Local Government

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Q1. What are the structures of

a) CORPORATIONS: A major body in the corporation is its council. The council functions as the legislature of the city. It consists of members who are called councillers. They are elected by the adult franchise. The mayor is elected by the council and is the first citizen of the city and looks after the work of the secretariat of the council. The executive officer of the corporation is the Municipal Commissioner who is a high ranking official appointed by the State Government. He administers the policies laid down by the council.

b) MUNICIPAL COUNCILS: The Municipal council is the legislative body and can pass bylaws within its jurisdiction. Its embers are called councillers. These councilors are elected through adult suffrage though some sections of the society do have reserved seats. The President is elected from the members and he looks after the financial and executive work of the Municipality. The Municipalities handle the various areas of work through the committees.

c) PANCHAYATI RAJ BODIES : The adult population of the village forms the Gram Sabha. The members of the Gram Sabha elect the members and the President of the Gram Panchayat. Its main functions relate to providing of civic facilities in the village and also do the developmental work. The Panchayat Samiti forms the middle tier system and the Presidents of the Gram Panchayats of a block form its members. The members of the State Legislature and the Central Parliament are its associate members. The Panchayat Samiti has an elected President. On the top of the Panchayat Raj is the Zila Parishad. It is the link between the rural local government bodies at the lower level, the state legislature and the Parliament. It has representation of scheduled castes, tribes, women and representatives of co-operative societies. A Zila Parishad consists of the Presidents of the Panchayat Samitis of the District, members of the parliament, members of the state legislature from the district, a representative by the co-operative societies, a specified number of representatives from the scheduled castes and tribes and some co-opted members. The members of the Zila Parishad elect a President among themselves.

Q 2. What are the functions of the Urban Local Government Bodies?

Ans. In cities the local governments are called corporations but in towns they are called municipalities. Either way the responsibility of the local government is to improve the condition of the public life in cities and towns. They have to provide services like water supply, electricity, transport, lighting and cleaning of streets, schools, provide medical facilities by establishing hospitals registering of births and deaths, maintain fire brigade, develop parks, museums, zoos and many other things. They get their revenue by taxing property, vehicles etc., and a portion of the revenue is derived from the State Governments. The Corporations have direct link with the State Governments and the Municipalities have to go through the district administration. Hence corporations are more powerful than the Municipalities.


Q3. What are the powers and functions of the District Officer?

Ans. The Basic unit of administration in India is the district and this is under the charge of the district officer. Though his main function is administration, he has to maintain law and order, collect revenue and taxes. He also has to look into the direction and fulfillment of economic plans of his district. He has to co-ordinate the work of the district and sometimes acts as a district magistrate. He acts in the supervisory capacity by deciding the transfers and postings of the officers who work under him. He controls the jail administration and also has the most important duty of holding elections in his district.

Q4. How was the Panchayat Raj system created?

Ans. The Panchayat System existed even in historical times when the villages had a certain level of autonomy mainly because the means of communication were weak and the sometimes because of weak central government. During the course of the national struggle, the national leaders supported the cause of local governments in villages so that the plans could be fulfilled at the most grass root levels. After independence the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee too suggested that the country should have a system of local government reaching down to the villages and would also help in the implementation of developmental projects. Because the country side administration consisted of village, block and district, the committee suggested panchayat at village level, panchayat samiti at block level and zila parishad at district level.

Q5. What was the original plan of Panchayat Raj?

Ans. The Balwantrai Mehta Committee suggested that the country should have a system of local government reaching down to the villages which would help in the implementation of developmental projects. The committee suggested that there should be three tier system of Panchayats that is Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the Block Level and Zila Parishad at the district level. Though while implementation of the recommendations slight changes were made to suit the needs of the particular areas but the ideas have overall remained the same.

Q6. What are the functions of the various organs of the Panchayati Raj as it functions now?

Ans. The Gram Panchayat sees to the proper supply of water and electricity, maintain and build proper roads, supervise sanitation and work towards prevention of diseases, take steps for development of agriculture promote cottage industry and maintain record of all births and deaths. The panchayat samiti has mainly two types of functions – providing civic amenities and supervising developmental work. The zila parishad has supervisory and coordinating functions. It examines and approves the budgets of panchayat samities. It also co-ordinates developmental plans for its area.

Q7. What is the need for local government in a democracy?

Ans. The local government is needed in a democracy for three reasons. Firstly they take the participation down to the smallest units i.e. the towns and villages. Secondly it makes for greater contact between administration and the people so that the district administration is helped in the administrative work. Thirdly these bodies are considered important for the process of development and planning.

Q8. What role can the local government agencies play in development work?

Ans. The Panchayati Raj institutions ensure participation in local government and to help the development programmes and plans. The local government has taken even the villager into the general government of the country. The villager does not only vote but is also involved in the institutions that are quite near to him. He is totally involved in the developmental work and can ensure its completion first hand. He is involved in decision making and also sees to it that the right decisions are taken and is there it ensure it is within the purview of the constitution. The local government is a big help to the State and the Central governments in the fulfillment of the developmental programs.