Hinglish

Urban Local Bodies

Class 6 Social Science · Chapter 12: Grassroots Democracy – Part 3: Local Government in Urban Areas · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 12.2

Learn

Local governments in towns and cities are called urban local bodies. A very large city has a Municipal Corporation; a smaller city has a Municipal Council; and an area changing from village to town has a Nagar Panchayat. They are decentralised: local people have a direct say in how their area is run.

A city is divided into smaller units called wards. The people of each ward elect a councillor. Ward committees organise health camps and campaigns, for example against single-use plastic, and report problems like a water leak, a blocked drain or a broken road. A Municipal Corporation is led by a Mayor, and its offices are run by a Municipal Commissioner.

Urban local bodies look after water supply, garbage collection and disposal, drains, street lights, roads and parks, cremation and burial grounds, registering births and deaths, checking government schemes, and collecting local taxes like property tax. India's oldest is the Madras Corporation (now Greater Chennai Corporation), set up in 1688.

But a city works well only if citizens do their part too. Zara's family separates wet and dry waste, which makes collection easier. When she sees a leaking pipe, she reports it on the city helpline, saving precious water. In a participatory democracy, caring for our area is everyone's job.

Explore: which urban body?

  1. Sort each place.

Remember

  • Urban local bodies: Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats; cities are divided into wards.
  • They handle water, garbage, drains, street lights, roads and local taxes; citizens must do their part too.

Quick check

Which is a job of an urban local body?

  1. Garbage collection and water supply
  2. Running the army
  3. Printing currency
  4. Making national laws
Answer

Garbage collection and water supply. They handle a city's everyday services.

Think about it

List four or five things responsible citizens can do to help their city.

One answer

Separate waste, report leaks and broken lights, avoid littering and single-use plastic, save water and electricity, pay local taxes, and take part in ward meetings and clean-up drives.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.