Key Elements of a Democratic Government — Question 4

:
The government provides special provisions to promote justice among the girls. It may lower the school fees for girls.
III. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. What are apartheid laws? [V. Imp.]
Ans.
South Africa was earlier governed by apartheid laws. South African people were divided into white, black, Indian and coloured races. According to apartheid laws, these races were not allowed to mingle with each other, to live near each other or even to use common facilities.
2. What happened to Hector and his classmates? Why did it happen?
Ans:
Hector and his classmates, because they were non-whites luring in one black township named Soweto, were being forced to learn the language of whites i.e. Afrikaans. But they wanted to learn their own language, zulu and joined the protest against learning the Afrikaans language in school. The South African police beat up the protestors ruthlessly and shot at the crowd. One of their bullets killed Hector.
3. Write a short note on ‘The African National Congress’. [Imp.]
Ans:
The African National Congress, a group of people who led the struggle against the system of apartheid. Dr. Nelson Mandela was their leader. The struggle got intensified under his leadership. He fought the apartheid system for several years. Finally, the system was abolished in 1994 and South Africa became a democratic country in which people of all races were considered equal.
4. How does the power of the government got limited?
Ans:
The power of the government gets limited by regular elections. Elections are usually held once in five years. Once elected, governments can stay in power only for that period. If they want to continue to be in power then they have to re-elected by the people. This is a moment when people can sense their power in a democracy.
5. When do conflicts occur? What happens afterward? [V. Imp.]
Ans:
Conflicts occur when people of different cultures, religions, regions or economic background do not get along with each other, or when some among them feel they are being discriminated against. This leads to fear and tension among others living in an area.
IV.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. One of the ways of participating is to take interest in the working of the government and to criticise it when required. Explain with an example.
Ans.
It is one of the important ways of participation. We can prove it through an example. In August 2005, when a particular government increased the money people had to pay for electricity, people expressed their disapproval very sharply. They took rallies and also organised a signature campaign. The government tried to explain and defend its decision but finally listened to the people’s opinion and withdrew the increase. The government had to change its decision because it is responsible to the people.
2. How do rivers become a source of conflict between states? [V. Imp.]
Ans.
Rivers can also become a source of conflict between states. A river may begin in one state, Flow-through another, and end in a third. The sharing of river water between different states that the river goes through is becoming an issue of conflict. We can cite an example of the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The water stored In the Krishnasagar dam in Karnataka is used for irrigating a number of districts and for meeting the needs of the city of Bangalore. The water stored in Methur dam in Tamil Nadu is used for crops grown in the delta region of that state.
A conflict arises because both dams Eire on the same river. The downstream dam in Tamil Nadu can only be filled up if water is released from the upstream one located in Karnataka. Therefore, both states can’t get as much water as they need for people in their states. This leads to conflict. Now, it is the job of the central government to step in and see that a fair distribution is worked out for both states.
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