Material & Emotional exploitation of Voter Citizen can be checked if Government Schools & Hospitals are made to “Deliver”

Govt. Schools are available still Child Education Allowance @Rs.2250 & Child HSA @ Rs 6750 is paid to Government employees

Educational Empowerment of Socially – Economically -Administratively “Depressed Citizens” can only reduce their exploitation in numbers

DAYA SAGAR

India not only got freedom from the foreign rule in 1947 but also shed the shackles of Monarchy and adopted a democratic system of governance through elected peoples representatives with the each individual adult citizen having same power for electing the government irrespective of cast, creed., sect, religion, region and the economic status. Over the sanctuaries Indians had been ruled by the Monarchs & the Foreigners and at the time of independence though the Indian people were still culturally rich but large masses were economically , educationally ,socially and administratively much much down the ladder in addition to having faced the havoc created in an environment of religion based partition of India . Imagine how badly were the Indian people placed economically and administratively & politically when India got independence in 1947 when drafting constitution of India was started and was completed in 1949 with provisions for special political / administrative /social support for identified socially & educationally backward classes (SC and ST) from amongst the citizens of India ( inspite of there being also provisions for Equality before law ; Prohibition against discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment etc. still even in 2024 after 75 years of independence not only many more backward / other backward classes have been identified where though not for political support ( reservations ) atleast need has been felt / reservations have been additionally provided for OBC/EOBC/EWS more than what has been kept for SC/ ST in professional institutions and administration ( appointment in government services , even in promotions) . Not only that still as per government disclosures India have 81 Cr ( 81,00,000,00) Indian citizens who need to be provided / are being provided / will be provided atleast for another 4 to 5 years just 5 kg of food grains free of cost per month. So one can well imagine what could be economic status of majority of Indian population in 1947 and what has been the spirit behind the Preamble to Constitution of India which say < :: “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the 2 unity and integrity of the Nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.>: Imagine the task that the present government has to shoulder even in 2024 to fulfill the task that the framers of constitution of India had set in 1950 targeting to get rid of any need for social/ constitutional special support for the depressed classes/ underprivileged Indian citizens in 10 years and is still unfinished.
Not only that Constitution of India is enshrined with fundamental rights ( Part III Articles 12 to Article 35) for Citizens of India Fundamental Right. To be brief there in Art13 provided a provision for safe guard against ‘Laws inconsistent with or in derogation of the fundamental rights; Articles 14 to 18 provide Right to Equality , Article 19 to 22 provides Right to Freedom , Article 23 to 24 provide Right against Exploitation , Articles 25 to 28 provide Right to Freedom of Religion , Art 29 to 30 provide Cultural and Educational Rights ,Art 31A to 31D provides for Saving of Certain Laws , Art 32 to 35 provide for Right to Constitutional Remedies .For seeking cover of rights provided under fundamental rights the citizen awareness about the rights available & means available to secure and the resources required for that has to be there with in the understanding of a citizen or the citizen must have awareness and for that the citizen has to be also educationally & materially equipped. And if not financially and technically should be secure atleast educationally as well as health wise.
Similarly in Part IV of COI Art 36 to 51 lay down DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY which although are not enforceable by law / by any court but certainly enjoins upon the government to keep these in immediate vision while making the state policies since the principles laid down therein are nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws like Art 38. says The State shall, in particular, strive to minimise the inequalities in income, and endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations; and *[45. The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.
And to add to Rights and Directives contained in Part III & Part IV of Constitution of India was added through Constitution Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976, s. 11 w.e.f. 3-1-197742nd Part IVA FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES 51A where Art 51A lays down that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India- (a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem; … (e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women; … *[(k) who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years.] { *Ins. by the Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002, s. 4 (which is yet not in force, date to be notified later on).
So for all this the citizen if not well equipped atleast educationally , if not materially, will not be able to observe the duty performance of the governments towards making available of health , education, social justice and opportunity cover to under privileged citizen worth making one strong enough to help others instead of continuing in Qs for just collecting 5 kg free grains.
General awareness, minimum common vision and meaningful understanding for with capacity to look beyond the minimum material & physical needs for physical survival worth avoiding any physical exploitation are the basic tools in general with which a voter citizen in a democracy has to be equipped which too can be achieved through meaningful education ( not simple literacy ) & good health for which there has to be a minimum financial resource available to a citizen , and if not available then the society has to provide the back up for taking a start which could not be ‘religiously’ enforced in a capitalistic society but the streams can surely be carved in a socialistic society where by law every citizen of the country is to contribute to common exchequer in proportion to one’s capacity / earnings and the State tries endeavors to provide atleast the minimum basics for survival & moving towards self sufficiency to all citizens at the same rate. It is not out of place to opine here that the social backwardness too some extent also results from continued economic & administrative backwardness of individual / group of individuals which may at some later date get identified as a class or sect.
Continued……
(The author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs).