Page 107 - SST Class 04

Unit VI : Constitution of India

National

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Goals and Symbols

Nation and I

Our nation is India, that is Bharat. We all are Indians first and last. All other
identities are subservient to our being Indians. If a person sacrifices national

interest in order to serve any other selfish interest, he harms his own identity.
We can have no existence without our nation. Jai Hind!

National Goals

We, as a nation, have before us certain goals so that we can make our country strong,

prosperous and happy. When our country progresses, we all progress too. Our country
is run as per the Constitution of India, which is the supreme law of the country. It
came into force on 26 January, 1950. With this our country became a republic, so this
day is celebrated as Republic Day each year. Our country is run according to this law.
It sets out certain ideals, which are our goals as a nation. These are sovereignty ,
democracy , socialism and secularism . Let us understand these goals.

Sovereignty
Sovereignty means that our country has complete power to make laws and govern the
country without any outside interference. India is a sovereign country.

Democracy
Democracy is a system of government in which people vote to elect their
representatives who run the government on their behalf. In our country, all adult
citizens above the age of 18 years vote and elect their representatives. These

representatives run the government. Thus, our country is a democratic country.

Socialism

Socialism means that all people have equal right over the country’s wealth. In our
country, no prejudice can be practised against any one, so our country is a socialist
country. It means that the government tries to uplift the poor at par with the rich. It
gives all people equal rights and does not discriminate among them on any ground.

National Goals and Symbols 107