India is one of the earliest countries to have adapted to democracy which is given to us by the constitutional authority. We are a sovereign state with democracy being treated for being progressive and accommodating society that leads to harmony, tolerance and humanity. It is always wise to analyze and learn from the possible shortcomings. Our democracy has come a long way and has a very long way to go leading many generations to come. It is our responsibility to preserve and pass on the democratic values as perceived by the constitution of India. Our Indian democracy stands firm on many parameters besides some challenges which are to be addressed and reconciled with, after all we are an inclusive society and we should carry on with the differences, keeping a bigger picture in mind which is our country’s interest.
Milestones of our democracy
Ever since our independence and adaptation of democracy, we as a nation have crossed a significant milestone that needs to be remembered. Following are some of those important milestones.
Decentralization
Decentralization of power is a very momentous landmark which was achieved in the spirit of the democracy with due consideration to the people of India. We have seen the power has been distributed to the lowest segment in our complex governing structure. The sharing of responsibilities among the executive, bureaucracy and judiciary to simultaneously run the government is of great importance to our democracy. While the three major functions are interdependent, the power has been decentralized to the departments within to ensure there are no power centers, but we the people are most powerful to be served by all these entities.
Federal Structure
The governing aspects have also been diversified towards the federal structure where our states have their independent approach in decision making with our own legislative law. Legislative is in sync with the constitution of India and all the states collective fulfill the democratic requirements.
Municipal System
Our democratic practice has its validity to the lowest possible units of governance. Municipalities are also run by our peoples’ representatives who are elected by us through local elections. Municipal representatives are empowered to address our issues at regional level and escalate to the state and central governments for our welfare. The true spirit of democracy is often represented at Municipal levels where our core issues are addressed. Our governance is more meaningful with the decisions are made at municipal level which become the basis for major policy decisions.
Press freedom
Press freedom mirrors the transparency offered by our democratic system. We are updated by the media about the violations in the democracy by our elected representatives. Media functions as a watchdog and prevents any misgivings that are possible because of the people in power. When the motives of our politicians change to be selfish, they misuse the power and public funds for their benefit which becomes blot in our democracy. Our media’s freedom shall prevent such activities.
Our democracy has come a long way with many significant milestones being accomplished. We the people are responsible to preserve the value of our democracy by exercising fundamental rights and responsibility given to us by the constitution.
