What is a government?
A government is an entity that puts rules and systems in place so that a community can live peacefully.
Why do we need a government?
Close your eyes and imagine what would happen if people could do exactly what they liked without thinking of consequences. Wouldn’t there be chaos? Yes, there would be chaos.
A British philosopher called John Locke said that having no government would be like going back to a state of nature, with no laws or rules, no one in charge and no way for people to protect their natural rights.
Hence, the purpose of government is to end this state of nature and give people protection. They try to give protection against exploitation, protection of natural rights such as life, liberty and property and protection of natural resources like food and water.
Locke also believed that a government could only be valid if it is based on a social contract with its citizens. A social contract is like an agreement. In this case, the government would protect the rights of its citizens and maintain harmony in the community, and the citizens agree to act on what is good for everyone and not only themselves.
If the government fails to deliver, then people have the right to raise a voice and vote out our representatives. Simple.
What kind of government do we have in India?
In India, we have a democracy. Democracy means rule by the people.
The biggest advantage of democracy is that we, the citizens, get to vote and elect our leaders. However, it would be a very slow and costly exercise, if all the people in the country voted for every single issue. Hence, we elect individuals to decide on such matters on our behalf.
There are three levels of government in India:
