Revision Series | Polity | Local Self Governance | 64

Answer: (d)

• Under any law made by the state legislature. However, no person shall be disqualified on the ground that he is less than 25 years of age if he has attained the age of 21 years. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Further, all questions of disqualifications shall be referred to such authority as the state legislature determines. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

Answer: (c)

The act has given a practical shape to Article 40 of the Constitution which says that “The State shall take steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government

Answer: (d)

Compulsory provisions of the act

• Constitution of Gram Sabha in a village or a group of villages
• Establishment of panchayat at village, intermediate and district
• Direct elections to all the above
• Indirect election to the post of the chairperson of the panchayats at the intermediate and district level
• 21 years to be the minimum age for contesting
• Reservation of seats for SC and STs in panchayats at all levels
• Reservation of 1/3rd seats for women in panchayats
• Fixing of tenure of 5 years and holding elections within six months in any event of supersession of any panchayat
• Establishment of state election commission
• Constitution of state finance commission after every 5 years to review the financial position of the panchayats.

Answer: (c)

• Every state shall constitute at the district level, a district planning committee to consolidate the plans prepared by panchayats and municipalities in the districts, and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. Hence option (a) is correct.
• The Act lays down that four-fifths of the members of a district planning committee should be elected by the elected members of the district panchayat and municipalities in the district from amongst themselves. The representation of these members in the committee should be in proportion to the ratio between the rural and urban populations in the district. Hence option (b) is correct.

Answer: (c)

Gram Sabha owns Minor minerals and revenue generation from

Answer: (C)

• The 74th amendment Act,1992 provides for a five-year term of office for every municipality. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Moreover, a municipality constituted upon the dissolution of a municipality before the expiration of its duration shall continue only for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved Municipality would have continued had it not been dissolved. In other words, a municipality reconstituted after premature dissolution does not enjoy the full period of five years but remains in office only for the remainder of the period. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Answer: (d)

• Eleventh Schedule: It contains the following 29 functional items placed within the purview of panchayats:
• Agriculture, including agricultural extension
• Land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land consolidation, and soil conservation
• Minor irrigation, water management, and watershed development
• Animal husbandry, dairying, and poultry
• Fisheries
• Social forestry and farm forestry
• Minor forest produce
• Small-scale industries, including food processing industries
• Khadi, village, and cottage industries
• Rural housing
• Drinking water
• Fuel and fodder
• Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways, and other means of communication
• Rural electrification, including distribution of electricity
• Non-conventional energy sources
• Poverty alleviation programme
• Education, including primary and secondary schools
• Technical training and vocational education
• Adult and non-formal education
• Libraries
• Cultural activities
• Markets and fairs
• Health and sanitation including hospitals, primary health centers, and dispensaries
• Family welfare
• Women and child development
• Social welfare, including the welfare of the handicapped and mentally retarded
• Welfare of the weaker sections, and in particular, of the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes
• Public distribution system
• Maintenance of community assets.

Answer: (d)

• Municipal corporations are established in the states by the acts of the concerned state legislatures, and in the union territories by the acts of the Parliament of India. There may be one common act for all the municipal corporations in a state or a separate act for each municipal corporation.
• The main function of Mayor is to preside over the meetings of the Council. The Municipal Commissioner is responsible for the implementation of the decisions taken by the council and its standing committees. Thus, he is the chief executive authority of the corporation.

Answer: (b)

• A cantonment board is established for municipal administration for the civilian population in the cantonment area. It is set up under the provisions of the Cantonments Act of 2006—legislation enacted by the Central government. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• It works under the administrative control of the Defence Ministry of the Central government.
• A cantonment board consists of partly elected and partly nominated members. The elected members hold office for a term of five years while the nominated members (i.e., ex-officio members) continue so long as they hold the office in that station. The military officer commanding the station is the ex-officio president of the board and presides over its meetings. The Vice-President of the board is elected by the elected members from amongst themselves for a term of five years.

Answer: (a)

• State Election Commissions is entrusted to conduct elections to Panchayats hrough 73rd and urban local bodies through 74th Constitutional amendment acts.
• At present, there is no clear-cut provision regarding the submission of reports by State Election Commission. NCRWC also recommended that the State Election Commission should submit its annual or special reports to the Election Commission of India and to the Governor.

Answer: (a)

Answer: (a)

Answer: (b)

Answer: (d)

• The Act does not apply to the States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram and certain other areas.
• They includes:
• The scheduled areas and the tribal areas in the States.
• The hill areas of Manipur.
• Darjeeling district of West Bengal.