CLASS 6TH | RURAL LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT | REVISION NOTES

Objectives for the Lesson:

1. You’ll learn about the working of a local self government body, that is, the Panchayti Raj.
2. The chapter helps us in understanding the functions of the Tehsildars and the Patwaris.
3. To understand about the Hindu Succession Amendment Act , 2005 .

Expected Learning Outcome:

The students will be able to understand the local self governing bodies of India and how different people are assigned to the task of rural development for a smooth functioning. The chapter will also enlighten students about the Hindu Succession Amendment Act, and its role in strengthening the future of Hindu Women in India.

Focus Point

The chapter focuses on the way villages and districts are administered.

Things to Answer after Reading the Context

1. Who is a Sarpanch?
2. Why do you think local self governing bodies are necessary?
3. What kind of a person is Raghu?

Local Self Governing Bodies

India is a vast country and to manage the country, we cannot rely on one Central Government. This is the reason why the Government has been divided into three different levels, The Central, The State and the Local Self Government. In this chapter, we will be having a small discussion on Panchayti Raj, a local self governing body with the help of a small story.

A Village Story

A farmer named Mohan had a small agricultural field , which they had been using for farming for many years . Another man named Raghu , lived next to him separated by a small boundary called bund . One day , Mohan noticed Raghu took over some  Mohan’s land by shifting the bund by feet .

ANGRY AND FRIGHTENED – Mohan got furious about the matter as well as he was frightened to do something about it because Raghu’s family owned many fields and also his uncle was the Sarpanch of the village .  But, still he took the courage and faced him . Raghu reluctantly denied the fact that he shifted the bund and started shouting and beating Mohan with the help of his helpers .

The neighbours heard them and took Mohan away . He was badly hurt and then he decided to take this matter to the police station .

Things to answer after reading the context :

1. What should have the police station done and what did they exactly do ?
2. How were the neighbours dealing with the matter ?
3. How do you feel about Raghu after the incident ?
4. Do you think it was a minor complaint ?
5. Who is the S.H.O. ? What is his duty?

The Police Station

They went to the police station and Mohan told the S.H.O. about the incident but the S.H.O. rudely behaved and told him that he had no time for such minor complaints . Mohan tried to convince him by showing him  his injuries but his complaint was still not recorded . Then he called the neighbours and a strong heated argument followed and he was again beaten up by the officers .

After that , they again insisted on registering the complaint and the officer finally agreed and asked Mohan to write down his complaint.

Incidents like these are common for the poor villagers in India. They are often harassed and abused, and their lands and properties are taken away like that. Why do you think the rich villagers do this?

Things to answer after reading the context :

1. Who is a Patwari ? What are the other names of the Patwari?
2. What are the other things the Patwari is responsible for ?
3. Who supervises Patwari’s work ?

Land Records

PATWARI – The main task of the Patwari is to measure the lands and keep their records . He is also responsible for organising collection of land revenue from the farmers . Also , they provide the information about crops to the government . It is therefore necessary for the Patwari to update those regularly .

The Patwari is also known as Lekhpal , Kanungo , Karamchari , etc in different states . The Patwari has ways to measure agricultural fields . In the above case , the Patwari had to measure the lands by using the maps , if they matched it means the boundaries did not change and vice versa .

Sometimes , farmers can also change the crops grown on their fields or dig a well somewhere else . So , it is the responsibility of the revenue department of the government to keep a record of this . The Patwari’s work is supervised by the senior people.

There are many states in India . All of them are divided into districts. The districts are further divided into subdivisions known as tehsil , taluka, etc . The head is the District Collector and the tehsildars ( revenue officers) are under him . They check that the records are kept properly and also the land revenue is collected .

The Tehsildar’s office is the place where all the land problems are discussed .

Hindu Succession Amendment Act ,  2005 

Do you remember learning about the division of labour in our history class? Women have been subjected to household chores since ages and have been taught that they do not have any right or share in the property of the family.

Indian women were not allowed to inherit the property of their parents as they were married off to another house. This often did not do justice to many daughters and therefore, it was decided that a law be passed that treats women equally. The court passed the “Hindu Succession Amendment Act” in 2005 which gave the daughters a right to inherit their father’s property and that no one could deny them their right. However, even today, thousands of Indian women do not have complete knowledge about this right.

Conclusion

This chapter has shown us how the administrative work is done especially in rural areas . It has also shown that even if the laws are right , there are certain people who do not obey the laws and the people who should look after it , sometimes become reluctant . There are the Patwaris who look after measuring the lands and keeping their records . There are different names of ‘Patwari’ in different states .

Also , their work is supervised by other senior people like the Tehsildars . This shows that if sometimes , one person does some kind of partiality , there are other people who can look into the matter and resolve it .

The new law has helped a lot of women from being homeless . It gave a confidence to women that even if nothing works or there is some problem , they can always rely on their share of land .

DID YOU KNOW

1. A district is the most important unit of rural administration .
2. The judgement of the new law was passed by the judges named Arun Mishra , S Abdul Nazeer and MR Shah .
3. The Tehsildars are appointed by the government based on revenue who must work with honesty .