CHALLENGES TO INDIAN DEMOCRACY

AFREEN M H
ROLL NO:23USEG45

INTRODUCTION
Democracy is a system of government in which laws, policies, leadership, and major undertakings of
a state or other policy are directly or indirectly decided by the “people,” a group historically
constituted by only a minority of the population (e.g., all free adult males in ancient Athens or all
sufficiently propertied adult males in 19th century Britian) but generally understood since the mid-20th
century to include all (or nearly all) adult citizen .The word ‘democracy’ is derived from the Greek
work, ‘demos’ and ‘kratia’. ‘Demos’ means rule. so, democracy means the rule of people. There are
several forms of democracy, but two of the most common forms are direct and indirect democracy.

 Direct democracy: It involves citizens having a direct say in the decision-making process of
the government. Example: Switzerland.

 Indirect democracy: It involves citizens electing representatives to make decisions on their

behalf. Example: India.

CHALLENGES OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY

CORRUPTION AND INEFFICIENCY

Corruption may lead to further bureaucratic delay and inefficiency if corrupt bureaucrats introduce red
tape in order to extort more bribes. Such inadequacies in institutional efficiency could affect growth
indirectly by lowering the private marginal product of capital and investment rate.

ROLE OF ANTI SOCIAL ELEMENTS

During elections, the role of anti-social elements gets a sudden rise. Voters are forced to vote for a
particular candidate or party. Rigging also takes place during the elections.

GROWING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES AMONG PEOPLE

Economic inequality is the unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups in
society. It is a concern in almost all countries around the world and often people are trapped in poverty
with little chance to climb up the social ladder. Some causes of economic inequality are differences in
the marginal product of each factor of production, differences in tax structures, human capital, social
capital, inheritance, discrimination, access to financial markets, and the bargaining power within
economic and social units.
POVERTY
Poverty is a major challenge to democracy as the democracies could not produce expected development.
The inability of democracy to achieve higher economic development is one of the major challenges. If
we consider all democracies and dictatorships for the fifty years between 1950 and 2000, dictatorships
have a slightly higher rate of economic growth.
Within democracies, there is a very high degree of inequalities. A small number of ultra-rich enjoy a
highly disproportionate share of wealth and incomes. Those at the bottom of the society have very little
to depend upon. Yet, democratically elected governments do not appear to address the question of
poverty.

CASTEISM, COMMUNALISM AND RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM

The Indian democracy faces serious challenges also from casteism, communalism, and religious
fundamentalism. They weaken the functioning and stability of the democratic system.

CASTEISM: The caste system which presumably originated in the division of labour in ancient
society has become a more or less rigid group classification, based on birth. Casteism has played a
negative role even in the democratic political processes. In fact, casteism has become notorious as a
strategy of exploitation of caste consciousness for narrow political gains. The caste system acts against
the roots of democracy. The democratic facilities - like fundamental rights relating to equality, freedom
of speech, expression and association, participation in the electoral process, free media and press, and
even legislative forums.

COMMUNALISM: Communalism and religious fundamentalism have acquired a very dangerous

form and alarmin delayed justice perpetuates a culture of impunity, where the guilty can evade
punishment for years, exacerbating the problem of crime and undermining deterrence. It also results in
overcrowded prisons, as undertrial prisoners languish for years without a verdict. Proportion in India.
They disrupt the pattern of co-existence in our multi-religious society.

RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENATISM: Religious fundamentalism also reinforces communalists in

exploiting both religion and politics. In fact, fundamentalism acts as an ideology that advocates a return
to orthodoxy and a strict compliance to the fundamental tenets of religion. Religious fundamentalists
vehemently oppose progressive reforms in order to establish their exclusive control on their respective
communities.

DELAY IN JUSTICE
delayed justice perpetuates a culture of impunity, where the guilty can evade punishment for years,
exacerbating the problem of crime and undermining deterrence. It also results in overcrowded prisons,
as undertrial prisoners languish for years without a verdict.
CONCLUSTION
The democracy in India works on the principle of political equality. Furthermore, it essentially means
all citizens are equal before the law. Most noteworthy, there is no discrimination on the basis of religion,
caste, creed, race, sect, etc. Hence, every Indian citizen enjoys equal political rights.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://www.vendantu.com
https://www.jatinverma.com
blog.ipleaders.in