Public Administration Mains 2020 : Model Question and Answer - 117
(Public Administration Paper II / Chapter: Union Government and Administration)
Current Question : What is economic justice and do all citizens get economic justice? Comment (15 Marks / 250 words)
Model Answer:
It is the Constitution of India that has resolved to secure to all its citizens justice, social, economic and political. Each phrase — e.g. social justice — has profound meaning. The phrases ignited the fire of ambition in millions of hearts and continue to do so.
In India, we have a Constitution that frowns upon untouchability, outlaws discrimination on the basis of religion, and provides for reservation for SC/STs. Yet the reality is that social justice, in terms of access to education and health care (among other Human Development Indicators) and appointments to government jobs, is beyond the reach of the neglected sections.
Economic justice is an offspring of social justice. The neglected and disadvantaged groups have lower educational attainments, less property, fewer government or quality jobs and lower incomes/expenditure.
The third promise of political justice is the worst casualty. Thanks to reserved
constituencies, SCs and STs have a fair proportion of seats in elected bodies
including the state legislatures and Parliament, but political justice seems to
have stopped there. In many political parties, representation of SCs and STs in
decision-making bodies or levels is no more than tokenism. (Total Words- 267)
(Linkages : Constitution and Social Justice, Constitution and Economic
Justice, Constitution and Political Justice)