ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
Every country needs a government to make decisions and get things done. These can be decisions about where to build roads and schools, or how to reduce the price of onions when they get too expensive, or ways to increase the supply of electricity. The government also takes action on many social issues, for example, it has several programmes to help the poor.
It does other important things such as running postal and railway services. The government also has the job of protecting the boundaries of the country and maintaining peaceful relations with other countries. It is responsible for ensuring that all its citizens have enough to eat and have good health facilities. When there are natural disasters like the tsunami or an earthquake it is the government that mainly organises aid and assistance for the affected people. If there is a dispute or if someone has committed a crime you find people in a court. Courts are also part of the government.
Perhaps you are wondering how governments manage to do all this. And why it is necessary for them to do so. When human beings live and work together, there needs to be some amount of organisation so that decisions can be made.
Some rules have to be made that apply to everyone. For example, there is a need to control resources and protect the territory of a country, so people can feel secure. Governments do this on behalf of their people by exercising leadership, taking decisions, and implementing these among all the people living in their territory.
Activity:
Look at the newspaper headlines above and list the different kinds of activities that the government is reported to be doing in these newspaper headlines.
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Isn't this a wide range of activities?
What do you think the government is? Discuss in class.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
LAWS AND THE GOVERNMENT
The government makes laws and everyone who lives in the country has to follow these. This is the only way governments can function. Just like the government has the power to make decisions, similarly, it has the power to enforce its decisions. For example, there is a law that says that all persons driving a motor vehicle must have a license. Any person caught driving a vehicle without a license can either be jailed or fined a large sum of money. Without these laws, the government's power to make decisions is not of much use.
In addition to any actions that governments can take, there are also steps that people can take if they feel that a particular law is not being followed. If a person feels, for example, that they were not hired for a job because of their religion or caste, he or she may approach the court and claim that the law is not being followed. The court can then give orders about what should be done.
Activity:
Can you list three things that the government does which have not been mentioned?
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Discuss
Think of an example of another law. Why do you think it is important that people abide by this law?
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK