INDIAN REPUBLIC @ SEVENTY SIX.

  India the most populated country in the world got independence on August 15 1947 but became itself  a  Sovereign Democratic Republic state with the adoption of Constitution on January 26th, 1950. The Constitution of India gave the power to Choose Indian people their own Government and paved the way for democracy. Located in South Asian continent India became the most populated country of the globe since June 2023  where as by area it's only the seventh largest indicating high density of population. After adoption of its own constitution on 26th January 1950 every year Republic day is celebrated in the national capital.Cerimonial march past by contingent from the Armed Forces  Para Military forces Auxiliary Civil Forces ,National Cadet Crops(NCC)and National Service Scheme (NSS) will parade from Vijay Chowk to Red Fort displaying our defense,Scientific and technological capabilities and development. This year 76th Republic day parade showcasedthhedefense strength exhibitng Brahmos,Pink and Akash,and plots of cultural diversity, scientific and technical power etc.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND SAFEGUARDS 

As  a Republic owing to the largest and most detailed written constitution of the world  India became a unique nation. The Preamble of  our constitution made provisions  for social ,economic,and political justice that is provided through various constitutional articles. Originally there were 22 parts in the constitution which increased to25.Part lll (Articles  12- 35) deals with mainly six Fundamental Rights that give each individual adequate freedom. - They are-1..Right to Equality, 2.Right to Freedom, 3.Right Against Exploitation, 4.Right to Freedom of Religion, 5.Cultural and Educational Rights. and 6.Right to Constitutional Remedies. As per the Right to Equality the state shall not deny to any person Equality before the law or equal protection of laws within the territory of India. Apart from Fundamental Rights  which are fundamental to the Citizens living, Directive Principles of State Policy  (DPSPs) issued Guidelines that the Central and State Governments of India must follow when making laws and policies. DPSP lay down that the nation state shall strive to promote the welfare of people by securing and protecting effectively the social order in which justice- social, economic and political shall form in all institutions of natural life.Constitution makers recognized the challenges of post colonial India suffering from poverty, hunger and social and economic disparities etc.The main objective of DPSP is guiding the the nation toward socio economic justice and the establishment of a welfare state as per Gandhian philosophy and thought, Sarvodhaya movement and other progressive ideas. However as the Law Commission of India in its 77th report  had observed that " Long delay in the disposal of cases has resulted in huge arrears and a heavy backlog of pending files in various courts in the country.......".In such cases  there is a need for strong adjudicatory mechanism which must be accessible in terms of justice and  the process of adjudication must be speedy and affordable to the disputants.

Indian constitution is often mentioned as unitary in spirit but federal in character implying that union Government has got more powers than the federal states. Develop ment experience showed that while the financial poower of the Central Government has been increasing  rapidly on the contrary states witnessed rapid increase in their functons in relation to financial power .As on September 2024 there have been 106 amendments to the constitution after enacting it in 1956.Major welfare legislations undertaken in India include The minimum wages Act,Factories Act,Workman's Compensation Act etc intended to promote labour welfare. Social security measures included The Employees State Insurance Act,Maternity Benefit Act etc. Vulnerable groups protection include The Bonded labour system (Abolition) Act and Child labour Prohibition and regulation Act. Similarly in the unorganized Workers Social Security Act provides benefits to workers in the informal sector. More over our former economist Prime Minister embarked on a revolutionary Rights based approach to development including right to food, right to education ,right to information and much acclaimed National Employment Guarantee Act.

ECONOMIC AND PATENT POLICIES 

Economic policies  generally focus on attaining higher levels output , income, employment on the one hand and maintaining stability in price level and balance of Payments on the other . As a result of slipping of GDP growth rate to 5.4% in July September Q2 in 2024 consequentlly made  the annual growth estimate and projections to be downgraded  by International Monetary Fund (IMF)to 6.5% in 2024,2025 and 2026.Still India continues to be the fastest growing economy with 5th position of the world major economy, all set to reach the fourth position replacing Germany by 2026 and reach third position  by 2030.While Green Revolution and White Revolution made drastic changes in the rural economy eventually leading the country as the exporter of food grains,  generation of adequate employment, skill development and appropriate technologies absorbing labour remains a major challenge.Currently India has also achieved major breakthrough  in filing  patent applications as well. India made rapid strides in recent years as evident from the 2024 Report of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) where in country  ranked 6th position in patent applications filed in 2023 numbering 64480 along with major players like China, US, Japan and South Korea respectively. The Patents filed in India comprised of mechanical engineering 8663,chemicals 6958,computer science &Electronics  3718,Electrical 3489,Communications 3795,biomedical 1165,Biotechnology 903,and biochemistry 241.After the introduction of economic reforms in 1991 we were largely on the high GDP growth trajectory and even the 2009 global financial crisis does not affect us.Economists observed that if the economy grows at 9-10% over the next few decades we will achieve the unique developed country status .

CONCLUSION 

Along with achieving reasonably good level of economic and technological progress, the working of constitutional bodies should be  transparent and efficient.In order to make constitutional bodies more effective. The key strategy advocated must comprise of prompt judicial proceedings, addressing systemic issues causing violations, imparting awareness about Rights of citizens, simplifying access to courts,imparting knowledge about legal aid for marginalised sections of society and holding authorities accountable for non compliance with court orders. In nutshell judiciary should not only remain vigilant,independent and active to interpret the constitution but also protect Fundamental Rights so as to achieve more inclusive and sustainable quality development in the country.