What is the link between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat?
1. The Gram Sabha consists of all adults living in an area covered by the Panchayat.
2. Sarpanch is the elected by all the members of Gram Sabha.
3. The Gram Panchayat has a secretary who is also the secretory of Gram Sabha. The secretory is the link between Gram Sabha & Gram Panchayat.
4. Gram Sabha controls the functioning of Gram Panchayat.
5. Gram Sabha is the key factor in making the Gram Panchayat that plays its role and be responsible.
What problem did the villagers in Hardas village face? What did they do to solve this problem?
What, in your opinion, is the importance of the Gram Sabha? Do you think all members should attend Gram Sabha meetings? Why?
What is the difference between a Gram Sabha and a Gram Panchayat?
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?
Find out more about watershed development and how it benefits an area?
Take an example of any one task done by a Panchayat in your area/nearby rural area and find out the following:
a. Why it was taken up.
b. Where the money came from.
c. Whether or not the work has been completed.
How would Maya's life be different in South Africa today?
Draw up a list of the different festivals celebrated in your locality. Which of these celebrations are shared by members of different regional and religious communities?
What is the work of the police?
Match the following statements in a way that challenges stereotypes.
a. Two surgeons were sitting down to lunch when one of them made a call on the mobile phone |
1. suffers from chronic asthma. |
b. The boy who won the drawing competition went to the dias |
2. to become an astronaut which she did. |
c. One of the fastest athletes in the world |
3. to speak with her daughter who had just returned from school. |
d. She was not that well-off but had a dream |
4. on a wheelchair to collect his prize. |
Look at the statements in the column on the left. Can you identify which level they belong to? Place tick marks against the level you consider most appropriate.
Why did the children go to Yasmin Khala's house?
You have probably noticed that people in Kalpattu are engaged in a variety of non-farm work. List five of these.
Read and discuss the following description of the living conditions of workers who come to the labour chowk.
Most workers that we find at the labour chowk cannot afford permanent accommodation and so sleep on pavements near the chowk, or they pay Rs 6 a night for a bed at a nearby night shelter run by the Municipal Corporation. To compensate for the lack of security, local tea and cigarette shops function as banks, moneylenders and safety lockers, all rolled into one. Most workers leave their tools at these shops for the night for safekeeping, and pass on any extra money to them. The shopkeepers keep the money safely and also offer loans to labourers in need.
Source: Aman Sethi, Hindu On-line
What are the various ways in which people participate in the process of government?
What do you think living in India with its rich heritage of diversity adds to your life?
How would Maya's life be different in South Africa today?
Do you think the term "unity in diversity" is an appropriate term to describe India? What do you think Nehru is trying to say about Indian unity in the sentence quoted above from his book The Discovery of India?
List two things that the work of a Patwari includes.
What benefits does Sudha get along with her salary?
What is the work of a tehsildar?
Choose another region in India and do a similar study of the historical and geographical factors that influence the diversity found there. Are these historical and geographical factors connected to each other? How?
What is the work of the police?
Discuss
In the two photographs you see different ways of collecting and disposing garbage.
i) Which way do you think provides safety to the person disposing garbage?
ii) What are the dangers of collecting garbage in the manner shown in the first photograph?
iii) Why do you think that proper ways of disposing garbage are not available to those who work in municipalities?
Visit a police station and find out the work that the police have to do to prevent crime and maintain law and order in their area especially during festivals, public meetings etc.
Complete the following table and discuss how their work is different: