Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Basic Ideas of the Constitution
- The Preamble
- Summarizes the aims and objectives of the Constitution
- First line : 'We, The People of India',
- Last line : 'adopt, enact and give to ourselves thus Constitution',
- Suggests that power lies in the hands of the people
- States that a citizen plays a
more important role than a
monarchy of kings or queens.
- It was on behalf of the people of India that the members of the constituent Assembly framed the Constitution
- Most Precious part, the soul, the key and the jewel set, of the Constitution
- Basic Start
- Still reeling under problems
- Achieved independence on 15th August 1947
- A large section still lives under the poverty line
- Many other social and economic problems are obstacles in India
- The constitution was able to tackle these problems in due course by providing equality and justice
- Nature of the State
- Socialist
- The word 'Socialist' was added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976
- Aimed to established a society based on ecological and social equality
- Aimed to raise the standard of living especially in weaker sections of society.
- Secular
- The word 'Secular' was added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976
- It implies that there is no official or state religion in India
- People can practice any religion.
- The government will never discriminate against any citizen on the basis of their religion
- People of all religions are equal in the eyes of law
- Sovereign
- The Preamble states that India is a 'Sovereign State'
- Free to take it's own decisions is internal and external matters.
- No country or individual can interfere with its internal affairs.
- Free to take its own stand in world issues unlike under the British Raj
- Democratic
- 'Democratic' implies that the the supreme power lies in the hands of the people
- It says that the government was formed by the will of the people
- People elect their representatives, who in turn form the government
- Republic
- A state which has an elected head
- India became a republic in 1950
- In India, the head of the state is the President
- The post is hereditary
- Features
- Written Constitution (unlike the British Constitution)
- Single Citizenship which means that a citizen may belong to any state but is always a citizen of India
- The constitution is a blend of Rigidity and Flexibility
- The constitution provides for a Federal Form of Government
meaning that laws are applied only within the state and they
are made by the Central government.
- The constitution provides for a parliamentary government
meaning that the government is run by the PM and the
members of the Council of Ministers. The President is the
nominal head.
- Through certain provisions, the Constitution
has tried to establish a welfare policy for the people
- Amendment
- The constitution has been amended 93 times till
2003. The last one is the 93rd Amendment