Democracy in India – The Road Ahead

Democracy is “the concept of the modern world” but over the years it has been used in different contexts and bent to the will and convenience of governments the world over. The story is no different in India. Since independence in 1947, Indian democracy has been spiraling downwards while corruption takes an upward track.

Political democracy in India has always been unique and distinct by nature. The Constitution of India pledges to secure justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all citizens. The need  after independence was to strengthen democracy but today, the largest democracy in the world tells a different tale.

Democracy translates as the rights of the citizens and this includes the right to be provided with a strong infrastructure. Over the last 60 years, Indian democracy has provided an infrastructure that largely benefits populations in the metropolitan areas. The rural areas have become more like “forgotten lands”, practically non-existant within the nationalist walls of democracy. Today, the cracks in democracy can also be felt in the urban and metropolitan areas. According to Vinod Rai, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), “Democracy is at the ‘crossroads’ and it is time for the ‘silent majority’ to speak up.”

One of the worst hit areas in India is infrastructure, despite all the tall claims made by democratic governments in their political manifestos. Infrastructure in India can be divided into several sub-categories with road transport as one of the major areas of focus. India has a very large network of roads that carry 45% of total traffic. Unfortunately, most of the 3.5 million km network of roads existing in India today suffer deterioration and poor maintenance. Road transport should be given priority as it plays an important role in driving our economy.

“Infrastructure in India” is a brief  presentation  that identifies some of the current issues India is dealing with in terms of road transport infrastructure. Every nation needs a strong infrastructure in order to survive. Every nation needs to provide its citizens with better facilities through strong infrastructures be it in transportation, industry or medical facilities. But has Indian democracy been able to do so? Or has democracy failed in India? Or is democracy in India a sham? The truth is that it doesn’t matter anymore whether democracy in India has failed or achieved its objectives. What is important is how we as a nation can bring about the necessary changes to the current democratic system. It is time to be the voice of democracy!

All pictures used in the video taken by the author (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).