NCERT 8th Class (CBSE) Social Science: Government For Development

Question: Mention some public facilities that are provided by the government.

Answer: Public facilities provided by the government are:

1. Health care
2. Water
3. Sanitation
4. Transport
5. Education
6. Electricity
7. Roads

Question: Which Article in the Indian Constitution recognizes the ‘right to water’?

Answer: The Constitution of India recognizes the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21.

Question: What is Universal Access to water?

Answer: 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: What are the characteristics of Public facilities?

Answer: 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: Mention some public facilities that only the government can provide and maintain.

Answer:

1. Roads
2. Railways
3. Sanitation
4. Water supply
5. Electricity

Question: Mention a few public facilities that are provided by private companies.

Answer:

1. Schools and colleges
2. Hospitals
3. 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: How does the government raise fund to provide public facilities?

Answer: 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:

1. Income Tax
2. Property Tax
3. Sales Tax
4. Excise Duty
5. Water Tax
6. Vehicle Tax

With the revenue from the tax collected, the government provides the public facilities mentioned earlier.