POLITICAL SCIENCE END SEM EXAMINATION

NAME-TUTKARSHTSINGH
ENROLLTNO.TL19BALB015
COURSE-TBA-LLBT(H.) T
SECTION- “B”
SUBJECT-TPOLITICAL SCIENCE
SUBMITTEDTTO-TDR. SUVIR KAPOOR SIR
Q1. “An alert and enlightened Public Opinion is the first essential of Democracy”. In the
light of the above statement, discuss the role of media and social networking sites / social
media, in the creation of Public Opinion. Also discuss the principles and effectiveness of
self -regulation for media.

Public opinion as a concept gained credence with the rise of “public” in the eighteenth
century.Since the 1950s, television has been the main medium for molding public opinion.
Public opinion is discussed as a form of collective behavior, which is made up of those whare
discussing a given public issue at any one time. Given this definition, there are many publics;
each of them comes into being when an issue arises and ceases to exist when the issue is
resolved. Public opinion plays an important role in the political sphere. Cutting across all aspects
of relationship between government and public opinion are studies of voting behavior.
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the famous utilitarian Philosopher, who fully developed theories
of public opinion. He opined that public opinion had the power to ensure that rulers would rule
for the greatest happiness of the greater number. 
The term is commonly used to denote the aggregate of the views, men hold regarding matters
that affect or interest the community. Thus understood, it is a mixture of all sorts of different
nations, beliefs, fancies, prejudices, aspirations“.
The role of media in a democratic system has been widely debated1. India has the largest
democracy in the world and media has a powerful presence in the country. The media today has
well and truly spread its wings. From being limited to the whims of a few individuals, it has
come a long way to become a means of social participation. Democracy in general terms is
understood to be a form of government which is subject to popular sovereignty. It is essentially a
rule by the people which is in contrast to monarchies or aristocracies. One of the crowing glories
of the democratic system is the freedom of expression and the space that is provided to views
from different sections of the society. A democratic system can run to its utmost potential when
there is wide participation on the part of the general mass which is not possible without people
getting informed about various issues. Reliable information resources are an important
constituent of any democratic society.
Agencies for the Formation and Expression of Public Opinion:
Press: The main agency for the formation of public opinion is press. A good press acts as a
Light House for democracy. Newspapers can be called ‘the book of democracy’. Impartial, free
and fair press is a boon for any country. A free press crticises the government severely and
creates a sound public opinion fearlessly.It not only controls the views of the government and
the people, but also shows them the right path. newspapers give us information about
everybody’s problems and create political consciousness.
(2) Public Meetings: Public Meetings are also an important agency creating public opinion. The
ministers support the policy of the government in the public and the opposition parties criticise
the government bitterly and expose its shortcomings. This process gives political education to
the people. The views of the people are molded in public meetings. But all this is possible only
at a place where the people are completely free to express their views.
3) Political Parties: Political parties play an important role in the formation of public opinion.
Generally, there are three types of people in public. In the first category leaders of many political
parties are included. The second category is that of the elite and the third category is that of the
majority of the illiterate persons.

1
The Role Of Media in Democracy: A Strategic Approach. Retrieved from
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/democracy_and.../pdfs/pnace630.pdf
(5) Radio, Television and Cinemas: Radio, television and cinema also influence the views and
opinions of the people. Radio, television and cinema not only serve the purpose of entertainment
but they also convey the news and views of many public leaders to the masses.
Media and Democracy
The normative view of the press argues that the conduct of the media has to take into account
public interests. The main public interest criterions that the media need to consider include
freedom of publication, plurality in media ownership, diversity in information, culture and
opinion, support for the democratic political system, support for public order and security of the
state, universal reach, quality of information and culture disseminated to the public, respect for
human rights and avoiding harm to individuals and the society 2. Informing the citizens about the
developments in the society and helping them to International Journal of Interdisciplinary and
Multidisciplinary Studies (IJIMS), make informed choices, media make democracy to function
in its true spirit. It also keeps the elected representatives accountable to those who elected them
by highlighting whether they have fulfilled their wishes for which they were elected and whether
they have stuck to their oaths of office. Media to operate in an ideal democratic framework
needs to be free from governmental and private control.
Importance of Radio or Broadcasting in the Formation of Public Opinion or Working of
Democracy: Radio is also one of the most effective methods for the formation of public opinion.
We listen to many types of news, sweet songs, entertaining and educative plays and weather
reports through the radio. Radio has greater influence over the people than the press.
The reason for this is that while the newspapers can be read only by educated persons, radio can
be listened to both by the literate and the illiterate alike. Radio is more entertaining than the
press as it imparts education in an entertaining manner.
In a country like India it has a very important place because here most of the people are illiterate
and they cannot read the newspapers. Thus, they can benefit themselves by listening to
interesting speeches, news, music, plays, etc.

The principles and effectiveness of self -regulation for media.

The freedom of speech and expression or freedom of press is present in all statutes and
constitutions but not appropriately practiced. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the
importance of press freedom and the type of regulation followed in a country. The principle of
self-regulation entails regulation by itself where the media does not have a regulatory body
under it. The primary rights of reporters and editors under freedom of expression have to be
acknowledged and at the same time their reports should not be detrimental to the functioning of
state. Presently, there is no qualification prescribed by the Press Council for journalists, although
there is such a situation prevailing in the Bar Council Act for advocates and Medical Council
Act for medical practitioners.
2
Media and the public sphere. The Hindu. Retrieved from
http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/12/stories/2004011201571000.htm
However, there are issues such as cross media ownership, inaccurate news being published,
creating sensationalism, absence of journalistic ethics, paid news, advertisement oriented news
being released for profit, privacy violation, unnecessary news on celebrities and superstardom
being circulated, unethical sting operation being held for publicity and so forth that are never
addressed.48 At this juncture, it is high time to mull over whether the failure to evolve a code of
conduct is the fault of any competent authority or of journalists themselves.
Conclusion
The concept of public opinion came to limelight in the wake of democracy. The governmental
policies gradually became the function of opinion rather than of force, and the means for the
expressions of opinion like constitutionally guaranteed liberties, elections, political parties etc.,
were at hand, the role of public opinion in the government came to be generally recognized. The
theory of public opinion is thus a derivative from democracy as a form of government. It the
field of political dynamics, the significance of public opinion lies in its ability to influence
government.
The role of public opinion in a democracy is ultimately decided by the result of the struggle
between belief and fact. Owing to subtle manipulation of the opinion-forming processes by
interested groups, a fundamental distinction has taken place in recent times between what is and
what people believe to be. Facts are misrepresented without scruple, and appeals are made
frequently to the blind emotions and prejudices of the people. The process of corruption of facts
becomes complete when exclusively a powerful group or a capitalist controls the major opinion-
forming agencies like newspaper and radio. Thus public opinion helps to make the democracy
and government to, for and by the people.

Q3 “The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.”
Mahatma Gandhi . Our 'must-have, must-buy' economy is eating into the planet's
resources like never before, something Gandhiji foresaw almost a century ago. Discuss.

Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of life is much appreciated all across the world. His spiritual,
non-violent, and peace-promoting acts earned him the title of Mahatma. His wisdom, like the
wisdom of all the great, venerable souls of mankind is quite relevant in ridding the world of ills
that have almost drastic consequences.
India's great moral leader Mohandas Gandhi famously said that there is enough on Earth for
everybody's need, but not enough for everybody's greed. Our 'must-have, must-buy' economy is
eating into the planet's resources like never before, Today, Gandhi's insight is being put to the
test as never before.
The world is hitting global limits in its use of resources. We are feeling the shocks each day in
catastrophic floods, droughts, and storms - and in the resulting surge in prices in the
marketplace. Our fate now depends on whether we cooperate or fall victim to self-defeating
greed. The limits to the global economy are new, resulting from the unprecedented size of the
world's population and the unprecedented spread of economic growth to nearly the entire world. 
Our planet will not physically support this exponential economic growth if we let greed take the
upper hand. Even today, the weight of the world economy is already crushing nature, rapidly
depleting the supplies of fossil-fuel energy resources that nature created over millions of years,
while the resulting climate change has led to instabilities in terms of rainfall, temperature, and
extreme storms.
We see these pressures every day in the marketplace. Oil prices have surged to more than $100
per barrel, as China, India, and other oil-importing countries join the United States in a massive
scramble to buy up supplies, especially from the Middle East. Food prices, too, are at historical
highs, contributing to poverty and political unrest.
Gandhi's thinking has a "very real place" in today's debates about capitalism
Sarvodaya: welfare for all
"Gandhi Visualises a very creative dynamic between the individual and collective wellbeing. He
sees the two as being in sync. Nobody should be asked to pay the price for the majority to
benefit. The idea counters widespread capitalist notions about individual sacrifice for the greater
good. As Bakshi puts it: "In a place like India, people affected by large-scale industrial projects
like mining are told that they must pay the price for the nation to progress … Gandhi
fundamentally rejected this as immoral."
Gandhi's questioning of potentially exploitative business models certainly fits with his welfare
for all philosophy. But it goes further than that. Corporate philanthropy or so-called
"compassionate capitalism" can only ever get us so far, notes Bakshi: "He [Gandhi] argued that
all efforts to improve the human condition are bound to fail unless they put 'dharma', or a moral
framework and a sense of higher purpose, above the pursuit of 'arth' (wealth) and 'kama'
(pleasure)3".
Ultimately, for Gandhi, life is a transitory affair. The higher purpose of which he spoke could be
described as "god-realisation" or, in less spiritual parlance, "self-realisation". That idea shapes
Gandhi's ethics, namely the pursuit of love, compassion, self-knowledge, duty, self-control, and
so forth, as the root to such realisation. It also has implications for wealth creation: what, after
all, is wealth for?
Gandhi is saying whatever you generate is never fully yours because it's going to be there long
after you4. In essence, you are only its caretaker". Clinging to material wealth is therefore a
redundant pursuit. So too, by the same logic, is an economic system that exists exclusively to
generate such wealth.
3
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/relevance-gandhi-capitalism-debate-rajni-bakshi
4
Guardian sustainable business
This position invites a second tough challenge for the responsible business movement: do
current ideas of trusteeship go far enough? It's there in environmentalism; the notion that we
should be leaving the planet's resources for those who come after us. But Gandhi's thinking is far
more radical. If business were to drop the idea of wealth accumulation as its ultimate goal, how
different would business look? What goals would replace it, and what would be their means of
achievement?
it is important to understand what we mean by need and greed. It is reasonable to suppose that
the spirit of the quote is in solving the world’s problems, not keeping them the way they are.
Therefore, we can do better than simply to say that “One person’s greed is another’s need,” and
then walk away thinking that we have done a good job.
It is definitely possible to take a hierarchical approach to the analysis of human need. Some will
follow Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. However, I believe there is plenty of reason to take a
different approach. For example, with the limit on world resources and food supplies, it is
possibly unwise to see reproduction as the most basic of human needs, as over-population can
bring about human demise. We live in an age when many in certain parts of the world are
working overly long hours with resulting deficits in sleep and mental health. Reproduction as a
priority in this case will only worsen the problem, due to additional resource requirements once
children have arrived, leading to further sleep deficits.
I believe that it makes sense to put those factors affecting physical and mental health at the top
of any hierarchy. Obviously, fresh air, pure water, healthy food, sufficient sleep, protection from
disease, shelter and heating/cooling systems are essential for the body.
We see every day situations in which someone might believe: “My friends’ parents give them
chocolate muffins and burgers instead of vegetables. I need to fit in with them, or my mental
health will suffer.” Of course, it is understandable that feeling alienated from those around us
can be a mental health issue. However, in a situation such as this, it is a collective failure of
adults in society that we create an environment in which these mental vs physical health
conflicts can occur.
Clearly there is a lack of respect sometimes for our own needs and those of others around us, in
terms of health. We have produced products and environments removed far from nature which
create addictions for ourselves. It is important to recognise such products as inspiring greed, not
need. After all, it is not a need to be an addict. It is an unfortunate and unhealthy state of affairs.
Obviously, pursuit of unnecessary wealth is greed. However, it can be argued that current
economic and societal structures encourage conflation of greed with survival. This in turn could
have implications for addiction.
The need to reach some form of potential in a way that does not harm others can be seen as a
human need. I can see no argument as to why it should be greedy to wish to do so. For this, a
person needs time; it does not have to involve stealing another person’s time in this world, which
would be greedy. Furthermore, there should be opportunity for everyone to make the world a
better place for others according to their ability, as that fulfils the need to reach personal
potential and the needs of others simultaneously.
These factors that can be employed in further thought for developing solutions which might
better meet the previously defined needs of every human on earth.
conclusion
Very well said by Gandhi ji that there is enough for everybody’s need but not for anybody’s
greed. No one in this world is ever easily satisfied with what he has. People desire for more no
matter what they already have. Desire or greed never ends and this is a brutal reality and this is
the reason why some people have much more than they should have, and many have much less
than what they should have. This is why we say that gulf between rich and poor is widening with
every passing day. Reason is those who have money, have power and those without money
aren’t even considered in the picture. And here those people who fall in the middle category
keep struggling to fulfil their desire.
To maintain a healthy environment in the society we need to start treating people equally, no
matter what their financial background is. Richer ones can always show some kindness towards
those who are less fortunate. What we can do is support them by understanding their needs and
helping them in fulfilling it by donating them those belongings that are of no use to us. This is
how we all can initiate. We can also contact those organisations who are into the same field of
work, like , for e.g , there is this organisation named Bharoosa that works towards the
betterment of less fortunate by providing them stuff like clothes and old toys donated by some
generous persons.
Don’t lag behind and start participating actively for the same. You’ll start feeling better.