8/4/2019 Vidheyak Democratic Dissidents
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Issue # 1
Should the voters be given the right to recall the elected
representatives? How feasible
and useful will this be in Indian Context?
In the context of present day India, the provision for recall is
necessary becauseelected representative at all levels give the
impression that they have protection from all laws
of the country and majority of them acts only for profit earning
not for the welfare of the
state.
Right to recall provides a way for citizens to retain control
over elected officials who
are not representing the best interests of their constituents,
or who are unresponsive or
incompetent. This mechanism holds that an elected representative
is an agent, a servant and
not a master in a democratic state.
The irony of the electoral process in India is that it has not
been able to keep out
criminal and anti-social elements from participating in and even
dominating the political
processes. It can be corrected only by putting voters in control
and Right to recall, is an
excellent accountability tool.But we have to be careful in using
the right to recall. It can lead to an excess of
democracy, where the threat of a recall election lessens the
independence of elected officials.
Also, Country like India is not in a position to hold elections
so frequently.
Issue # 4
Should informal sector in India be formalized?
Some of the common perceptions about the advantages of informal
sector are:
i. It generates income for low-income familiesii. It helps find
solutions in the absence of formal processes
iii. It keeps low-income groups occupied with jobs and housing,
in the absence of localgovernments capacities and resources.
So, why to formalize the informal economy? Because there are
more disadvantages than
advantages. The average wages are typically lower in the
informal economy than in the
formal economy. Informal sector workers are not employed on
regular basis. There are wage
disparities between men and women. A considerable number of
minors are employed, which
is an offence under law.Also there is a lack of accurate data
related to informal sector. This poses problems
for efficient law enforcement under labour, taxation,
environment, etc legislation. Banks and
other financial institutions cannot recognize unregistered
informal businesses for granting
loans and various other benefits.
There exists a link between the above-mentioned disadvantages
and poverty. Poverty
is inevitably associated with powerlessness, vulnerability,
deprived access to justice, and the
like, which are the ills of the informal economy.
In short, formalizing the informal sector will help in enhancing
the social and
economic development of the country.
