What are the challenges to democracy? Let us learn about all the challenges to democracy in this blog.

Challenges to Democracy: Illiteracy in India

An illiterate is a person who is unable to read or write. The Census-2001 shows that there has been an increase in the literacy rate in the country. The literacy rate was 65.38 as recorded in 2001. However, the literacy rate varies according to the region. Kerala has the highest literacy rate of close to 91% while Bihar has a literacy rate of 47.53%.

Education is a vital component of a nation's development. An illiterate person has to depend on others for small jobs and may get cheated with the number of wages due to him. An illiterate person cannot make use of the advanced tools and knowledge and thus, cannot progress sufficiently.

Illiteracy also leads to the wrong selection of the candidates at the time of elections as the illiterate voter is unaware of the program of the political parties.

Challenges to Democracy: Regional Imbalance in India

India is the world's second-largest populous country and seventh largest in terms of area. In spite of dedicated attempts to reduce the regional disparity, there are certain regional imbalances in the country. Regional imbalance means that some areas are economically advanced and some areas are backward. The Eastern and the Southern regions in India have remained comparatively less developed than the Western and the Northern regions. There is also a difference in the income levels in urban and rural areas.

The regional imbalance can be attributed partly due to the British policies. Their policy of export promotion led to the development of the coastal areas leaving the inter-state areas relatively less developed. The difference in the availability of natural resources and the lack of infrastructural facilities like roads, water, and communications also contributed to the regional imbalance.

Read about more challenges to democracy:

What is Casteism? Measures to Eradicate Casteism and its Evil Effects
Poverty Alleviation Programmes or Measures: Class 10 - Civics
Gender Inequality: How is Democracy Promoting Gender Equality?