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The process of national integration is one in which the council consistently prioritises preserving equality despite widespread linguistic and religious diversity. The council also handles casteism, regionalism, and communalism-related issues and contributes to their resolution. In September and October of 1961, Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s then-prime minister, called the National Integration Conference to discuss ways to combat the ills of communalism, casteism, regionalism, linguism, and narrow-mindedness and to come to firm conclusions that would guide the nation. In subsequent discussion, a general description of India’s “National Integration Council” is provided, along with information on the organization’s role, duties, and goals. A brief overview of India’s caste structure, religious diversity, and many communities can be useful.
National integration
The prime minister is in charge of the National Integration Council, which is primarily administered by the Indian national government. India’s NIC (“National Integration Council”) was established in 1961 and has 147 members. The Indian prime minister serves as the national integration council’s head, and the federal government serves as an advisory body. Following an assembly led by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s prime minister at the time, it was proposed in 1961. The National Integration Council is made up of a variety of government officials, including as cabinet ministers, chief ministers, and opposition party leaders. In addition to these individuals, the NIC also consists of media executives, well-known national businesspeople, and a few famous people. As was already said, the primary goal of the NIC (“National Integration Council”) is to identify and address issues related to India’s caste, regionalism, and communalism systems.
Uniform civil/army/judicial administration
Following independence, we continued the services we inherited from the British, making some changes along the way. These services included the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), and IFS (Indian Forest Service). An applicant from Bengal, for example, would have had to serve through AIS (All India Services) in Gujarat, for example. Gujaratis would have needed to find employment in Karnataka, and so on. The average length of service is between 30 and 35 years. The majority of the time, such candidates would take a trip to the state where they would be posted with their families, stay there for a specified amount of time, and then blend in with the community, adopting many of its cultural practises. These programmes have helped to promote national unification and togetherness. As a result, India’s conception is built on a strong “sangam,” or togetherness, and not on the concept of fission. The Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir, as well as Sufi and Bhakti saints in the Middle Ages, had explored this fusion concept in the past. Even in the Indian armed forces, jawans and officers are selected from many regions of the country; frequently, their families come from different cultural backgrounds, and frequently, one encounters members of the same family from several regions, and perhaps even from various religions. This has also helped to reduce the significance of regional identities in terms of national identity. With a single hierarchy of courts and the Supreme Court at its apex, the country’s unified judiciary upholds the fundamental principles of our Constitution, which enforces equality before the law, and has served as a safe haven for civil society as a whole to voice their concerns. Recent innovations adopted by the Judiciary have further deepened the idea of Justice for all that reaches all sections of society and provides an effective stage to the country’s aggrieved citizens. Additionally, judicial activism has enhanced the concept of “checks and balances” between the legislature and the executive branch, the other two pillars of governance, frequently resulting in the creation of more just and equitable public policy.
Constitutional law
Three features of the Constitution significantly aided in the promotion of national integration. The Preamble, which starts with the words “We the people of India,” or Bharat, was the first. Then there are the Fundamental Rights, which are guaranteed by the constitution and ensure that everyone has the same rights, regardless of their religion, region, caste, sex, or creed. The state policy directives that direct states to take action to ensure that everyone has access to equality, justice, and liberty. The Directive Principles of State Policy are to be used to establish the Preamble’s ideals. When taken as a whole, these three aspects of our Constitution work to foster an equal society where personal freedoms are respected.
Planning and Finance Commission’s function
National integration was aided by the Planning Commission, Finance Commission, Election Commission, UPSC, CAG, SC, and HC, among others. In addition to this, PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings), where employees from various regions of the nation are chosen based on performance in competitive tests. In fact, residential townships of PSUs like SAIL, BHEL, NTPC, etc. are like a miniature version of India. They have significantly undermined local sentiment. Recently, the idea of cooperative federalism, which strives to gain greater involvement of states towards nation building, has been further enhanced by the Planning Commission being replaced by the NITI Aayog. By recommending that states get a larger portion (42 percent) of the pool of revenues that can be divided, the 14th Finance Commission recently increased the Central Government’s confidence in the contribution that States make to the development of the nation.
Communications and Railroads
When using the Indian railways, one may see the diversity of India. In actuality, one sees a variety of social classes spread out across the entire nation. India’s geographic size is made clear by the fact that, when Russia is subtracted from a map of Europe, India becomes larger than Europe. Beginning in 1858, the building of railways in India accelerated quickly. According to statistics, the rail network expanded at a rate of more than 900 km each year. However, since independence, the rail network has grown at an average rate of about 300 km per year. It is evident that as the train network expanded, even the farthest reaches of our nation were connected to one another, enhancing intra-national interactions. Since its beginning, and even during the days of the freedom fight, when it played a crucial role, the railroads have not only been a reliable means of moving people and goods within the nation but have also served as a forum for cross-cultural and inter-emotional interchange of ideas. People-to-people connections have been strengthened thanks to India’s extensive telecom reform and revolution. There are various telecom service providers available today, including BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone, etc. The bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid now has access to mobile technology, which is no longer just for the wealthy segment of society. By bringing together a sizable portion of our community and overcoming the communication gap, this has been crucial in encouraging national integration.
National integration’s function
The primary responsibility of the national integration council is to explain policies and related activities to novices. By keeping India united, it was hoped to provide value to its cultural heritage. Through a variety of programmes, the national integration council seeks to encourage national integration throughout Indian society. Quiz contests, cultural exhibitions, state awareness programmes, and debates are a few examples of these activities. In addition to all of these events, the council explains how the national integration council operates through real-world exhibitions. The National Integration Council (NIC) was recently reorganised, and on September 23, 2013, the newly constituted NIC met under the chairmanship of the prime minister.
Conclusion
When speaking of the nation of India, it is full of diversity in its natural inhabitants as well as in its various communities, religions, and tongues. India is recognised throughout the world for its extensive and priceless cultural legacy. Throughout India’s history, many leadership positions have been filled by individuals with a variety of caste, religious, and racial identities. Maintaining ties and solidarity among the populace, regardless of caste, religion, faith, or gender, is crucial for maintaining peace in a nation with great communal variety. Therefore, competent direction is needed to address the issues in order to prevent internal strife and to ensure unity. The National Integration Council is therefore of utmost significance in this situation. The role and significance of NIC have been highlighted in the discussion above for a clear analysis.
