Concept:
- Decentralisation means that power is taken away from the central and state governments and given to local government, so that decisions are made close to the people affected.
- The whole point of the arrangement is that local representatives are chosen by the local people, not appointed from outside.
Step 1: Check statement i.
Rural local government is indeed known as
Panchayati Raj. The statement is
correct.
Step 2: Check statement ii.
Each village, or a group of villages in some states, has a
Gram Panchayat, which is a council consisting of several ward members and a president or sarpanch. The statement is
correct.
Step 3: Check statement iii.
The panch and the sarpanch are
directly elected by all the adult population living in that ward or village. They are not selected by the Election Commission, whose job is to conduct elections rather than to choose candidates.
The statement is
incorrect.
Step 4: Check statement iv.
The Gram Panchayat is the decision-making body for the entire village, and it works under the overall supervision of the
Gram Sabha, which includes all the voters of the village. The Gram Sabha meets at least twice or thrice a year to approve the annual budget and to review the performance of the panchayat.
The statement is
correct.
Step 5: Pick the option carrying exactly the three correct statements.
Statements i, ii and iv are correct and iii is wrong, which is option (B).
Final Answer: (B) only i, ii and iv are correct.