Ncert Solutions Class 6 Social Science Social And Political Life Chapter 5

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science – Social and Political Life Chapter-5

Panchayati Raj is the Indian system of local self-government employed in the rural areas. Despite being based on the old panchayati system of the Indian subcontinent, it was incorporated by a constitutional amendment in 1992. This chapter discusses the gram sabha and gram panchayat roles, responsibilities, and obligations.

In order to help students to understand the function of the panchayati raj explained in  this chapter, Extramarks offers NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Civics Chapter 5. These are detailed solutions to all the questions covered in this chapter. Students can access them at any time for their reference from the Extramarks website.

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 5 – Panchayati Raj – Download

Access NCERT Solutions for Social Science Class 6 Chapter 5 – Panchayati Raj

Panchayati Raj Class 6 Notes: Overview

Chapter 5, Panchayati Raj talks about gram sabha and gram panchayat roles, responsibilities, and obligations. Panchayati Raj is the Indian system of local self-government. Panchayati Raj has been in existence for a very long time. This chapter also discusses how gram sabha works, the sarpanch, their roles and responsibilities, how they are elected and so on.

Gram Sabha

The gram sabha is a gathering of adults in the community to convene panchayat meetings covered by a Panchayat which could vary from one village to a few villages. Different gram sabhas exist in various states, such as Karnataka and others. Members of the gram sabha must be at least 18 years old and have the right to vote. The gram sabha is met with the panchayat president and other panchayat members. The Sarpanch, the panchayat president, is elected by all members.The Gram Sabha is behind making the Gram Panchayat play its key role and be responsible. It keeps a check on the Panchayat for any kind of misuse of money or power.

The gram panchayat has the authority to make decisions and fulfil its responsibilities towards the people of the villages that fall under its jurisdiction. 

Gram Panchayat

Gram panchayat is in charge of carrying out decisions for the towns or villages that fall under its jurisdiction. The decision accepted by the gram sabha is for the development of the town or village. The following are some of the responsibilities of a Gram Panchayat: 

  • Building and maintaining the village or town’s water supply, schools, buildings, and roadways.
  • Putting government plans into action and creating jobs
  • Tax collection in the town and on the market
  • Donations for the community works etc.

Different Levels of Gram Panchayats

There are three tiers of Gram Panchayats in India. The panchs are elected members of the Gram Panchayat and are  answerable to  the Gram Sabha, which elects them. The Gram Panchayat is the first tier of democratic government in villages. There are two other levels: Block level, also known as Janpad Panchayat or Panchayati Samiti, which includes several gram panchayats.

Above that is the District Panchayat or Zilla Parishad which operates at the district level. With the help of Panchayati Samitis, Zilla Parishads also regulates the money distribution among all the Gram Panchayats.

NCERT Class 6 Social Science – Social and Political Life Chapter Wise Solutions

  • Chapter 1 – Understanding Diversity
  • Chapter 2 – Diversity and Discrimination
  • Chapter 3 – What is Government?
  • Chapter 4 – Key Elements of a Democratic Government
  • Chapter 5 – Panchayati Raj
  • Chapter 6 – Rural Administration
  • Chapter 7 – Urban Administration
  • Chapter 8 – Rural Livelihoods
  • Chapter 9 – Urban Livelihoods

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science

Extramarks provides NCERT solutions to help students in their learning process. These solutions are the best source of study material for those who struggle to answer textbook problems. Extramarks is a trusted platform that provides quality materials to the students of all classes. The solutions provided by Extramarks are accurate and reliable. The Social Science NCERT Solutions for class 6 are available at Extramarks official website and students can access them at their convenience.

Q.1 What problem did the villagers in Hardas village face? What did they do to solve this problem?

Ans. Problems faced by the villagers in Hardas village:
(i) Acute water shortage.
(ii) Hand pump water has gone below the point up to which the ground has been drilled.
(iii) Women have to go to the Suru river to get water which is 3 k.m. away.

Steps taken to solve this problem:
(i) Piping water from the river and making an overhead tank in the village.
(ii) Deepened the hand pumps and cleaned the wells for this season.
(iii) Finally, they came up with the permanent solution of conserving water or the watershed development.

Q.2 What, in your opinion, is the importance of the Gram Sabha? Do you think all members should attend Gram Sabha meetings? Why?

Ans. Importance of Gram Sabha:
(i) Gram Sabha elects the members of the Gram Panchayat.
(ii) It can question Gram Panchayat and keep a watch on their work.
(iii) Local problems of the villagers can be discussed in the meeting.
(iv) They can recommend solutions to the problems.
Yes, I think all members should attend Gram Sabha meetings because they can raise the problems faced by them daily. They can also advise and make aware of the work done by the Gram Panchayat. It is a forum where they can discuss the welfare programmes of the village.

Q.3 What is the link between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat?

Ans. The link between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat is as follows:
(i) Gram Sabha elects the members of the Gram Panchayat.
(ii) The Panch and the Gram Panchayat is answerable to the members of Gram Sabha.
(iii) Gram Sabha keeps an eye on the elected representatives of the Gram Panchayat.

Q.4 What is the difference between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat?

Ans.

Gram Sabha Gram Panchayat
Members of Gram Sabha are not elected. Members of Gram Panchayat are elected representatives by the Gram Sabha.
All adults who are above the age of 18 or have the right to vote are the members of Gram Sabha. Ward members, Panchs and Panchayat president are the members of Gram Panchayat.
The members and the body are permanent. The members and the body are elected every 5 years.
They keep an eye on the works of Gram Panchayat. They hear from the Gram Sabha and do the work.

Q.5 Read the following news item.
Nimone is a village on the Chauphula-Shirur Road. Like many others, this village has also been facing a severe water shortage for the last few months and villagers depend on tankers for all their needs. Bhagvan Mahadeo Lad (35) of this village was beaten with sticks, iron rods and axes by a group of seven men. The incident came to light when some villagers brought a badly injured Lad to hospital for treatment. In the FIR recorded by the police, Lad said that he was attacked when he insisted that the water in the tanker must be emptied into the storage tanks constructed as part of the water supply scheme by Nimone Gram Panchayat so that there would be equal distribution of water. However, he alleged that the upper caste men were against this and told him that the tanker water was not meant for the lower castes. Adapted from Indian Express, May 1, 2004
a. Why was Bhagvan beaten?
b. Do you think that the above is a case of discrimination? Why?

Ans.

(a) Bhagvan was beaten when he insisted that the water in the tanker must be emptied into the storage tanks constructed as part of the water supply scheme by Nimone Gram Panchayat so that there would be equal distribution of water.

(b) Yes, above is a case of discrimination because the distribution of water was not equal for all the people. The distribution of water from tanker was only served to the upper caste people and not to the lower caste people. Moreover, it was not even emptied in tank constructed by the Panchayat.

Q.6 Find out more about watershed development and how it benefits an area?

Ans. Watershed development is the conservation, recharging and judicious use of the water resources like, underground water, rivers, etc. and lands within the watershed area.
Benefits of watershed development in an area:
(i) It makes the land fertile and supports the growth of trees, plants and cultivation.
(ii) Help in the preservation of water and its resources.
(iii) Prevents soil erosion.

Please register to view this section

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What are the major functions of a Gram Sabha?

Gram sabha is a crucial body that makes decisions in the village. It is also in charge of identifying and choosing those who require assistance. Gram Sabha performs many duties, including:

  1. To put the panchayat and the state government’s development plans into action.
  2. To determine which beneficiaries are qualified for a particular program or plan. If the gram sabha fails to do so, the duty will be handled by the gram panchayat.
  3. To cooperate and promote harmony among the inhabitants of the town and village.
  4. Keep a watch on other important issues and bring them to the Gram Sabha’s attention.

2. What is the Sarpanch's role in the Gram Sabha?

Sarpanch, the Panchayat president is known as Sarpanch, is elected by all the members of a Gram Sabha  and is the most crucial member who presides over the meetings of the Gram Sabha. He is accountable 

  1. To ensure the extensive participation of individuals.
  2. Sarpanch is responsible for carrying out all efforts necessary to maintain social and cultural harmony.
  3. Decisions taken should be unbiased.
  4. Should be in charge of the gram sabha and make crucial decisions.
  5. Is in charge of responding to the members’ questions addressed to the gram panchayat.

3. According to chapter 5 of Social and Political Life in class 6, what is the Panchayati Raj System?

In contrast to the urban administration, Panchayati Raj is a particular self-governance system in rural India. It is one of India’s earliest local governing systems and is India’s first democratic administration. It allows citizens to engage in their government’s decision-making process.

4. According to Chapter 5 of Class 6 Social and Political Life, why was Bhagavan beaten?

Bhagavan lives in Nimone village, suffering from a severe water deficit. For their water supply, the locals relied on water tankers. Bhagavan was thrashed by upper caste men of the village when he asked that the water from the tankers be pumped into the water storage tank as per the Nimone Gram Panchayat’s water delivery program for fair distribution of water. That is a clear indication of the persistent caste inequities in our country.

5. Apart from chapter 5, how many chapters are there in the Political Science textbook for class 6?

The NCERT textbook for Political Science in class 6 is titled “Social and Political Life – I,” and it has nine chapters:

  1. Understanding Diversity
  2. Diversity and Discrimination
  3. What is Government?
  4. Key Elements of a Democratic Government
  5. Panchayati Raj
  6. Rural Administration
  7. Urban Administration
  8. Rural Livelihoods
  9. Urban Livelihoods