Independent India(The First 30 Years – 1947-7)

Key points:

1.Election Commission was setup to take care of the practical matters conducting elections across the length and breadth of the country. A novel idea of having symbols from everyday life to represent political parties and candidates was accepted. India adopted universal adult suffrage.
2. The first challenge the nation faced was the demand for reorganisation on the basis of language.
3. The Constituent Assembly had called for social, economic and political justice and equality of status and opportunity; it put social and economic change at the top the agenda of modern India.
4. The First Five Year Plan focused on agriculture and emphasized the need for increasing food production, development of transport and communications and the provision of social service. Three types of land reforms - abolition of zamindari system, tenancy reforms and land ceilings were implemented.
5. Second Five Year Plan onwards, the emphasis was shifted to industries.
6. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment brought about a series of changes. It had the following aims - excluding the courts from election disputes, strengthening the central government vis-a-vis the state governments, providing maximum protection from judicial challenges to the social and economic transformation legislations and making the judiciary subservient to parliament.
7. Jawaharlal Nehru formulated Panchsheel, which was basis for Indo-China relations, and supported Non-Alignment Movement.
8. India also setup an impressive institutional framework with independent institutions like the Judiciary, Election Commission, Controller and Auditor General etc.
9. One of the greatest weaknesses was undoubtedly the low priority given to primary education and public health.
10. The most important achievement of first 30 years was the establishment of a stable government.

Key words:

1. State Reorganisation: The process of reestablishment of states. In August 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was appointed with Fazal Ali, K. M. Panikkar and Hridaynath Kunzru as members to address the issue of formation of states on the basis of the linguistic principle. On the basis of its report in 1956 the states reorganisation act was passed in parliament.
2. One Party Dominance: This mean only one party ruling a country for many years. In Independent India’s first three general elections in 1952, 1957 and 1962, the Indian National Congress won the majority of the seats reducing other participants to almost nothing.
3. Emergency: Something serious which needs immediate action in order to avoid harmful results. This is part of Indian constitution, which can be declared by the Centre during the times of crises such as war and internal turmoil. With the declaration of Emergency, democracy was put on hold and all the fundamental rights were suspended.
4. Regional Movements: Agitations for division of regions groups of people who want to start a new state that is separate from an exerting state.
5. Nationalisation: The act of the government taking control over the industry is known as Nationalisation. Rights of vital assets would be transferred from private ownership to state ownership.