are the main sources of income of a Municipal Committee:

• Octroi: The main source of income of a Municipal Committee is the octroi tax.
• House Tax: The Municipal Committee imposes house tax on all the houses in its jurisdiction.

Question 22.
Mention any two important functions of a Municipality.
Answer:

• The Municipal Committee is responsible for sanitary conditions of the city. It is the function of the Committee to see that public roads are properly swept, cleaned and watered.
• The Municipal Committee makes arrangements for the construction of roads and bridges within its area.

Question 23.
Who is Mayor?
Answer:
Mayor is the political executive of the Municipal Corporation. In the first meeting of the Corporation, Mayor is elected for five years from among the members of the Corporation. The Mayor is honoured as the first citizen of the city. He presides over the meetings of the Corporation and maintains order in the meeting. He has access to all the records of the Corporation.

Question 24.
Explain the composition of a Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
The members of the Municipal Corporation called councillors are elected directly on the basis of adult franchise. The government determines the number of elected councillors for a Corporation. All members of the Legislative Assembly of the state representing constituencies comprising wholly or partly the Municipal Corporation are ex-officio members of the Municipal Corporation. In every Corporation seats are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

Question 25.
Describe the sources of income of Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Following are the main sources of income of Municipal Corporation:

1. Water Tax
2. Sanitary Tax
3. Taxes for consumption of electricity
4. Property Tax

Question 26.
Write the names of institutions (Bodies) under urban self government.
Answer:
The names of urban local bodies are as under:

1. Municipal Corporation
2. Municipal Council
3. Municipal Committee
4. Cantonment Board
5. Improvement Trust
6. Port Trust.

Question 27.
What do you mean by improvement trust and what are its functions?
Answer:
Improvement Trust is an urban local body established in big cities. Some members of the Improvement Trust are elected by Municipal Committee and some are nominated by state government. The chairman of Improvement Trust is nominated by the government.

One Line Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Who is considered the father of local self-government in India?
Answer:
Lord Ripon is the father of local self-government in India.

Question 2.
What do you mean by ‘Nyaya Panchayat’? Mention its function.
Answer:
The Nyaya Panchayat is a Judicial Panchayat. Its main objective is to provide a speedy and inexpensive system of justice to the people of rural areas.

Question 3.
Give any one function of a Zila Parishad.
Answer:
It examines and approves the budget of Panchayat Samitis.

Question 4.
What are grass root organisations?
Answer:
Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad are the grass root organisations.

Question 5.
Namy two local self-governing institutions in the urban area.
Answer:

• • Municipal Corporation.
  • Municipal Committee.

Question 6.
Who is the Chairman of Municipal Corporation?
Answer:
Mayor is the Chairman of the Municipal Corporation.

Question 7.
Who is the head of a Municipal Corporation? What is his normal term of office?
Answer:
The head of the Corporation is Mayor or Mahapour. The normal term of his office is five years.

Question 8.
By what name is the elected head of a Municipal Corporation known?
Answer:
The elected head of a Municipal Corporation is known as Mayor of the Corporation.

Question 9.
Who is the elected head of a city Corporation?
Answer:
The elected head of a city Corporation is generally known as Mayor.

Question 10.
Mention any one function of Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Municipal Corporation makes arrangement for the supply of pure and wholesome water and maintenance of water works.

Question 11.
Write the name of top and bottom level of Institution under Punjab Panchayati Raj.
Answer:

• Top Level Institution – Zila Parishad.
• Bottom Level Institution – Gram Sabha.

Question 12.
How is the Municipal Corporation formed?
Answer:
The Municipal Corporation is set up under a special statute passed by the State Legislature. Its members are elected by the people on the basis of the principle of adult franchise.

Question 13.
How are the members of a Corporation elected?
Answer:
The members of a Corporation are elected directly by the people of the city on the basis of the principle of adult suffrage. Apart from the Councillors, some Corporations have Aldermen also who are elected by the Councillors.

Fill in The Blanks

1. Sh …………….. had recommended the three tier Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
Balwant Rai Mehta

2. 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments give the …………….. status to local bodies institutions.
Answer:
Constitutional

3. Local Self-government is a …………….. subject.
Answer:
state

4. Tenure of Municipality is …………….. years.
Answer:
five years

5. Highest unit of Urban Local bodies is …………….. .
Answer:
Municipal Corporation

6. Tenure of Gram Panchayat is …………….. years.
Answer:
five.

True or False Statement

1. There should be centralization for the offective governance.
Answer:
False

2. 73rd Constitutional Amendment defines the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
True

3. There is a Five Tier Panchayati Raj system according to 73rd Amendment.
Answer:
False

4. Municipality is the supreme unit of urban local bodies.
Answer:
False

5. Local bodies institutions do not have enough funds to meet their needs.
Answer:
True

Choose The Correct Answer

Question 1.
The new urban local self government system was introduced:
(a) by 71st Constitutional Amendment
(b) by 73rd Constitutional Amendment
(c) by 61st Constitutional Amendment
(d) by 74th Constitutional Amendment.
Answer:
(d) by 74th Constitutional Amendment.

Question 2.
Which constitutional amendment was passed for rural local self government?
(a) 8th
(b) 11th
(c) 73rd
(d) 85th.
Answer:
(c) 73rd

Question 3.
For whom are the seats reserved under 73rd Amendment regarding rural democracy?
(a) Only for ladies
(b) Only for scheduled castes
(c) Only for children
(d) For ladies and scheduled castes.
Answer:
(d) For ladies and scheduled castes.

Question 4.
Which of the following is not an institution of rural Local Government?
(a) Panchayats
(b) Zila Parishad
(c) Muncipal Corporation
(d) Gram Sabha.
Answer:
(c) Muncipal Corporation