PPTs-Grassroots Democracy: Part 3 Local Govt. in Urban Areas

In a democracy, good governance aims to empower the citizens so they
may actively participate in their country’s functioning, whether it is
at the rural, regional, urban, state or national level. This is the broader
concept of participatory democracy.

Urban Local Bodies
Local government structures in urban areas are called
‘urban local bodies’. They are decentralised, which means
that instead of operating under a central authority at the
top, the local communities have a direct say on how their
areas are managed or the issues they face. It is a mechanism
for citizens living in an area to come together and take
decisions about what is best for them.
Cities and towns are divided into smaller units called
‘wards’, and the ward committees facilitate activities
such as conducting health camps, organising a campaign
against the use of single-use plastics, and so on. They also
keep an eye on anything that might go wrong — a water
leak, a blocked drain, a damaged road, etc. — and report
such problems to the authorities. However, the precise
functioning of wards differs from State to State, depending
on the rules they make.

Altogether, urban local bodies are responsible for a range
of functions — helping take care of the infrastructure,
maintaining the burial ground, garbage collection and
disposal, checking the implementation of government
schemes, collecting local taxes and fines, and so on. They
also have some role in planning for the area’s economic
and social development. However, for these bodies to be able to perform their functions efficiently, people living in
the city must also perform their duties, which means that
they must show care and concern for their area (remember,
this is a participatory democracy). For instance, if people
carefully follow instructions regarding waste segregation,
garbage collection becomes easier; or if they notice a water
leakage in a street, reporting it promptly will prevent
further wastage of precious water.

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For More PPTs Click Below:

Grassroots Democracy – Part 1 Governance

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