Question 1: How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate government?
Answer.
Government accountability can be ensured by:
- Enacting laws and policies: Citizens can hold the government accountable for non-implementation or policies detrimental to welfare.
- Citizen action: Protests, campaigns, and rallies exert pressure on the government to address citizen aspirations.
Question 2: What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social diversities?
Answer.
Social diversities can be accommodated by prioritizing all communities within society. Both majority and minority groups should receive equal attention. Democracy isn’t solely about majority rule; it entails collaboration between all groups for national progress and development. It’s crucial to recognize that majority rule in democracy isn’t based on religion or language; any individual or group can become the majority in a democratic system.
Question 3: Give arguments to support or oppose the following assertions:
- Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship to become rich.
Answer.
- The idea that only industrialized countries can maintain democracy and that the poor need dictatorship to achieve wealth is flawed. Democracy isn’t inherently tied to a nation’s wealth.
- Economic development relies on factors such as resources, policies, and government openness to attract investment. If dictatorship were the key to wealth, countries like Nigeria would be prosperous, which isn’t the reality.
- Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens.
Answer.
- Democracy doesn’t inherently address income inequality due to diverse professions within communities.
- While democracy promotes social and political equality, it doesn’t guarantee income equality, as income is based on individual ability to work.
- The government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction, health, education and spend more on industries and infrastructure.
Answer.
- Investing in human resources is essential for a country’s development. Citizen well-being, including education and health, are critical indicators of progress.
- The Human Development Report assesses development through education, health, and income, highlighting the importance of prioritizing health and education infrastructure for national growth.
- In a democracy, all citizens have one vote, which means that there is an absence of any domination and conflict.
Answer.
- While democracy provides each citizen with a vote, it isn’t immune to conflicts.
- India’s diverse population exemplifies this, with social divisions leading to riots, protests, and strikes. Therefore, democracy cannot eradicate social divisions entirely.
Question 4: Identify the challenges to democracy in the following descriptions. Also, suggest policy/institutional mechanism to deepen democracy in the given situations:
a) Following a High Court directive, a temple in Orissa that had separate entry doors for Dalits and non-Dalits allowed entry for all from the same door.
Answer:
- Continued discrimination threatens democracy by perpetuating caste, color, and creed-based biases.
- Legal action can be taken against offenders as discrimination is considered a crime under the Constitution, jeopardizing national peace.
- Serious steps must be taken to maintain communal harmony.
b) A large number of farmers are committing suicide in different states of India.
Answer:
- Many farmers in India are resorting to suicide due to economic inequality. With small land holdings, they face significant losses if weather conditions are unfavorable.
- Unable to repay loans, they become overwhelmed by debt. Such cases have risen in recent years, prompting the government to provide farmers with affordable fertilizers, seeds, and improved irrigation methods.
c) Following allegation of killing of three civilians in Gandwara in a fake encounter by Jammu and Kashmir police, an enquiry has been ordered.
Answer:
Allegations of a fake encounter in Gandwara by the Jammu and Kashmir police raise concerns about the state’s police force. The challenge lies in controlling the power of police and other authorities.
Question 5: In the context of democracies, which of the following ideas is correct – democracies have successfully eliminated?
- conflicts among people
- economic inequalities among people
- differences of opinion about how marginalised sections are to be treated
- the idea of political inequality
Answer. D. the idea of political inequality
Question 6: In the context of assessing democracy which among the following is odd one out? Democracies need to ensure:
- free and fair elections
- the dignity of the individual
- majority rule
- equal treatment before the law
Answer. C. Majority rule
Question 7: Studies on political and social inequalities in democracy show that
- democracy and development go together.
- inequalities exist in democracies.
- inequalities do not exist under a dictatorship.
- dictatorship is better than democracy.
Answer. B. inequalities exist in democracies.
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