State and Local Administration Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The recommendation that a separate Ombudsman be constituted in the case of a Metropolitan Corporation is attributed in the key to the Veerappa Moily Committee, that is the Second Administrative Reforms Commission under M. Veerappa Moily.

The National Commission on Urban Affairs, the P.C. Hota Committee and the First Administrative Reforms Commission are other bodies, and the key does not give them as the source. The third option is the answer.

Answer: B

The recommendation that the Government of India should draft and place before Parliament a framework law for local governments was made by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, in its report on local governance.

The National Law Commission, the Punchhi Commission and the Sarkaria Commission are other bodies; the Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions looked at Centre-State relations. So the second option is correct.

Answer: D

The statement that, in the case of two or more wards, the chairman of the Ward Committee is nominated by the State Government is not correct. Under Article 243S, the chairman of a Ward Committee consisting of two or more wards is elected from among the members of the committee.

The other statements are right: the composition and territorial area of a Ward Committee are provided by State law, the state legislature may provide for the manner of filling seats, and the chairman is elected by the committee's members. So the fourth option is the answer.

Answer: B

The State Finance Commission is provided for in Article 243-I of the Constitution, inserted by the 73rd Amendment. It reviews the financial position of the panchayats and makes recommendations to the Governor, and the Article applies to municipalities through Article 243-Y.

Article 243-H deals with the powers to impose taxes and the funds of panchayats, Article 243-M with the application of Part IX to certain areas, and Article 243-O with the bar to interference by courts. So the second option is correct.

Answer: B

The key gives John Mathai as the author of the definition of the Panchayat as an association of village people for doing administrative, judicial or other public works. He wrote 'Village Government in British India', a work that dealt with village institutions.

Jayaprakash Narayan, Mahatma Gandhi and A.S. Altekar are well known for their writing about the village and the panchayat, but the key does not name them for this definition. The second option is the answer.

Answer: A

The key gives geographical decentralization as the name for transferring functions and powers from the headquarters to the field offices. The transfer is made to units spread over areas, and so it is territorial in nature.

Political decentralization is the devolution of power to elected local bodies, administrative decentralization is the general term for the shifting of authority within the organization, and functional decentralization is the division of work by function, so those options are not chosen by the key.

Answer: B

Both statements are correct, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion, as the key gives.

The plurality of organisations and departments at the district level has created many problems, so (A) is correct. A district administration must have unity of purpose and a singular approach, which is often missing, so (R) is correct as a general principle. However, the Reason states what is needed and does not directly explain why the problems from the plurality have arisen, and so it is not the full explanation.

Answer: C

The statement that the District Collector has a directive role in the scheme of Panchayati Raj is the one that is not correct, as the key gives. In the Panchayati Raj arrangement the Collector's role is that of a coordinator and facilitator, and not a directive one.

The other statements are correct: his position varies from State to State, he takes initiative in need-based development programmes, and he coordinates and helps in the implementation of programmes.

Answer: C

The protection of the natural environment in India is the responsibility of the State under the Constitution and the fundamental duty of every citizen, which is the code (i) and (ii).

The Directive Principles ask the State to protect and improve the environment, and Article 51A makes it a duty of every citizen. It is not a mandatory function of NGOs, and it is not the legal responsibility of the NCR Planning Board alone, so the codes with (iii) or (iv) are wrong.

Answer: B

The watershed development approach is used to implement the Drought Prone Areas Programme, the Desert Development Programme and the Integrated Wasteland Development Programme, which is the code (i), (ii) and (iii).

The Integrated Rural Development Programme was a scheme of assistance to poor families for assets and self-employment, and it was not implemented through the watershed approach, so the codes containing (iv) are wrong.