Social Science VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Primary requirements like food, water, shelter, sanitation, healthcare, education etc which are necessary for survival are referred to as public facilities. The important characteristic of public facilities is that the benefits provided by public facilities can be shared by many people.
For e.g.:

• A school in a village will enable many children to get education.

Water is essential for life and for good health. Not only is it necessary for us to be able to meet our daily needs but safe drinking water can prevent many water-related diseases. Thus, water is considered as a part of the fundamental right to life.

If the government withdraws from the task of supplying water it would lead to an increase in the price of water because the private enterprises would not be willing to do it at a lower cost. It would lead to great unrest in the country.

Public facilities provided by the government are:

• Health care.
• Water.
• Sanitation.
• Transport.
• Education.
• Electricity.
• Roads.

The Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21. This means that it is the right of every person, whether rich or poor, to have sufficient amounts of water to fulfil his/ her daily needs at a price that he/ she can afford.

The burden of shortfalls in water supply falls mostly on the poor.
The middle class, when faced with water shortages, is able to cope through a variety of private means such as digging borewells, buying water from tankers and using bottled water for drinking.

Most private schools and hospitals are located in major cities because in small towns and rural areas there is not a constant supply of electricity and hospitals and schools need constant supply. Hence in rural areas hospital & schools are not available.

Public facilities relate to our basic needs and the Indian Constitution recognises the right to water, health, education as being a part of Right to Life. Thus, one of the major roles of the government is to ensure adequate public facilities for everyone.

Private Companies supplying water through tankers or in sealed bottles provide public facilities but at a price that only some can afford. This facility is available to all but not at rate affordable by all.

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.

Sulabh is a non-government organisation that has been working for three decades to address the problems of sanitation being faced by low-caste, low income people in India.

Universal access to water means that it is the right of every person, whether rich or poor, to have sufficient amounts of water to fulfil his/ her daily needs at a price that he/ she can afford.

A company is a form of business set up by people or by the government. Those that are promoted and owned by individuals or groups are called private companies. For example, Tata Steel is a private company whereas Indian Oil is a company run by the government.

Yes, lack of access to proper sanitation facilities indeed affects the lives of the people adversely. Lack of such facilities leads to Cholera, typhoid and also respiratory and skin problems. Lack of proper sanitation facility can also leads to death of adults and infants.

Major share of government revenue comes from customs, excise and service tax (42%) and corporate tax (41%). Personal income tax contributes 16% of government revenue.

Lack of proper sanitation affects women and girls more acutely because they often have to wait until dark to go to the toilet. To avoid the need for such frequent toilet use, women often drink less, causing severe health impacts.

Because of the following reasons:

• In major cities life is fast. People could not wait for hours together standing in long queues as they have to do in government hospitals.
• They can afford it as they have money to spend.
• City people are more ambitious.
• They expect better facilities in private hospitals and private schools.
• In private schools, infrastructural facilities are more.