Class 6 Social Science — Chapter 11: Grassroots Democracy – Part 2 Local Government in Rural Areas

What you'll learn

• ▸The Panchayati Raj System
• ▸The Three-Tier Structure
• ▸Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat
• ▸The Role of the Sarpanch
• ▸Functions of Panchayats
• ▸Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad
• ▸Administrative Support Roles
• ▸Representation and Inclusivity
• ▸Child-Friendly Panchayat Initiatives

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- CHAPTER 11 Grassroots Democracy – Part 2 Local Government in Rural Areas The real India lives in its villages. – M.K. Gandhi The Big Questions 1. What are Panchayati Raj institutions? 2. What are their functions? 3. Why are they important in governance and democracy? Let us now see how the government functions at the local level. In this chapter, our focus will be on local government in rural areas; we will move to urban areas in the next chapter. India is a country of enormous size and diversity. We have about 600,000 villages, 8,000 towns and over 4,000 cities. Our population has crossed 1.4 billion, almost two-thirds of which live in rural areas. How do we govern ourselves in this complex society? Let us take a trip to Lakshmanpur, a small village in the foothills of the Himalayas. It has 200 houses and a population of about 700, most of whom are farmers. People cultivate Reprint 2025-26 --- PAGE 2 --- their lands and rear …

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explain Panchayati Raj history. Get Solution →
2. Describe successful village projects. Get Solution →
3. Find out more about child parliaments. Get Solution →
4. What is the system of local government in rural areas of India called? Get Solution →
5. The Panchayati Raj system in India is organized into how many levels or tiers? Get Solution →
6. What is the name of the local government body at the village level? Get Solution →
7. Who directly elects the members of the Gram Panchayat? Get Solution →
8. What is the elected head or president of a Gram Panchayat commonly called? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 India's ancient village councils, called Panchayats, existed thousands of years ago.
• 💡 The world's oldest continuous democracy is in San Marino, a tiny republic.
• 💡 In some small Swiss villages, citizens still gather to vote directly on local laws.
• 💡 A village in Alaska once elected a cat named Stubbs as its honorary mayor.
• 💡 Early human settlements worldwide used community-led decision-making for local issues.

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