NCERT 8 HISTORY CHAPTER 10

 10.India After Independence

• Problems in unity and problems in development in the new nation were seen as the major challenges in the initial years
• India's population in 1947 was 345 million, 8 million refugees had come to India during partition, they had to be found homes and jobs
• The unification of nearly 500 princely states had to be addressed, also developments such as increasing agricultural productivity and promoting new job creating industries were needed
• The members of the "Constitutional Assembly" framed the constitution between December 1946 and November 1949, which came into effect on 26 January 1950

     A CONSTITUTION IS WRITTEN

• The Constitution adopted the universal adult franchise (All Indians above 21 years of age can vote)
• In UK and US, the voting rights granted step-by-step (first for the men of property, then educated, then for working class men, then after struggles American and British women got the right to vote)
• The Constitution guaranteed equality before law to all citizens regardless of caste or religion. 
• Some pointed Pakistan (Muslim state), wished India to be Hindu state. But Nehru told that "India could not and must not become a Hindu Pakistan"
• Besides Muslims, India also had populations of Sikhs, Christians, as well as Parsis and Jains
• The Constitution offered several privileges for the poorest and most disadvantaged Indians. 
• The practice of untouchability was abolished. 
• It also gave certain certain percentage of seats in legislatures as well as government jobs for lower caste members and Scheduled Tribes (who deprived of modern health care and education)
• The Constitution sought to balance the powers between the Central and the State governments
• For Centre, the responsibilities over taxes, defence and foreign affairs...State over the education and health... Joint responsibility over the forests and agriculture...
• The Constitution arrived at Hindi would be the official language of India, On considering the non-Hindi states in the south, English language would be used in the courts, the services and communication between one state and another
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the Drafting Committee

     HOW WERE STATES TO BE FORMED?

• Both Prime Minister Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel were against the creation of linguistic states
• In Telugu speaking areas of Madras Presidency, a veteran Gandhian, Potti Sriramalu went on hunger strike for 58 days and died in 1952
• In 1953, the new state of Andhra formed
• Then the State Reorganisation Commission was set up in 1956, then the large Hindi speaking states of North India was broken into several states
• In 1960, the bilingual state of Bombay divided into Marathi and Gujarathi speaking states
• In 1966, the Punjab divided into Punjab and Haryana

     PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT

• In 1950, the Planning Commission was set up to execute suitable policies of economic development
• In 1956, the Second Five Year Plan formulated to focus on the development of heavy industries but the emphasis on agriculture, primary education, environmental implications of economic policies lagged
• On sixty years of Independence on 15 August 2007, India achieved in the areas such as unity, still democratic, free press, independent judiciary, thirteen general elections as well as hundreds of state and local elections have been held
• Despite the secular ideas, it also experienced several clashes between different religious groups, different caste people in many states. There also still differences in the social status of people (the rich and poor)