Who, among the following, has introduced a resolution in 1882 which is also called the Magna Carta of Local Self-Government in India?
- (a)Lord Macaulay
- (b)Lord Canning
- (c)Lord Ripon
- (d)Lord William Bentinck
Correct — C, Lord Ripon. As Viceroy, Ripon introduced the Resolution on Local Self-Government in 1882, which promoted elected local bodies — municipalities and district or local boards — with non-official majorities and elected chairpersons. It earned him the title 'Father of Local Self-Government in India', and the 1882 resolution is remembered as its Magna Carta.
- (a)Lord Macaulay — Thomas Macaulay is remembered for his 1835 Minute on Education and the drafting of the Indian Penal Code, not for local self-government.
- (b)Lord Canning — Lord Canning was Viceroy during the 1857 revolt and the 1858 transfer to the Crown; the local self-government resolution came a generation later, under Ripon.
- (d)Lord William Bentinck — Lord William Bentinck (Governor-General 1828-35) is linked to the abolition of sati and the spread of English education, not the 1882 resolution.
Local self-government means elected local bodies — municipalities and district or taluka boards — running civic affairs. Ripon's 1882 resolution aimed at this as much for the political education of Indians as for efficient administration.
The decisive clues are the year 1882 and the phrase 'Magna Carta of Local Self-Government', both tied specifically to Ripon rather than to any Governor-General on the list.
- Lord Ripon's 1882 Resolution on Local Self-Government is called the Magna Carta of local self-government in India.
- It provided for elected local boards with non-official majorities.
- Ripon is titled the 'Father of Local Self-Government in India'.
- Local self-government was later given constitutional status by the 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992).
- Confusing Ripon's 1882 local self-government resolution with Mayo's 1870 financial-decentralisation resolution.
- Attributing 'Father of Local Self-Government' to a Governor-General such as Bentinck.
Asked as a who-introduced or who-is-called item keyed to the year 1882 and the 'Magna Carta' label.
The fundamental object of Panchayati Raj system is to ensure which among the following? 1. People's participation in development 2. Political accountability 3. Democratic decentralization 4. Financial mobilization
- (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
- (b) 2 and 4 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer(c) 1 and 3 only
Same theme — local self-government and democratic decentralisation, the very idea Ripon's 1882 resolution seeded and the 73rd Amendment later realised through Panchayati Raj.
Which one of the following committees is NOT associated with decentralization of Panchayati Raj institutions in India?
- (a) Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
- (b) Ashok Mehta Committee
- (c) L. M. Singhvi Committee
- (d) Abhijit Sen Committee
Answer(d) Abhijit Sen Committee
Both sit in the local self-government story: Ripon founded it in 1882, and this NDA item tests the modern committees that shaped Panchayati Raj decentralisation.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The financial decentralisation resolution of 1870, a precursor to local self-government, was passed under
- (a)Lord Mayo
- (b)Lord Ripon
- (c)Lord Lytton
- (d)Lord Dufferin
Answer(a) Lord Mayo — his 1870 resolution began the decentralisation of finances to the provinces.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Local self-government in India was given constitutional status by which amendments?
- (a)42nd and 44th
- (b)73rd and 74th
- (c)61st and 62nd
- (d)86th and 87th
Answer(b) 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992) — for Panchayats and Municipalities.