Page 177 - SST Class 06

independence India, such classes existed which seats in educational institutions were reserved for
were considered unequal. The problem of
untouchability existed at a large scale and the
people of these castes were done injustice. So, it
was necessary to give them an equal status and do
justice to them.
Quiz Time
Write True or False :
1. The problem of untouchability existed at a small
scale. _______
2. The chairman of a Nagar Nigam is responsible to
the Municipal Committee. _______
3. The President is the head of the state. _______
4. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected
directly by the people. _______
5. A state is formed of people of different classes.
_______
This was the reason that the Preamble to the
Constitution of India declares its objectives as
justice and equality. It aims to give social, political
and economic justice to all people and give them
equality of status and opportunity.
Social justice was ensured to them as all people
have been made equal before the law. No
discrimination is practised against them on any
ground like religion, caste, region, language, race,
sex etc.
Political justice has been ensured by giving every
adult citizen the right to vote. Every citizen has a
single vote. All citizens hold a single citizenship
of India, it means that a citizen of India can settle
and do business in any part of India.
Economic justice could not be given in just a
stroke. It needed time. So, the provisions of
reservations were included in the Constitution.
Under it, certain posts in the government and
v A democratic government gives liberty to its citizens while an authoritarian one curbs them.
v There is one head of state in a presidential system while in a parliamentary system, there are separate head
of state and head of government.
the people of deprived classes called Scheduled
Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Later, this
reservation was extended to include Other
Backward Classes (OBC). The people belonging to
the SC, ST and OBC enjoy reservation for
admission to educational institutions also. Even in
private jobs, minimum wages have been ensured
to all citizens. The government makes effort for
equal pay for equal work.
It may be pertinent to note that the reservations
were provided in the Constitution of India for a
period of ten years, but this provision has been
extended time and again. The people who have
been benefited from the reservations have not
been excluded from the list. As a result, these
benefited people have become powerful and
enjoy all benefits, mostly at the cost of the people
who remain deprived even today.
A serious disadvantage of the reservation is that
merit is often compromised. When a post needing
expertise is filled by a less proficient person, the
development and progress of the country is
seriously compromised. So, all deprived people,
whether belonging to high castes or low castes,
should be given maximum educational facilities as
per their aptitude and attitude, so that they can
earn proficiency in their area of interest, but merit
must not be compromised for appointment to any
post.
Equality of status is maintained by the provisions
of single vote, single citizenship and equality
before the law. In order to give equality of
opportunity to all citizens, no discrimination is
practised for appointment to any post or
admission to any educational institution on
grounds of religion, region, caste, sex etc.
However, reservations have been provided for
certain classes of people in order to uplift them in
the society.
Forms of Government
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