CG Board Class 10 Social Science Chapter 16 Solutions: Democracy and Social Movements (लोकतंत्र एवं सामाजिक आंदोलन) (2026-27)

1. A mountain** (Niyam Dongar in Niyamgiri Hills).

1. A political movement**.

1. For all these reasons.**

1. All these reasons.**

1. A 17km-long human chain was formed to encircle the hill.**

1. Violation of the right to information.* (Note: Violation of RTI was the systemic barrier, not the form of financial corruption on muster rolls)*.

1. Wildlife conservation based on the environment.**

1. Public hearing and exposure of corruption in a people’s court of the gram sabha.**

1. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear bombs.**

1. To maintain peace and development.**

The peace movement of the Committee of 100 faced limitations due to several reasons

1. Violent repression by police and mass arrests weakened the campaign’s active numbers.
2. The arrest of its 89-year-old leader Bertrand Russell left the movement without formal leadership, as the Committee had no leadership hierarchy or formal membership.
3. As various local anti-war groups affiliated with the movement, lack of clear awareness led to misconceptions, and the core focus on nuclear disarmament was gradually diverted to other local issues.

The peace movement for disarmament began in Japan because Japan experienced massive destruction when America dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. In 1954, Japanese citizens established the ‘Japanese Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs’ and collected 35 lakh signatures protesting nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific Ocean.

The main objectives of peace movements are

1. To stop wars and eliminate acts of violence during armed conflicts.
2. To prohibit the development, testing, and use of nuclear, hydrogen, and biological weapons.
3. To encourage global disarmament and halt the international arms race.
4. To establish peace camps, support anti-war political candidates, and critically analyze national security policies.

The main benefits of the Right to Information (RTI) are

1. It empowers common citizens to inspect government muster rolls, vouchers, and development records.
2. It exposes administrative corruption, ghost workers, and fictitious development works.
3. It enforces official accountability and ensures full wage payments to workers.
4. It strengthens democratic governance by establishing public transparency.

During the first public hearing (Jansunwai) organized by MKSS at Kot Kirana on December 2, 1994, villagers exposed extensive corruption. Names of dead persons were found on muster rolls, payments were listed for people who never worked on the project, and bills were submitted for buildings that were never constructed. Through Jansunwais, common people experienced the power of collective evidence to uncover corruption and demand government accountability.

The victory of the Niyamgiri satyagraha was achieved through the historic verdict of the Supreme Court of India in 2013 and the unanimous voting decision of the 12 local Gram Sabhas (village panchayats) against mining under the PESA Act.

The scheduled tribes living in the Niyamgiri area include the Dongria Kondh and Kutia Kondh tribes.

In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that under the provisions of the PESA Act, the 12 local village panchayats (Gram Sabhas) in the Niyamgiri region had the sole legal authority to decide whether mining operations by Vedanta should be permitted or not.

During a drought, small farmers and agricultural labourers depend on government famine relief work, drought relief projects implemented by panchayats, and daily wage work to earn their livelihood.

A muster roll is an official government register in which daily attendance, the quantum of physical work completed, and the details of wage payments made to daily labourers on public development projects are recorded.

Four drought-prone districts in central Rajasthan mentioned in the text are Ajmer, Bhilwara, Pali, and Rajsamand.

An atomic bomb causes instantaneous catastrophic destruction through extreme heat, blast pressure waves, and nuclear radiation, killing thousands instantly and causing long-term genetic defects, cancer, environmental contamination, and total destruction of habitats (as witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki).

Disarmament refers to the reduction, limitation, or total abolition of military armaments, nuclear weapons, and weapons of mass destruction by nations through international treaties to prevent war and maintain global peace.

Yes, peace movements are vital because nuclear armaments threaten human survival. Peace movements create global public opinion against war, force governments to limit military spending, and redirect economic resources toward health, education, and development.

India has a rich tradition of peace movements rooted in Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent Satyagraha and Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement. Modern anti-nuclear peace campaigns have also taken place against nuclear power plant expansion in regions like Koodankulam.

In a democracy, peace movements provide a platform for citizens to challenge state militarism, ensure transparent security policymaking, protect human rights, and prevent governments from engaging in unnecessary foreign conflicts.