In the meeting of the Gram Sabha sofar, several problems have been discussed:
(i) Repairing of roads.
(ii) Water and water shortages.
(iii) Finalisation of list of People Below the Poverty Line (BPL)
The solutions that are being suggested are:
(i) Piping water from the Sum river and making an overhead tank in the villages.
(ii) Deepening the handpumps and cleaning the wells.
(iii) Conserving water and recharging it.
(iv) Name of Om Prakash should be in the BPL list.

Yes, there are various similar incidents when people are unable to speak for themselves. Such situations occur because people find themselves in fear. Soorajmal kept quiet on a genuine issue because Amirchand was a powerful Zamindar and no one could counter his power.

In the next meeting, members would ask what information had been obtained from the Block Development Officer regarding watershed development scheme

The Nirmal Gram Puruskar is awarded to the village Panchs for the excellent work done in the Panchayat.
This award was awarded to two village Panchs from Maharashtra in 2005.

The Panchayati Raj system is very important because:
(i) It teaches people the first lesson of democracy.
(ii) It brings political awareness in rural India.
(iii) People are able to solve their problem through mutual co-operation.

The members of the Gram Panchayat suggested to deepen two hand pumps and clean at least one well so that the village would not go without water.
The Sarpanch suggested that since the Panchayat had received some funds for maintenance of hand pumps, it could be used for completing this work.
The members of the Panchayat wanted a long-term solution for water shortage.
Some Panchs asked whether the watershed programme would make a substantial difference to the water level.
At last, they decided to approach the Block Development Officer (BDO) and get more information on the scheme.

A Village Panchayat is divided into wards. Each ward elects a representative who is known as the Ward Member, also called Panch. All the members of the Gram Sabha also elect a Sarpanch who is called Panchayat President. The ward Panchs and the Sarpanch form the Gram Panchayat. The tenure of the Gram Panchayat is five years.
The Gram Panchayat and Gram Sabha have a common secretary. He is a person whom the government appoints. Thus, he is not an elected person. The Secretary is responsible for calling the meeting of the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat. He also keeps a record of the proceedings of the meetings.