Public Facilities Summary Class 8 NCERT Summary Chapter 9

Public Facilities and Government Responsibilities

• Government plays a vital role in providing public facilities to everyone, ensuring safe drinking water and proper sanitation.
• Public facilities are essential for meeting people’s basic needs in a modern society.
• The Right to Life guaranteed by the Constitution applies to everyone living in the country.
• It is the government's duty to ensure these facilities are available, as private companies often charge high rates.
• When resources are limited, alternative solutions must be explored, as seen in Chennai.
• Public facilities are linked to our basic necessities, including water, health, and education.
• The government is expected to provide these essential public services to all.
• Water is a fundamental requirement for survival and good health.
• Access to safe drinking water can help prevent many water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, and cholera. Sadly, India has a high prevalence of these illnesses.
• Water-borne diseases mainly affect children under five years old.
• However, the unfortunate reality is that not everyone has access to safe water.
• Our Constitution acknowledges the Right to Water as part of the Right to Life under Article 21, indicating that everyone should have access to water, but this is not always the case.
• Other public facilities, such as healthcare, electricity, public transport, schools, and colleges, also need to be universally available.
• A key aspect of public facilities is that once provided, many can benefit from them. For example, if an area has electricity, the entire community can use it.
• One of the government's main functions is to ensure that everyone has access to public facilities.
• The government collects taxes to fund these programs. For instance, supplying water involves costs for pumping, transporting, laying pipes, treating water, and managing wastewater. These expenses are partly covered by taxes and partly by a fee for water, set so that most can afford a basic amount.
• Despite the need for public facilities, shortages are common. Water is especially critical, yet not available to everyone.
• The poor suffer the most, lacking the funds to buy water from private suppliers.
• Compared to cities, towns and villages often have fewer resources.
• A lack of municipal water often reflects poorly on government performance.
• The Constitution recognises many public facilities as part of the Right to Life, placing the responsibility on the government to protect these rights so everyone can live well.
• Public facilities: They are associated with our basic needs such as water, electricity, public transport, etc.
• Universal access: Universal access is achieved when everyone has physical access to a good condition or can also afford it.
• Sanitation: Provision of facilities for the safe disposal of human urine and feces.
• Company: A company is a form of business set up by people or by the government.