Std 6 Civics · Chapter 4

4. Local Self Government (Rural)

Complete solutions to the Exercise. Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Six History and Civics.

About the chapter

This chapter explains how villages are governed through local self-government. In Maharashtra, rural areas have a three-tier system. It has the Gram Panchayat, the Panchayat Samiti and the Zilla Parishad. Each body has an elected head and an administrative officer.

Key points

Rural local self-government works at three levels: village, taluka and district.
The Gram Panchayat works at the village level. Its head is the Sarpanch.
The Panchayat Samiti works at the taluka level. Its officer is the Block Development Officer (BDO).
The Zilla Parishad works at the district level. Its administrative head is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The Gram Panchayat provides drinking water, roads, street lights and drainage. It also records births and deaths.
Very small villages together form a Group Gram Panchayat.

Words to remember

Local self-government – people of an area running their local affairs through elected representatives
Sarpanch – the head of the Gram Panchayat
Gram Panchayat Officer (Gramsevak) – the officer who looks after the work of the Gram Panchayat
BDO – the officer who supervises development works at the taluka level
CEO – the administrative head of the Zilla Parishad

Exercise

1Match the following problems with the officers responsible for resolving them.

Group ‘A’	Group ‘B’
a) Block Development Officer	2) Supervising development works at the Taluka level
b) Chief Executive Officer	3) Implementing decisions taken by the Zilla Parishad
c) Gram Panchayat Officer	1) Recording births and deaths in the village

2Guess Who Am I?

(1) The ‘First Citizen’ of the village. — Sarpanch

(2) I oversee all administrative work of the Zilla Parishad. — Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

3What would you do?

(1) The road leading to your school is full of potholes and water accumulates there during the rainy season. To resolve this problem, to whom would you write a letter?

I would write a letter to the Gram Panchayat (in a town, to the Municipality).

Reason: Building and repairing village roads is the work of the Gram Panchayat.

(2) Can a ‘Gram Panchayat’ be established in a hamlet with a population of 250? If not, which governing body will function there?

No. A separate Gram Panchayat is not formed for such a small population. Two or more small villages come together and form a Group Gram Panchayat.

4Complete the following concept map: Functions of Gram Panchayat.

Drinking water, drainage, street lights and birth–death registration are already given in the map. Fill the blank boxes with:

Construction and repair of roads
Cleanliness and sanitation
Health facilities
Primary education

5Complete the following table: Rural Local Self-Government Bodies in Maharashtra.

Level	Elected Head	Administrative Head
Gram Panchayat	Sarpanch	Gram Panchayat Officer (Gramsevak)
Panchayat Samiti	Chairperson (Sabhapati)	Block Development Officer (BDO)
Zilla Parishad	President (Adhyaksha)	Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

★Activities

The Activities — collecting information about development works in your area, a class discussion on protecting the environment, and finding forms of ancient administration similar to the Gram Panchayat — are to be done at school with your teacher’s guidance.

← All Std 6 Civics chapters 5. Local Self Government (Urban) →