Class 8 Social-Science Chapter 9 HOTS Questions - Public Facilities

Q1: Mention some public facilities that are provided by the government.
Ans: Public facilities provided by the government are: 

• Health care
• Water
• Sanitation
• Transport
• Education
• Electricity
• Roads

Q2: Which Article in the Indian Constitution recognises the ‘right to water’?
Ans: The Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21.

Q3: What is Universal Access to water?
Ans: Every person, rich or poor, has the right to sufficient amount of water to meet their daily needs, at a price they can afford. This is known as Universal Access to water. 

Q4: What are the characteristics of Public facilities? 
Ans: The benefits of public facility can be shared by many people. Government schools enable many children to get educated. The supply of electricity is essential for all households. Farmers can run pump sets to irrigate their fields; people open small workshops that run on electricity. Public transport help people commute at an affordable price. Public parks and libraries provide recreation for the citizens. Health care and sanitation are essential for a healthy life.

Q5: Mention some public facilities that only the government can provide and maintain.
Ans:

• Roads
• Railways
• Sanitation
• Water supply
• Electricity

Q6: Mention a few public facilities that are provided by private companies.
Ans:

• Schools and colleges
• Hospitals
• Transportation

The above mentioned facilities are provided by the government and private companies. We can find many private educational institutions in cities. Long distance buses are operated by private companies; similarly there are many Private Hospitals that provide health care for the citizens.

Q7: How does the government raise fund to provide public facilities?
Ans: The main source of income for the government is through the tax it collects from the citizens.
Some of the types of taxes the government collects are………..

• Income Tax
• Property Tax
• Sales Tax
• Excise Duty
• Water Tax
• Vehicle Tax

With the revenue from the tax collected, the government provides the public facilities mentioned earlier.

Q8: What is a Government Budget? 
Ans: The government plans its expenditure, making a clear statement on the amount of money it is going to spend on each facility. This statement is called the ‘Government Budget’ and is presented in the Parliament and Legislature every year in the month February / March.

Q9: What is sanitation? 
Ans: Sanitation is measures taken up by the government to protect public health through proper solid waste disposal, sewage disposal, and cleanliness during food processing and preparation. 

Q10: Write a short note on Sulabh International. 
Ans: Sulabh International is an Indian based social service organization which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. Sulabh was founded by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak in 1970 and has 50,000 volunteers. The organization constructs and maintains pay-&-use public toilets, popularly known as Sulabh Complexes with bath, laundry and urinal facilities being used by about ten million people every day. There are more than 7,500 public toilet blocks and 1.2 million private toilets. The majority of the users of Sulabh facilities are from the poor working class.