Local Government — Set 3

Correct Answer: B. All registered voters in the village

• **All registered voters** = under the 73rd Amendment (Article 243-A), the Gram Sabha consists of all persons registered in the electoral rolls of a village within the area of a Panchayat — not just adults or heads of families. • **Foundation of Panchayati Raj** — the Gram Sabha is the primary democratic institution at the village level; it approves annual plans, budgets, and social audit of the Gram Panchayat's works. • 💡 Option A (all adult residents) is broader — non-residents who are adults are included in 'all adult residents' but Gram Sabha membership is specifically tied to electoral roll registration; Option C (only heads of families) is far too narrow — any registered voter, not just heads of families, is a member; Option D (only the elected members) describes the Gram Panchayat, not the Gram Sabha.

Correct Answer: D. Governor of the State

• **Governor** = appoints the State Election Commissioner under Article 243-K; the SEC superintends, directs, and controls the preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of elections to Panchayats and Municipalities. • **Security of tenure** — the State Election Commissioner can be removed only in the same manner as a High Court Judge is removed (by an address of the state legislature), ensuring independence from state government pressure. • 💡 Option A (President of India) appoints the Chief Election Commissioner of India, not the State Election Commissioner; Option B (Chief Minister) heads the state cabinet but has no role in appointing the State Election Commissioner; Option C (Chief Justice of High Court) is involved in the removal process of SEC (as a standard), not the appointment.

Correct Answer: D. Port Trust

• **Port Trust** = a special-purpose urban local body established for the administration of major port areas; manages civic amenities, infrastructure, and services within port limits. • **Central government body** — Port Trusts (e.g., Mumbai Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust) are set up under the Major Port Trusts Act and are under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways — not state governments. • 💡 Option A (Township) is created by large public sector enterprises (like BHEL,) to provide civic services to employees — not for port administration; Option B (Special Purpose Agency) is a general term — not specifically for ports; Option C (Cantonment Board) is for military station areas under the Ministry of Defence — not for port administration.

Correct Answer: B. Ministry of Defence

• **Ministry of Defence** = Cantonment Boards function under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence; they provide civic amenities to civilians and military personnel in cantonment areas. • **Centrally administered** — unlike Municipal Corporations or Nagar Panchayats (which are state subjects), Cantonment Boards are set up under the Cantonments Act, 2006 and are directly under central government control. • 💡 Option A (Ministry of Rural Development) handles Panchayati Raj and rural schemes — not cantonment administration; Option C (Ministry of Home Affairs) manages internal security and police — not cantonment civic administration; Option D (Ministry of Urban Development) oversees urban local bodies in general — but Cantonment Boards specifically fall under Defence Ministry.

Correct Answer: D. Providing reservation for OBCs

• **OBC reservation is voluntary** = the 73rd Amendment leaves reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Panchayats to the discretion of the state legislature — it is not a mandatory provision. • **Mandatory provisions** — five-year tenure, SC/ST reservations (proportionate to population), direct elections to all seats, one-third reservation for women, and State Election Commission are all compulsory under the 73rd Amendment. • 💡 Option A (Five-year tenure) is a mandatory constitutional provision under Article 243-E — not voluntary; Option B (Reservation for SCs and STs) is mandatory under Article 243-D proportionate to their population — not voluntary; Option C (Direct elections to all seats) in Panchayats is mandatory under Article 243-C — not voluntary.

Correct Answer: A. Municipal Corporation

• **Mayor** = the head (presiding officer) of a Municipal Corporation; in most states, the Mayor is a ceremonial head while real executive power is vested in the Municipal Commissioner (IAS officer). • **Elected vs appointed** — the Mayor is directly elected by ward councillors or citizens (varies by state); the Municipal Commissioner is a bureaucrat appointed by the state government. • 💡 Option B (Notified Area Committee) is headed by a Chairman appointed by the state government — not a Mayor; Option C (Nagar Panchayat) is headed by a Chairman/President, not a Mayor; Option D (Municipal Council) at the smaller-town level is also headed by a Chairperson or President, not a Mayor.

Correct Answer: B. G.V.K. Rao Committee

• **G.V.K. Rao Committee (1985)** = appointed by the Planning Commission; observed that PRIs had become 'grass without roots' — weakened by excessive bureaucracy and lack of devolution of powers and funds. • **Recommended Zila Parishad as nodal body** — the committee stressed that district planning must be entrusted to a popularly elected body and that Zila Parishad should control rural development programmes. • 💡 Option A (Ashok Mehta Committee) was appointed in 1977 to recommend structural changes to PRI — not specifically for reviewing administrative arrangements for rural development in 1985; Option C (L.M. Singhvi Committee) was 1986 — focused on constitutional status, not rural administration review; Option D (Thungon Committee) was 1988 — recommended constitutional recognition for Panchayats.

Correct Answer: A. Elections to the Panchayats

• **Article 243-K** = provides for a State Election Commission (SEC) to superintend, direct, and control the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Panchayats and Municipalities. • **State Election Commissioner's security** — appointed by the Governor; removable only in the manner of a High Court Judge; cannot have service conditions changed to disadvantage after appointment. • 💡 Option B (Reservation of seats) is covered by Article 243-D for Panchayats and Article 243-T for Municipalities — not Article 243-K; Option C (Disqualification of members) is dealt with under Article 243-F (Panchayats) and Article 243-V (Municipalities); Option D (Audit of accounts) is covered under Article 243-J for Panchayats and Article 243-Z for Municipalities.

Correct Answer: B. Administration of petty civil and criminal justice

• **Nyaya Panchayat** = a judicial wing at the village level established to provide speedy, cheap, and informal justice; handles petty civil disputes (small land/property/money) and minor criminal cases. • **Cannot award imprisonment** — Nyaya Panchayats generally can only impose fines; they are not part of the regular judiciary and are not uniform across all states — some states like UP, Bihar have them, others do not. • 💡 Option A (maintenance of land records) is the function of the Revenue/Patwari department — not Nyaya Panchayats; Option C (collection of taxes) is a function of the Gram Panchayat executive wing — not a judicial body; Option D (execution of development schemes) is the role of the Gram Panchayat's development committee — not the Nyaya Panchayat.

Correct Answer: D. Andhra Pradesh

• **Andhra Pradesh** = the second state to adopt the Panchayati Raj system in 1959, shortly after Rajasthan (which was first on October 2, 1959). • **Karnataka's distinction** — Karnataka is notable for having the most progressive Panchayati Raj legislation (Karnataka Zilla Parishads Act, 1983) even before the 73rd Amendment; West Bengal also established strong PRIs in 1978. • 💡 Option A (West Bengal) strengthened PRIs significantly from 1978 but was not the second state in 1959; Option B (Karnataka) passed landmark PRI legislation in 1983 but was not the second state in 1959; Option C (Tamil Nadu) adopted Panchayati Raj but not as the second state in 1959.