NCERT Solutions for Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 11 Grassroots Democracy Part 2 Local Government In Rural Areas
Updated on 2026-09-05
About this chapter
The chapter’s one idea: the government nearest to a village should be run by the villagers themselves. Lakshmanpur, the imaginary village in the Himalayan foothills, has 200 houses and about 700 people. Its needs — water for the fields, a road washed away by rain, the primary school, a land dispute — are all local. Nobody can “run to the State or the national capital for every such issue”. So India has a system of local government called the Panchayat , “which refers to a village council”. Panchayati Raj is a form of self-government. Panchayats “bring governance closer to the people, making it possible for them to actively participate in decision-making processes”. They address local issues, promote development, and make sure “that the benefits of government schemes reach the grassroots le
- Chapter opening
- –164Introduction, and the trip to Lakshmanpur
- The Patwari and the old land maps
- Child-Friendly Panchayat Initiative
- Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad
- Kauṭilya’s Arthaśhāstra
- The chapter in three points
- End-of-chapter exercise
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 163
- –164Introduction, and the trip to Lakshmanpur — In-text Questions Page 163
- The Patwari and the old land maps — THINK ABOUT IT Page 167
- Child-Friendly Panchayat Initiative — LET’S EXPLORE Page 169
- Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad — THINK ABOUT IT Page 170
- Comparing the Central and Panchayat levels, and meeting Panchayat members — LET’S EXPLORE Page 170
- Kauṭilya’s Arthaśhāstra — In-text Questions Page 171
- The chapter in three points — Before we move on … Page 171
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions, activities and projects Page 171