NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 12, Grassroots Democracy Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas, provide clear and structured answers that help students understand the functioning and importance of urban local bodies.
These solutions explain key concepts such as the roles of municipal corporations, public services in cities, and the value of participatory democracy.
The NCERT Solutions is based on the CBSE Class 6 Social Science syllabus and is aimed at helping students grasp the chapter effectively, improve their understanding, and prepare confidently for exams.
This chapter helps students understand how cities and towns are managed through urban local bodies such as Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, and Nagar Panchayats. These are part of the government at the local level, and they take care of important services like water supply, garbage collection, road maintenance, street lighting, and public health.
Students learn:
How local governments in urban areas function.
The roles and responsibilities of elected members.
Why citizen participation is important in keeping a city clean and well-managed.
How urban areas are more complex than villages and need organized planning.
The chapter also highlights the importance of schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and explains how teamwork between citizens and local authorities can improve the quality of life in cities.
Here are the solutions for NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 12 Grassroots Democracy Part 3 Local Government. These solutions cover all the questions and exercises from the chapter to help students understand the concepts clearly and prepare effectively for exams.
The Big Questions (Page 173)
Q1. What are urban local bodies, and what are their functions?
Answer:Urban local bodies are local government groups that take care of cities and towns. They help manage things in the city so life runs smoothly.
Their main jobs include:
Keeping records of births and deaths.
Cleaning the streets and collecting garbage.
Taking care of drainage and sewage systems.
Providing clean drinking water.
Building and repairing roads, parks, schools, and flyovers.
Controlling diseases and giving vaccines.
Lighting up streets at night.
Looking after graveyards and cremation grounds.
Protecting old buildings and monuments.
Q2. Why are they important in governance and democracy?Answer: Urban local bodies are important because they handle everyday services like water, garbage cleaning, and park maintenance. People living in the area help in decision-making, which makes the system more democratic. Also, with women getting one-third of the seats, more people are involved. This reduces the workload of the state and central government and makes governance more effective.
Let’s Explore
Q1. Why is a city like Kolkata, Chennai, or Mumbai more complex and diverse than a village or a town?
Answer: Cities like Kolkata, Chennai, or Mumbai have a huge number of people from different cultures, jobs, languages, and backgrounds. They need more transport, hospitals, schools, and other services. Because of all these things, managing a big city is more difficult than managing a small village or town.
Q2. With your classmates, make a list of diverse communities residing in any city that you are familiar with. How many were you able to list? What else do you observe in the list?
Answer: In a city like Delhi, we find many different types of people:
Communities include:
Religious: Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, etc.
Language: Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, etc.
Cultural: Artists, dancers, writers, etc.
Economic: Rich, middle class, and poor families.
Others: Foreigners, migrant workers, people with disabilities, senior citizens.
Observations:
So many different groups live together.
One person can be part of many groups (like a Tamil-speaking Hindu artist).
Cities are full of variety and cultures.
This diversity makes cities colorful and interesting.
Cities like Delhi are cosmopolitan, meaning people from all over the world live there peacefully.
Let’s Explore
Question 3. In the figure above, what similarities and differences do you notice between the Panchayati Raj system and the urban local government?
Answer:
Similarities:
Both are local forms of government chosen by the people through elections.
Their main goal is to solve local problems and improve the lives of people in the area.
They handle tasks like fixing roads, keeping the area clean, managing water supply, and looking after public health.
Differences:
The Panchayati Raj system works in villages and rural areas, while urban local governments work in cities and towns.
Panchayati Raj has three levels (Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad), while urban local bodies include Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, or Nagar Panchayats, depending on the size of the city or town.
The challenges and needs in cities (like traffic, pollution, high population) are more complex than in villages.
Question 4. Can you think of four or five more actions that responsible citizens might take to help their area of the city?
Answer: Yes, responsible citizens can take many steps to make their city better. Here are a few:
Plant trees and look after parks to make the air clean and the city green.
Use buses, metros, or bicycles to reduce traffic and pollution.
Avoid using plastic bags and switch to eco-friendly bags like cotton or jute.
Volunteer to teach poor or street children in free time.
Save electricity by using LED bulbs and try to use solar energy wherever possible.
Reuse wastewater (like RO water) for cleaning cars, watering plants, or washing floors.
Question 5. Select a few cities, from your state and from a few neighbouring states. These may include the city you live in or the city nearest to your town or village. How will you find out if they have a Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council or Municipal Corporation? Draw a table with the names of the cities and the type of urban local body each of them has.
Answer: To find out the type of urban local body in a city, I would:
Visit the official website of that city’s local government.
Check reliable sources like Wikipedia or state government portals.
Call or visit the local municipal office to confirm the type of body they have.
Here is a table showing examples of cities and their urban local bodies:
City |
State |
Urban Local Body |
Indore |
Madhya Pradesh |
Municipal Corporation |
Bhopal |
Madhya Pradesh |
Municipal Corporation |
Mumbai |
Maharashtra |
Municipal Corporation |
Pune |
Maharashtra |
Municipal Corporation |
Nagpur |
Maharashtra |
Municipal Corporation |
Jaipur |
Rajasthan |
Municipal Corporation |
Udaipur |
Rajasthan |
Municipal Council |
Question 6. How do urban local bodies fund their activities? (Hint: Look carefully at the pictures of the functions performed by Indore Municipal Corporation in Figure 12.4 on page 178) Are some of them paid services?
Answer: Urban local bodies get money from different sources to run the city and provide services. These include:
Taxes like property tax, water tax, and advertisement tax.
Fees and licenses such as for trade, shops, and businesses.
Fines and penalties for breaking rules.
Rent from municipal properties (like markets, halls, etc.).
Paid services, such as:
Water tankers
Septic tank cleaning
Debris removal
Mobile toilets
Auditorium booking
Private ambulance services
Think About It
Question 1. Indore in Madhya Pradesh has been awarded the cleanest city in India under the Swachh Survekshan scheme for seven years in a row. What could have been the role of Indore citizens in this achievement?
Answer: Citizens of Indore played a big role in making the city the cleanest in India. They followed all the rules for garbage collection and disposal. People made sure not to litter the streets, avoided using plastic, and used public transport more often. Many residents took part in cleanliness drives and helped spread awareness. They worked together with the local government and took responsibility to keep their city clean and green.
Questions, Activities and Projects (Pages 181-182)
Question 1. On your way to school, you and your friends notice that a water pipe is leaking. A lot of water is being wasted on account of the leak. What would you and your friends do in such a situation?
Answer: We would inform an elder or a teacher and ask for help to contact the city’s Municipal Board or local water supply office. Acting quickly would help save water and stop further damage.
Question 2. Invite a member of a nearby urban local body to your class. Discuss their role and responsibilities. Prepare a set of questions to ask them so that the meeting is productive.
Answer:
Here are some questions we can ask:
What are your main duties in the urban local body?
How do your actions help people in the city every day?
Can you share an example of a recent project or improvement you worked on?
How do you solve complaints or problems reported by people?
What are the biggest challenges you face in your job?
Question 3. Discuss with adult members of your family and neighbourhood, and make a list of their expectations from the urban local bodies.
Answer:After talking to adults in my family and neighborhood, here’s what they expect from the urban local bodies:
Keep streets, drains, and public places clean.
Repair roads and provide working streetlights.
Make sure everyone gets clean water and proper drainage.
Keep the area safe through proper law and emergency services.
Plant trees, control pollution, and take care of the environment.
Help elderly people, poor families, and people with disabilities through health and welfare programs.
Share information clearly about where money is spent and which projects are happening.
Involve people in decision-making and listen to their problems and ideas.
These expectations show that people want better services and more cooperation from local authorities.
Question 4. Make a list of characteristics of a good urban local body.
Answer: A good urban local body should:
Provide clean and safe drinking water.
Treat and manage sewage properly.
Collect and dispose of garbage regularly.
Manage solid waste in an eco-friendly way.
Build and maintain roads, flyovers, and footpaths.
Install and maintain proper streetlights.
Keep parks, gardens, and open spaces green and clean.
Maintain cemeteries and cremation grounds.
Register births and deaths accurately.
Protect old buildings and heritage sites.
Prevent diseases and run vaccination programs.
Look after government schools and make sure they run well.
Question 5. What are the similarities and differences between the Panchayati Raj system in rural areas and the urban local bodies?
Answer:
Similarities:
Both are local governments run by elected members.
They work to solve problems in their area and improve people's lives.
Both help with things like health, roads, water, and cleanliness.
Differences:
Panchayati Raj works in villages; urban local bodies work in cities and towns.
Cities need more complex services like flyovers, traffic control, and waste management, which is usually not required in villages.
Panchayati Raj has Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad. Urban local bodies include Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, and Nagar Panchayats, depending on the size of the city or town.
Students can download the NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 12 Grassroots Democracy Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas in PDF format from the link below.
This PDF includes well-structured and easy-to-understand answers to all the questions in the textbook, helping students strengthen their understanding of urban governance.
These solutions are ideal for quick revision, homework support, and better Class 6 exam preparation.
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