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General Studies 2024 GS Paper II 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Analyse

GS Paper II — Q5

Analyse the role of local bodies in providing good governance at local level and bring out the pros and cons merging the rural…

Analyse the role of local bodies in providing good governance at local level and bring out the pros and cons merging the rural local bodies with the urban local bodies. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

स्थानीय स्तर पर सुशासन प्रदान करने में स्थानीय निकायों की भूमिका का विश्लेषण कीजिए और ग्रामीण स्थानीय निकायों को शहरी स्थानीय निकायों में विलय करने के फायदे और नुकसान को स्पष्ट कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में लिखिए)

Q5 of the 2024 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper II, as printed
The question as printed in the 2024 General Studies paper
Evaluate your answer to this question → See all 2024 General Studies questions

Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments institutionalised local bodies as the third tier of governance, operationalising democratic decentralisation and direct proximity to citizens.

Role in Good Governance Local bodies drive efficient public service delivery—including drinking water, sanitation, and primary roads—while facilitating prompt grievance redressal. By institutionalising grassroots participation, local resource mobilisation, and accountability tools like social audits and Gram Sabhas, they ensure transparent, citizen-centric administration.

Pros of Rural-Urban Merger Merging Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) addresses rapid peri-urban sprawl through integrated spatial and infrastructure planning. It reduces administrative duplication, rationalises municipal machinery, and streamlines fiscal management across expanding transitional zones.

Cons of Merger Conversely, mergers risk elite capture by urban commercial interests, loss of rural community identity, and dilution of affirmative action protections (SC/ST/OBC reservations under Panchayati Raj). Additionally, rural agrarian revenue bases differ fundamentally from urban property-tax regimes, creating fiscal imbalances.

Way Forward Rather than blanket mergers, states must operationalise District Planning Committees (Article 243ZD)—following integrated planning models seen in Kerala and Tamil Nadu—to harmonise rural-urban continuum development while preserving rural local autonomy.

What "Analyse" is asking you to do

Break the subject into its working parts and show how they act on each other. The marks are in the interconnections — which factor drives which, and what the resulting structure explains — not in the inventory of factors.

Structure that answers it

Define the whole → separate it into its parts → show which part drives which → what that interaction produces → what the structure implies

Where marks are lost

A flat list of causes with no account of which drives which. An answer of neatly separated headings, each self-contained, scores as description.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS2 Governance & Local Administration. analyse: intro > causes > effects > stakeholders/linkages > way forward Full marks: Clear role analysis with specific examples, balanced merger pros/cons, 2nd ARC reference, strong conclusion

Key points expected

  • Role of local bodies in local governance
  • Pros of merging rural and urban local bodies
  • Cons of merging rural and urban local bodies
  • Balanced conclusion on the merger issue

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Role of local bodies in governance and pros/cons of rural-urban merger 10 marks · 150 words

    analyse— intro → causes → effects → stakeholders/linkages → way forward

    Must cover

    • Role of local bodies in local governance
    • Pros of merging rural and urban local bodies
    • Cons of merging rural and urban local bodies
    • Balanced conclusion on the merger issue

    Loses marks

    • Reciting articles without analysis
    • Ignoring the merger pros/cons aspect
    • No conclusion or reform suggestion

    Earns more

    • Mentions 73rd/74th Constitutional Amendment
    • Cites specific examples of merger challenges
    • References 2nd ARC recommendations
    • Discusses administrative efficiency vs democratic representation

    Extra mark

    • Cites specific Supreme Court judgment on local bodies
    • References specific state merger examples

Practice this exact question

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