Social and Political Life Class VII PDF

Contents Foreword........................................................................... iii Introductory note for teachers........................................... vii Teacher’s note on evaluation............................................... x Unit One: Equality in Indian Democracy..........

Contents Foreword........................................................................... iii Introductory note for teachers........................................... vii Teacher’s note on evaluation............................................... x Unit One: Equality in Indian Democracy.......................... 2 d Chapter 1: On Equality.................................................... 4 Unit Two: State Government......................................... 16 h e T i s Chapter 2: Role of the Government in Health................. 18 l R Chapter 3: How the State Government Works................ 30 E u b Unit Three: Gender...................................................... 42 C p Chapter 4: Growing up as Boys and Girls...................... 44 N e © er Chapter 5: Women Change the World............................ 54 Unit Four: Media and Advertising.................................. 68 b Chapter 6: Understanding Media................................... 70 t o Chapter 7: Understanding Advertising........................... 80 o t Unit Five: Markets....................................................... 92 Chapter 8: Markets Around Us...................................... 94 n Chapter 9: A Shirt in the Market.................................. 104 Equality in Indian Democracy (continued) Chapter 10: Struggles for Equality............................... 114 References................................................................... 122 1  References ◆ Dreze, Jean and Aparajita Goyal. 2003. ‘Future of Mid-day Meals’. In Economic and Political Weekly. ◆ Hossein, Sakhwat Rokeya. 1905. (reprint) 1988. Sultana’s Dream. Feminist Press, New York. ◆ Kumar. Krishna. 1986. “Growing Up Male” in Seminar 318. ◆ Mazumdar, Indrani. 2007. Women and Globalization: The Impact on Women Workers in the Formal and Informal Sectors in India. Stree, Kolkata. ◆ Mead, Margaret. 1928, 1973. (edition) Growing Up In Samoa. American Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. ◆ Parks, Rosa. 2000. Quiet Strength. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, Michigan. ◆ Rashsundari Devi. 1999. Words to Win. Translated and with an introduction by Tanika Sarkar. Zubaan, New Delhi. ◆ Roy, Tirthankar. 1999. ‘Growth and Recession in Small-Scale Industry: A Study of Tamil Nadu Powerlooms’ Economic and Political Weekly. ◆ Valmiki, Omprakash. 2003. Joothan: A Dalit’s Life. SAMYA, Kolkata. ◆ Zubaan. 1996. Poster Women: A Visual History of the Women’s Movement in India. Zubaan, New Delhi. ◆ www.cehat.org/rthc/policybrieffinal.pdf ◆ www.infochangeindia.org 122 Social and Political Life  UNIT ed ONE T sh R l i E u b N C e p © er b t o ot n 2 Equality in Indian Democracy d Teacher’s note This Unit introduces the learner to the critical role of equality in democracy, with h e The second chapter of this Unit is Chapter 10 of this book. It ties together T s specific reference to India. The Constitution the main ideas on equality raised l i of India guarantees equality to all citizens. throughout the text. A significant portion R Despite this, the daily lives of people in of the last chapter is devoted to discussing b India are far from equal. Earlier people’s contribution to the fight for E discussions on equality in Civics textbooks equality. This is achieved through focusing u most often reiterated certain provisions of on one social movement as well as C p the Constitution without adequately highlighting creative (writings, songs, e considering the reality of these in people’s poems) ways through which people express N © er lives. This Unit adopts a different approach. their demands for equality. It discusses the need for equality through highlighting the inequalities that continue Both chapters aim to help the learner to be practised and experienced by various understand that equality and democracy b communities. are dynamic and not static concepts. This dynamism is reflected in the government’s o The first chapter introduces the learner passing of new laws and programmes, and t to Kanta, Omprakash Valmiki and the in people’s movements around various Ansaris, all of whom experience inequality social and economic issues. t in different ways. It is through their o experiences that we introduce the concept Kanta, Omprakash, the Ansaris, and the of dignity. The government’s role in passing Tawa Matsya Sangh all have diverse local n laws and instituting policies is discussed equivalents. Local situations should be to show that commitment to the alleviation used as a practical reference to make the of existing inequalities is a major part of discussion on underlying concepts more the work that governments undertake. The relevant and appropriate. A discussion on chapter also briefly introduces an issue of equality in the classroom requires empathy inequality in the United States of America as well as a firm commitment on the to highlight that this is a global phenomenon teacher’s part to ensuring that the dignity and a feature of many democratic countries. of all learners be respected. 3  1 CHAPTER Manjit Kaur Teacher Teja Singh Trader Girish Rao Student Kanta Devi Domestic worker ed Sujata Kumari Domestic worker T s On election day, Kanta and her friend h i Sujata are waiting to cast their votes... R b l Isn’t it good Suja that we can all vote as equal citizens of our country? Even Jain E Saheb is standing in the line with us! u Yes! On Equality N C e p © er India is a democracy. In the Class VI book, we looked at the key elements of a b democratic government. These include people’s o participation, the t resolution of conflict, and equality and justice. t I will vote for the Equality is a key feature of Go on, Kanta – It’s candidate who has o democracy and influences your turn now. promised to bring all aspects of its pipe water to n our area. functioning. In this chapter you will read more about equality – what it is, why it is important in a democracy, and whether or not everyone is equal in India. Let’s begin by looking at Kanta’s story. Abdul Rehman Artisan Shabnam Bano Housewife Gracy Laleng Isaac Laleng Consultant Government officer Ruksana Mirza Media person Yog Raj Unemployed ed Ashok Jain Industrialist Afterwards... T s h i Gudia has been running fever l and I have to take her to the We’ll see you R hospital...but I will have to finish later, Kanta. b the work at Saheb’s house first...and ask for some E advance... u Yes... Namaste C Saheb! N e p © er b At home... t o o t Here have some of this – you’ll feel better. And It’s no wonder that Gudia falls ill often...the basti is never cleaned! n when I get back in the evening, we’ll go to the hospital, okay?  Make sure to do the corners properly. Equal right to vote The story above begins with Kanta standing in line to cast her vote. Look again at the various people who are standing in line with her. Kanta recognises her employer, Ashok Jain and Chotte Lal, her neighbour. In a democratic country, like India, all adults irrespective of what religion they belong to, how much education they have had, what caste they are, or whether they are rich or poor are allowed to vote. This, as you have already read in the Class VI d book, is called universal adult franchise and is an e essential aspect of all democracies. The idea of universal adult franchise is based on the idea of h equality because it states that every adult in a T s country, irrespective of their wealth and the l i communities she/he belongs to, has one vote. Kanta R is excited to vote and happy that she is equal to all b of the others because each of them has one vote. E Here’s your advance, u Kanta – but don’t make a habit of it! But as her day goes on, Kanta becomes less certain C p No Madam... about what this equality really means. N e © er What is it that makes Kanta unsure? Let’s take a look at a day in her life. She lives in a slum and has a drain behind her house. Her daughter is sick but she cannot take the day off from work because she b needs to borrow money from her employers to take her child to the doctor. Her job as a domestic help o tires her out, and finally she ends her day by again t standing in a long line. This line, in front of the government hospital, is unlike the one in the morning t That evening... because most of the people standing in it are poor. o Just few Jain Madam more and Jain Saheb Do you think Kanta has n minutes, may stand in line to enough reason to doubt Beti. vote, but they whether she really is equal? never have to do it when their children List three reasons from the are sick... story above that might make her feel like this. Other kinds of equality Kanta is one of many people who live in democratic India and who have the right to vote but whose daily living and working conditions are far from equal. Apart from being poor, people in India experience inequality in different ways. Let us see what this means by reading the two stories given below. Each of these is based on real incidents in people’s lives and reflects the different kinds of inequalities that exist in India. One of the more common forms of inequality in India is the caste system. If you live in rural India ed h your caste identity is something that you probably T s learned or experienced very young. If you live in l i urban India some of you might think that people no R longer believe in caste. But just look at these b matrimonials shown from a leading English Circle the reference to caste in the E matrimonial advertisements given u newspaper and you will see how important the issue of caste continues to be in the minds of highly above. C p educated urban Indians. N e © er Now let us read a story about the experiences of a Dalit child attending school. You have already read about Dalits in the Class VI book. Dalit is a term that the so-called lower castes use to address b themselves. Dalit means ‘broken’ and by using this word, lower castes are pointing to how they were, o and continue to be, seriously discriminated against. t t Omprakash Valmiki is a famous Dalit writer. In his autobiography, Joothan, he writes, “I had to sit o away from the others in the class, and that too on the floor. The mat ran out before reaching the spot I n sat on. Sometimes I would have to sit way behind everybody, right near the door…sometimes they would beat me without any reason.” When he was in Class IV, the headmaster asked Omprakash to sweep the school and the playground. He writes, “The playground was way larger than my small physique could handle and in cleaning it, my back began to ache. My face was covered with dust. Dust had gone Chapter 1: On Equality 7  inside my mouth. The other children in my class were studying and I was sweeping. Headmaster was sitting in his room and watching me. I was not even allowed to get a drink of water. I swept the whole day,…From the doors and windows of the school rooms, the eyes of the teachers and the boys saw this spectacle.” Omprakash was made to sweep the school and the playground for the next couple of days and this only came to an end when his father, who happened to be passing by, saw his son sweeping. He confronted the teachers and then d walking away from the school holding Omprakash’s e hand, he said loudly for all of them to hear, “You are a teacher…So I am leaving now. But remember this h much Master…(He) will study right here…in this T s school. And not just him, but there will be more l i coming after him.” R Cover of Omprakash Valmiki’s book, b Joothan, which talks about his The second story is based on an incident that took E u experiences of growing up as a Dalit boy. place in one of India’s larger cities and is common practice in most parts of the country. It is a story C p about Mr and Mrs Ansari who were looking to rent Why do you think Omprakash N e an apartment in the city. They had the money and Valmiki was being treated unequally © er so paying the rent was no problem. They went to a by his teacher and his classmates? property dealer for help to find a place. The dealer Imagine yourself as Omprakash informed them that he knew about quite a few Valmiki and write four lines about apartments that were available for rent. They visited how you would feel if you were in b the first apartment and the Ansaris liked it very much the same situation as him. and decided to take it. However, when the landlady o found out their names, she made an excuse about t how she could not rent the house to someone who ate meat because the building did not have any t non-vegetarian residents. Both the Ansaris and the o property dealer were surprised to hear this because Why do you think the Ansaris they could smell fish being cooked in the neighbour’s n were being treated unequally? house. The same excuse was repeated in the second What would you do if you were in and the third apartments. Finally, the property dealer the Ansaris’ position and could told them that they might want to change their names not find a place to live because and call themselves Mr and Mrs Kumar. The Ansaris some people did not want to live were reluctant to do this and decided to look some next to you because of the religion more. In the end, it took a whole month of looking at you practice? apartments before they found a landlady who was willing to give them a place on rent. 8 Social and Political Life Recognising dignity If you were one of the Ansaris how would you have responded to You have understood by now that the caste we are the suggestion that you change born into, the religion we practice, the class your name? background we come from, whether we are male or female – these are often the things that determine Can you think of an incident in why some people are treated unequally. Omprakash your life in which your dignity was Valmiki and the Ansaris are being treated unequally violated? How did this make you on the basis of differences of caste and religion. feel? When persons are treated unequally, their dignity d is violated. The dignity of both Omprakash Valmiki e and the Ansaris was violated because of the way in which they were treated. By picking on him and h making him sweep the school, because of his caste, T s Omprakash Valmiki’s schoolmates and teachers hurt l i his dignity badly and made him feel as if he was less R than equal to all other students in the school. Being b a child, Omprakash Valmiki could do very little about E u the situation that he was in. It was his father who, on seeing his son sweep, felt angry by this unequal C p treatment and confronted the teachers. The Ansaris’ N e dignity was also hurt when persons refused to lease © er their apartments to them. However, when the property dealer suggested that they change their name, it was their dignity or self-respect that made them refuse this suggestion. b Omprakash and the Ansaris do not deserve to be o treated like this. They deserve the same respect and t dignity as anyone else. o t Equality in Indian democracy n The Indian Constitution recognises every person as equal. This means that every individual in the country, including male and female persons from all castes, religions, tribes, educational and economic In the 1975 film, Deewar, a boy who backgrounds are recognised as equal. This is not to works as a shoeshine refuses to pick up a say that inequality ceases to exist. It doesn’t. But coin thrown at him. He feels that there is atleast, in democratic India, the principle of the dignity in the work that he does and equality of all persons is recognised. While earlier insists that his fee be given respectfully. Chapter 1: On Equality 9  ed T s h R The Parliament is the cornerstone of our l i b democracy and we are represented in it E u through our elected representatives. no law existed to protect people from discrimination and ill-treatment, now there are several that work to C p see that people are treated with dignity and as equals. N e © er This recognition of equality includes some of the following provisions in the Constitution: first that every person is equal before the law. What this means is that every person, from the President of the country b to Kanta, a domestic worker, has to obey the same laws. Second, no person can be discriminated against o on the basis of their religion, race, caste, place of t birth or whether they are female or male. Third, every person has access to all public places including t playgrounds, hotels, shops and markets. All persons o can use publicly available wells, roads and bathing ghats. Fourth, untouchability has been abolished. n The two ways in which the government has tried to implement the equality that is guaranteed in the Constitution is first through laws and second through government programmes or schemes to help disadvantaged communities. There are several laws in India that protect every person’s right to be treated equally. In addition to laws, the government has also 10 Social and Political Life set up several schemes to improve the lives of communities and individuals who have been treated unequally for several centuries. These schemes are to ensure greater opportunity for people who have not had this in the past. One of the steps taken by the government includes the midday meal scheme. This refers to the programme introduced in all government elementary schools to provide children with cooked lunch. Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce this d scheme, and in 2001, the Supreme Court asked all e state governments to begin this programme in their schools within six months. This programme has had h many positive effects. These include the fact that T s more poor children have begun enrolling and l i regularly attending school. Teachers reported that R earlier children would often go home for lunch and b then not return to school but now with the midday E u meal being provided in school, their attendance has improved. Their mothers, who earlier had to interrupt Children being served their midday meal C p their work to feed their children at home during the at a government school in Uttarakhand. N e day, now no longer need to do so. This programme © er has also helped reduce caste prejudices because both lower and upper caste children in the school eat this What is the midday meal meal together, and in quite a few places, Dalit women programme? Can you list three have been employed to cook the meal. The midday benefits of the programme? How b meal programme also helps reduce the hunger of do you think this programme poor students who often come to school and cannot might help promote greater o concentrate because their stomachs are empty. equality? t t While government programmes play an important role in increasing equality of opportunity, there is o much that still needs to be done. While the midday meal programme has helped increase the enrolment n and attendance of poor children in school, there continues to be big differences in our country between schools that the rich attend and those that Find out about one government the poor attend. Even today there are several schools scheme in your area. What does in the country in which Dalit children, like this scheme do? Whom is this Omprakash Valmiki, are discriminated against and scheme set up to benefit? treated unequally. These children are forced into unequal situations in which their dignity is not Chapter 1: On Equality 11  respected. This is because people refuse to think of them as equal even though the law requires it. One of the main reasons for this is that attitudes change very slowly. Even though persons are aware that discrimination is against the law, they continue to treat people unequally on the basis of their caste, religion, disability, economic status and because they are women. It is only when people begin to believe that no one is inferior, and that every person deserves “It is disgraceful to live at the cost of one's to be treated with dignity, that present attitudes can d self-respect. Self-respect is the most vital change. Establishing equality in a democratic society e factor in life. Without it, man is a cipher. is a continuous struggle and one in which individuals To live worthily with self-respect, one has as well as various communities in India contribute h to overcome difficulties. It is out of hard to and you will read more about this in this book. s and ceaseless struggle alone that one T i derives strength, confidence and R l recognition. Issues of equality in other democracies E “Man is mortal. Everyone has to die some day or the other. But one must resolve to u b You are probably wondering whether India is the only democratic country in which there is inequality and C p lay down one's life in enriching the noble where the struggle for equality continues to exist. ideals of self-respect and in bettering one's N e The truth is that in many democratic countries human life... Nothing is more disgraceful © er around the world, the issue of equality continues to for a brave man than to live life devoid be the key issue around which communities struggle. of self-respect.” So, for example, in the United States of America, the – B.R. Ambedkar African–Americans whose ancestors were the slaves b who were brought over from Africa, continue to describe their lives today as largely unequal. This, o despite the fact that there was a movement in the t late 1950s to push for equal rights for African– Americans. Prior to this, African–Americans were t treated extremely unequally in the United States and o denied equality through law. For example, when travelling by bus, they either had to sit at the back n of the bus or get up from their seat whenever a white person wished to sit. Rosa Parks was an African–American woman. Tired from a long day at work she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man on 1 December 1955. Her refusal that day started a huge agitation against the unequal ways in which African–Americans were 12 Social and Political Life  ed T s h R l i E u b N C e p © er treated and which came to be known as the Civil Rosa Parks, an African–American Rights Movement Movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 woman, changed the course of American prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, history with one defiant act. religion or national origin. It also stated that all b schools would be open to African–American children and that they would no longer have to attend separate o schools specially set up for them. However, despite t this, a majority of African–Americans continue to be among the poorest in the country. Most African- t American children can only afford to attend o government schools that have fewer facilities and poorly qualified teachers as compared to white n students who either go to private schools or live in areas where the government schools are as highly rated as private schools. Chapter 1: On Equality 13  Excerpt from Article 15 of the Indian Constitution Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. (1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to – (a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or (b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained ed h wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public. T l i s ER b Challenge of democracy u No country can be described as being completely C p democratic. There are always communities and N e individuals trying to expand the idea of democracy © er and push for a greater recognition of equality on existing as well as new issues. Central to this is the struggle for the recognition of all persons as equal and for their dignity to be maintained. In this book b you will read about how this issue of equality affects various aspects of our daily lives in democratic India. o As you read these chapters, think about whether t the equality of all persons and their being able to maintain their dignity is upheld. o t n 14 Social and Political Life  EXERCISES 1. In a democracy why is universal adult franchise important? 2. Re-read the box on Article 15 and state two ways in which this Article addresses inequality? 3. In what ways was Omprakash Valmiki’s experience similar to that of the Ansaris? 4. What do you understand by the term “all persons are d equal before the law”? Why do you think it is important in e a democracy? h 5. The Government of India passed the Disabilities Act in s 1995. This law states that persons with disabilities have T i equal rights, and that the government should make R l possible their full participation in society. The government b has to provide free education and integrate children with E disabilities into mainstream schools. This law also states u that all public places including buildings, schools, etc., C p should be accessible and provided with ramps. N e Look at the photograph and think about the boy who is being © er carried down the stairs. Do you think the above law is being implemented in his case? What needs to be done to make the building more accessible for him? How would his being carried down the stairs affect his dignity as well as his safety? b Glossary t o t Universal adult franchise: This is a very important aspect of democratic societies. It means that all adult (those who are 18 and above) citizens have the right to vote irrespective of their social or no economic backgrounds. Dignity: This refers to thinking of oneself and other persons as worthy of respect. Constitution: This is a document that lays down the basic rules and regulations for people and the government in the country to follow. Civil Rights Movement: A movement that began in USA in 1950s in which African–American people demanded equal rights and an end to racial discrimination. Chapter 1: On Equality 15  UNIT ed TWO T sh R l i E u b N C e p © er b t o ot n 16 State Government ed Teacher’s note T s h R l i These two chapters (Chapters 2 and 3) on public welfare. Though both the executive b State Government are an attempt to and the legislature are presented, one E u discuss the functions and structure of should not expect students to retain fine government through concrete situations. distinctions. It would be best to patiently C p We have chosen ‘health’ as an example; encourage them to ask questions such as, N e there could have been other, equally “Who is the most powerful person?”, “Why © er important, choices. can’t the MLA solve the problem?”, etc. Such queries will enable them to construct Chapter 2 discusses ‘health’ as an a sense of the government apparatus. important issue for people.. There are both b public and private aspects of health It is important that learners acquire the provisioning. Healthcare in India is not confidence to express their views on public o available to all. While the Constitution issues and understand the role of t supports a view that the right to health is government through the exercises given in an aspect of our fundamental rights, its the chapters. You could choose familiar t provisioning is rather unequal. Through issues such as water, transport, school- o the accounts provided, learners will begin fees, books, child-labour, etc., for them to to visualise the ideal or desired role of discuss and arrive at how these problems n government, and the meanings behind its need to be tackled. Allow them to express structures. Some ways in which this these ideas through wall charts. Given that situation can be changed are also discussions on the government and its discussed. functioning often lead to boredom and cynicism, we need to be able to make Chapter 3 focuses on how the the classroom session less didactic and government functions, and discusses ideas more interactive while teaching these of representation, accountability and lessons. 17  2 CHAPTER CHAPTER ed T s h R l i E u b N C e p © Role r e bGovernment of the t o in Health o t In a democracy people expect the government to work for their welfare. This n could be through the provision of education, health, employment, housing or the development of roads, electricity etc. In this chapter we shall examine the meanings and problems related to health. Look at the sub-headings of this chapter. In what ways do you think this topic is related to the work of government?  ed T s h R l i E u b C What is health? N e p We can think of health in many ways. Health means © er our ability to remain free of illness and injuries. But health isn’t only about disease. You may have associated only some of the situations in the above collage with health. What we often ignore is the fact Would you associate all or some of b that each of the above situations is related to health. these pictures with ‘health’ ? In Apart from disease, we need to think of other factors what ways? Discuss in groups. o that affect our health. For example, if people get clean t drinking water or a pollution free environment they t are likely to be healthy. On the other hand, if people do not get adequate food to eat or have to live in Pick two situations from the above o cramped conditions, they will be prone to illness. collage that are not related to n illness and write two sentences on All of us would like to be active and in good spirits how they are related to health. in whatever we may be doing. It isn’t healthy to be dull, inactive, anxious or scared for long stretches of time. We all need to be without mental strain. All of these various aspects of our lives are a part of health. Chapter 2: Role of the Government in Health 19  Healthcare in India Let us examine some of the aspects of healthcare in Can you provide a title to these India. Compare and contrast the situation expressed columns? in the first and second columns. India has the largest number of medical Most doctors settle in urban areas. colleges in the world and is among the People in rural areas have to travel long largest producers of doctors. distances to reach a doctor. The number d Approximately15,000 new doctors qualify of doctors with respect to the population is every year. much less in rural areas. Healthcare facilities have grown substantially over the years. In 1950, every year. This number is almost h e About five lakh people die from tuberculosis T s there were only 2,717 hospitals in India. unchanged since Independence! i In 1991, there were 11,174 hospitals. In Almost two million cases of malaria are R l 2000, the number grew to 18,218. reported every year and this number isn’t b decreasing. C E India gets a large number of medical u tourists from many countries. They come We are not able to provide clean drinking water to all. 21per cent of all p for treatment in some of the hospitals in communicable diseases are water borne. N e India that compare with the best in the world. For example, diarrhoea, worms, hepatitis, etc. © er India is the fourth largest producer of Half of all children in India do not medicines in the world and is also a large get adequate food to eat and are exporter of medicines. undernourished. b o In order to prevent and treat illnesses we need t appropriate healthcare facilities such as health t centres, hospitals, laboratories for testing, ambulance services, blood banks, etc., that can o In India, it is often said that we provide the required care and services that patients n are unable to provide health need. In order to run such facilities we need health services for all because the workers, nurses, qualified doctors and other health government does not have enough professionals who can advice, diagnose and treat money and facilities. After reading illnesses. We also need the medicines and equipment the above left hand column, do that are necessary for treating patients. These you think this is true? Discuss. facilities are required to take care of us. 20 Social and Political Life  India has a large number of doctors, clinics and hospitals. The country also has considerable experience and knowledge in running a public healthcare system. This is a system of hospitals and health centres run by the government. It has the ability to look after the health of a large section of its population scattered over hundreds of thousands of villages. We will go into more detail on this later. Moreover, there has been a phenomenal advancement in medical sciences whereby many new technologies and treatment procedures are available d in the country. However, the second column points out how poor the health situation in our country is. With all the h e T s above positive developments we are not able to l i provide proper healthcare facilities to people. This is R the paradox – something that is contrary to what we b would expect. Our country has the money, knowledge E u and people with experience but cannot make the Patients usually have to wait in long necessary healthcare available to all. In this chapter, C p queues in public hospitals, like this one. we will look at some of the reasons for this. N e © er The story of Hakim Sheik Hakim Sheik was a member of the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS), an organisation of agricultural labourers in West Bengal. One evening in 1992, he accidentally fell off a running b train and suffered head injuries. He was in a very serious condition and needed immediate treatment. t o He was taken to a government hospital in Kolkata but they refused to admit him because they did not have a spare bed. Another hospital did not have the facility or the specialised doctors t necessary for his treatment. In this way he spent 14 hours in a critical state and was taken to o eight different government hospitals, but none of them admitted him. n Finally, he was admitted in a private hospital, where he received treatment. He spent a lot of money on his treatment. Angry and upset over the indifferent attitude of all the hospitals that refused to admit him, Hakim Sheik and PBKMS filed a case in the court. Read the story given above. Then imagine that you are a Judge in the court. What would you say to Hakim Sheik? Chapter 2: Role of the Government in Health 21  THE COST OF A CURE Aman and Ranjan are good friends.While Ranjan I had viral fever and Oh! Me, too! I just got back to comes from a well-to-do family, Aman’s parents have had to go to the school on Monday. My Daddy hospital... took me to see the doctor to struggle to make ends meet... at the new hospital in Hi Aman! Good to Kingsway. It was very exciting! see you back! How have you been? ed h The building looked so posh. I thought it Daddy had to pay Rs 500 at the reception counter T s was a five star hotel! Daddy said that was itself – before we even met the doctor! There was i because it was a private hospital, with the nice music playing and everything was really clean l best of facilities. and shiny. ER b C p u N e © er b t o The doctor asked for many tests...but After the test results came, we went back to the t everyone was so friendly! The lady who took doctor. He looked through them and said everything o my blood for testing told me so many jokes was fine, and I only had viral fever. He prescribed lots that I forgot to feel the pain! of medicines and rest. n...and have you...and so young man – this pink pill should be heard the one taken three times a day, and the white tablet about Batman once before bed time – that’s for the on Reality TV? bodyache! This one is a syrup – don’t worry, it’s tasty Thank you Doctor...I feel better already!...and it really did! We went to a big You see, I’ve been dying to tell you all Government Hospital. We had to wait in a long about it! But what about queue at the OPD counter. I was feeling so sick you? Which hospital did that I had to lean on Abba all the time! you go to? Um...it wasn’t as nice as your’s d at all! At first, Abba didn’t want e to take me because he said it would take too much time... T s h We got the test results after three days...and went i When our turn came, the doctor examined me, and back to the hospital.There was a different doctor l asked for a blood test.Then we had to go and stand in that day. R another long queue! People were crowding around in b the testing room too. Show me his OPD E card...and the test results u – quickly please! N C e p © er b t o t He seems to be suffering from My hospital was nice, but they gave me too many o a bout of viral fever – nothing to worry about. All he needs is medicines and the whole thing cost more than n this one fever-reducing medicine. Rs 3,500! That much! My treatment cost just Rs 150!  Why did Ranjan have to spend so Public and private healthcare services much money? Give reasons. From the above story, you must have understood What problems did Aman face in that we can roughly divide up various healthcare the public hospital? How do you facilities in two categories – think the hospital can work in a better manner? Discuss. (a) Public health services and Where do you go when you are ill? (b) Private health facilities. Are there any problems that you face? Write a paragraph based on Public health services d your experience. e The public health service is a chain of health centres What problems do we face in and hospitals run by the government. They are linked h private hospitals? Discuss. together so that they cover both rural and urban T s areas and can also provide treatment to all kinds of l i problems – from common illnesses to special services. R At the village level there are health centres where b there is usually a nurse and a village health worker. E u They are trained in dealing with common illnesses and work under the supervision of doctors at the C p Primary Health Centre (PHC). Such a centre covers N e many villages in a rural area. At the district level is © er the District Hospital that also supervises all the health centres. Large cities have many government hospitals such as the one where Aman was taken and also specialised government hospitals such as b the ones in Hakim Sheik’s story. o The health service is called ‘public’ for many t reasons. In order to fulfil its commitment of providing A doctor in a rural healthcare centre healthcare to all citizens, the government has t giving medicines to a patient. established these hospitals and health centres. Also, o the resources needed to run these services are obtained from the money that we, the public, pay to n the government as taxes. Hence, such facilities are meant for everyone. One of the most important aspects of the public health system is that it is meant to provide quality healthcare services either free or at a low cost, so that even the poor can seek treatment. Another important function of public health is to take action to prevent the spread of diseases such as TB, malaria, jaundice, cholera, 24 Social and Political Life diarrhoea, chikungunya, etc. This has to be organised by the government with the participation of people otherwise it is not effective. For example, when taking up a campaign to see that mosquitoes do not breed in water-coolers, roof tops, etc., this has to be done for all houses in the area. Recall the case of Hakim Sheik. Would you like to know what the court said in this case? According to our Constitution, it is the primary d duty of the government to ensure the welfare of the e people and provide health care facilities to all. h The government must safeguard the Right to Life T s of every person. The Court said that the difficulty A woman and her sick child at a i government hospital. According to l that Hakim Sheik had to face could have cost him R his life. If a hospital cannot provide timely medical UNICEF, more than two million b treatment to a person, it means that this protection children die every year in India from E preventable infections. u of life is not being given. C p The Court also said that it was the duty of the In what ways is the public health N e government to provide the necessary health services, system meant for everyone? © er including treatment in emergency situations. Hospitals and medical staff must fulfil their duty of List some public health centres providing the necessary treatment. Hakim Sheik was (PHCs) or hospitals near your denied treatment at various government hospitals. place. From your experience (or by b Therefore, the Court asked the State Government to visiting any one of them), find out give him the money that he had spent on his the facilities provided and people o treatment. who run the centre. t Private health facilities t o There is a wide range of private health facilities that exist in our country. A large number of doctors run n their own private clinics. In the rural areas, one finds Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs). Urban areas have large number of doctors, many of them providing specialised services. There are hospitals and nursing homes that are privately owned. There are many laboratories that do tests and offer special facilities such as X-ray, ultrasound, etc. There are also shops from where we buy medicines. Chapter 2: Role of the Government in Health 25  As the name suggests, private health facilities are not owned or controlled by the government. Unlike the public health services, in private facilities, patients have to pay a lot of money for every service that they use. Today the presence of private facilities can be seen all around. In fact now there are large companies that run hospitals and some are engaged in A post-operative room in a leading manufacturing and selling medicines. Medical shops private hospital in Delhi. are found in every corner of the country. Healthcare and equality: ed h Is adequate healthcare available to all? T l i s In India, we face a situation where private services R are increasing but public services are not. What is b then available to people are mainly private services. E Private health facilities can mean u These are concentrated in urban areas. As these many things. Explain with the help services are run for profit, the cost of these services C p of some examples from your area. is rather high. Medicines are expensive. Many people N e cannot afford them or have to borrow money when © er there is an illness in the family. In order to earn more money, these private services encourage practices that are incorrect. At times b cheaper methods, though available, are not used. For example, it is common to find doctors prescribing o unnecessary medicines, injections or saline bottles t when tablets or simple medicines can suffice. t In fact, barely 20 per cent of the population can o afford all the medicines that they require during an n In rural areas, a jeep is often used to serve as a mobile clinic for patients. 26 Social and Political Life illness. Hence, even for those whom one might not think as being poor, medical expenses cause hardship. It was reported in a study that 40 per cent of people who are admitted to a hospital for some illness or injury have to borrow money or sell some of their possessions to pay for the expenses. For those who are poor, every illness in the family is a cause of great anxiety and distress. What is worse is that this situation tends to happen again and This pregnant lady has to travel many again. Those who are poor are in the first place d kilometres to see a qualified doctor. undernourished. These families are not eating as e much as they should. They are not provided basic necessities like drinking water, adequate housing, h clean surroundings, etc., and therefore, are more T s likely to fall ill. The expenses on illness make their l i situation even worse. R b Sometimes it is not only the lack of money that E u prevents people from getting proper medical treatment. Women, for example, are not taken to a C p doctor in a prompt manner. Women’s health N e concerns are considered to be less important than © er the health of men in the family. Many tribal areas have few health centres and they do not run properly. Even private health services are not available. What can be done? b t o There is little doubt that the health situation of most people in our country is not good. It is the t responsibility of the government to provide quality o healthcare services to all its citizens, especially the poor and the disadvantaged. However, health is as n much dependent on basic amenities and social conditions of the people, as it is on healthcare services. Hence, it is important to work on both in order to improve the health situation of our people. And this can be done. Look at the following example– Chapter 2: Role of the Government in Health 27  The Kerala experience In 1996, the Kerala government made some major changes in the state. Forty per cent of the entire state budget was given to panchayats. They could plan and provide for their requirements. This made it possible for a village to make sure that proper planning was done for water, food, women’s development and education. This meant that water supply schemes were checked, the working of schools and anganwadis was ensured and specific problems d of the village were taken up. Health centres were e also improved. All of this helped to improve the situation. Despite these efforts, however, some h problems – such as shortage of medicines, T s insufficient hospital beds, not enough doctors – l i remained, and these needed to be addressed. ER b Let us look at an example of another country and u The above map of India shows the state of its approach to issues of health. C Kerala in pink. p The Costa Rican approach N e © er The inside back cover (cover three) of this Costa Rica is considered to be one of the healthiest book has a map of India. Using your countries in South America. The main reason for pencil outline the state of Kerala on this can be found in the Costa Rican Constitution. this map. Several years ago, Costa Rica took a very important b decision and decided not to have an army. This helped the Costa Rican government to spend the o money that the army would have used, on health, t education and other basic needs of the people. The Costa Rican government believes that a country has t to be healthy for its development and pays a lot of o attention to the health of its people. The Costa Rican government provides basic services and amenities n to all Costa Ricans. For example, it provides safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition and housing. Health education is also considered very important and knowledge about health is an essential part of education at all levels. 28 Social and Political Life  EXERCISES 1. In this chapter you have read that health is a wider concept An important part of the than illness. Look at this quote from the Constitution and Constitution says it is the “duty of explain the terms ‘living standard’ and ‘public health’ in the State to raise the level of your own words. nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public 2. What are the different ways through which the health.” government can take steps to provide healthcare for all? Discuss. d 3. What differences do you find between private and public e health services in your area? Use the following table to compare and contrast these. Facility Cost of services T s Availability of service h Private R l i Public E u b C p 4. ‘Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases.’ Explain with the help of examples. N e Glossary © er b Public: An activity or service that is meant for all people in the country and is mainly organised by the government. This includes schools, hospitals, telephone services, etc. People can demand o these services and also raise questions about their non-functioning. t t Private: An activity or service that is organised by an individual or company for their own profit. Medical tourists: This refers to foreigners who come to this country specifically for medical treatment o at hospitals that offer world–class facilities at a lower cost than what they would have to pay in n their own countries. Communicable diseases: These are diseases that are spread from one person to another in many ways such as through water, food , air, etc. OPD: This is the short form for ‘Out Patient Department’. This is where people are first brought in and treated in a hospital without being admitted to any special ward. Chapter 2: Role of the Government in Health 29  WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? 3 CHAPTER CHAPTER Hey, look at this...it says that there is a water shortage in our state, and people are falling sick! ed T s h i “...In many villages, people were found to be How l drinking unclean water. Streams have dried up, and R so have tanks. In the worst-affected areas, villagers the State b have been carrying water across great distacnes.” Government C E u Works N e p © er Last year, we discussed the fact that government works at three levels – local, state and b national – and looked at the work of local government in o some detail. In this chapter, t we examine the work of the government at the state t level. How does this take “People at the district HQ Patalpuram receive water o place in a democracy? supply once in three days.The District Hospital here is overflowing with patients – a large number of whom What is the role of a n are children with acute diarrhoea...” Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Ministers? How do people express their views or demand action from government? We look at these questions through the example of health.  That afternoon... Suddenly... On the TV news, they said ten people have died from diarrhoea! Is that My mother said not to have any iced STOP! possible? Can one really die from it? drinks from the market. She gave one of her lectures this morning, “You have to Who knows? Just be responsible for your health, hope I don’t get it! Shirin!” Ha ha! ed T s h i This road is blocked due to the rally....and we demand that the What a loud voice he has...he must be l They have gheraoed the MLA’s residence. authorities take immediate action to a leader or something... R Ha ha – they bring the public health situation b Really! Why? Has seem more angry under control! Our MLA must take Shh...I saw him on TV he done something? E about what he the responsibility for this! too. He is a member of u hasn’t done! the Opposition! N C e p © er b Who is an MLA? t o o t In the above section, you have read about some events in Patalpuram. You may be familiar with some What is happening in Patalpuram ? n official names such as Collector, Medical Officer, etc. Why is this problem serious? But have you heard of an MLA and the Legislative Assembly? Do you know the MLA of your area? Can What action do you think can be you identify which party she or he belongs to? taken in the above situation and who do you think should take this Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are action? Discuss. elected by the people. They then become members of the legislative assembly and also form the Chapter 3: How the State Government Works 31  Discuss the following terms with government. In this way we say that the MLAs your teacher–public meeting, represent people. The example below will help us States in India, constituency, understand this better. majority, ruling party and opposition. Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly. Each state is divided into different areas or Can you explain the following constituencies. For example, look at the map below. terms–majority, ruling party, It shows that the state of Himachal Pradesh is divided opposition with reference to your into 68 assembly constituencies. From each state. constituency, the people elect one representative who then becomes a Member of the Legislative Assembly d (MLA). You would have noticed that people stand for e elections in the name of different parties. These MLAs, therefore, belong to different political parties. T s h How do people who are MLAs become ministers or l i chief minister? A political party whose MLAs have R won more than half the number of constituencies in b a state can be said to be in a majority majority. The political E u party that has the majority is called the ruling party and all other members are called the opposition opposition. For C p example, the Legislative Assembly of the state of N e Himachal Pradesh has 68 MLA constituencies. © er b The state of Himachal Pradesh is o coloured in green in the above t thumbnail map of India. t Using a pencil outline the following on the o map on inside back cover (cover three): (i) the state that you live in; n (ii) the state of Himachal Pradesh. 32 Social and Political Life  Results of the Assembly Elections in H.P. in 2003 Political party Number of MLAs elected Indian National Congress (INC)..................................................... 43 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)............................................................. 16 Other political parties....................................................................... 03 Independents (who don’t belong to any party)........................... 06 Total................................................................................ 68 ed h Candidates from various political parties won the Construct a table, similar to the s 2003 assembly elections and became MLAs. Since the one given for Himachal Pradesh, T i total number of MLAs in the Legislative Assembly is for your state. l 68, a political party would have needed to have more R b than 34 MLAs in order to gain a majority. The Indian E National Congress with 43 MLAs had the majority and u it became the ruling party. All other MLAs became the C opposition. In this case, Bharatiya Janata Party was The Head of the State is the Governor. p the major opposition party, since it had the largest She/He is appointed by the Central N e number of MLAs after the Indian National Congress. Government to ensure that the State © er Among the opposition were other parties, including those Government works within the rules and who had been elected as independent candidates. regulations of the Constitution. b After the elections, the MLAs belonging to the ruling party will elect their leader who will become the chief At times, the ruling party may not minister. In this case, the Congress Party MLAs chose be a single party but a group of o Shri Virbhadra Singh as their leader and he became t