DICTATION EXERCISE-68

          The essence of democracy is equality. In a democratic country like India, every adult, irrespective of their religion, class, caste or education, is free to vote. This is known as universal adult franchise. Universal adult franchise ensures that all people are treated equally. All adults exercise their voting rights to caste their vote in favour of a candidate of their choice. They have equal rights to choose their representative.  There had been a long struggle to achieve universal adult franchise across the world. At the beginning of the 19^th century, many European nations did not allow their people to vote. In some countries, only people owning property could vote. Often women had no voting rights. Even in the United States of America, the people of African origin did not have voting rights until 1965. Those struggling for democracy wanted voting¹⁴⁰ rights to be granted universally- men or women, rich or¹⁵⁰ poor, white or black. This was called universal adult franchise¹⁶⁰ or universal suffrage. In India, it was granted in the year 1950. The Constitution of India grants the right to vote to all Indian citizens of and above 18 years of age. Universal suffrage shows political equality. It encourages young people to participate in the electoral process. It initiates people in the act of choosing their representatives. It brings to power a government based on the consent of the people.

In a democracy, the supreme power rests with the people. They have the choice of deciding, either directly or indirectly, who can be their representatives. This is done through the process of election. Election is a process through which people can elect their representatives for running the government by voting²⁸⁰ for them. Elections are held at regular intervals. An election is a contest between candidates of different political parties for³⁰⁰ the same position. In such a process, some would win and some would lose. Today, the elections are a contest³²⁰ between different political parties. The party which gets the maximum number of votes forms the government. Sometimes there are individuals also who contest an election without belonging to any established political party. Such individuals are called independent candidates. In a democratic country like India, the task of holding elections in the country is entrusted to an independent constitutional body called the Election Commission of India. The head of the Election Commission is the Chief Election Commissioner who is appointed by the President. Her or his task is to conduct elections in the country in a free and fair manner.  Earlier, ⁴²⁰ people used to cast their votes by putting a stamp on the ballot paper. Today, the process has been simplified with introduction of the electronic voting machine. The EVM⁴⁵⁰ shows the names of the candidates and the symbols of the party to which they belong. Independent candidates also have their own symbols allotted by the Election Commission. The voters⁴⁸⁰ are only required to press the button against the name of the candidate of their choice. After the voting process is over, the ballot boxes or the EVMs are sealed and kept in safe custody. On a particular day, fixed by the Election Commission, they are opened. The votes for each candidate are then counted. The candidate getting the maximum vote in each constituency is declared elected. The party whose maximum candidates are elected becomes the ruling party. Elections are the⁵⁶⁰ means of expression of the public will. By electing candidates of their choice, people participate in the governance of their country. Elections held at regular intervals give the people a choice to allow the present government to rule for⁶⁰⁰ a longer time or to elect a new government altogether. A free and fair election offers real choices to the people.

A political party comprises of a group of people who share similar views on the political issues of the⁶⁴⁰ country. A political party wants to gain power through democratic means. In the elections that are held at the country or state level, these parties bring in their candidates to contest the elections. The political parties can be national or regional in nature. If a party is recognized in four or more states, it is called a national party. For example,⁷⁰⁰ Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are national parties. If a party functions at the state level or regional level, it is called a regional party. Some examples of regional parties are the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh, Shiromani Akali Dal of Punjab, DMK of Tamil Nadu.⁷⁵⁰ Each political party has a symbol approved by the Election Commission. For example, ‘hand’ is the symbol of Congress and ‘lotus’ is the symbol of the BJP. The symbols help in identification of the party even by people who can neither read nor write. It also helps to avid confusion⁸⁰⁰ if two parties have similar sounding names. Political parties provide choices to the people for selecting their representatives. Political parties help in shaping public opinion through public meetings, posters, speeches, etc. They unite and integrate different sections of the society as⁸⁴⁰ they draw members from all sections. As the opposition party, they criticize the policies of the government forcing the government to work for the welfare of the people. The political party that gets the maximum number of votes in an election is known as the majority party. It becomes the ruling party. The other elected members of the House⁹⁰⁰ are called the Opposition. Generally, the party with a majority of votes forms the government. But there are also situations when no party gets a clear cut majority. In such a situation, the government is formed by an alliance of two or more political parties. Such a government is known as a coalition government. In a coalition government, decisions regarding⁹⁶⁰ the state or the country cannot be taken by any individual party. All the parties of the coalition have to be⁹⁸⁰ consulted before arriving at a decision. This creates a difficult situation as all opinions have to be taken into consideration. In the recent times, a coalition government has become a common phenomenon both at the centre and the state level.

We have read that caste, gender and religion play an important role in determining whether or not people are treated equally. Whenever they are treated unequally, their dignity is¹⁰⁵⁰ violated. We must remember that all individuals are equal. They deserve to be given the same respect and dignity as the other members of the society. An unequal treatment not only violates their dignity, but also puts them through mental agony. The Indian Constitution recognizes the concept of equality. The Article 15 of the Indian Constitution makes provisions to treat people equally and with dignity. The government has tried to enforce¹¹²⁰ equality as mentioned in the Constitution through various laws as well as schemes for the disadvantaged sections of the society. The concept of equality is not as simple as it appears. In all democratic nations of the world, despite the concept of equality, there remains some amount of inequality. The United States of America and the European nations have their own share of inequalities. For example, in USA, people from the southern states of Texas and Georgia were treated¹²⁰⁰ as lacking in social ways and culture. In Britain too, the people from the aristocracy looked down upon other wealthy people. In USA, the African-Americans had been subjected to unequal and unjust treatment. Their ancestors had been brought in as slaves to America. Even after the abolition of slavery in America, these people were discriminated against. In 1950s, the Civil Rights¹²⁶⁰ Movement in USA culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibited discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, ¹²⁸⁰ colour or creed. All religions, the constitutions of all states and the policies of almost all political parties embrace the concept of equality, in spite of which inequality has not been removed. This should not be taken to mean that differences exist permanently in human society. It only means that the struggle to achieve equality is indeed very long and is not as easy as it appears to be. ¹³⁵⁰ There are people and communities who always strive to achieve equality in whatever way possible.

The health of individuals is their most important asset. The World Health Organization states that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction¹⁴⁰⁰ based upon race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. Health is a matter of human rights and its violation should be seen as a violation of human rights. Therefore, it is crucial that the state plays an active¹⁴⁴⁰ role in providing healthcare to the people. When we think of a healthy person, the first thing that comes to mind is that of a person who is physically fit and free from illness. However, health is not just confined to physical fitness but also means mental well-being. A person who is free from any fear or anxiety is seen¹⁵⁰⁰ as a healthy person. The WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely as absence of disease or infirmity. In recent years, health is also seen as the ability to lead a socially and economically productive life. In order to attain total health, factors like availability of nutritional food, clean drinking water and environment devoid of pollutants also play a key role. For a healthy life and care during illness, there is the need of appropriate healthcare services like hospitals, health centres, laboratories, ambulances and blood bank. We also need well-trained doctors, ¹⁶⁰⁰ nurses, health workers, and paramedics to diagnose and treat the illnesses.