NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities
These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science. Here we have given. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities
Question 1.
Why do you think there are so few cases of private water supply in the world?
Answer:
Private companies work for a profit. Providing public facilities like water supply is not a profitable business. Moreover, the capital needed to provide water supply to the entire population is very high which very few private companies will be able to bear.
Question 2.
Do you think the water in Chennai is available and affordable by all? Discuss.
Answer:
Water in Chennai is not available and affordable by all.
- Water supply is marked by shortages especially. The municipality is able to meet only about half of the total need.
- Some areas have a regular supply, some close to storage points gets more water than others.
- The burden of shortfall falls mainly on the poor. The middle class is able to cope through private means like water tankers or bottled water. The wealthy have more choices.
- Even in the case of access to ‘safe’ water—the wealthy and middle class has options, like mineral water, and the poor again left out.
Question 3.
How is the sale of water by the farmer to water dealers in Chennai affecting the local people? Do you think local people can object to such exploitation of groundwater? Can the government do anything in this regard?
Answer:
Many private companies are providing water to cities due to a shortage of water supply by the government organization. These companies buy water from places around the city.
In Chennai, water is taken from nearby towns like Mamandur, Palur, Karungizhi, and from villages to the north of the city using a fleet of over 13,000 water tankers. Every month the water dealers pay farmers an advance for the rights to exploit water sources on their land.
The water that is taken away from the farms is creating a deficit for irrigation and for drinking water for the villagers. There is also a drastic drop in groundwater levels in these areas. The local people have a right to object to this exploitation and the government has the power to stop this.
Question 4.
Why are most of the private hospitals and private schools located in major cities and not in towns or rural areas?
Answer:
Private hospitals and private schools are located only in major cities as the services they offer are very costly and only the affluent city dweller will be able to afford it.
Question 5.
Do you think the distribution of public facilities in our country is adequate and fair? Give an example of your own to explain.
Answer:
The distribution of public facilities in our country is neither adequate no fair. for example, the Delhites avail all public facilities like water, healthcare and sanitation, electricity, public transport, schools, and colleges. But if we go a few kilometers away, for example, Mathura or Aligarh people face grave crises of public facilities. Electricity cut-off, water shortages are a normal routine of life. Public transport is also not properly developed.
Question 6.
Take some of the public facilities in your area, such as water, electricity, etc. Is there scope to improve these? What in your opinion should be do? Complete the table.
| Is it available? | How can it be improved? | |
| Water | ||
| Electricity | ||
| Roads | ||
| Public Transport |
Answer:
| Is it available? | How can it be improved? | |
| Water | No, only one hour supply | • By extending the hours of supply. |
| Electricity | No, 8 hours daily cut | • A strict action should be taken to prevent wastage of electricity such as |
| Roads | Yes | • By making the roads with proper and good quality material. |
| Public Transport | No, fewer buses | • By running more buses on busy routes. |
Question 7.
Are the above public facilities shared equally by all the people in your area? Elaborate.
Answer:
- No, the above public facilities are not shared equally by all the people in our area. People, livings in the slum area, are getting very few facilities.
- Municipal supply meets only about half of the needs.
- For the remaining half people take the help of private means.
- Public facilities like healthcare facilities are now being charged. The poor fail to get these facilities.
- Due to rush most of the people do not avail of governmental public facilities like healthcare, etc.
Question 8.
Data on some of the public facilities are collected as part of the Census. Discuss with your teacher when and how the Census is conducted.
Answer:
Conduction of Census
- House listing one year before the actual Census.
- Census every 10 years.
- Target date: 1 March.
- Enumerators visiting each and every household.
- Collects information in a prescribed form.
- Compile them and handover the same to the cluster in-charge.
- He compiles them and sends them to the District officer.
- After the collection Census Deptt. publishes the data.
Question 9.
Private educational institutions—schools, colleges, universities, technical and vocational training institutes are coming up in our country in a big way. On the other hand, educational institutes run by the government are becoming relatively less important. What do you think would be the impact of this? Discuss.
Answer:
Private educational institutions levy very high fees, which only affluent people can afford. So quality education will be the right of only the rich. If educational institutions run by the government are not up to the mark, the weaker sections of the society are deprived of quality education. The end result of this disparity will be that only the rich will get a good education while the poor.
Public Facilities NCERT Class 8 Social and Political life Extra Questions
Question 1
Mention some public facilities that are provided by the government.
Solution:
Public facilities provided by the government are:- Health care
Water
Sanitation
Transport
Education
Electricity
Roads
Question 2
Which Article in the Indian Constitution recognises the ‘right to water’?
Solution:
The Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21.
Question 3
What is Universal Access to water?
Solution:
Every person, rich or poor, has the right to sufficient amount of water to meet their daily needs, at a price they can afford. This is known as Universal Access to water.
Question 4
What are the characteristics of Public facilities?
Solution:
The benefits of public facility can be shared by many people. Government schools enable many children to get educated. The supply of electricity is essential for all households. Farmers can run pump sets to irrigate their fields; people open small workshops that run on electricity.
Public transport help people commute at an affordable price. Public parks and libraries provide recreation for the citizens. Health care and sanitation are essential for a healthy life.
Question 5
Mention some public facilities that only the government can provide and maintain.
Solution:
Roads
Railways
Sanitation
Water supply
Electricity
Question 6
Mention a few public facilities that are provided by private companies.
Solution:
Schools and colleges
Hospitals
Transportation
The above mentioned facilities are provided by the government and private companies. We can find many private educational institutions in cities. Long distance buses are operated by private companies; similarly there are many Private Hospitals that provide health care for the citizens.
Question 7
How does the government raise fund to provide public facilities?
Solution:
The main source of income for the government is through the tax it collects from the citizens.
Some of the types of taxes the government collects are………..
Income Tax
Property Tax
Sales Tax
Excise Duty
Water Tax
Vehicle Tax
With the revenue from the tax collected, the government provides the public facilities mentioned earlier.
Question 8
What is a Government Budget?
Solution:
The government plans its expenditure, making a clear statement on the amount of money it is going to spend on each facility.
This statement is called the ‘Government Budget’ and is presented in the Parliament and Legislature every year in the month February / March.
Question 9
What is sanitation?
Solution:
Sanitation is measures taken up by the government to protect public health through proper solid waste disposal, sewage disposal, and cleanliness during food processing and preparation.
Question 10
Write a short note on Sulabh International.
Solution:
Sulabh International is an Indian based social service organization which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. Sulabh was founded by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak in 1970 and has 50,000 volunteers.
The organization constructs and maintains pay-&-use public toilets, popularly known as Sulabh Complexes with bath, laundry and urinal facilities being used by about ten million people every day.
There are more than 7,500 public toilet blocks and 1.2 million private toilets. The majority of the users of Sulabh facilities are from the poor working class.