Chapter 8 Challenges to Democracy-Ncert notes

Topic : 1 : Challenges to Democracy :

• The serious challenges that democracy face in a country for smooth running of govt is called challenges. A challenge is not just any problem. We usually call only those difficulties a challenge which are significant and which can be overcome.
• Challenges : At least one fourth of global is still not under democratic govt. The challenge for democracy in these parts of the world is very stark. These countries face the foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy and then instituting democratic govt.
• Most of the established democracies face the challenge of expression. This involves applying the basic principles of democratic govt across all the region, different social groups and various institutions.
• Challenge of deepening of democracy is faced by every democracy in one form or another. This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy. They should happen in such a way that people can realise their expectations of democracy.
• Elections are very expensive. The only rich persons can elect elections. The common man can not stand in elections. The govt should minimise the election expenditure. The govt should prepare budget for elections.

2. Topic : Political Reforms in Democracy

Meaning : All the suggestions or proposals about overcoming various challenges to democracy are called democracy reform or political reform.

• Reforming politics by making new laws.
• Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political prac- tices and encourage good ones.
• Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter productive. For example, many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting panchayat elections. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor people and women.
• The best laws are those which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.
• The Right to Information Act is a good example of a law that empowers the people to find out what is happening in govt.
• Democratic reforms are to be brought about principally through political practice.
• Any proposal for political reform should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how.

Questions :

1. Name the two democratic countries who face challenge of expansion.
2. What is political reforms.
3. What is the importance of Right to Information Act.
4. What is the meaning of word ‘challenge’.
5. How we can make political reforms in democracy.
6. Evaluate the main challenges faced by Indian democracy.