indian democracy essay upsc

Essay on Democracy

Introduction.

Democracy is mainly a Greek word which means people and their rules, here peoples have the to select their own government as per their choice. Greece was the first democratic country in the world. India is a democratic country where people select their government of their own choice, also people have the rights to do the work of their choice. There are two types of democracy: direct and representative and hybrid or semi-direct democracy. There are many decisions which are made under democracies. People enjoy few rights which are very essential for human beings to live happily. 

Our country has the largest democracy. In a democracy, each person has equal rights to fight for development. After the independence, India has adopted democracy, where the people vote those who are above 18 years of age, but these votes do not vary by any caste; people from every caste have equal rights to select their government. Democracy, also called as a rule of the majority, means whatever the majority of people decide, it has to be followed or implemented, the representative winning with the most number of votes will have the power. We can say the place where literacy people are more there shows the success of the democracy even lack of consciousness is also dangerous in a democracy. Democracy is associated with higher human accumulation and higher economic freedom. Democracy is closely tied with the economic source of growth like education and quality of life as well as health care. The constituent assembly in India was adopted by Dr B.R. Ambedkar on 26 th November 1949 and became sovereign democratic after its constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.

What are the Challenges:

There are many challenges for democracy like- corruption here, many political leaders and officers who don’t do work with integrity everywhere they demand bribes, resulting in the lack of trust on the citizens which affects the country very badly. Anti-social elements- which are seen during elections where people are given bribes and they are forced to vote for a particular candidate. Caste and community- where a large number of people give importance to their caste and community, therefore, the political party also selects the candidate on the majority caste. We see wherever the particular caste people win the elections whether they do good for the society or not, and in some cases, good leaders lose because of less count of the vote.

India is considered to be the largest democracy around the globe, with a population of 1.3 billion. Even though being the biggest democratic nation, India still has a long way to becoming the best democratic system. The caste system still prevails in some parts, which hurts the socialist principle of democracy. Communalism is on the rise throughout the globe and also in India, which interferes with the secular principle of democracy. All these differences need to be set aside to ensure a thriving democracy.

Principles of Democracy:

There are mainly five principles like- republic, socialist, sovereign, democratic and secular, with all these quality political parties will contest for elections. There will be many bribes given to the needy person who require food, money, shelter and ask them to vote whom they want. But we can say that democracy in India is still better than the other countries.

Basically, any country needs democracy for development and better functioning of the government. In some countries, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, are considered to ensure that voters are well informed, enabling them to vote according to their own interests.

Let us Discuss These Five Principles in Further Detail

Sovereign: In short, being sovereign or sovereignty means the independent authority of a state. The country has the authority to make all the decisions whether it be on internal issues or external issues, without the interference of any third party.

Socialist: Being socialist means the country (and the Govt.), always works for the welfare of the people, who live in that country. There should be many bribes offered to the needy person, basic requirements of them should be fulfilled by any means. No one should starve in such a country.

Secular: There will be no such thing as a state religion, the country does not make any bias on the basis of religion. Every religion must be the same in front of the law, no discrimination on the basis of someone’s religion is tolerated. Everyone is allowed to practice and propagate any religion, they can change their religion at any time.

Republic: In a republic form of Government, the head of the state is elected, directly or indirectly by the people and is not a hereditary monarch. This elected head is also there for a fixed tenure. In India, the head of the state is the president, who is indirectly elected and has a fixed term of office (5 years).

Democratic: By a democratic form of government, means the country’s government is elected by the people via the process of voting. All the adult citizens in the country have the right to vote to elect the government they want, only if they meet a certain age limit of voting.

Merits of Democracy:

better government forms because it is more accountable and in the interest of the people.

improves the quality of decision making and enhances the dignity of the citizens.

provide a method to deal with differences and conflicts.

A democratic system of government is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections. It permits citizens to participate in making laws and public policies by choosing their leaders, therefore citizens should be educated so that they can select the right candidate for the ruling government. Also, there are some concerns regarding democracy- leaders always keep changing in democracy with the interest of citizens and on the count of votes which leads to instability. It is all about political competition and power, no scope for morality.

Factors Affect Democracy:

capital and civil society

economic development

modernization

Norway and Iceland are the best democratic countries in the world. India is standing at fifty-one position.

India is a parliamentary democratic republic where the President is head of the state and Prime minister is head of the government. The guiding principles of democracy such as protected rights and freedoms, free and fair elections, accountability and transparency of government officials, citizens have a responsibility to uphold and support their principles. Democracy was first practised in the 6 th century BCE, in the city-state of Athens. One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all the political power, in a democracy people rule themselves and also respect given to diverse groups of citizens, so democracy is required to select the government of their own interest and make the nation developed by electing good leaders.

FAQs on Democracy Essay for Students in English

1. What are the Features of Democracy?

Features of Democracy are as follows

Equality: Democracy provides equal rights to everyone, regardless of their gender, caste, colour, religion or creed.

Individual Freedom: Everybody has the right to do anything they want until it does not affect another person’s liberty.

Majority Rules: In a democracy, things are decided by the majority rule, if the majority agrees to something, it will be done.

Free Election: Everyone has the right to vote or to become a candidate to fight the elections.

2. Define Democracy?

Democracy means where people have the right to choose the rulers and also people have freedom to express views, freedom to organise and freedom to protest. Protesting and showing Dissent is a major part of a healthy democracy. Democracy is the most successful and popular form of government throughout the globe.

Democracy holds a special place in India, also India is still the largest democracy in existence around the world.

3. What are the Benefits of Democracy?

Let us discuss some of the benefits received by the use of democracy to form a government. Benefits of democracy are: 

It is more accountable

Improves the quality of decision as the decision is taken after a long time of discussion and consultation.

It provides a better method to deal with differences and conflicts.

It safeguards the fundamental rights of people and brings a sense of equality and freedom.

It works for the welfare of both the people and the state.

4. Which country is the largest democracy in the World?

India is considered the largest democracy, all around the world. India decided to have a democratic Govt. from the very first day of its independence after the rule of the British. In India, everyone above the age of 18 years can go to vote to select the Government, without any kind of discrimination on the basis of caste, colour, religion, gender or more. But India, even being the largest democracy, still has a long way to become perfect.

5. Write about the five principles of Democracy?

There are five key principles that are followed in a democracy. These Five Principles of Democracy of India are -  secular, sovereign, republic, socialist, and democratic. These five principles have to be respected by every political party, participating in the general elections in India. The party which got the most votes forms the government which represents the democratic principle. No discrimination is done on the basis of religion which represents the secular nature of democracy. The govt. formed after the election has to work for the welfare of common people which shows socialism in play.

Indian Democracy: A Story of Success or Failure?

 Indian Democracy: A Story of Success or Failure? 

Introduction

• India is considered a great experiment in democracy worldwide due to the large scale at which it operates, and it is largely functional if we compare it to other states such as Pakistan.
• However, the question whether Indian democracy is truly successful or not remains to be answered since there are differing viewpoints on the issue.
• First, it is important to understand what a democracy is before we measure the success of India as a democracy. It is a political system that is governed through a larger consensus of the people being governed and a common way of doing this is through elections, plebiscites, referenda, etc.
• Main argument of the essay : Success or failure of democracy is an objective opinion depending upon how one defines a successful democracy. However, Indian democracy can be considered successful despite some drawbacks due to the immense success it has achieved in certain areas.

How can we define a successful democracy?

• One common way of defining it is the occurrence of frequent, independent, and transparent elections wherein people get to choose their political leaders in a democratic manner.
• However, elections are not enough according to some. A true democracy should ensure social justice and equality along with political equality. Therefore, the success of a democracy can be measured by the achievements the country has made in providing social security, healthcare, access to opportunities, and freedom from exploitation to all of its citizens.

Some instances of success of Indian democracy:

• Even if we consider the point on elections, India has showed a great strength in carrying out frequent elections across the country despite its vast size. The central and state election commissions garner respect from even the common people in protecting their voting rights. The Indian judiciary has from time to time stepped in to allow free and fair elections.
• Legislations such as RTI and Lokpal have given voice to common people to challenge the irregularities and assert their rights. It is a sure sign of success of the country as a democracy.
• As a political system, each citizen stands equal in front of the government with equal voting rights. Untouchability and similar forms of social discrimination have been abolished by the Constitution, which has given many people new confidence to live with dignity.
• The Indian government has launched multiple initiatives such as universal immunization, RTE (right to education), PDS (public distribution system), and MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005), which are efforts to provide physical as well as social security to disadvantaged people.

Problems with functioning of Indian democracy:

• Rampant corruption is present at many levels. The incidences of several scams, such as the 2G and coal scams, have raised questions about the functioning of a successful democracy, as there have been nexuses between businesses, politicians, and government officials.
• Though most of India reports free elections, there are still instances of rigged elections and mindless use of money to gather votes. In some places, people from marginalized groups are pressurized and bullied to vote against their wishes by the locally powerful people.
• According to recent reports, India is the second-most unequal country in the world in terms of wealth distribution after Russia. India’s democracy cannot be called successful with such high levels of economic inequality.
• India, the largest democracy in the world, has amazed political scientists and observers and is often called a experiment’ in the democratic system of governance.
• The success of a democracy depends on one’s definition of a successful democracy. However, it should be recognized chat merely carrying our elections every five years does not determine the success of a democracy; it is more complex than that.
• In India’s case, there are instances of both success and failure if we look at the progress made since independence. There are political equality and measures towards socio-economic transformation but there are economic inequality and corruption coo.
• In the life of a country, it is too early to call the functioning of a democracy a success or failure, given that India became free only in 1947. Therefore, we can only say that Indian democracy is on a definite journey towards a successful democracy, as there are certainly genuine improvements made in governance, political system, social structure, and economy since independence.
• Keywords: Indian democracy, success, failure
• This is a popular topic, given the range of arguments that can be made and the candidates’ familiarity with the subject. You must make creative and analytical arguments in order to differentiate your essay from others.
• As an aspiring civil servant, one should have a positive and optimistic outlook on the functioning of Indian democracy; however, you must also present its drawbacks impartially.

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