Special Stories

Understanding the Constitution that protects Democracy

Republic Day is celebrated in India as the Constitution of India (Bharatiya Samvidhan) came into force on 26 January 1950. This year we are celebrating our 76th Republic Day. On this occasion, we should remember the efforts of the Constituent Assembly to frame the cornerstone of Indian governance. The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution in the world. It took about 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days to complete the constitution. The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India.

This document lays down the basic political code, structure, procedures, powers, and functions of government institutions. It lays down fundamental rights, directive principles, and duties of citizens. Initially, it had 395 articles in 12 parts and 9 schedules. At about 145,000 words, it is the second longest active constitution in the world after the Constitution of Alabama. Now, the Constitution has a Preamble and 448 Articles, which are divided into 25 parts. With 12 Schedules and five Annexes, it has been amended 106 times as of January 2025.

The Constitution is what protects democracy in India. The Constitution writes the laws passed by the people living together in a country. It creates trust and harmony between the government and the citizens. It prescribes the type of government for a country and how it should function. It prescribes the limits on the powers of the government. Knowing our Constitution is one of the basic duties of a citizen of India. Only then, as a member of a sovereign republic, every citizen of India gets the constitutional rights that he should exercise every day. For this, higher education is necessary. In India, we have almost 80 percent literacy. But still, the gross enrolment ratio in higher education in India was 28.4 percent in May 2024. For this, higher education needs to be improved. The development of every citizen depends on his awareness of his rights and duties.

Every constitution should provide good governance and stability in the economy for the progress of the country. In this 75-year constitution, our India has achieved a lot. With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $ 4.27 trillion, we are the 5th largest economy. We are ranked 5th in space technology, we are ranked 6th in manufacturing. In agricultural production, we occupy the first 2nd position in the production of various food grains and cereals. But unfortunately, still according to the World Bank, 129 million people in India will be in extreme poverty by 2024. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), India’s unemployment rate in June 2024 was 9.2%. There is a lot of income inequality.

We are lagging behind in various global indicators. For example, the terrorism index is 13th, the corruption index is 93rd, the happiness index is 126th, etc. The number of implemented programs and schemes for both development and welfare is very high. But there are still long-term problems. Because the policies are good. But there are still flaws in the implementation. We have to overcome all these economic problems from time to time. Recent policies like demonetization, GST, agricultural laws are creating bottlenecks in the economy. All these problems can be solved with appropriate constitutional amendments. Circumstances will change. To cope with it, we should continue to amend our laws in such a way that we can easily establish policies that guarantee positive results and progress of the society.

To properly implement the Constitution, there should be moral values in the political sphere and the executive machinery. People should have the opportunity to question where necessary. Every citizen should respect the rights of others. One should perform his duties legally and morally. Only then can everyone enjoy the essence of the Indian Constitution. Dr. Ambedkar rightly said that even if the Constitution is good, if the implementation machinery is bad, the Constitution is bad, and even if the Constitution is bad, if the implementation machinery is good, the Constitution is good.

Show More
Back to top button