India Government Paper

Maggie Moran

India Government & Model UN

Introduction

Due to the population and size of the country, India is considered to me the world’s largest democracy. With significant recent growth in literacy and reduction of poverty and poor health conditions, it seems that India is poised to continue to gain power, due largely to the fact that the government has maintained open elections and worked to first improve conditions domestically before altering international relations. As India’s economy continues to prosper, and as they continue to assist militarily in many peacekeeping missions, it seems that the country and its government have found a good way to maintain their status as the world’s largest and one of the most powerful democracies.

Structure of Indian Government

The government of India is run by a parliamentary system of government, with the President in control of the bicameral houses. The two houses of government are the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). Along with this system, there is also a Council of Ministers, which is a group that most directly aid and assist the President, with the Prime Minister working most closely with the President. In attempting to find similarities between the government of India and the government of the U.S., the Rajya Sabha would be similar to the U.S. Senate, with representatives serving terms of two years. The Lok Sabha, then, would be similar to the House of Representatives, with members elected from their own state to serve the country. It would be the Council of Ministers that most closely resembles the US Cabinet, with each member in charge of informing the President on a particular subset of issues. Also like democracy of the US, government in India is divided into three branches; the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.

Types of Indian Government

It is said that India is am “Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic.” It is sovereign in that, both internally and externally, it is free from foreign power and also has a government that is elected directly by the people. It is socialist, because equality is sought after for all citizens, both socially and economically. The socialist aspect of government ensures that there can be no discrimination based on color, creed, sex, religion, language, and especially in India, caste. As caste was once an integral part of the way in which Indian hierarchy was developed, it is slowly loosening its grip on the government of India. Due to the vast number of religions within India, the Constitution was modified to include “secular,” stating that there would be no state religion, and that all people have the right to practice the religion of their own choice. India is also democratic; as all people have the ability to vote for the candidates they choose, ensuring that elections are free and fair.

State Government

Within the 28 states of India, the state governments are similar in structure, and are all organized in a unicameral or bi-cameral structure. Similar to that of the national government of India, each state has a Governor, who has the most power within the state, and a Council of Ministers who work underneath him. The Chief Minister, like the Prime Minister, works most closely with the governor and has, in many ways equal power with him. With the recent push towards decentralization of the national government towards a more focused state government, state officials have seen an increase in their individual power, and thus, an increase in their ability to effectively make change within the state.

Decentralization

Since the 1980s, there has been a dramatic shift from a nationalized government in India to a more localized system. With the advent of the Local Self Government System, and the Panchayat Raj, many citizens have the ability to involve themselves in government, and are thus more productive and more interested in politics and occurrences on a national level. The Panchayat Raj works closely with many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to accomplish more on a local level. It is because of the success that India has had with decentralization that government has been more successful, because when people believe that their involvement will implement change, they are more likely to participate. Writes on author, “Because there are many attractive arguments in favor of decentralization (e.g., making government more responsive to local needs, ensuring accountability, generating economic growth and employment, promoting popular participation and democracy, and increasing equality), the trend around the world has been to adopt some form of decentralization” (Wiliams 49). Because local governments have worked to improve economic stability within their states, the GDP has grown as a result, sparking the 9% annual growth of the GDP.

Corruption

In a recent study, the government in India ranked 84^th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption within government. There is also a statistic that says that nearly a quarter of the 540 members of India Parliament have faced some sort of criminal charge, from human trafficking, to rape, and even murder. Corruption also tends to be more prevalent on a state level, with Uttar Pradesh electing a majority of candidates with a criminal record. Almost half of all bureaucrats in India have admitted to having a firsthand experience of bribing or peddling in order to help get legislation passed within public office. There is also an example of elected officials stealing state property – in Bihar, it has been reported that more than 80% of the subsidized food aid to poor is stolen. While corruption exists in all countries, it seems abnormally high in India, especially as it begins to involve police and judges.

Conclusion

Though there is much corruption within India, it seems that the country is headed in the right direction towards becoming one of the most successful democracies internationally. Decentralization has played a significant role in the recent governmental success within the country, and because of this, the Indian economy has grown dramatically. The drastic increase in literacy rate and the steady decline of significant poverty within the country are two factors in this democratic shift; the more informed the people are about their candidates, the more likely they are to participate. While the vast majority of people still vote within their respective caste, there seems to be a shift out of the antiquated way of thinking, and more focus on the individual’s right to elect a candidate to office. Acting as a democracy plays a significant role in the way the country operates, and it is likely that because India works under democratic ideals, it will soon surpass China in terms of economic and military strength, and that it will evolve into a country whose reign will be envied.

Works Cited

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Williams, Michelle. The Roots of Participatory Democracy Democratic Communists in South Africa and Kerala, India. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print.