what is Equality In Indian Democracy?

Democracy is the most popular form of government in the world. Active participation by the citizens, freedom to express one's opinion, resolving conflicts through consensus and consultation, equality and justice are the main features of a democratic government. However, equality is the most important element of a democratic set-up. Treating everyone equally and upholding the dignity of fellow citizens are core to democracy.

In a democracy all adult citizens, regardless of their caste, religion, gender or class, enjoy the right to vote. This is called Universal Adult Franchise which means that all adult citizens have the right to cast their vote and choose their representatives. It is based on the principal of 'one person one vote ' and each vote has equal value. This system of government recognises the value of every citizen. Besides political equality, all democratic government aim to achieve social as well as economic equality for their citizens.

EQUAL RIGHT TO VOTE -

Kanha and Aarti live in a one-room house in a slum area along with their two children. Kanha works as a daily wage labourer at construction sites and Aarti works as a domestic help. It is a hot June morning and they have gone to the Government Girls High school to cast their vote in the municipal elections. Aarti notices her employers, Mr and Mrs Swamy, standing at the end of the long winding queue. Even in the sweltering heat, a smile flashes across her face. All excited, she nudges her husband and tells him, "see memsaab and sahib are also standing in the same line along with us." Kanha says, "Vermaji, my ex-employer, who owns a toy shop in the mall, is also here." Both Kanha and Aarti are not aware about 

democracy, but they feel happy that their vote also has equal value and importance. They get an opportunity to participate in the functioning of the government just like others even though they are poor.

Going back to Kanha and Aarti's story, Aarti comes back home after the day's work and rushes with two buckets to fill water from the community tap. As she walks towards the one there was in the morning where the rich and the poor stood together. Here, most people are from her locality, all shabby and poor. She looks around and sees stagnant water and garbage strewn all around which is in stark contrast to her employer's locality. In the evening, there is a thunderstorm and the whole area experiences a power failure. Later in the evening, power comes back in surrounding localities, but there is no light in their slum. Amidst the darkness, Kanha and Aarti ponder on the inequality that they are subjected to and feel miserable.

INEQUALITY -

In spite of the equal status granted by the constitution, there are millions of people like Kanha and Aarti whose circumstances are far from equal. There are various forms of inequality prevalent in our society. Unequal distribution of resources is the main reason for the existence of inequality in a society. Due to lack of money, many people are deprived of even the most basic things, that is, food, clothing and shelter. People are discriminated on the grounds of class, caste, wealth, profession, gender and disability. This leads to inequality and injustice.

Caste Inequality -

The most common form of inequality in our society is the caste system. Caste system is classification of society based on profession and this division has been there since ages. The term Dalit (means broken) is used to refer to people belonging to lower castes. This system is more predominant in the rural areas. Many renowned personalities like BR Ambedkar and JG Phule experienced discrimination on grounds of caste. Even in the 21st century, in many parts of the country, underprivileged sections of society cannot use the wells of the upper classes, enter temples, dine with the upper caste people, access public places and at times are even denied medical attention and even education.

When you flip through the newspaper, you find numerous incidents of caste-based hostilities that point towards the existence of unfair caste practices. Homes of lower caste people are situated outside the village limit as per dictates of the powerful upper castes. As a result, they are unable to benefit from amenities such as good roads, water, electricity, health care and education.

The government schools in some villages do not permit Dalit children to sit with the upper caste children. In addition, even the census officers decline to record their information, so most Dalit families do not exist in government records. This leaves them without access to food and other welfare programmes. Even in urban areas, people continue to practice caste system, thought not in as rampant and harsh way as in rural areas.

Discuss all the major religions practised in India and prepare a project file. Also, discuss their similarities and differences.

Gender -Based Inequality -

Besides caste-based discrimination, gender-based discrimination is also widespread in our society. Women are paid less for the same amount and type of work done by men. Abortion, neglect, abandonment and female infanticide are Harsh realities of India as well as many other countries. The uneven sex ratio is due to the dislike many people have for the female child.

Discrimination Against Differently Abled   persons -

The community at times also discriminates against Differently-abled people. They are often not included in the mainstream and denied equal opportunities in education and jobs.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court had summoned the chairman of the state public service commission to appear before it with particulars of the selection committee that did not choose a visually challenged candidate for the post of a lecturer.

Putting the selection process of the Himachal Pradesh Public service commission (HPPSC) under the scanner, a division bench of Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Sanjay Karol directed Maj Gen (retd) CM Sharma to furnish the qualification, experience and service particulars of the members and the head of the selection committee.

The court order was issued on the appeal of a visually challenged candidate, shyam Lal.

The HPPSC Chairman was also asked to file an affidavit on whether the selection committee had fixed any guidance/parameters to assess the merit of the candidates and if so, what were the parameters.

It directed him to State how many vacancies needed to be filled in various categories from amongst the physically challenged candidates and what steps had been taken in this regard.

Shyam Lal had applied for the post of a college lecturer advertised by the HPPSC in 2008.

Of the five posts advertised, three were reserved for visually challenged people. Two candidates-Shyam Lal and a physically disabled candidate- applied for the posts under the reserved category.

Their candidature was considered and he was interviewed, through no post was reserved for his category.

When the HPPSC realised it's mistake, the entire selection process was cancelled, according to the petition.

Shyam Lal moved the High court against the decision. The court ordered the HPPSC to finalize the selection as per the process already communicated and interviews already held.

However, the HPPSC declared that Shyam Lal had got less marks than prescribed.

In its earlier orders, the High Court had said it was shocking to judicial conscience how the petitioner, who is a teacher in the subject for over 15 years, has been awarded such poor marks despite his being a postgraduate as well as an MPhil and PhD in Chemistry.

Recognising Dignity -

In the above example, Shyam Lal had to suffer even though he was well qualified because of his disability. This unfair treatment was a sheer violation of his dignity. Upholding the dignity of every individual is central to democracy. They certainly deserve the same respect as others are worthy of. In fact, nobody has the right to disgrace fellow human beings through insensitive and spiteful actions. A country can be truly democratic only when the entire society works and moves together towards the progress of the nation.

Equality In Indian Democracy -

The Indian Constitution recognises that all people are equal and no individual should be discriminated on the basis of caste, religion, gender, tribe, economic standing or education.

The following provisions have been made in the Indian Constitution for this:

* All people are equal in the eyes of law, be it the president or any ordinary citizens, and everyone has to abide by the laws laid down in the constitution.

* The constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste,sex, disability or place of birth. All citizens have equal rights to use wells, tanks, bathing ghats or roads developed by the government for the public.

* Every citizen can access shops, hotels, parks and places of amusement without any restriction.

* The Constitution also forbids untouchability and it's practice in any form.

* To promote equal service prospects, there is provisions that grants equality of opportunity in matters of public employment to any office under the government.

* To include people with disabilities in the maintream, the government enacted a law in 1955. It ensures them equal treatment and free education. It emphasis that all public buildings should be disabled-friendly.

.                    BR Ambedkar

Equality Through Welfare Schemes-

The other way through which the government is trying to advance equality, as assured in the Constitution, is by promoting welfare schemes. The aim of these programmes is to provide better opportunities to all regardless of any caste, class, religious or economic differences.

Midday Meal Scheme -

One important step for promoting equality is the midday meal scheme. Tamil Nadu was the first state to introduce this scheme in 2001. This programme has many advantages. The lure of free food led to an increase in the number of enrollments. The attendance also improved. Earlier children went home on the pretext of having food and helped in reducing caste discrimination as persons of different castes are employed to cook these meals. Moreover, children of all castes have their meals together.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan -

The sarva Shiksha Abhiyan also seeks to make education accessible to the maximum possible number of children in the age group of 6-14 years, especially girls and the depressed section of the society.

The government is promoting many more schemes to bridge the gap between the various segments of society, but what is critical is that there is a need to respect the mindset of the people. It is necessary that people change their outlooks; only then it will be possible to end inequality in society. Establishing equality in a diverse country like ours is a constant fight, as it involves changing the way of thinking prevalent since ages. Some other important programmes and acts implemented by the government are National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which aims to generate employment opportunities for the youth in villages and to help in curbing migration to urban areas. Then, there is National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which is supposed to provide better medical facilities to people in villages.

Issue Of Equality In Other Democracies -

India is not the only country in the world that has been fighting to promote equality.

The truth is that there are many more countries in the world that are struggling against injustice and inequality in the society. In class VI, we read about Apartheid and Nelson Mandela's long struggle to end this discrimination in South Africa. Similarly, present generation African-Americans in United States of America, whose ancestors came to this continent as slaves, continue to face discrimination and inequality. This is despite the fact that in the late 1950's there were mass movements and agitations by African-Americans , led by people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr, for equal rights. Ultimately, Civil Rights Act Passed in 1964, prohibited discrimination on grounds of race, religion and nationality. Prior to the passing of this law , African-American children attended separate Schools. They could not enter public places like restaurants meant for whites and even in public transport they had to sit at the back and whenever, a white person wanted to sit they had to leave their seat. Rosa parks refusal to vacate her seat for a white man stirred up a huge movement among the seething African-American community. However, laws are not sufficient to promote equality in society. Even today, after implantation of so many laws, the African-American community continues to be the poorest in the country. A majority of these people cannot afford to send their children to private school and college and in many cases are even deprived of the most basic facilities.

Thus, we can conclude from the above discussion that no nation in the world is completely democratic. In every country, there are sections of society fighting for greater recognition and equality. As discussed in the chapter, human dignity is core to democracy and people throughout the world 🌍 are constantly fighting against injustice and inequality.

Laws alone are not sufficient to bring about change. What is required is rigorous implementation of these laws and changing the attitude of people. In this book, we will further delve into how issues of equality affect the daily lives of the people.