Building New India – Role of citizens' duties
India, the largest democracy in the world, a nation that has a history of not invading any other nation for thousands of years, has stood for the rights of its citizens since the time of great Ashoka. Throughout our entire history, India has welcomed people from all over the world and provided them shelter along with adequate opportunities to grow and join into the vastness of this great civilization. We gave the entire world, the understanding of "Dharma" through the lores of Mahabharata and Ramayana when most of the world could not even skim or jot down.
All these characteristics of our great civilization are still reflected in the soul of our nation, our constitution. It has vested in us six fundamental rights from the right to equality to the right to constitutional remedies but with every right we possess, there is a set of duties attached to it that ensures that these rights are not vilified.
As a citizen, we are liable for every activity that is going on around us from forgery to corruption. It is typically seen that the people in our country elude taxes resulting in a shortage of funds, and causing an increase in the price of commodities. So, criminal tax evasion is not only an act of treason but also an act of betrayal to the needy and poor. It is estimated that the Government loses about 5 trillion rupees over defaults and criminal tax evasion, which is about 2.4% of the GDP or 35% of the total GST collection target. Therefore, we must pay taxes honestly and on time so that the Government has enough reserves to go for infrastructural expansions and tackle health-related epidemics.
Resource and energy conservation are also important approaches toward building a better India. As we all know, natural resources are limited and require a very judicious utilization. In our country, since time immemorial people have been wasting energy heedlessly that needs constant monitoring. Coal and petrol are already on the verge of getting depleted and are demanding alternatives like electric vehicles, nuclear power sources, and solar sources all of which could help us in not only saving billions of rupees but also can be reserved and stored for their judicious use.
Protection of public properties is also an important civilian duty that we must follow. Every year millions of rupee is wasted on creating new public properties or repairing the old malfunctioning ones. It is generally seen that people in India damage these properties in jest which are meant to be used by everyone. For example, some anonymous people wrecked the glass of the Tejas Express on its first test run. People have been stealing CCTV cameras that are put in for their safety causing a loss of millions of rupees annually. Thus, we must protect and preserve these public properties.
People should come out of their cottages during weekends and help the Government in providing a clean environment by collecting junk and by spreading out cognition among the people, especially near the sightseer destinations. A clean environment not only attracts tourists but also has a positive effect on productivity. The chances of illness and environmental sicknesses are reduced to a great extent which will help in reducing sick leaves and will provide greater productivity. A clean and tidy environment is also linked to less stress levels. So, all in all, keeping the atmosphere clean can also help towards a better and healthier India.
Bribery has also become a significant issue these days. There has been an exponential upswing in corruption-related litigations since Independence that costs India billions of rupees every year causing not only mismanagement but also crises of many kinds. So, as responsible citizens, we must generate awareness among the people about bribery and also help those who have become the victim of it.
At last, I would like to conclude that citizens' duties hold a critical role in making the future of a nation. So, we must strive to be better citizens and contribute as much as we can to build a greater and a new India.