"Swaraj as an Alternative Framework for Democratic Renewal"
Swaraj
Gandhi's twin idea of self-rule over rulers and rule over the self, moral and political self-governance combined.
Subsidiarity
the principle that decisions should be taken at the lowest competent level of governance, not a higher one.
Swaraj as a political idea predates the Constitution. Mahatma Gandhi's Hind Swaraj (1909) distinguished between merely replacing British rulers with Indian rulers and genuine self-rule. True swaraj required Indians to also govern themselves internally, morally and socially. This twin sense of swaraj, rule of the self and rule over the self, fed into constitutional debates well before 1950. The Objectives Resolution was moved in the Constituent Assembly in 1946. It sparked debate on whether the word 'democratic' needed to be spelt out at all, since India's past was said to already point toward democratic self-rule. As a result, on 26 January 1950, the Preamble described India only as a Sovereign Democratic Republic. The words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' were added later, by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. Even the Constitution's own self-description has evolved, rather than being fixed once and for all.
Alongside Gandhi, other 20th-century Indian thinkers pushed democracy beyond the ballot box. Dr B R Ambedkar, in his final Constituent Assembly address, warned that political democracy could not survive without social democracy. He named fraternity, a felt sense of common brotherhood, as its precondition. M N Roy argued for party-less democracy through local people's committees. Rammanohar Lohia proposed 'Chaukhamba Raj', a four-tier structure running from the village to the centre. Jayaprakash Narayan later called for a wholesale reconstruction of the polity. None of these proposals were adopted in their original form. Together, they form an alternative Indian tradition of thinking about democracy, concerned as much with everyday practice and decentralised power as with formal electoral procedure.
Standard liberal democracy defines self-rule narrowly. Citizens choose rulers through elections and hold them accountable at fixed intervals. Swaraj expands this into a fuller idea: self-rule as also self-restraint, and rule as also mutual self-regulation among citizens. Democracy is then not only a set of institutions, elections, courts, a free press, but a continuously cultivated practice. It needs community bonds, a shared vision, and political leadership renewed for each generation.
Four institutional design flaws are identified in how modern democracies, including India's, are built. First, nation-states and even large federal units operate at a scale too vast for genuine self-rule to be felt by ordinary citizens. Second, there is a mismatch between where a problem is experienced and where the power to solve it sits. This is an argument for the principle of subsidiarity: matters should be decided at the lowest competent level rather than pushed upward. …
What was the exact constitutional status of India on 26th January, 1950?
Which of the following statements with respect to the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) is/are correct?
1.The period of its implementation is 1st April, 2021 to 31st March, 2026.
2.The key objective of the Revamped RGSA is to develop the governance capabilities of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
3.The share of the Central funding for the Revamped RGSA is 100% for all States and Union Territories.
Select the answer using the code given below:
We have adopted parliamentary democracy based on the British model, but how does our model differ from that model?
1.As regards legislation, the British Parliament is supreme or sovereign, but in India, the power of the Parliament to make laws is limited.
2.In India, matters related to the constitutionality of the Amendment of an Act of the Parliament are referred to the Constitution Bench by the Supreme Court.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Consider the following statements about the Preamble to the Constitution of India:
1.On 26 January 1950, India was constitutionally described as a 'Sovereign Democratic Republic'.
2.The words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' were inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which Constitutional Amendment Act gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions in India?
With reference to the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), consider the following statements:
1.It is implemented from 2021 to 2026.
2.Its key objective is to build the governance capacities of Panchayati Raj Institutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
3.The Central government provides 100% funding for the scheme in all States and Union Territories.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding India's parliamentary democracy as compared to the British model:
1.Unlike the British Parliament, the Indian Parliament's power to make laws is limited by judicial review.
2.Questions on the constitutionality of a constitutional amendment are referred to a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match List-I (Political Thinker) with List-II (Associated Idea) and select the correct answer using the code given below:
List-I:
A.B R Ambedkar,
B.M N Roy,
C.Rammanohar Lohia,
D.Jayaprakash Narayan
List-II:
1.Party-less democracy,
2.Chaukhamba Raj (four-pillar democracy),
3.Fraternity as precondition for democracy,
4.Reconstruction of the Indian polity
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