Grassroots Democracy – Part 3: Local Government in Urban Areas — Class 6 Social Science
Exploring Society: India and Beyond · Chapter 12
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5- Mathematics
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- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
Chapter summary
Key ideas & terms
- Urban local body
- The decentralised local government structure that runs towns and cities.
- Decentralised
- Run by local communities with a direct say, rather than by a central authority at the top.
- Ward
- A smaller unit into which a city or town is divided; ward committees handle local activities and problems.
- Municipal Corporation
- The highest urban local body (Mahanagar Nigam) for cities with a population above 10 lakh.
- Municipal Council
- The urban local body (Nagar Palika) for cities with a population between 1 and 10 lakh.
- Nagar Panchayat
- The urban local body for smaller towns with relatively low populations.
Extra questions & answers
What is participatory democracy?
It is a system in which good governance empowers citizens to actively take part in their country's functioning at every level.
Why is urban governance more complex than rural governance?
Because cities are larger, more crowded and more diverse than villages, so the system needed to run them must also be more complex.
What are urban local bodies?
They are the decentralised local government structures that manage towns and cities, giving communities a direct say.
What is a ward and what does a ward committee do?
A ward is a smaller unit of a city; its committee organises activities like health camps and reports problems such as leaks, blocked drains and damaged roads.
List three functions of urban local bodies.
Maintaining infrastructure, garbage collection and disposal, and collecting local taxes and fines (also implementing schemes and maintaining burial grounds).
Which urban local body governs a city with over 10 lakh people?
A Municipal Corporation, also called Mahanagar Nigam.
Which body governs a city of 1 to 10 lakh people?
A Municipal Council, also called Nagar Palika.
What governs smaller towns?
A Nagar Panchayat governs cities and towns with smaller populations.
Which is the oldest municipal body in India?
The Madras Corporation (now Greater Chennai Corporation), established on 29 September 1688.
Why must citizens perform duties for urban local bodies to work well?
Because tasks like waste segregation and reporting leaks make the bodies' work easier and prevent waste — this is participatory democracy.
LET'S EXPLORE
Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai more complex and diverse than a village or a town?
A city like Kolkata, Chennai or Mumbai is more complex and diverse than a village or town because it has a much larger population with people coming from many different states, religions, languages and cultures for jobs and education. It has many different types of occupations, buildings, transport systems and facilities, and people live more independent lives compared to the close-knit community life of a village where most people know each other and often do similar work like farming.
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?
A list for a familiar city could include people from different religions, languages and regions, and different occupations such as shopkeepers, factory workers, teachers, doctors, drivers, IT workers, students, and construction workers. You can easily list 10 to 15 diverse groups. What you observe is unity in diversity - even though people are very different in food, dress, language and festivals, they all live and work together in the same city and depend on each other and on the city's services.
LET'S EXPLORE
In Fig. 12.2 above, what similarities and differences do you notice between the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local government?
Similarities: Both are part of Local Government under the State Government in the pyramid of governance. Both are decentralised systems that work at the local level close to the people, have three levels above the people, and have elected bodies to represent local citizens. Differences: The rural side is called Panchayati Raj Institutions with Zila Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Gram Panchayat and Gram Sabha, while the urban side is called Urban Local Bodies with Municipal Corporation or Municipal Council or Nagar Panchayat, Ward Committee and People of the Ward. The names and exact structure differ because villages and cities have different needs and populations.
LET'S EXPLORE
Can you think of four or five more actions that responsible citizens might take to help their area of the city?
Responsible citizens can help their city area by: 1. Segregating waste at home into wet and dry waste and not littering streets. 2. Saving water and electricity and reporting leaks or streetlight faults. 3. Keeping public places like parks and footpaths clean and planting trees. 4. Paying property tax, water charges and other fees on time. 5. Following traffic rules, not encroaching on roads, and participating in ward committee meetings and cleanliness drives.
THINK ABOUT IT
Indore in Madhya Pradesh has been awarded the cleanest city in India under the Swachh Survekshan government scheme for seven years in a row. What could have been the role of Indore citizens in this achievement?
The citizens of Indore played a very important role. They cooperated with the Municipal Corporation by segregating waste at home, putting garbage only in municipal bins or collection vehicles, not littering roads, using dustbins, keeping their homes and streets clean, and spreading awareness. Without such active participation and sense of duty, the Municipal Corporation alone could not have kept the city clean for seven years continuously.
LET'S EXPLORE
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.
You can find this out by checking the population of the city. As per the chapter, cities with more than 10 lakh population have a Municipal Corporation (Mahanagar Nigam), those with 1 to 10 lakh have a Municipal Council (Nagar Palika), and smaller towns have a Nagar Panchayat. You can check the website of the State Election Commission, the urban development department of the State, or the city's official municipal website, or ask teachers or local officials. Example table: Indore - Municipal Corporation (population over 10 lakh); Ujjain - Municipal Corporation; Dewas - Municipal Council; A small nearby town with less than 1 lakh - Nagar Panchayat.
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?
Urban local bodies fund their activities mainly by collecting local taxes and fees. As seen in Fig. 12.4, they collect Property Tax, Water Charges, and fees for Business, Hoardings and Trade Licenses, Marriage Certificates, Fire Services, various Licenses, Water Tanker and Debris Clearance, and Tree Cutting. They also collect fines and get grants from the State and Union Governments. Yes, many of these are paid services - citizens pay for water supply, property tax, trade licences, water tankers, auditorium or ambulance on request, etc., and this money is used to provide civic services.
Questions, activities and projects
On your way to school, you and your friends notice that a water pipe is leaking. A lot of water is being wasted on account of the leak. What would you and your friends do in such a situation?
We would first try to inform a responsible adult nearby and then quickly report the leak to the ward committee member or the municipal helpline or complaint system. We would note the exact location of the leak and, if possible, take a photo to share with the authorities. We would also request people nearby not to waste the water and ensure the complaint is followed up so that precious water is not wasted and the road is not damaged.
Invite a member of an urban local body near you to your class. Discuss with them their role and responsibilities. Prepare a set of questions to ask them so that the meeting is fruitful.
To make the meeting fruitful, we can prepare questions such as: 1. What is your exact role in the Municipal Council or Corporation and which ward do you represent? 2. What are the main functions you perform for citizens? 3. How do you manage water supply, garbage collection and road repair? 4. How can students and citizens help you? 5. How do you collect funds and spend them? 6. What challenges do you face in keeping the city clean and planned? We would listen respectfully, note answers, and thank the member.
Discuss with adult members of your family and neighbourhood, and make a list of their expectations from the urban local bodies.
After discussion, adults generally expect urban local bodies to: 1. Provide regular clean drinking water and proper drainage. 2. Collect garbage daily and keep streets and markets clean. 3. Maintain roads, streetlights, parks and footpaths. 4. Ensure good public health, sanitation and hospitals. 5. Implement government schemes honestly and issue certificates and licences quickly. 6. Listen to complaints and solve them quickly and use taxes properly.
Make a list of characteristics of a good urban local body.
A good urban local body is: 1. Elected and representative of all citizens. 2. Transparent and accountable in its work and use of funds. 3. Responsive to complaints and quick to solve problems. 4. Efficient in providing basic services like water, waste management, roads and lights. 5. Inclusive and encourages citizen participation through ward committees. 6. Honest in collecting taxes and planning for the area's social and economic development.
What are the similarities and differences between the Panchayati Raj system in rural areas and the urban local bodies?
Similarities: Both are part of the third tier of local government under the State Government, both are decentralised and based on participatory democracy, both have elected members who represent local people, both work for local development and welfare, and both have a tiered structure with a body close to the people at the base (Gram Sabha and People of the Ward). Differences: Panchayati Raj is for rural areas and has Gram Sabha, Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Panchayat, while urban local bodies are for towns and cities and have People of the Ward, Ward Committee, Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council and Municipal Corporation. Urban bodies deal with more complex city problems like large infrastructure, traffic and dense populations, while Panchayats deal with village agriculture and rural issues. Their names, size and rules differ from State to State.