In Text Questions:Grassroots Democracy–Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas(Class 6-SST)

In Text Questions

Grassroots Democracy–Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas
Class 6
Subject-Social Science

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1. What are urban local bodies and what are their functions?

Answer:

Urban local bodies are organizations that govern cities and towns.

Examples: Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, and Nagar Panchayats.

Their functions include:

Managing infrastructure (roads, water supply, drainage).
Collecting taxes and garbage.
Providing services like health camps and maintaining public spaces.
Planning for social and economic development.

2. Why are they important in governance and democracy?

Answer:

They bring decision-making closer to the people.

Help in solving local problems effectively.

Encourage citizen participation in governance.

3. Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai more complex and diverse than a village or a town?

Answer:

Cities have larger populations with different languages, religions, and cultures.

They require more services like transportation, education, and health.

Urban areas are hubs of trade, industries, and modern facilities.

4. With your classmates, make a list of diverse communities residing in any city that you are familiar with. How many were you able to list? What else do you observe in the list?

Answer:

Example: In Mumbai, you may find Gujaratis, Maharashtrians, Tamilians, Parsis, Muslims, and Christians.

Observations:

Variety of languages spoken.
Different festivals celebrated.
Diverse cuisines and traditions.

5. In Fig. 12.2 above, what similarities and differences do you notice between the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local government?

Answer:

Similarities:

Both are forms of local self-government.
Both have elected members.

Differences:

Panchayati Raj is for rural areas; urban local government is for cities/towns.
Functions and population served differ.

6. Can you think of four or five more actions that responsible citizens might take to help their area of the city?

Answer:

Reporting issues like leaking pipes or damaged roads.

Participating in cleanliness drives.

Following waste segregation rules.

Conserving water and electricity.

Volunteering in community programs.

7. Select a few cities, from your State and from a few neighbouring States. These may include the city you live in or the city nearest to your town or village. How will you find out if they have a Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council or Municipal Corporation? Draw a table with the names of the cities and the type of urban local body each of them has.

Answer:

Check the population of the city:
- Population above 10 lakhs: Municipal Corporation.
- 1 to 10 lakhs: Municipal Council.
- Smaller towns: Nagar Panchayat.
Example Table:
City Name Urban Local Body Type
Chennai Municipal Corporation
Madurai Municipal Council
Small Town Nearby Nagar Panchayat

City Name	Urban Local Body Type
Chennai	Municipal Corporation
Madurai	Municipal Council
Small Town Nearby	Nagar Panchayat

8. How do urban local bodies fund their activities? (Hint: Look carefully at the pictures of the functions performed by Indore Municipal Corporation in Figure 12.4 on page 178.) Are some of them paid services?

Answer:

They collect taxes like property tax and water charges.
Charge for paid services like:
- Water tanker supply.
- Septic tank cleaning.
- Business licenses.
Additional revenue from fines and fees.

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