Total History and Civics Class 9 ICSE Morning Star Solutions Chapter 19 Local Self-Government: Urban.

These Solutions are part of Total History and Civics Class 9 ICSE Morning Star Solutions. Here we have given. Total History and Civics Class 9 ICSE Morning Star Solutions Chapter 19 Local Self-Government: Urban.

EXERCISES

I. Short Answer Questions.

Question 1.
Define the term ‘‘Urban area,.
Answer:
An urban area is regarded as one which is a town or a city.

Question 2.
Mention any two salient features of the Constitution (74th Amendment Act), 1992.
Answer:
The salient features of the Act are the following:

  1. The Act gives constitutional status to urban local bodies.
  2. The Act provides for direct election to all the local self¬government bodies.
  3. A fixed tenure of five years for the municipalities has been prescribed.
  4. 33 per cent of the seats should be reserved for women under each category’ of SC/ST/Backward Classes.

Question 3.
How is a Municipal Corporation set up ?
Answer:
The cities with a population of one lakh and above can have a Municipal Corporation. It is set up under a special statute passed by the State Legislative.

Question 4.
Who is known as Mayor ? State one of his most important functions ?
Answer:
Mayor is selected by the councillors and Aldermen as the representative of the city. One of his functions is to preside over the meetings of the Corporation.

Question 5.
Who is the Municipal Commissioner ? How is he appointed?
Answer:
The Municipal Commissioner is the Chief Executive of the Corporation. He is appointed by the Governor usually for a term of 5 years.

Question 6.
Name one compulsory and one optional function of the Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Compulsory function—Provision of electricity water, sewage disposal.Optional function—Public housing through housing boards or other bodies.

Question 7.
What is known as Municipal Committee ? Who is its head?
Answer:
A Municipal Committee is set up for smaller Towns with a population between 20,000 to 3 lakhs. The Chairperson is its head.

Question 8.
Who is the Chief Executive Officer of a Municipal Committee ?
Answer:
Chief Executive officer is an appointee of the State Government. He looks after the administrative wing of the Municipal Committee.

Question 9.
Give two points of difference between a Municipal Committee and a Municipal Corporation.
Answer:
Municipal Corporation

  1. It is meant for big cities with a population of more than 10 lakhs.
  2. The head is known as Mayor.

Municipal Committee

  1. It is meant for Towns with a population between 20,000 to 3 lakhs.
  2. The head is known as Chairperson. with respect to Education, Health, Engineering, Taxation etc.

Question 10.
State one important function of a Municipal Committee.
Answer:
It deals with the State Govemment through the District Administration

with respect to Education, Health, Engineering, Taxation etc.PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Question 11.
Name the self-government body in an area having military establishment.
Answer:
Cantonment Board.

Question 12.
What is the minimum age to be eligible to stand for Municipal Elections ?
Answer:
The minimum age should be 21 years.

Question 13.
Give one point of difference between a Town area Committee and the Notified Area Committee.
Answer:
Town Area Committee

  1. It is set up in Towns with population between 10,000 to 20,000.

Notified Area Committee

  1. It is set up in areas which are in Transition from rural to urban, mostly in the out skirts of big cities.

Question 14.
Where can you find a Cantonment Board ? How is a Cantonment Board set up ?
Answer:
It is an urban area, often on the outskirts of a large city with military establishment has a cantonment Board. It is set up by the Union Ministry of Defence for providing basic amenities to defense personnel and managing the local affairs of these areas.

Question 15.
What is known as Improvement Trust ?
Answer:
The Improvement Trust looks after the specialised functions of the city. This is a government body.

Question 16.
What are the functions of the Improvement Trust ?
Answer:
The functions of the Improvement Trust are to handle special activities related to medical facilities, Social improvement, national sports, big ceremonies transport etc. e.g. in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow etc.

Question 17.
Differentiate between Local Self-Government and Local Government.
Answer:
Local Self-Government refers to “management of local affairs by the natives of the area itself or their representatives.” Local Self-Government is a “democratic government”. Local Government means, “administration of a locality by officials appointed by the government.

Question 18.
Mention any two advantages of Local Self-Government.
Answer:
Two advantage of Local Self-Government are :

  1. Effective Management of the Local Affairs.
  2. Good Training for running the Central and State Governments.

Question 19.
What is meant by Three-tier system of Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
Three-tier system of Panchayati Raj : Gram Panchayat at village level—Panchayat Samiti at the Block level—Zila Pari shad at the district level.

Question 20.
Name any two institutions of Local Self-Government in rural areas.
Answer:

  1. Gram Sabha.
  2. Gram Panchayat.

Question 21.
Explain the term‘Gram Sabha’.
Answer:
‘Gram Sabha’ is a body of all the adult members registered as Voters in the Panchayat area.

Question 22.
Mention any two functions of a Gram Sabha.
Answer:
Two functions of a Gram Sabha are :

  1. to approve the budget for the year.
  2. to review the audit report of the last year’s accounts of the Panchayat.

Question 23.
Who elects the members of a Gram Panchayat?
Answer:
The members of a Gram Panchayat are elected by the Gram Sabha.

Question 24.
What is the Head of a Village Panchayat called?
Answer:
The Head of a Village Panchayat is called the Sarpanch.

Question 25.
Name any two ex-officio members of a Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
The Pradhan (President) and the Vice-President of the Gram Sabha.

Question 26.
Mention any two Civic and Welfare functions of a Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Two Civic and Welfare functions of a Gram Panchayat are:

  1. provision of safe drinking-water which involves construction and maintenance of public wells and tanks.
  2. health care facilities for which the Panchayats set up dispensaries and health centers.

Question 27.
Mention any two Developmental functions of a Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Two Development functions of a Gram Panchayat are :

  1. minor irrigation schemes.
  2. preparation and execution of agricultural plans.

Question 28.
Mention any two Regulatory or General Administrative functions of a Village Panchayat.
Answer:
Two Reulatory or General Administrative-functions of a Village Panchayat are :

  1. registration of births, deaths and marriages.
  2. maintenance of watch and ward service (Chowkidars etc.)

Question 29.
What is the function of a Nyaya Panchayat? i
Answer:
The function of a Nyaya Panchayat is to secure speedy and inexpensive justice to the villagers.

Question 30.
Mention any two sources of income of a Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
Two sources of income of a Gram Panchayat are :

  1. Panchayats have right to levy taxes on property, land, goods and cattle.
  2. Panchayats collect taxes on sale of goods in fairs and makeshift bazars (markets).

Question 31.
Name the intermediate level institution of the Panchayati Raj.
Answer:
Panchayat Samiti.

Question 32.
Who are the ex-officio members of a Panchayat Samiti?
Answer:
All the Sarpanchas (President) of the Panchayats within the Block are the ex-officio members of a Panchayat Samiti.

Question 33.
Mention any two Civic and Development functions of a Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
Two Civic and Development functions of a Panchayat Samiti are :

  1. Development of Cottage Industries.
  2. Functions relative to Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.

Question 34.
Mention any tw o Supervisory functions of a Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
Two Supervisory functions of a Panchayat Samiti are :

  1. The Panchayat Samiti supervises the work of the Gram Panchayats.
  2. The Samiti examines the Budget of the Panchayats and may make suitable modifications in it.

Question 35.
Give two sources of income of a Panchayat Samiti.
Answer:
Two sources of income of a Panchayat Samiti are :

  1. Grant given by the State Government.
  2. Income accruing from the taxes levied by the Samiti.

Question 36.
Name the highest organ of the Panchayati Raj institutions at the district level.
Answer:
Zila Parishad (To District Level).

Question 37.
Mention any two Civic and Welfare functions of a Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Two Civic and Welfare functions of a Zila Parishad are :

  1. Construction and maintenance of public roads, bridges and culverts.
  2. Construction of parks.

Question 38.
Mention any two Supervisory functions of a Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Two Supervisory-functions of a Zila Parishad are :

  1. The Zila Parishad supervises the activities of a Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats.
  2. It co-ordinates the development plans prepared by the Panchayat Samitis in the District.

Question 39.
Give two sources of income of a Zila Parishad.
Answer:
Two sources of income of a Zila Parishad are :

  1. Share in the Land-Revenue.
  2. Taxes and ceses, licence fees and market fees.

II. Structured Questions :

Question 1.
With reference to Municipal Corporation, answer the following questions :
(a) State its composition.
(b) State the functions of the Mayor.
(c) State the functions of the Corporation.
Answer:
(a) A Municipal Corporation comprises the following.

  1. General Council formed of elected members known as Municipal Councillors.
  2. The Mayor : It is elected by councillors and the Aldermen,
  3. The Standing Committee : includes members of general council through elections.
  4. The Municipal Commissioner: It is appointed by the Governor usually for 5 years.

(b) The main functions of the Mayor of a Corporation are as follows :

  1. To preside over the meetings of the Corporation and to regulate the conduct of business in such meetings.
  2. To maintain decorum and discipline in the meetings.
  3. To act as the channel of communication between the Corporation and the State or the Union Government, as the case may be.
  4. To receive the foreign dignitaries visiting the city. The Mayor has access to all papers and records of the Corporation. Despite these powers, the Mayor is merely a figurehead if he is not elected directly by the people. Only a directly elected Mayor would have real power.

(c) The municipal Corporation deals with two types of functions, e.g.:

  1. Compulsory Functions: Provision of electricity, water sewage disposal etc, Public health, transport, education, births and deaths records, managing the disasters e.g. floods, earthquakes etc.
  2. Optional Functions: Public housing, Public parks, museums, libraries, children homes, orphanages, old age homes, rest houses, fairs and beautification of the city.

Question 2.
Give the role of each of the following in the Municipal Corporation.
(a) General Council of the Corporation
(b) Standing Committees.
(c) Municipal Commissioner.
Answer:
(a) General Council :The General Council consists of the Members elected by all the adult citizens registered as voters in the Municipal area. They are called as Councillors. Size of the Council depends on the population of the city. Seats would be reserved for SCs and STs in proportional to their population and l/3rd of the total number of seats shall be reserved for women. In addition to the elected members, the Council has a few Aldermen. They are usually elected by the Councillors. The General Council appoints many other officials except the Municipal Commissioner. It deals with various departments of Education, Health, Taxation etc.

(b) The role of the Standing Committees: The General Council performs different functions through the Standing Committees. These Committees deal with one or more of the subject like—Taxation, Finance and Preparation of Budget, Engineering, Health, Education Services, Plan for Economic;Development. Welfare Schemes for Weaker Sections etc.

(c) Following are the functions performed by the Municipal Commissioner :

  1. The Municipal Commissioner gives necessary directions to all other officers of the Corporation.
  2. He is responsible for the implementation of all rules, decisions and policies of the Corporation.
  3. He takes part in the meeting and deliberations of the General Council. He acts as Secretary to the Council and maintains a record of the things decided at its meeting.
  4. He prepares the budget-estimates and places the same before the General Council.
  5. He is the custodian of all records and personal files of all staff members.

Question 3.
With regard to the working of a Municipal Corporation answer the following questions.
(a) Giving examples, state how are compulsory functions distinguished from optional functions.
(b) What organisational system exists for carrying out these functions ?
Answer:
(a) From the following we can better understand the difference between the compulsory functions and optional functions.
Compulsory Functions:

  1. Public Health and Sanitation : It undertakes the responsibility of maintaining hospitals and dispensaries, cleaning public lanes and preventing the sale of rotten food-stuffs and adulterated milk etc.
  2. Electricity and Water Supply : It provides safe drinking- water and electricity for domestic and commercial use.
  3. Education and Sports : The Municipalities establish primary and secondary schools. They also provide facilities to young boys and girls to develop their aptitude for sports.
  4. Public Works : The public works mainly include the construction of roads, shopping centers and community halls.
  5. Registration of Births and Deaths : The Municipals Boards maintain an account of births and death in the city.

Optional Functions :

  1. Transport Facilities : Local authorities may manage a bus service for carrying people from one place to another.
  2. Cultural Activities : The Municipal Corporations may establish libraries and museums. Cultural activities like— drama, music and painting are also encouraged by Municipal Corporations.
  3. Sports and Recreation : The Corporation organises fairs, exhibitions and wrestling events. Recreational facilities may also be provide.
  4. Welfare Services : Municipal Corporation are expected to launch family welfare schemes and to undertake poverty alleviation programmes. The Corporation can look after public distribution system too.

(b) For carrying out the above functions an organisation system that exists is known as Municipal Corporation. Which comprises of the following bodies.

  1. General Council
  2. The Mayor
  3. The Standing Committee
  4. AMunicipal Commissioner.

Question 4.
With regard to the Municipal Corporation :
(a) Distinguish between Municipal Corporation and Municipal Committee.
(b) Describe the three wings of the Municipal Committee.
Answer:
Municipal Corporation

  1. It is for cities with more than 10 lakh population
  2. The head is Mayor.
  3. It deals with the State Government directly)
  4. It has more powers and more sources of revenue

Municipal Committee

  1. It is for 20,000-3 lakh population cities.
  2. The head is Chairperson.
  3. It deals with state government through the District Administration
  4. It has comparatively less powers and fewer sources of revenue

(b) Three wings are :

  1. General body of the Municipal Committee : The members of the General Body of the Municipal Committee are called Councillors. They are elected from Municipal wards. The number of members depends on the population of the city.
  2. Chairperson/President : A Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson are elected indirectly by the members from among themselves. The Chairperson of a Municipality enjoys vast powers. His functions are similar to those of the Mayor.
  3. Chief Executive officer : The Chief-Executive Officer is an appointee of the State government and usually belongs to the State Civil Services. He looks after the administrative wing of the Municipal Committee.
    General body is the main administrative body. Chairperson looks after every activity and programme and the Chief Executive Officer looks after the administrative wing of the Municipal Committee.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Question 5.
Give a brief account of each of the following local self-government bodies,
(a) Town Area Committee.
(b) Notified Area Committee,
(c) Cantonment Board.
Answer:
(a) Town Area Committee: It isset up in towns with population between 10,000 to 20,000 It looks after sanitation, water, electricity, health services, transport, shopping markets etc.

(b) Notified Area Committee : It is set up in areas in transition from rural to urban areas. The functions are similar to town area committee.

(c) Cantonment Board : It is an urban area at the out skirt of a large city, with military establishment has a Cantonment Board. It is significant for the safety and welfare of the city.
The head is an Army officer. It looks after health, cleanliness, electricity recreation for the residents of the area.

Question 6.
With regard to the functions and sources of income of a Municipality, answer the following questions :
(a) What are the functions of a Municipal Committee?
(b) What are the sources of income of a Municipality?
Answer:
The above questions with regard to the functions and sources of income of a Municipality are answered as below:
(a) The functions of a Municipal Committee :

I. Obligatory Functions :

  1. Public Health and Sanitation : It undertakes the responsibility of maintaining hospitals and dispensaries, cleaning public lanes and preventing the sale of rotten food-stuffs and adulterated milk etc.
  2. Electricity and Water Supply : It provides safe drinking- water and electricity for domestic and commercial use.
  3. Education and Sports : The Municipalities establish primary and secondary schools. They also provide facilities to young boys and girls to develop their aptitude for sports.
  4. Public Works : The public works mainly include the construction of roads, shopping centers and community halls.
  5. Registration of Births and Deaths : The Municipals Boards maintain an account of births and deaths in the city.

(b) Discretionary Functions : Municipalities establish libraries and reading rooms, constructing stadiums for sport activity, organising fairs and exhibitions, providing, transport facilities and other amenities for peoples, convenience. Under Nehru Rozgar Yojana, financial assistance was given to small artisans for self-employment. There was also a provision for housing and slum clearance programmes.

(c)  The sources of income of a Municipality are :

  1. Income from Taxes : It includes tax on property, tax on vehicles, tax on advertisements and entertainment tax.
  2. Cases Rates : The citizens are required to pay cess on consumption water and electricity and licence fees for various vocations. Other such cases are octroi duty and toll tax.
  3. Grants-in-Aid : Grants from State Government constitute an important source of funding.
  4. Remunerative Enterprises : The Municipal Committee may set up commercial complexes or establish other remunerative enterprises.

Question 7.
There are many defects in the working of local self-government institutions. Analyse them under the following headlines :
(a) Role of Money in Elections
(b) Paucity of funds.
Answer:
Following are the defects regarding the concerned headlines in the working of local self-government institutions :
(a) Role of Money in Elections : In the heat of the election- campaign, the rich farmers and traders squander a lot of money, usually in a wasteful way. This tendency gives a severe set-back blow to the electoral prospects of the capable candidates who are not in a position to spend much on elections.

(b) Paucity of Funds : The most serious confronting the rural and the urban bodies is the shortage of funds. These institutions have been entrusted with the responsibility of preparing plans for economic and social development, rural electrification, poverty alleviation’slum improvement and urban forestry. To undertake such onerous tasks, the local bodies are yet to start functioning with independence and sufficient resources. Panchayats and urban bodies can become responsive to the local needs through effective participation of the people and sufficient funds at their command.

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