How the State Government Works Class 7 Questions and Answers Civics Chapter 3
Class 7 Civics Chapter 3 NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers
Question 1.
What is happening in Patalpuram?
Answer:
In Patalpuram there is acute shortage of water and problem of saniation. Streams have dried up, and so have the tanks. In some villages, people are carrying water across great distances. The District Hospital is overflowing with patients.
Question 2.
Why is this problem serious?
Answer:
This problem is serious because a large number of people including children are dying due to acute diarrhoea.
Question 3.
What action do you think can be taken in the above situation and who do you think should take this action? Discuss.
Answer:
In the above situation the municipalities should take immediate steps to prevent this problem with the help of the state government.
Question 4.
Discuss the following terms with your teacher-public meeting, states in India, constituency, majority, ruling party and opposition.
Answer:
Public meeting:
A meeting with the public and elected members of the state is regarding any problem referred to as public meeting.
States of India:
India is a vast country- divided into different parts called states. Each state is ruled by the state government. All the state governments are ruled by the Central government.
Constituency:
A particular area from which all the voters living there choose their representatives. This could be for example, a panchayat ward or an area that chooses an MLA.
Majority:
A situation when more than half the number in a group supports a decision or an idea. It is also called a simple majority.
Ruling party:
The party which wins an election and rules the government is called ruling party.
Opposition:
It refers to elected representatives who are not members of the ruling party.
Question 5.
Can you explain the following terms-majority, ruling party, opposition with reference to your state.
Answer:
With reference to Delhi Majority Congress Party Ruling party Congress Party Opposition BJP, JD, etc.
Question 6.
Construct a table, a similar to the one given for Himachal Pradesh, for your state.
| Results of the Assembly Elections in H.P. in 2003 | |
| Political Party. | Number of MLA’s elected |
| Indian National Congress (INC) | 43 |
| Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) | 16 |
| Other political parties | 03 |
| Independents (who don’t belong to any party) | 06 |
| Total | 68 |
Answer:
| Results of Assembly Elections in Punjab in 2007 | |
| Political Party | Number of MLA’s elected |
| SAD (Akali Dal)+allies | 66 |
| INC | 44 |
| Other political parties | |
| Independents | 06 |
| Total | 116 |
Note : Total seats were 117 but election was held in 116
Question 7.
At times, the ruling party may not be a single party but a group of parties working together. This is called a coalition. Discuss with your teacher.
Answer:
Hints :
Sometimes a single party does not get majority, so it joins with other parties to get majority. Such a ruling party is called a coalition government.
Question 8.
What were the main arguments put forward by different MLAs who thought that the government was not taking the situation in a serious manner?
Answer:
MLA 1 :
argued that there were 15 deaths because of diarrhoea. He wanted the minister in charge of health to take immediate measures to control the situation.
MLA 2 :
argued about the bad conditions of the government hospitals. He also wanted to know why the government was not appointing proper doctors and other medical staff in the district.
MLA 3 :
argue about the shortage of water at Tolpatti. Women has to travel 3 to 4 kilometres to collect water. He wanted to know how many tankers have been put into service to supply water and how many wells and ponds have been cleaned and disinfected.
MLA 4 :
thought that his colleagues were exaggerating the problem. He argued that the ‘ government has taken steps to control the situation. Water tankers have been put into service and ORS packets are being distributed.
MLA 5 :
argued about the poor facilities in the hospitals. He said that there are hospitals that do not have a doctor and no medical staff have been appointed for the last few years. In another hospital, the doctor has gone on a long leave. He also argued that how they would be ensured that ORS packets reach all families in the affected areas.
MLA 6 :
argued that the opposition members are unnecessarily blaming the ruling government. He said that the previous government had done nothing regarding sanitation. Q. 2. If you were the health minister, how would you respond to the above discussion ? Ans. If I am the health minister, I would properly check the problems faced. I would take immediate action regarding the problems and punish the guilty on the spot.
Question 9.
Do you think the above debate would have been useful in some ways? How? Discuss.
Answer:
Yes, to some extent the above debate is useful in many ways. If the opposition does not argue with the ruling government, the latter will not respond to the situation immediately. They will do what they want. So debate between the government and the opposition is necessary for the smooth functioning of the government.
Question 10.
In the working of the government explain the difference between being an MLA and MLA who is also ministers.
Answer:
An MLA who is a minister has the responsibility to do his duty according to his/her designation. Thus, he/she has more powers than a simple MLA. MLAs as ministers authorise and supervise their work.
Question 11.
Write two measures that the government undertook for controlling diarrhoea.
Answer:
The two measures that the government undertook for controlling diarrhoea are :
- To supply drinking water to every village through tanker/trucks.
- They were starting a campaign to inform people about the steps that can be taken to prevent diarrhoea.
Question 12.
What is the purpose of a press conference? How does the press conference help you get information on what the government is doing.
Answer:
The purpose of a press conference is to have a meeting with the media and the government Reporters ask questions and the ministers answer them. Their answers and printed in newspapers or telecest in TV channels. We come to know of the happenings by means of these newspapers and TV telecast.
Question 13.
Find out with the help of your teacher, the work done by the government departments mentioned below, and fill in the table.
| Name of department | Examples of their works |
| School Education | |
| Public Works Department | |
| Agriculture |
Answer:
| Name of department | Examples of their works |
| School Education | Opening new schools, providing free-education from 1 to V, midday meals, providing free school books to children, providing winter dress to children, etc. |
| Public Works Department | Sanitation, proper water supply, street lightning, proper cleaning of roads and parks etc. |
| Agriculture | Giving knowledge to farmers for better yield, providing better seeds and fertilizers, etc. |
Question 14.
Use the terms ‘constituency’ and ‘represent’ to explain. Who an MLA is and how is the person elected?
Answer:
A constituency is a particular area from which all the voters living there choose their representatives. This could be, for example, a panchayat ward or an area that chooses an MLA.
The MLA choosen represents that constituency. He/she is responsible for that particular constituency.
Question 15.
How did some MLAs become Ministers? Explain.
Answer:
In a democracy, it is the people who elect their representatives as MLAs. The ruling party members then form the government. The leader of the ruling party is elected the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, selects other members from the MLAs as ministers. These ministers are in charge of various departments of the government.
Question 16.
Why should decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers be debated in the Legislative Assembly?
Answer:
All the decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers in the legislative assembly are debated on current problems and important issues. During a debate MLAs can express their opinion and ask questions related to the issues. They can also give suggestions about what should be done by the government to implement policies for the welfare of the people.
Question 17.
What was the problem in Patalpuram? What discussion/action was taken by the following? Fill in the table.
| Public meeting Legislative Assembly Press conference Chief Minister |
Answer:
Public meeting:
In public meeting people relate their problems. However, in the public meeting held at Patalpuram people wanted the authorities should take immediate action to . bring public health sanitation under control.
Legislative Assembly:
In the Legislative Assembly of Patalpuram a debate took place between the opposition and the ruling party. After the debate the Chief Minister promised to supply drinking water to every village through tanker/trucks. He also promised funds for this work. The cabinet also planned to start a campaign to inform people about the steps that can be taken to prevent diarrhoea.
Press conference:
A gathering of journalists from the media were invited to hear and ask questions about the problems in Patalpuram. They reported in their newspapers what the government intended to do.
Chief Minister :
The Chief Minister and the minister for health visited Patalpuram district. They went to visit the families who had lost their relatives and also visited people in the hospitals. The government announced a compensation for these families. The Chief Minister said that a high level enquiry committee will be asked to look into the need of the district to provide sanitation facilities and would request the minister for public works to take care of the needs of proper water supply in the region.
Question 18.
What is the difference between the work that MLAs do in the Assembly and the work done by government departments?
Answer:
MLAs work for the welfare of the people and are responsible for wrong doing. The Chief Minister and the ministers incharge have to take action. They do so through different departments like PWD, agricultural department, health department, education department, etc. They have to answer questions that are asked in the legislative assembly.
The government can also decide to make new laws. For example, it may make it compulsory for Municipal Corporations to ensure that there are adequate toilets in every urban area. It may also ensure that a health worker is appointed in every village. The act of making laws on certain issues is done in the Legislative Assembly of each state. The various government departments then implement these laws.