Civics: Rural Part 1 (PDF)

OUR GOVERNMENT Ever since she started her geography lessons, Neeta loved to find out the names of villages, towns and cities in her new atlas. Looking at the detailed map of India, she realized that there were too many villages,towns and cities for one single government to govern effectively. India...

OUR GOVERNMENT Ever since she started her geography lessons, Neeta loved to find out the names of villages, towns and cities in her new atlas. Looking at the detailed map of India, she realized that there were too many villages,towns and cities for one single government to govern effectively. India is a vast country with a large population of over 1.35 billion and the prime minister at Delhi cannot attend to each and seated the people in remote villages. every need of task of administration easier, To make the at three India operates the government in different levels.  CENTRALGOVERNMENT The union or the central government of India is based in the capital of India, New Delhi. It deals with matters of national importance like defence, national finance, foreign exchange, railways and postal services. STATE GOVERNMENT India is divided into a number of states. Each state has its own government based in the state capital. The state governments are responsiblefor maintaininglaw and order, local transport, health services, etc. in the state. They also carry out community development programmes. LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT Local self-govemment lies at the bottom of the administrative pyramid and functions at the grass roots level. The people of a locality elect their own representatives to form the local self-government of that area. This body deals with local problems and looks after the basic needs of the local people. Local self-governing bodies are of two kinds —rural and urban. Rural refers to villages. Zila parishads (district boards), block samitis and panchayats are rural local self-governing bodies.  Urban refers to towns and cities. Municipal corporations, municipalities and canton- ment boards are urban local self-governing bodies..3 PANCHAYATI RAJ The local self-governmentat the rural level functions under the panchayati raj system. The panchayati raj is a three-tiered system. Panchayats at the village level Block samitis at the block level Zila parishads at the district level In India, the system of panchayats is very old. The word 'panchayae means a group of five people. Since ancient times, it has been a custom for villagers to elect a group of five elders. They would deal with local problems and solve disputes among villagers. Their decision was binding upon one and all. This system functioned well till the Mughal period. Under British rule, the system was less effective because the British sent their Own officials to look after rural problems. However, the British officers could not understand or relate to the local problems. After Independence, the panchayati system was revived by the democraticgovernment. This was done to involve the people of the villages in the management of their own affairs. The panchayati system in the villages usually has three parts. Gram sabha Gram panchayat Nyaya panchayat Gram Sabha Villages with a population of 500 or more have a gram sabha or village assembly. All adult members of the village are membersof the gram sabha. The gram sabha holds meetings at least twice a year. It discussesimportant matters and problems of the village. The gram sabha usually elects the people who form the gram panchayat. PARISHAD PANCHAYATS PANCHAYATS raj system The three tiers of the panchayati Gram Panchayat village or gram sabha elects a number The senior members who form the gram of Seats are reserved for people from panchayat. Castes or Scheduled Tribes. One Scheduled the seats are also reserved for women. third of  Nyaya Panchayat Some villages have a nyaya panchayat. The gram panchayat usually elects the members of the nyaya panchayat. Its function is to settle disputes among people. It provides a cheap and speedy way to resolve disputes. Features of the Panchayat The village panchayat is headed by the village pradhan or sarpanch. He/She is directly elected by the gram sabha. A vice-sarpanch or up-pradhan is also elected. The vice-sarpanch takes over the responsibilities of the sarpanch in his/her absence. The sarpanch announces and organizes meetings of the panchayat. He/she signs important documents and coordinates the different activities of the panchayat. Panchayats are elected for a term of 3 to 5 years. Did You Know? With changing times, more women are coming forward to participate in local self-government. There are about one million elected women leaders in India!  Functions of the Panchayat The village panchayat is the basic unit of the panchayati raj system. Its functions are limited to the village. It has many functions, both compulsory and optional. Compulsory Functions It constructs and repairs roads, bridges, drains, tanks and wells. It provides health facilities by setting up dispensaries and health centres. It supplies clean drinking water. It keeps the streets and roads clean. It checks the spread of diseases by arranging for vaccination and inoculation. It constructs buildings and maintains cremation and burial grounds. It provides primary education. Providing primary education is one ofthe most important functions of the panchayat. It records births and deaths in the village. It helps farmers to develop and improve their farms and cattle. It looks after the welfare of the weaker sections of society. Optional Functions It builds playgrounds and rest houses, installs television and radio sets in