Fill in the blanks
Question 1
Panchayati Raj is a three tier system.
Question 2
Gram Sabha is the general body of the Panchayat.
Question 3
Seats are reserved in the Panchayats for women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Question 4
The head of the village panchayat is known as Pradhan.
Question 5
Block Development Officer (BDO) is the permanent officer appointed by the government at the block level.
Question 6
Members of the block samiti are elected by the pradhans and panchas of the village panchayats.
Question 7
The Collector is the representative of state government at the district level.
Match the following
Question 1
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. Panchayati Raj | (a) Block Samiti |
| 2. Village Panchayat | (b) Settles disputes between villagers |
| 3. Zila Parishad | (c) Rural local government |
| 4. Nyaya Panchayat | (d) Headed by Sarpanch |
| 5. Group of village Panchayats | (e) Functions at district level |
Answer
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. Panchayati Raj | (c) Rural local government |
| 2. Village Panchayat | (d) Headed by Sarpanch |
| 3. Zila Parishad | (e) Functions at district level |
| 4. Nyaya Panchayat | (b) Settles disputes between villagers |
| 5. Group of village Panchayats | (a) Block Samiti |
Complete the chart
Question 1
Complete the chart to understand the functioning of the Panchayati Raj System.
| Categories | Panchayat | Block Samiti | Zila Parishad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level of function | |||
| Representative of State Government | |||
| Sources of Income | |||
| Functions |
Answer
| Categories | Panchayat | Block Samiti | Zila Parishad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level of function | Village level | Block level | District level |
| Representative of State Government | Panchayat Secretary | Block Development Officer (BDO) | The Collector |
| Sources of Income | 1. Taxes on fairs, shops and houses. 2. Fees from registration of purchase and sale of property and cattle. 3. Grants from the government. 4. Money given as fine by the people found guilty by Nyaya Panchayats. 5. Taxes on goods that are brought into or taken out of the village. | The Block Samiti gets money from the State government for the development of its block. | 1. Income from taxes levied by Zila Parishad, license fees and market fees. 2. A share is given to Zila Parishad from the collected land revenue. 3. Income from various properties of Zila Praishad. 4. Grants from the State and Central governments. |
| Functions | 1. To make arrangements for supplying clean drinking water. 2. To construct and repair roads, drains, wells and tanks. 3. To provide health and sanitation facilities. 4. To make provisions for proper lights on roads and streets. 5. To plant trees. 6. To keep a record of births and deaths in the village. 7. To manage health centres, small dispensaries and veterinary hospitals. 8. To organise cattle fairs, village markets, educational and awareness programmes and village sports. | 1. It makes arrangements for providing primary and adult education to the people in a block. 2. It looks after health care and organises vaccination programmes. 3. It helps the farmers by providing irrigation facilities and distributing seeds and fertilisers. 4. It promotes cottage industries and arranges for training for self-employment. 5. It undertakes welfare functions such as the supply of clean drinking water, sanitation and cleanliness. | 1. To supervise the work of the village panchayats and Block Samitis. 2. To advice the state government on the work of Panchayats and Samitis. 3. To implement the projects under the Five Year Plans. 4. To keep a watch on agricultural production and the development programmes of the district. 5. To prepare a plan for the district. |
Answer the following questions
Question 1
What do you mean by local self-government? Who is responsible for providing local self-government in the villages?
Answer
The system by which the people themselves govern their community through their representatives is known as Local Self-Government.
All local self-government bodies in the villages work under the Panchayati Raj system. Panchayats are responsible for providing local self-government at the village level.
Question 2
What is Panchayati Raj system?
Answer
All local self-government bodies in the rural areas work under the Panchayati Raj system. The Panchayati Raj system works at three levels. These are:
- Panchayats at the village level.
- Block Samitis at the block level.
- District Council or Zila Parishad at the district level.
Question 3
Mention the three wings of the village Panchayat.
Answer
A village panchayat has three wings which are as follows:
- Gram Sabha
- Gram Panchayat
- Nyaya Panchayat
Question 4
How are the members of the village Panchayat elected?
Answer
The members of the Gram Panchayat are elected by the Gram Sabha. One-third of the seats in the Gram Panchayat are reserved for women. People belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have seats reserved for them.
Question 5
Mention three main functions of the village Panchayat.
Answer
The three main functions of the village panchayat are as follows:
- To make arrangements for supplying clean drinking water.
- To construct and repair roads, drains, wells and tanks.
- To provide health and sanitation facilities.
Question 6
Mention sources of income of the village Panchayats.
Answer
The sources of income of the village panchayats are as follows:
- Taxes on fairs, shops and houses.
- Fees from registration of purchase and sale of property and cattle.
- Grants from the government.
- Money given as fine by the people found guilty by Nyaya Panchayats.
- Taxes on goods that are brought into or taken out of the village.
Question 7
Mention the functions of (a) Block Samiti, and (b) Zila Parishad.
Answer
(a) The functions of Block Samiti are as follows:
- It makes arrangements for providing primary and adult education to the people in a block.
- It looks after health care and organises vaccination programmes.
- It helps the farmers by providing irrigation facilities and distributing seeds and fertilisers.
- It promotes cottage industries and arranges for training for self-employment.
- It undertakes welfare functions such as the supply of clean drinking water, sanitation and cleanliness.
(b) The functions of Zila Parishad are as follows:
- To supervise the work of the village panchayats and Block Samitis.
- To advice the state government on the work of Panchayats and Samitis
- To implement the projects under the Five Year Plans.
- To keep a watch on agricultural production and the development programmes of the district; and
- To prepare a plan for the district.