7 Chapter 18.Civics.Democracy and Equality.

Chapter 18.Civics.

Democracy and Equality.
Keywords.
Community - People living together sharing common interests.
Democracy - A kind of system where people have supreme power. They rule through their representatives.
Opposition - All parties other than the party / parties in power.
Representative - A person elected / chosen to act or speak on behalf of the people for a fixed period.
Scheduled caste / Scheduled Tribes - Disadvantages groups enlisted in Article 341 of the Indian Constitution.

A.Tick the Correct Option.
1.The Right to vote is guaranteed to Indians who are-
Ans Citizens of India.
2.The most successful scheme of the government which increased enrollment of children in schools is
Ans Mid-day meal scheme
3.Which one of the following is not responsible for weakening the Indian society?
Education
4.According to the Preamble, who is constituting India into a socialist, secular and democratic republic?
Ans The people of India
5.To ensure that all the children from the deprived sections are able to fulfill dreams, the government of India should not-
Ans Leave them to fight for themselves and become self-dependent

B.Fill in the blanks.
1.The Constitution is a document that lays down the framework,Political structures and the powers and duties of the government.  
2.The  Preamble  is an introduction to our constitution.
3.The Caste system creates a social division in a nation
4.Each Political party  is an organised group,having its own policies and Equality
5.Many Laws have been made to protect the Right to Equality.

C.State True or False for the following statements.
On 15 August 1947 India became a republic. False
Our constitution farmers wanted to eradicate discrimination. True
People elect their representatives for a fixed term.True
The law does not give equal protection to all. False
The provisions of reservation have not reached everyone.True

D. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. What is the main function of an opposition party?
Ans The opposition party keeps a check on the activities of ruling party and protects the right of the people.
2. Why was reservation provided for certain castes in India?
Ans Reservation was provided to certain castes in India due to ensure their proportionate share in all walks of the life and they could live a respect dignity.
3. What is meant by Secularism?
Ans Secularism means everyone is free to follow religion`s of one choice.
4. What is Universal Adult Franchise considered a courageous step of the constituent Assembly?
Ans Universal Adult Franchise is considered the most courageous step of the constituent Assembly. It gives the Right to Vote to everyone who is above 18 years without discrimination of the castes, religion , colour or language.
5.Name any two literacy programmes started by the government of India.
Ans Two literacy programmes started by the government of India are 
Universal Elementary Education 
Adult Education

E. Answer the following questions.
1. Mention the main provisions of the Right to Equality.
Ans Our Constitution gives us the ‘Right to Equality'.Main provisions are-
All Citizens are equal before the law.
Discrimination on the basis of religion, castes, gender or place of birth is prohibited.
Everyone is entitled to equal opportunity in walks of life.The law gives equal protection to all.

2. How can the people keep a check on their representatives?

Ans People castes their votes and elect their representatives for a fixed period.  If their elected representatives run the government not according to the wishes of the people then people do not vote for him in the next election.  These people keep a check on their representatives.

3. List the important steps taken by the Indian government for the benefit of the weaker selections of society.

Ans After independence the Indian government has taken following steps for the benefit of weaker sections of society.

Reservation is provided to ensure their proportionate in all walks of life.

They are provided loans, law budget housing on instatements free legal advise, widow pension etc.

He motto of government for weeks section is to provided, education employment and housing to all.

4. List the factors that create inequalities and hamper the success of democracy.

The factors that create inequalities and hamper the success of democracy are

Discrimination on the basis of castes, specially in rural areas.

Discrimination on the basis of community, certain communities look down upon the people of the other religion.

5.Why have the benefits of reservation not reached everyone? Suggest two steps that can ensure development of all section of the Indian society.

Ans Our constitution has given ‘Right to Equality'. But after seventy years of independence, thousands of people struggling the equality. Following steps should be taken to ensure the development of all sections of society.

People should be educated, enlightened and aware for their right.

Each department of the government should be honest for the right of people.

Inside Questions

Q. Define Democracy.

Ans- Democracy is by the people for the people and of the people.

Q. When did India become an independent country?

Ans. India became an independent country on 15 August 1947.

Q. What is the constitution?

Ans. The constitution of India is a set of laws, directives and principles.

A constitution is a set of regulation that a set of people have made and agreed upon.

Q. What is the preamble?

Ans. The preamble is an introduction to the Indian Constitution.

Q. When did the constitution of India came into effect?
Ans. The constitution of India came into effect in 26^th January 1950.

Q. When did we complete drafting constitution?

Ans. We the Indians completed our constitution on 26^th  of November 1949.

Q. What do you mean by Republic?

Ans. A Country that is governed by elected representatives and by elected leader or head such as a president rather than by a king or queen.

Q. What is meant by Secular?

Ans. The state where no religion is official is known as a secular.

Q. What do you mean by Socialist?

Ans.  The  country which believes in socialism or control of the mass society over the functions of government.

Q.What is meant of Sovereign?

Ans.The country that exercises supreme authority with a defined and limited area without any external interference of other countries is called a sovereign country.

Q.What is “Universal Adult Franchise”?

Ans.The person who is 18 years, without any discrimination of caste, color, religion, region, or language  is given vote.

Q.What do you mean by ‘Right to Equality’?

Ans.Right to Equality-

a.All citizens are equal before the law.

b.Discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, sex or place of birth is prohibited.

c.Everyone is entitled to equal opportunities in all walks of life.

d.The law gives equal protection to all.

Q.What titles were banned by our constitution?

Ans. Our constitution has banned the practice of untouchability and awarding of titles like Raj Bahadur or Khan Bahadur as they created discrimination in the society.

Q. What are literary programmes?

Ans.The programmes are-
a.Operation Black Board

b.Universial Elementry Education 

c.Adult Education.

Q. Give the main function of the opposition party.

Ans. Opposition party keeps a check on the activities of ruling party and protects the right of the people. This is the function of the opposition party.

Q. Why are  reservation provided for certain castes in India?

Ans. The reservation was provided for certain castes to ensure their proportionate share in all walks of life so that they could live a life of respect and dignity. Later on, along with the scheduled tribes, other backward classes were also provided the benefits of reservation.

Q. Write the meaning of secularism.

Ans. India opted for secularism, where everyone is free to follow the religion of one’s choice and the state does not have a religion of its own.

Q. Why is the Universal Adult Franchise considered a courageous step of the constitutent assembly?

Ans. Our constitution has granted Universal Adult Franchise i.e. Right to vote to everyone, who is above 18 years, without any discrimination of castes, colour, religion, region or language. ‘ONE MAN ONE VOTE’ was the courageous step of the constitution framers, as most Indians were illiterate and poor at that time.

Q. How can the programmes of the government become really meaningful?

Ans. The programmes of the government will be meaningful only if they have the support of the people. For example, numerous schemes encouraged people to send their children to elementary schools, as free and compulsory education has been guaranteed for them in our constitution. But many children could not benefit from it till a supporting scheme of mid-day meal was started on the request of the teachers.

Q. Briefly discuss the condition of Indian society at that time of independence.

Ans. The condition of Indian society was not good before independence, some sections of our society suffered from economic and social backwardness.
There was discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, sex or place of birth. All citizens were not equal before the laws. Everyone was not entitled to equal opportunity in all walks of life.

Q. Is equality necessary for the Indian democracy? Why?

Ans. Equality is necessary for the success of Indian democracy. Democracy will be meaningful if the principle of the equality of all persons is recognized.
Right to equality means  equality before the law, no discrimination, equal opportunities and equal protection by law.
If equality is granted to all citizens in need. Our country will be successful and constitution will be effective.

Q. Why is the number of party candidates more than the independent ones? Who in your opinion can work better for the progress of his/her constituency?

Ans. Each political party is an organized group having its own policies and supported with manpower and finances by political parties having a definite program that the general public is familiar with.
Independent candidates have to campaign on their own. Hence, it is not an easy task for an independent candidate (a person who does not  belong to a political party) to contest elections. Party candidate can work better for the progress of his/her constituency.

Q. List the important steps taken by the Indian government for the benefits of the weaker sections of society.

Ans.After independence, there was an urgent need for the government to do something special and concrete to librate the weaker sections from oppression and backwardness. The forced isolation of the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, imposed by the caste system, had to end.
Reservation was provided for them to ensure their proportionate share in all walks of life so that they could live a life of respect and dignity.
Later on, along with the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, other backward classes were also provided the benefits of reservation.

Q. How can the people keep a check on their representatives?

Ans.The representatives run the government according to the wishes of the people. If they do not do so, people do not vote for them in the next election.
People also keep a close watch on the activities of their representatives to guard their rights, as granted by the constitution.

Q. List the factors that create inequalities and hamper the success of the democracy.

Ans. There are many threats that create inequalities and hamper the success of the democracy these are- illiteracy, poverty and any shots of discrimination on the basis of community.
Discrimination can be noticed in religious places that ban the entry of people belonging to other communities and castes.
Poverty and illiteracy make the people suppressed and ignorant.