Long Questions: Panchayati Raj | NCERT Summary: UPSC PDF Download

Q1: Why should everyone attend the meeting of Gram Sabha and why is it important?
Ans: Yes, I believe that all members should attend Gram Sabha sessions because concerns that people encounter on a daily basis can be discussed. They can also provide guidance to the members. The Gram Sabha can raise public awareness about the Gram Panchayat's operations. It is a place where they can discuss the village's welfare programmes.
Gram Sabha's significance is as follows:

• The Gram Sabha elects the Gram Panchayat members.
• It has the authority to question Gram Panchayat and monitor their activities.
• Villagers' local problems can be discussed during meetings.
• They have the ability to suggest solutions to difficulties.

Q2: What were the problems that Hardas village people faced? How did they overcome this issue?
Ans: Villagers in Hardas suffer the following problem:

• There is a severe water deficit.
• The water level in the hand pump is well below the watermark.
• Women had to fetch water from the Suru River, which was 3 kilometres away.

They came up with a solution to remedy the problem by:

• Piping water from the Suru river and building an overhead tank in the village.
• Cleaning the wells and deepening the hand pumps
• They presented a long-term solution of water conservation through watershed development.

Q3: The next item on the agenda for the Gram Sabha is the finalisation of list of people below the poverty line (BPL) which had to be approved by the Gram Sabha. As soon as the list is read out people begin to whisper. “Natwar has just bought a colour T.V. and his son has sent him a new motorcycle. How can he be below the poverty line?” Soorajmal mutters to the person sitting next to him. Saroj says to Sukhi Bai “How did Birju’s name get on to the list? He has so much land. This list should have only poor people. And Om Prakctsh is a landless labourer who can barely make ends meet, yet his name is not on the list.” “You know that both Natwar and Birju are friends of Amirchand. Who can counter Amirchand’s power?’ Sukhi Bai says, “Amirchand was the earlier Zamindar (landowner) of the village and still has control over a lot of land. But we should get Om Prakash’s name put in.”
The Sarpanch (Panchayat President) notices people whispering and asks if anyone has anything to say. Saroj tries to provoke Soorajmal to ask about Natwar arid Birju. But he keeps quiet. Amirchand is sitting in the Gram Sabha keeping an eye on everyone. Then Saroj gets up and says that Om Prakash’s name should be in the BPL list. Others agree that he and his family are very poor.

The Sarpanch asks how his name had been missed out. The teacher who did the survey of BPL families says, “Om Prakash’s house was locked when I went there. He may have gone somewhere to look for work.” The Sarpanch gives instructions that Om Prakash’s family income be looked at and if it is less than what has been decided by the government, his name should be included in the list.

1. What is being discussed in this meeting of the Gram Sabha?
2. Who are Natwar and Birju?
3. Who is Om Prakash?
4. Who is Amirchand? What did he do in the past?
5. Why was Om Prakash’s name missed from the BPL list according to the teacher who surveyed the BPL families

Ans:

1. List of BPL families was being discussed in the meeting of the Gram Sabha.
2. Natwar and Birju are affluent people of the village but their names appeared in the list of BPL families because of the interference or manipulation of Sh. Amirchand, a big landlord of the village.
3. Om Prakash is a poor villager. His name was missed from the list of the BPL families.
4. Amirchand was the landlord of the village. He got the names of Natwar and Birju enlisted in the BPL families.
5. According to the teacher who surveyed the BPL families the name of Om Prakash was missed from the list of BPL families as his house was locked at the time of the survey and he could not be listed in the BPL families.

Q4: The Gram Sabha meeting begins with the Panchayat President (who is also called the Sarpanch) and the members of the Panchayat (the Panchs) presenting a plan on repairing the road that connects the village to the main highway. After this, the discussion moves to the subject of water and water shortages.
A villager called Tijia begins the meeting by saying, “The water problem in Hardas has become very acute. The handpump water has gone well below the point up to which the ground has been drilled. We hardly get any water in the taps. Women have to go to the Suru river which is 3 k.m. away to get water.” One of the members suggests piping water from the Suru and making an overhead tank in the village to increase the supply. But the others think that this will be expensive. It’s better, they feel, to deepen the handpumps and clean the wells for this season. Tijia says, “This is not enough. We need to do something more permanent as groundwater levels seem to be going down every year. We’re using more water than is seeping into the ground.”
Another member, Anwar then tells everyone that he has seen ways of conserving water and recharging (refilling) it in a village in Maharashtra where he’d once gone to visit his brother. It was called watershed development and he had heard that the government gave money for this work.
In his brother’s village people had planted trees, constructed check-dams and tanks. Everyone thought this was an interesting idea and the Gram Panchayat was asked to find out about it in detail.

1. What is a Gram Sabha?
2. In the meeting of the Gram Sabha so far what are the problems that are being discussed? What sort of solutions are being suggested?

Ans:

• A Gram Sabha is an institution of the adult village people.
  • The people ask the questions.
  • The elected representatives answer to these questions.
• Problems being discussed in the Gram Sabha are:
  • Water and water shortage.
  • Watershed development – conserving water and recharging the underground water.

Q5: What are the works of a Gram Panchayat, Suggest any work done by the Panchayat in your area.
Ans: Gram panchayats are in charge of building, maintenance, water resources, and a variety of other community property resources.
In my neighbourhood, the Panchayat is responsible for the development of a middle school.

• The Panchayat needed to construct the middle school building because the existing one was in such poor shape.
• The majority of the finances came from the State Government, with a small portion coming from Panchayat monies.
• The project was completed on time, and the students are enjoying their new classroom.

Q6: How do you think a Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat are linked?
Ans: The following is the relationship between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat:

• The Gram Sabha elects the Gram Panchayat members.
• The Gram Sabha holds the Panch and the Gram Panchayat accountable.
• The Gram Sabha keeps a watch on the Gram Panchayat's elected representatives.
• A Gram Sabha is a body composed of all adults living in a Panchayat's jurisdiction.
• The Sarpanch, who is also the Panchayat's president, is elected by the entire Gram Sabha.
• The Gram Sabha is also in charge of the Gram Panchayat's operations.

Q7: Describe the composition of the Gram Panchayat.
Ans: Composition of the Gram Panchayat:

• Every village Panchayat is divided into wards, i.e., smaller areas.
• Each ward elects a representative who is known as the Ward Member (Panch).
• All the members of the Gram Sabha also elect a Sarpanch who is the Panchayat President. ,
• The Ward Panchs and the Sarpanch form the Gram Panchayat.

The Gram Panchayat has a Secretary who is also the Secretary of the Gram Sabha.

• This person is not an elected person but is appointed by the government.
• He is responsible for calling the meeting of the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat.
• He also keeps record of the proceedings.

Q8: Differentiate between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat.
Ans: The following are the distinctions between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat: