Indian Social Republic

From Roach Busters

Revision as of 10:28, 16 April 2008

Indian Social Republic
Flag	Emblem
Motto "Ittefaq, Itmad aur Qurbani" (Hindustani) "Unity, Faith, and Sacrifice"
Anthem Vande Mataram (I bow to thee, Mother)
Capital Largest city	New Delhi 28°34'N, 77°07'E Mumbai
Official languages	Hindi (de jure) English (de facto)
Demonym	Indian
Government  - President  - Prime Minister	Dictatorship Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya Keshav Upadhyaya
Independence  - De facto  - De jure	from England January 26, 1944 August 15, 1947
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	3,166,414 km² 1,222,559 sq mi 9.56
Population  - 2007 estimate  - Density	616,209,148 194.6/km² 504/sq mi
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2007 estimate $4.034 trillion $6,548
GDP (nominal)  - Total  - Per capita	2007 estimate $6.087 trillion $9,879
Gini (2004)	57.7 (high)
HDI (2006)	0.773 (medium)
Currency	Indian rupee (₨) (INR)
Time zone - Summer (DST)	IST (UTC +5:30) not observed (UTC +5:30)
Internet TLD	.in
Calling code	+91

India, officially the Indian Social Republic, is a country in South Asia. It is one of the largest countries in the world, in both population and area. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi).[14] It borders Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. The disputed Northern Areas of Jammu and Kashmir claimed by India and currently administered by Pakistan shares a small border with Afghanistan to the extreme northwest. Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia are in India's vicinity in Indian Ocean.

Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonized by England from the mid-nineteenth century, India became a modern nation state in 1947 after a long struggle for independence which culminated in a violent revolution and a brief but bloody civil war, which was followed by the country's partition into India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; the coming to power of a fascist regime, which maintains power to this day; and one of the world's most infamous genocides, which resulted in the death of tens of millions of Muslims.

India is one of the largest economies in the world, but its economy is largely isolated by the government's autarkic policies and the refusal of most nations to trade with India due to ongoing human rights abuses and an economic climate hostile to foreign investment.

As a pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Politics

The North Block, in New Delhi, houses key government offices.

India is a unicameral, semi-presidential, unitary republic in which the governing political party, the Indian Nationalist Party (INP), enjoys a monopoly on power, as provided by the constitution. The country is universally described by analysts abroad as a "fascist dictatorship," but India describes itself as a "revolutionary authoritarian democracy."

Indian Nationalist Party

The INP is, as mentioned previously, the only legal party in India. Membership is compulsory for all Hindu citizens aged 16 or older. Established in 1939, the party's platform incorporates extreme nationalism (especially Hindu nationalism), radical right-wing populism, anti-imperialism, reactionary social values, and dirigisme. It openly repudiates both capitalism and communism, because the former is said to place individuals above the community while the latter is said to be too community-oriented and stifle individual development.

The party adheres firmly to corporatism as a means to prevent class struggle and supremacy of economism, and believes in the necessity of control over the forces of economic modernization in order to defend the religious and rural values of the country. The party rejects class warfare and instead emphasizes class collaboration, arguing that the preservation of social hierarchy is in the interests of all classes, and therefore all classes should collaborate in its defense; both the lower and the higher classes should accept their roles and perform their respective duties. The stability and prosperity of the nation is seen as the ultimate purpose of collaboration between classes. The party argues that dirigisme is the correct economic path, and that the state should exert strong directive influence, effectively control production and allocation of resources, mediate relations between classes, and achieve economic self-sufficiency. While the party is tolerant of private enterprise, it demands that all economic activity should serve "the national interest." It also supports social programs and other populist measures as a means of winning over the working class and retaining their support.

The party platform "acknowledges Hinduism as not only the faith, but the very lifeblood of the Indian Nation" and advocates a government and society organized completely in concordance with Hindu philosophy.

Social conservatism is also emphasized. The party supports a hierarchical, male-dominated society organized along rigid caste lines, and vehemently opposes such "social vices" as homosexuality, pornography, fornication, gambling, and drugs.

President

The head of state of India is the President (currently Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya), who is indirectly elected by an electoral college. While in theory the President has vast powers, in practice he is a figurehead limited to performing mainly ceremonial functions. He carries out the following duties:

• Appointment of the federal government: The President appoints federal judges, federal civil servants, and military officers. All such appointments require the counter-signature of the Prime Minister.

• Dissolution of the parliament: The President may, at his discretion, dissolve parliament and call new elections.

• Promulgation of the law: All federal laws must, after counter-signature, be signed by the president before they can come into effect. Ordinances must be signed by the agency which issues them, and then by the President

• Foreign relations: The President takes part in foreign visits and receives foreign dignitaries. He or she also concludes treaties with foreign nations, accredits Indian diplomats and receives the letters of accreditation of foreign diplomats.

• Pardons and honors: The President grants pardons if the person concerned had been convicted under federal jurisdiction (which is rare) and confers decorations and honours.

• Military: The constitution designates the President as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and all military personnel must take an oath of loyalty to him. However, his role is strictly ceremonial, and de facto command of the military lies with the Prime Minister.

• State of emergency: In the event of a national crisis, the President may dissolve the parliament, suspend civil liberties, and rule by decree (although in practice, the Prime Minister would do the latter on the President's behalf).

The President is expected to be impartial and non-partisan, and for the most part, rarely involves himself in day-to-day politics. While in practice he has little to no power, he still commands great respect among Indians and serves an important role as a symbol of national unity.

Prime Minister

Keshav Upadhyaya is the current Prime Minister of India.

The head of government of India is the Prime Minister, in whom the constitution invests with central executive authority. His authority emanates both from the provisions of the constitution and from his status as General Secretary of the INP, of which he is ex officio leader.

The Prime Minister determines the composition of the cabinet. The President formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers, at the recommendation of the Prime Minister; no parliamentary approval is needed. The Prime Minister sets the number of cabinet ministers and dictates their specific duties. He is responsible for all government policies and any formal policy guidelines issued by him are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the Prime Minister's broader guidelines.

While in theory the Prime Minister's actions must at all times be in full concordance with the constitution (which has been suspended since 1953), in practice he wields dictatorial powers and governs as he sees fit, with no checks, balances, or other restraints on his authority.

Parliament

The Parliament of India.

The unicameral Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in the country. Any bill can become an act only after it is passed by majority vote of the Parliament and assented by the President. Its members are directly elected by popular vote to five year terms. Voting is limited to all Hindus aged 18 and older and voting is done by open ballot; voting is compulsory (and enforced). Because there is only one candidate per constituency (hand-picked by the government), voters are offered the options of "Yes" or "No," but the presence of security officers at the polls means that nearly 100% of voters choose "Yes."

The constitution stipulates that the Prime Minister must enjoy the confidence of Parliament, but in practice the Parliament is a largely powerless body which exists solely to rubberstamp his decisions.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land. According to the constitution, its role is that of a federal court, guardian of the constitution, and the highest court of appeal. Politically-reliable appointees dominate the court, which, in over 45 years of existence, has never ruled against any action taken by the government.

State and local governments

India is a unitary state in which all power is concentrated at the federal level. State and local governments have no autonomy and exist as mere administrative divisions. State governments are appointed by the Parliament on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, while local governments are directly elected. Both state and local governments are beholden to the federal government, and are charged with implementing and executing its decisions at the state/local level.

Subdivisions

States and territories of India, including 28 states and 6 union territories.

States:

India is comprised of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories. Each state or union territory is divided into districts. There are nearly 600 districts in India. The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and eventually into villages.

Foreign relations

Long regarded by most liberal democracies as a pariah nation, the Indian Social Republic has few friends abroad. Its only notable allies, the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Spain, are also outcasts in the international community. Despite India's militant anticommunism and China's hostility to fascism, the two countries enjoy a fairly close, albeit somewhat tense, relationship. Trade, cultural exchanges, and military exercises between the two countries are expanding, and both share a common fear and hatred of "imperialism," a term broadly used to label virtually any country that criticizes India or China's internal policies.

India enjoys its closest and most consistent friendship with Spain, which shares a similar ideology and is likewise viewed with scorn and suspicion by the West. India's outspoken defense of Spain's right to determine its own internal affairs has won much popular support for India among Spaniards, and Indians have a similarly laudatory view of Spain, which is held up by Indian government propaganda as a model society and a virtuous country. Spain is one of the few nations with which India trades extensively, and a mutual defense pact has been signed between the two countries.

Though all liberal democracies are viewed as hostile by the Indian state, it considers the Kingdom of England to be its number one enemy, due to both India's history as an English colony and English Prime Minister Tony Blair's strong public stance against human rights abuses around the world - including in India.

Economy

The Mumbai Stock Exchange is Asia's oldest stock exchange.

India has a complex economic system that defies easy categorization. The Indian government itself adds further confusion by its ambiguous description of its economy as "neither capitalist, nor socialist, nor in between." Various political analysts abroad, depending on their own personal political leanings, describe India as "socialist," or "state capitalist," depending on who one asks, however, there is near-unanimity in their description of India as corporatist and dirigiste.

State intervention in the economy, whether on behalf of politically-connected corporations (many of which are granted legal monopolies in recognition of their services to the regime) or on behalf of the workers whom it claims to represent, is pervasive. Price and wage controls are strictly enforced. Workers' wages are artifically set to a low level, while prices are set to a high level. The purposes of this are two-fold: To ensure that workers are required to work as many hours as possible, to ensure that they have neither the time nor the energy to dissent; and to maximize the profits of politically-connected corporations. Strikes and collective bargaining are illegal and, when they do occur, are ruthlessly suppressed. All salaried and wage workers are required to join the Indian Labor Front. Trade unions are outlawed. The government maintains at least nominal support of the workers by providing generous pensions, subsidized healthcare and housing, paid vacations, and other benefits.

The government's adherence to "self-reliance," and "economic independence," i.e. autarky, means that the country's trade with the outside world is kept to a bare minimum, as is foreign investment. Tariffs are among the highest in the world, and Indian businesses are massively subsidized. Farmers, too, enjoy generous subsidies, which serves to both protect Indian agriculture from foreign competition and win the support of farmers for the government.

Several public sector corporations exist, all of which enjoy monopolies in their respective areas. Examples include the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, National Thermal Power Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Indian Railways, Steel Authority of India Limited, National Fertilisers Limited, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Air India Air Transport Services Limited, Coal India Limited, National Aluminium Company Limited, National Mineral Development Corporation, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Goa Shipyard Limited, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited are just a few examples. All are 100% government-owned and publicly funded.

There are very few small or medium sized businesses in India, due to the extremely cumbersome, costly, time-consuming process of setting up a business, coupled with the myriad regulations and bureaucratic red tape to wade through. This is a deliberate action by the government which serves to preclude the emergence of a strong middle class that would threaten the many powerful corporations that survive through their symbiotic relationship with the state.

While on paper India has a progressive tax rate, in practice its tax rate is regressive, meaning that the higher one's income is, the less he pays in taxes.

India has one of the largest income disparities in the world, comparable to Latin America. However, while more than half (53%) of Indians live below the poverty line, few live in extreme poverty (although most religious minority groups, forced to live on "reservations," do live in such conditions). An extensive social safety network ensures that nearly all Indians have access to healthcare and food, but deliberately keeps them at a subsistence level so that poor Indians will be dependent on the state for survival and thus will be less likely to dissent.

Often the question is asked (outside India): "Do the corporations run the government, or does the government run the corporations?" While both hold true to a certain degree, the latter does more so; more than one corporation has been nationalized, and its board of directors thrown in prison, for wavering in their support of the government.

Unemployment in India is almost non-existent. Conscription and extensive public works projects (most related to construction) ensure that jobs, both skilled and unskilled, are plentiful.

Culture and society

Frontal-right view of the Brihadeshwara temple of Dravidian style.

India is a richly diverse, multicultural state with numerous religions, ethnic groups, dialects, customs, and cultures. Hinduism is the state religion and is actively promoted by the government. The government subsidizes the construction of Hindu temples, funds Hindu missions at home and abroad, and ensures that all laws enacted by the government are compatible with Hinduism (although many Hindu dissidents, in prison and abroad, maintain that the government's human rights policies are anathema to Hinduism). While there is a high degree of tolerance and mutual good will between different ethnic groups (racism is explicitly proscribed, and all expressions of ethnic nationalism are brutally crushed as "subversive"), India has one of the lowest levels of religious freedom in the world. Since independence, tens of millions of Muslims have been executed or interned in concentration camps, while millions more have fled. Other religious minorities were forcibly relocated, at gun-point, to small, highly densely populated "reservations," where they remain to this day. Their movement is severely restricted and they have even fewer civil liberties than Hindu Indians. They cannot vote or serve in the armed forces, and most are destitute and work in conditions little different from slavery.

The exception to India's racial tolerance is its treatment of Englishmen, most of whom were killed or deported shortly after independence. All vestiges of English culture, with the exception of the English language, have been wiped out, and Englishmen are banned from entering the country. The government briefly toyed with the idea of banning the English language, but the fact that most of India's bureaucrats and educated people were fluent in it, and the fact that it served as a useful medium between Indians that spoke different dialects, forced them to abandon that idea.

India is a very hierarchical society organized along strict caste lines. India has a de facto system of class apartheid, and people of different castes are segregated and are forced to go to different schools, hospitals, etc. All public places have separate rooms, accomodations, etc. for the different castes. Women are not segregated, but are nonetheless unofficially second-class citizens. Spousal abuse and sexism are rampant.

Much like the People's Republic of China, India has a comprehensive state-run family planning program and a similar "one child" policy. Forced sterilizations and mass abortions have been carried out in implementation of this program, which has caused some controversy abroad.

Homosexuality, variously described by the government as a "capitalist vice" or a "Marxist plot to undermine Hindu values" depending on the prevailing public mood, is banned, and LGBT individuals face imprisonment, torture, or even death should their sexual orientation be made public.

The literacy rate varies widely by religion and gender, and ranges from a high of 95.7% for Hindu males to a low of 4.1% for Muslim females. Private schools and homeschooling are proscribed by law, and all education is under the control of the state.