Tasks: The Indian System of Government

1. What does it mean to say that India is a pluralistic society?

2. Who is head of state and what is the role of the head of state?

3. How is the prime minister chosen?

4. What is the difference between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?

5. How are the Supreme Court judges elected?

6. What is the first-past-the-post electoral system?

7. Why do elections in India take more than a month?

8. What was unique about the election in 2019?

9. What are the names of the two largest parties?

Here is some of the vocabulary from the text, presented in a different context. Are you able to drag the correct words into the correct boxes?

Work in a group.

Go through the passage in the text again called 'System of government'. Draw an organisational map showing the structure of and relationship between the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial branch). Use the information in the article. You are also free to look for additional information on the internet. Focus on clarity, while including as much relevant information as possible.

Divide all the tasks between students in the class, for example by having a draw. Prepare a brief presentation to share in class. If you want, you can work in pairs.

1. Who is in power in India today? Find information about the prime minister and his leadership. What are their political perspectives and what have they accomplished during their time in office?

2. An important factor in a democracy is freedom of the press. To what degree does India have a free press? What are the challenges to press freedom in India?
   This link may be useful:
   link to Reporters Without Borders

3. India has had a significant drop on the global democracy index in recent years and is currently ranked as number 46 of 167 countries. What are some of the democratic challenges in India? Provide specific examples.
   Link to Economist Democracy Index

4. Find out more about the political parties in India. How many parties have representatives in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) and which are considered the largest and most influential? Choose two and compare them. Consider their number of seats in Parliament, their history, and their political standings on a few important issues.

Decide whether the statements related to the system of government in India are true or false.

A bicycle, a broom, and a fan – these are just some of the unusual symbols Indian voters meet when they go to vote. The symbols help the many participating parties to differentiate themselves from one another while making it easier for voters to make their choice in a country where around a quarter of the population is illiterate.

Learn more about the different parties and their symbols while practicing your drawing skills:

Link to Drawing game: 'Can you draw symbols of India's political parties?' on Al Jazeera's website

Choose one of the tasks. Present your findings in a longer text or as an audio recording.

1. Make a list of the most important democratic challenges that India is facing. Then study one of these challenges more closely and explain the severity of the problem and how it affects the country. Point to specific examples.

2. During the election in 2019, women turned out in far greater numbers to vote than they have before. However, women's political participation in India remains low compared to other countries. Present information about female representation on the regional and national levels in India. Discuss what is being done to improve the situation and how India would gain from including more women in politics?

3. India has been in a conflict with Pakistan since the partition of India in 1947. Find out more about the conflict. Discuss the causes of the conflict and the consequences for the two countries.