Civics Polity

Local Government System

622 Questions

The local government system questions focus on the structure, functions, and constitutional provisions of Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies. Test takers will explore the electoral processes and responsibilities of Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishads. This topic is highly relevant for state-level civil services and UPSC examinations.

Panchayati Raj structureGram Panchayat functionsUrban local bodiesZilla Parishad electionConstitutional provisions

Local Government System Questions

Multiple choice

Panchayati Raj is organised at

  1. village level

  2. village and block levels

  3. village, block and district levels

  4. village, block, district and state levels
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Panchayati Raj institutions in India are organized at three hierarchical levels - village (Gram Panchayat), block (Panchayat Samiti), and district (Zilla Parishad). This three-tier structure was established to decentralize governance and ensure democratic participation at the grassroots level. State level is not part of the Panchayati Raj system.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is responsible for the administration and development of rural areas?

  1. Village Development Board

  2. Tahsildar

  3. District Board

  4. Nyay Panchayat
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The District Board is responsible for administration and development of rural areas at the district level. Village Development Boards work at the village level, Tahsildars are revenue officials, and Nyay Panchayats handle local justice. The District Board coordinates broader rural development including roads, sanitation, and infrastructure.

Multiple choice

Panchayati Raj is organised at

  1. village levels

  2. village and block levels

  3. village, block and district levels

  4. village, block, district and state levels
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Panchayati Raj system in India is organized as a three-tier structure: village (Gram Panchayat), block (Samiti), and district (Zila Parishad) levels. This framework ensures democratic governance at multiple administrative levels.

Multiple choice

Panchayats at the intermediate level may not be constituted in a state having a population less than

  1. ten lakhs

  2. fifteen lakhs

  3. twenty lakhs

  4. twenty five lakhs
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Article 243B(b) of the Constitution states that panchayats at the intermediate level may not be constituted in a state having a total population less than twenty lakhs. This provision allows smaller states to have only two tiers of panchayats (village and district) instead of three.

Multiple choice

A panchayat in which of the following districts of Kerala was described as the first litigation-controlled tribal panchayat in the country by the Chief Justice of India in 2010?

  1. Kannur

  2. Kasaragod

  3. Kollam

  4. Kottayam

  5. Kozhikode
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan on February 27, 2010 declared Moonnilavu panchayat in Kottayam district of Kerala as the first litigation-controlled tribal panchayat in the country.

Multiple choice

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojna of Government of India is concerned with

  1. Devolution of all the functions listed in 11th Schedule of the Constitution

  2. Capacity building of elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions

  3. Strengthening consolidated fund of the State Government

  4. Ensuring mandatory reservation for OBCs in the PRIs
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY) was launched to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions through capacity building and training of elected representatives. It focuses on human resource development rather than fund consolidation or reservation mandates.

Multiple choice

What is the system of governance in the Panchayati Raj set up?

  1. Single-tier set-up of local self-government at village level

  2. Two-tier system of local self-government at the village and block levels

  3. Three-tier structure of local self-government at the village, block and district levels.

  4. Four-tier system of local self-government at the village, block, district and state levels
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 institutionalized the three-tier Panchayati Raj system throughout India. This consists of Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti or Block Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following is correctly matched?

  1. Santhanam Committee : Panchayati Raj Finances

  2. Balwant Rai Mehta : Panchayati Raj Institutions

  3. G.V.K. Rao Committee : Planning at the Block Lelve

  4. Dantwala Committee : Administrative arrangement for rural development
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) is famously associated with the recommendation of a three-tier Panchayati Raj system. While the Santhanam Committee also looked at PR finances, Balwant Rai Mehta's work is the foundational study for the institutional structure of PRIs in India.

Multiple choice

On which of the following subjects does the Finance Commission of a State Constituted under the Part IX of the Constitution of India make recommendations to the Governor?

  1. Distribution between the state and the panchayat of the net proceeds of the taxes by the state
  2. Determination of the taxes which may be assigned to, or appropriated by the panchayats.
  3. Grants-in-aid to the panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the state. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. 1, 2 and 3

  2. 1 and 2 only

  3. 2 and 3 only

  4. 1 and 3 only
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The State Finance Commission, constituted under Article 243-I, makes recommendations regarding the distribution of tax proceeds between the State and Panchayats. It also advises on the taxes to be assigned to Panchayats and the grants-in-aid to be provided from the Consolidated Fund of the State.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

  1. A Gram Sabha may exercise such powers and perform such functions at the village level as the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide.
  2. Parliament may, by law, make provisions with respect to maintenance of accounts by Panchayats.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is correct as per Article 243A. Statement 2 is incorrect because the State Legislature, not Parliament, makes provisions for the maintenance of accounts by Panchayats under Article 243J.

Multiple choice

A panchayat samiti at the block level is

  1. An advisory body

  2. An administrative authority

  3. A consultant committee

  4. A supervisory authority
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Panchayat Samiti serves as the intermediate tier of the Panchayati Raj system in India. It acts as an administrative authority that coordinates the activities of the Gram Panchayats within the block.

Multiple choice

Planning in India is

  1. centralised planning

  2. decentralised planning

  3. indicative planning

  4. ad-hoc planning
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Indian planning is characterized as decentralized because it involves the participation of states and local bodies in the formulation and implementation process. This contrasts with a strictly top-down, centralized model.

Multiple choice

Under Panchayat Raj system, the lowest unit is the

  1. Zila Parishad

  2. Gram Sabha

  3. Vikas Khand Samiti

  4. Gram Panchayat
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Gram Sabha remains the lowest unit of the Panchayati Raj system. Gram Panchayat is only the elected body. Gram Sabha is the total electorate and meets as the first tier of PR system.