Statement 1: It is correct. In 1882, Lord Ripon issued a resolution that has been hailed as the Magna Carta of local self government. It continued to influence the development of the local self government in India till 1947. He is called the father of local self government in India. Statement 2: It is correct. In August 1989, the Rajiv Gandhi government introduced the 65^th Constitutional Amendment Bill (i.e. Nagarpalika Bill) in the Lok Sabha. The bill aimed at strengthening and revamping the municipal bodies by conferring a constitutional status on them. Although it was passed in Lok Sabha, yet was defeated in Rajya Sabha in October 1989.

A transitional area, a smaller urban area or a larger urban area means such area as the governor may specify by public notification for this purpose with regard to the following factors:

Statement 1: It is correct. Governor of a state after every 5 years constitute a finance commission to review the financial position of the panchayats. Statement 2: It is incorrect. The state legislature may provide for the composition of the commission, the required qualification of its members and the manner of their selection.

Statement 1: It is incorrect. Rajasthan adopted the 3 tier system while Tamil Nadu adopted the 2-tier system. Statement 2: It is correct. In Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh pattern, panchayat samiti is powerful and the block is the unit of planning and development.

Statement 1. It is incorrect. There is no reference of self government in Fundamental Rights.

Statement 1: It is correct. MPs and MLAs represent constituencies of municipal areas. Members of the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly represent constituencies that comprises wholly or partly the municipal areas and members of Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Council registered as electors within municipal areas.

Statement 2: It is incorrect. Persons having special knowledge or experience in municipal administration have no right to vote in the meetings of municipality.

73^rd Amendment act does not apply to the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram and certain other areas such as schedule areas of 9 states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh and tribal areas in the 4 states Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

Statement 1: It is incorrect. Governor of a state places the recommendations of the state finance commission (and not central finance commission) constituted by him along with the action taken report before the state legislature. Statement 2: It is correct. Central finance commission suggests the measures needed to augment the consolidated fund of state to supplement the resources of the panchayats of the state.

Statement 1: It is correct. The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduction of all elections to panchayats are vested in the State Election Committee. Statement 2: It is correct. The state legislature may make provisions w.r.t. all matters relating to elections to panchayat.

Statement 1: It is incorrect. In 1687-88, the first Municipal Corporation in India was set up at Madras. In 1726, Municipal Corporations were set in Bombay and Calcutta. Statement 2: It is correct. Rural Urban Relation Committee was set up in 1963-66, which was headed by A. P. Jain who recommended that small town area committees should be merged with the panchayati raj institutions to avoid multiplicity in the pattern of local bodies.

As per the 74^th Amendment Act of 1992, municipality is one unit among 8 types of local governments and township is the other type. Under municipality, there are 3 sub-types. They are: Nagar Panchayat for transitional area between rural and urban areas, Municipal Council for smaller urban areas and Municipal Corporation for larger urban areas.

There are 8 types of Urban Governments. They are: Municipal Corporation, municipality, notified area committee, town area committee, cantonment board, township, port trust and special purpose agency.

Statement 1: It is incorrect. A ward committee is constituted of 1 or more wards, within the territorial area of municipality having a population of 3 lakh or more. Statement 2: It is correct. Elections to the municipal corporations are conducted under the superintendence, direction and control of the State Election Commissions.

Statement 1: It is correct. There are 8 types of Urban Governments. They are municipal corporation, municipality, notified area committee, town area committee, cantonment board, township, port trust and special purpose agencies. They function as autonomous bodies and deal with the functions allotted to them independently of the local urban governments (i.e. municipal corporations, municipalities, etc.). Thus they are not subordinate agencies of the local municipal bodies.

Statement 1: It is correct. The act does not apply to schedule areas of 9 states (Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh) and tribal areas in the 4 states (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura). Statement 2: It is incorrect. Parliament can extend the provisions of 73^rd Amendment Act to only the scheduled areas subjected to such exceptions and modifications as it may specify. Under this provision, the parliament has enacted provisions of panchayat, i.e. extension to schedule areas act, 1996 (PESA).

Statement 1: It is incorrect. In September 1991, P. V. Narasimha Rao’s government also introduced the modified Municipalites Bill in the Lok Sabha. It finally emerged as the 74^th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 and came into force on 1^st June, 1993. Statement 2: It is correct. National Front Government under V. P. Singh introduced the revised Nagarpalika Bill in the Lok Sabha again in September 1990. However, the bill was not passed and finally lapsed due to dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

The 73^rd Amendment Act provides that a state having a population not exceeding 20 lakhs may not constitute panchayats at intermediate level (i.e. 2-tier system instead of 3-tier system).

G.V.K  Rao Committee was appointed by planning commission in 1985 on administrative arrangement for rural development and poverty alleviation programmes.

Ashok Mehta Committee was formed in December 1977 under Janta government to revive and strengthen the declining panchayati raj system. G. V. K. Rao Committee was appointed by the planning commission in 1985 on administrative arrangement for rural development and poverty alleviation programmes. L. M. Singhvi committee was set up in 1986 by Rajiv Gandhi government on revitalisation of panchayati raj institution for democracy and development.