Essay on Democracy in India - Essays for Class 9

Introduction

“Government of the People, by the people, for the people, shall not perish,” A famous quote said by Abraham Lincoln focusing on the power and importance of democracy. Democracy is best explained by this quote. It is explained that democracy is the government that is formed by the citizens of the country, as the public only elects their representative it will be beneficial for the people.

Importance of Democracy

The concept of democracy is of much importance for the growth and development of the nation. This grants the power of electing the representatives of our choice to form the government. The ideas and opinions of every citizen are respected. There can be nothing happier than the freedom provided to do things of our choice.

Democracy ensures the equality for every citizen. All the citizens are equal before the law. People of any religion, either rich or poor if possess the eligibility can contest for elections. Democracy confers fundamental rights and duties for every citizen. There are many responsibilities that are to be handled by the citizens of India and this will mark the progress and growth of our nation.

History of Democracy in India

India before Independence was under British rule. After independence in 1947, it became a democratic nation. The constitution was also laid in 1950. After the country attained democracy, the people of India had been given the power to elect the representative of their choice by giving votes. People were not discriminated against on the basis of caste, creed, and religion. They were free to make the decision information of the government.

Challenges of Democracy

Democracy must be reflected in all sections of society. India is a democratic nation since its independence since 1947. The expectations of some sections of society are still not quenched. There are some factors that disrupt the better functioning of a nation as a democratic nation.

• Poverty: It is one of the biggest problems in our country. There are many people in India who are deprived of food, clothing and shelter. The political parties during elections offer them money in form of bribe, so that these people may give their valuable votes to the particular political party. It is the poverty which makes people accept the money and keep their decision inside only. The requirement of money is of more importance rather than voting to the right candidate.
• Illiteracy: Literacy has its enormous importance. It helps an individual in understanding about different issues, programmes and policies inside the nation. People can give their opinions and suggestions on different problems of the country if they are literate and are able to understand well. Most of the people in India are illiterate and therefore it is a great challenge for the democracy of India.
• Gender Discrimination: India is a male dominant country. There women and girl have to face discrimination. They are deprived of their fundamental rights and education. The preference has always been given to the male child. The increased case of female infanticide clearly depicts this issue. Man and women both should have an equal status in society. The participation of both equally is required for proving democracy.
  
• Corruption: This is one of the major causes of disabling the proper functioning of democracy. Corruption can be observed in education, employment, health sectors, industrial sectors, political systems and almost in every aspect. Many politicians win the elections by the corrupt method. They usually capture the polling booths or bribe people to get their votes. This is totally changing the definition of democracy. In this way, public opinion could not be expressed.
• Criminalization: The person with a criminal background cannot contest for elections. This rule is being totally disapproved by the versatility of people with a criminal background. They stand and win in the election because of their power and wealth. Nobody opposes them as they are dangerous too. This is the way of totally opposing democracy. There must be certain procedures to eliminate these criminal practices.
• Casteism: The thought of casteism is most prevalent in minds of people. They give their votes also to the parties having members of the same caste. They just cast their votes irrespective of work of the political party. This thinking divides people into small groups with different opinions. It can never contribute to the economic and social growth of society and nation which is disrupting democracy.

Conclusion

The democracy in India is admired by the world. There are still many weaknesses which require improvements for the proper functioning of democracy