Indian History, World Developments and Civics Class- IX

The readers will find in this Eighteenth Edition major revision of many chapters, especiallu pertaining to the Civics portion of the book. Chapters retained from the previous edition have been updated to reflect current events. Section A : It contains five Chapters that deal with the enforcement of the Constitution, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Police, Composition of Election Commission and working of Indian Government, with particular reference to the Rural and Urban Local Self-Government. Ours is not a Written Constitution, it is also the lengthiest Constitution ever framed by a free country. Indian Constitution, on the whole, is a beautifully balanced dicument, since no single branch of government- the Parliament, the Ministry or the Supreme Court- can claim absolute or total authority (Ch.1). Many steps are being taken in purssuance of the Objectives of a Welfare State. There was an allocation of ₹61,600 Crore for Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in 2020-21 Budget. On 13 November, 2019 the Supreme Court declared that the Office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and other judges came under the Right to Information Act (RTI). The judgement was highly praised, since it would induce transparency in the Judiciary. The general Election to the 17th Lok Sabha were held during April-May, 2019. nearly 900 million citizens had the right to vote in these elections, out of whom 67 per cent of the voters did cast their vote. (Ch. 3) Section B : This section could help develop world historical perspective, besides being a study of India’s cultural past. Ashokan Edicts are the most reliable source of information about the fundamental principles of Ashoka’s Dhamma – Non-violence, Truthfulness, Obedience to Parents and Respect towards Teachers (Rock Edict XII, Ch. 5). Tirukkural, written by Tiruvalluvar, is viewed by scholars as having the excellence and features of the Sanskrit texts-Dharmashastras, Arthashastra and Kamasutra (Ch.6). The Brihadeswara Temple provides the best example of Dravidian style of architecture-in vastness, design, sculpture and allied arts, such as painting, dance and music. It marked the highest achievement in temple-building tradition (Ch.8). Akbar’s claim to greatness lies in four of his astonishing achievements: Political Unification of the Sub-continent. a system of Orderly Administration, Land Revenue System and Recial and Religious Conciliation in the country (Ch. 10). The sources to reconstruct the events and ideas leading to the growth of India’s Composite Culture are : Kabir’s Bijaka, the Guru Granth Sahib, Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the Nizam-ud-Din Dargarh, Sufism, the Bhakti ,Movement and St. Francis Assisi Church, Kochi. This Church has historic and artistic merit both. (Ch. 11). A comparative study of Socialism and Capitalism called for a detailed analysis of the key features of the two basic concepts in politics. In a Capitalist economy profit maximisation provides the main motivation for enterprise and hardwork. Socialism, on the other hand, provides a more humane and socially useful alternative (Ch. 14).