PSEB 6th Class Social Science Solutions Chapter 20 Rural Development and Local Self Government

Punjab State Board PSEB 6th Class Social Science Book Solutions Civics Chapter 20 Rural Development and Local Self Government Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

PSEB Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Civics Chapter 20 Rural Development and Local Self Government

SST Guide for Class 6 PSEB Rural Development and Local Self Government Textbook Questions and Answers

I. Answer the following questions in brief :

Question 1.
Write a short note on the changing face of villages in modern times.
Answer:
Our villages suffered from poverty, illiteracy, disease, and superstitions before Independence. But the face of our villages has been changing since Independence.

Today, in every village we see some progress and development.

1. Zamindari System has been abolished and the land has been given to the landless farmers.
2. Agricultural production has increased manifold. Farmers have now begun to use good quality seeds and fertilizers and agricultural machines. Agriculture universities have been set up to improve the condition of agriculture.
3. Schools and colleges have been opened. Children up to the age of fourteen are being imparted free education. Adult education centres have been established to educate the elderly illiterate citizens. Special facilities have been given to educate the women at village level.
4. Branches of banks have been opened. Villagers are provided loans at lower rate of interest.
5. Primary Health Centres have been opened almost in all the villages to provide medical aid to the villagers.
6. A large number of family planning centres have been opened to help reduce the growing population.
7. Almost all the villages have been provided with safe drinking water, irrigation facilities and electricity.
8. Efforts have been made to lay link roads for all villages to join them with the state highways.
9. Unemployed youths have been provided loans at lower rate of interest to discourage them to migrate to cities in search of employment.
10. Co-operative farming has been encouraged to improve the economic condition of villages.

Question 2.
What do you understand by Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
Rural local self-government in India is known as Panchayati Raj. It consists of Village Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad.

Question 3.
Which is the lowest and the highest institution of Panchayati Raj System?
Answer:
Village Panchayat is the lowest and Zila Parishad is the highest institution of Panchayati Raj System.

Question 4.
What is the minimum and maximum number of members of a Gram / Village Panchayat in Punjab?
Answer:
The minimum number of members of a Gram / Village Panchayat in Punjab is five and the maximum is eleven.

Question 5.
Write any two functions of Zila Parishad.
Answer:
The following are two functions of Zila Parishad :

1. Zila Parishad advises, helps, and coordinates the functioning of Panchayats and Panohayat Samitis.
2. It prepares plans for the rural development of the district.

Question 6.
What was the condition of villages during British rule?
Answer:
During British rule the condition of villages was very bad. Villages were backward. The life of villagers was hard. They had to face many problems. Zamindari system was prevalent. The farmers were exploited by the landlords. Condition of agriculture was very poor. The farmers were unknown to modern scientific and advanced methods of agriculture. Modern irrigational facilities were also not available to them. There was hardly any development of education. Villagers had no health facilities. They had to get treatment from quacks.

Question 7.
Write short note on the composition of Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
A Panchayat Samiti is formed for a group of 100 village.’ . All the Panchs and Sarpanchs of the Village Panchayats elect their representatives to Panchayat Samiti. Besides such representatives, there are other members also. All the members of State Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha who have been elected from that block are also members of Panchayat Samiti. Every Panchayat Samiti must have one-third women members out of its total members. All the members of Panchayat Samiti elect- among themselves a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman.

Question 8.
What do you mean by Gram Sabha? What is the difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat?
Answer:
Gram Sabha is an assembly of all men and women of a village whose age is 18 years and above and whose names are enlisted in the voters’ list.

Difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat. Gram Sabha includes all the persons of the village whose age is 18 years and above, whereas Gram Panchayat consists of the persons elected by the voters of the village. This is the basic difference between the two institutions.

Question 9.
Which is the most important function of the Panchayat Samiti?
Answer:
The most important function of the Panchayat Samiti is to supervise the activities of Village Panchayats of its block.

Question 10.
What the Panchayat Samiti of your area does to improve the local environment?
Answer:
The Panchayat Samiti of our area performs the following functions to improv6 the local environment :

• Panchayat Samiti arranges for good seeds and fertilisers to increase agricultural production.
• It helps Panchayats to set up small scale industries like pottery.
• It encourages fishery and cattle rearing.
• It constructs link roads and bridges to join villages of its area,
• It arranges for safe drinking water and provides health facilities in its area.

II. Fill in the blanks :

Question 1.
There are ________ States and ________ Union Territories in India.
Answer:
28, 8

Question 2.
Panchayat Samiti is the ________ institution of the Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
middle

Question 3.
The term of Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti is ________ years.
Answer:
5

Question 4.
There are ________ Zila Parishads in Punjab.
Answer:
20

Question 5.
The highest institution of the Panchayati Raj is
Answer:
Zila Parishad.

III. Write ‘true’ or ‘false’ in the brackets given after each statement :

Question 1.
The economic condition of the villages was very bad during British Rule.
Answer:
True

Question 2.
Seats are not reserved for women in the Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
False

Question 3.
There are District Level Officials of various departments to run district administration properly.
Answer:
True

Question 4.
Zila Parishad is also known as Zila Panchayat.
Answer:
True

Question 5.
Panchayat Samiti is created for 100 villages.
Answer:
True

IV. Multiple Choice Questions :

Question 1.
What is the minimum age required to contest the elections of rural local self-governments institutions?
(a) 20 years
(b) 22 years
(c) 21 years.
Answer:
(c) 21 years.

Question 2.
How many minimum and maximum members are directly elected by voters of Panchayat Samiti?
(a) 9 to 25
(b) 15 to.25
(c) 6 to 29
Answer:
(b) 15 to 25.

PSEB 6th Class Social Science Guide Rural Development and Local Self Government Important Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions:

Question 1.
________ is a body of all adults who live in the area covered by a Panchayat.
(A) Gram Sabha
(B) Gram Panchayat
(C) Panchayat Samiti
(D) Zila Parishad.
Answer:
(A) Gram Sabha.

Question 2.
Tenure of the Gram Panchayat is
(A) 4 years
(B) 5 years
(C) 6 years
(D) Indefinite time.
Answer:
(B) 5 years.

Question 3.
Panchayati Raj system was enforced with ________ constitutional amendment.
(A) 70th
(B) 72nd
(C) 73rd
(D) 74th.
Answer:
(C) 73rd.

Question 4.
________ seats of all the local bodies are reserved for women.
(A) One tenth
(B) One fourth
(C) One fifth
(D) One third.
Answer:
(D) One third.

Question 5.
Secretary of the Gram Sabha is appointed by _________
(A) State Government
(B) Central Government
(C) Panchayat
(D) Zila Parishad.
Answer:
(A) State Government.

Question 6.
Lowest level of Panchyati Raj system is _______________
(A) Panchayat
(B) Gram Sabha
(C) Panchayat Samiti
(D) Zila Parishad.
Answer:
(A) Panchayat.

Question 7.
Middle level of Panchayati Raj system is __________
(A) Panchayat
(B) Panchayat Samiti
(C) Gram Sabha
(D) Zila Parishad.
Answer:
(B) Panchayat Samiti.

Question 8.
Highest level of Panchayati Raj Institution is ______________
(A) Panchayat
(B) Block Samiti
(C) Zila Parishad
(D) Gram Sabha.
Answer:
(C) Zila’Parishad.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What percentage of the people of India live in villages?
Answer:
75 per cent.

Question 2.
What is the main occupation of the people in India?
Answer:
Agriculture.

Question 3.
What are the main problems of our villages today?
Answer:
Poverty, illiteracy, diseases and superstitions.

Question 4.
What is the literal meaning of Panchayat?
Answer:
literally, Panchayat means a committee of five elders to solve the local problems of villages.

Question 5.
Who is a Sarpanch?
Answer:
A Sarpanch is the President of the Village Panchayat.

Question 6.
Which is the smallest unit of human population?
Answer:
Village.

Question 7.
Name the institution that acts as a link between Village Panchayat and Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Panchayat Samiti.

Question 8.
Give the other name for Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Zila Panchayat.

Question 9.
Where is a Village Panchayat established?
Answer:
A Village Panchayat is established in a village with a population of 500 or more.

Question 10.
How many seats are reserved for women in a Village Panchayat?
Answer:
One-third of the total seats of a Village Panchayat.

Question 11.
How is Sarpanch of a Village Panchayat elected?
Answer:
Sarpanch of a Village Panchayat is elected directly by voters.

Question 12.
Who presides over the meetings of a Village Panchayat?
Answer:
Sarpanch.

Question 13.
Name the government servant who helps a Village Panchayat.
Answer:
Panchayat Secretary.

Question 14.
What are the main sources of income of a Panchayat Samiti?
Answer:
Income from property tax, house tax, water tax and grants and loans from government.

Question 15.
How many Zila Parishads are there in Punjab?
Answer:
20.

Question 16.
How many States and Union Territories are there in India?
Answer:
28 States and 8 Union territories.

Question 17.
Why is Federal form of government established in India?
Answer:
Because administration of such a large country cannot be run only by the central government. That’s why federal form of government is established in our country.

Question 18.
Why is local government necessary?
Answer:
It is necessary at the villages or cities to provide basic amenities of life to the local people at the local level.

Question 19.
What is the term of all the levels of local self¬government?
Answer:
Term of five years is fixed for all the levels of local self-government.

Question 20.
What is meant by the Local Self-Government?
Answer:
A form of Government at local level is known as the Local Self-Government. It is basically formed to solve local problems of e people.

Question 21.
What do you mean by Panchayati Raj System?
Answer:
Panchayati Raj System is the structure of rural local self-government in India.

Question 22.
Name the three institutions of Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
Village Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti or Block Samiti and Zila Parishad are the three institutions of Panchayati Raj.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What do you know about Panchayat Secretary?
Answer:
Panchayat Secretary is a government servant. He helps the Village Panchayat in its working. He keeps an account of income and expenditure of the Panchayat. He also prepares a report of works of the Panchayat and presents it before the Block Panchayat Officer.

Question 2.
What are the functions performed by a Village Panchayat?
Answer:
A Village Panchayat performs several functions in its area. These functions are discussed below :

1. A Village Panchayat performs several kinds of public works like sanitation, maintenance of roads, supply of drinking water, maintenance of birth and death records, street lighting and health centre, maintenance of burial and cremation grounds.
2. It maintains law and order, supervises the functions of government servants and safeguards and maintains public property.
3. It deals with matters relating to disputes over property and small thefts. It tries to settle the disputes then and there.

Question 3.
Give the sources of income of a Village Panchayat.
Answer:
A Village Panchayat collects money from different sources for the development of its area. It gets money from taxes such as house tax and taxes on shops and fairs. Besides, it collects revenue from its property. It also gets some money in the forms of grants and loans (in case of need) from the State Government.

Question 4.
How is the Sarpanch of a Village Panchayat elected? Discuss any two of his functions.
Answer:
The Sarpanch of a Village Panchayat is elected directly by the voters of the village. In some states, he is elected by the Village Panchayat.

Functions:

• The Sarpanch calls the meetings of the Village Panchayat.
• He presides over the meetings of the Panchayat.

Question 5.
What is the importance of Village Panchayats?
Answer:
Village Panchayats perform an important role in their areas. They help the villagers in solving their basic problems and fulfill their needs. They also secure the villagers’ participation in the community development.

Question 6.
Discuss the main functions of the Gram Sabha.
Answer:
The main functions of the Gram Sabha are as follows :

• The Gram Sabha elects the President (Sarpanch) and the Vice-President (Up-Sarpanch).
• It elects members of Nyaya Panchayat.
• It approves the annual budget of the Village Panchayat.
• It decides policies for the development of its area.
• It checks the accounts of Village Panchayat.

Question 7.
What is Federal form of government?
Answer:
In Federal form of government, Central government is there to run the administration of the country and State governments are there to run the administration of the states. Each state is further divided into different districts to run the administration at local level.

Question 8.
Describe three types of institutions of rural local self-government.
Answer:
There are three types of institutions of rural local self-government. At village level, Gram Panchayat is there. Panchayat Samiti is there at block level to check the development activities and other functions of gram panchayats of the block. At district level, Zila Parishad is there to check the activities of block samiti and village panchayats of the district.

Question 9.
Give in brief about reserved seats in rural local self-government.
Answer:
In 1992, 73rd constitutional amendment took place-in which some seats were kept reserved in rural local self- bodies. One third of the total seats (including S.C.’s and S.T.’s) are kept reserved for women. Seats are also kept reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes on the basis of their population in total population of the area.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What is a Panchayat Samiti? Discuss its functions and sources of income.
Answer:
A Panchayat Samiti is a link between Village Panchayat and Zila Parishad. It is elected for a group of 100 villages. It removes common problems of villages and works for the development of its block.

Functions: The main functions of a Panchayat Samiti are as ws:

• It looks after the development of its area.
• It provides quality seeds and manure to the farmers.
• It encourages small scale industries in villages.
• It builds bridges and link roads to join villages.
• It provides Primary Health Centres in villages.
• It supervises the developmental activities of Panchayats of its block.
• It provides required information about Panchayats to Zila Parishad.
• The activities which do not fall under the jurisdiction of Village Panchayats are also looked after by the Panchayat Samiti.

Sources of Income: Property tax, house tax, water tax and grants and loans from government are the main sources of income of a Panchayat Samiti.

Question 2.
Discuss the composition, functions and sources of income of a Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Zila Parishad’is also called Zila Panchayat. It is the third and highest institution of the Panchayati Raj System. It controls all Panchayat Samitis and Village Panchayats of the district. It acts as a link between rural local self-government and the State Government.

Composition: All the chairmen of Panchayat Samitis are members of Zila Parishad. Besides, the members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assembly and State Legislative Council of the area are also its members. Seats are also reserved for women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the Zila Parishad.

Members of Zila Parishad elect one Chairman and one Vice-Chairman among themselves.
Term: The normal term of a Zila Parishad is 5 years, but it can be dissolved earlier also.

Functions: Functions of a Zila Parishad are given below :

• It advises, helps and co-ordinates the functioning of Panchayats and Panchayat Samitis.
• It prepares plans for rural development of the district.
• It advises and guides the State Government for the development of the district.
• It settles disputes between Panchayats and Panchayat Samitis.

Sources of Income: The main sources of income of a Zila Parishad are grants from the Centre and State governments, a pa of land revenue, income from its property and taxes imposed bT

Question 3.
Write a short note on the changing face of villages in modern times.
Answer:
Our villages suffered from poverty, illiteracy, disease and superstitions before Independence. But the face of our villages has been changing since Independence. Today, in every village we see some progress and development.

1. Zamindari System has been abolished and the land has been given to the landless farmers.
2. Agricultural production has increased manifold. Farmers have now begun to use good quality seeds and fertilisers and agricultural machines. Agriculture universities have been set up to improve the condition of agriculture.
3. Schools and colleges have been opened. Children up to the age of fourteen are being imparted free education. Adult education centres have been established to educate the elderly illiterate citizens. Special facilities have been given to educate the women at village level.
4. Branches of banks have been opened. Villagers are provided loans at lower rate of interest.
5. Primary Health Centres have been opened almost in all the villages to provide medical aid to the villagers.
6. A large number of family planning centres have been opened to help reduce the growing population.
7. Almost all the villages have been provided with safe drinking water, irrigation facilities and electricity.
8. Efforts have been made to lay link roads for all villages to join them with the state highways.
9. Unemployed youths have been provided loans at lower rate of interest to discourage them to migrate to cities in search of employment.
10. Co-operative farming has been encouraged to improve the economic condition of villages.