NCERT 9th Class (CBSE) Social Science: Constitutional Design

Question: What are the guiding values of the Indian Constitution?

Answer: The guiding values of the Indian Constitution are:

1. Sovereignty: People have supreme right to make decisions on internal as well as external matters. No external power can dictate the government of India.
2. Socialism: Wealth is generated socially and should be shared equally by society. Government should regulate the ownership of land and industry to reduce socio-economic inequalities.
3. Secularism: This is when every individual has the right of freedom of religion and the states do not adopt any religion as the state religion.
4. Democracy: A form of government where people enjoy equal political rights, elect their rulers and hold them accountable. The government is run according to some basic rules.
5. Republic: The head of the country (President) is an elected person and not a hereditary position.
6. Justice: Citizens cannot be discriminated on the grounds of caste, religion and gender. Social inequalities have to be reduced. Government should work for the welfare of all, especially of the disadvantaged groups.
7. Liberty: Citizens have the freedom to think, express their thoughts and the way they wish to follow up their thoughts in actions.
8. Equality: Everyone is equal before the law. The government should ensure equal opportunity for all.
9. Fraternity: All of us should behave as if we are members of the same family. No one should treat a fellow citizen as inferior.

Question: What are constitutional amendments?

Answer: A constitution is not merely a statement of values and philosophy. A constitution is mainly about embodying these values into institutional arrangements. Much of the document called Constitution of India is about these arrangements. It is a very long and detailed document. Therefore it needs to be amended quite regularly to keep it updated.  Those who drafted the Indian Constitution felt that it has to be in accordance with people’s aspirations and changes in the society. They did not see it as a sacred, static and unalterable law. So, they made provisions to incorporate changes from time to time. These changes are called constitutional amendments.

Question: What is the importance of the constitution?

Answer:

1. The Indian Constitution lays down a procedure for choosing persons to govern the country.
2. It defines who will have how much power to take which decisions.
3. And it puts limits to what the government can do by providing some rights to the citizen that cannot be violated.

‘The importance of a Constitution is more in a democratic country’Explain:

The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all people living together in a country. Constitution is the supreme law that determines the relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens) and also the relationship between the people and the government.

1. First, it generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kind of people to live together.
2. Second, it specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have the power to take decisions.
3. Third, it lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of the citizens are; and
4. Fourth, it expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society.

Question: How did Apartheid come to an end in South Africa?

Answer:

1. As protests and struggles against apartheid had increased, the government realized that they could no longer keep the blacks under their rule through repression.
2. The white regime changed its policies. Discriminatory laws were repealed. Ban on political parties and restrictions on the media were lifted.
3. After 28 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela walked out of the jail as a free man. Finally, at the midnight of 26 April 1994, the new national flag of the Republic of South Africa was unfurled marking the newly born democracy in the world. The apartheid government came to an end, paving way for the formation of a multi-racial government.

Question: What is preamble of a Constitution?

Answer: It is the preface of the Constitution It sums up the ideals of the Constitution. The Preamble of the Constitution reads like a poem on democracy. It contains the philosophy on which the entire Constitution has been built. It provides a standard to examine and evaluate any law and action government, to find out whether it is good or bad. It is the soul of the Indian Constitution.