Shorthand Dictation 80 Words per minute “Greatest Barriers ” , Test 10 Minutes with 10 Minutes Audio Dictation, Shorthand Outline and Text Matter. Test 06

One of the greatest barriers to democratizing Indian society is the whole gap between educational facilities for the children of/ the elite and those for the children for  the deprived and weaker sections of the community . These discrepancies given rise /  to different cultural values, to widespread frustration and discontent while at the same time perpetuating the social chasm which /  makes a mockery of our democratic aspirations. It is therefore not enough to have a parliamentary system of government to / ensure the predominance of democracy.  It is more important to give social relations a democratic content to make people willingly (100) accept the ideals of socialism and dedicate themselves to building a society which will embody these ideals, to remove the /  encrustations of feudalism and the class distinctions of today. People must think and act democratically. They must practice democracy in /  their everyday life. Thus we see that democracy is not only the formal freedom to elect legislatures on the basis /  of adult franchise, every five years or so.

      Much more importantly, it means equality of opportunity for all for this /  alone would help the fullest flowering of the human personality and involve every citizen intimately in the reconstruction of national (200) life in accordance with the accepted principles and goals of democratic socialism. This is a slow and painful process, as / any major social transformation is bound to be, but the Government has already taken several meaningful steps in this / direction.

    The process has been accelerated since June, 1975. It involves educating the people, especially the illiterate masses in town /  and country,  as to the true meaning and function of democracy. This is an ardnous undertaking, for ti requires teaching / people to shed their traditional mentality and social attitudes and think and act democratically. Political rights and liberty can flourish (300) only in a climate of social stability. Anarchy on the other hand can lead only to the speedy erosion of every  freedom and the political rights of the individual. When self-seeking politicians inflame the antipathy of various disaffected groups / to the Government in such a manner as to rend the structure of society and unhinge the prevailing political system /  it becomes the means of subverting democracy. Economic betterment, social justice, national unity and harmonious living, and the conquest /  of the forces of separatism and communalism among the evils prevalent in our society, cannot be kept apart from the (400) proper functioning of democracy. This presupposes the existence of representative institutions, chosen by the people from the grass-roots upwards, and / popular participation in nation-building activities, both at the level of decision-making and execution, national unity must be / built the solid foundation of democracy. But what kind of democracy? A democratic system constructed on the support of the / broad masses of the people, of course. We need a democracy which is genuine, not one designed to protect the privileges / of the elite but one that will give social security to the have-nots the propertyless masses whose salvation lies (500) in a just social order. Democracy is growing in India, in unique conditions. Millions of under-privileged people are seeking/ a better life, one which will guarantee them the barest essentials for living-two meals a day, shelter and clothing / and greater equality of opportunity, particularly for their children. To them democracy must be manifest, not an abstract principle. / The under-privileged millions are helping elect governments and participating in the governmental processes, to realise their aspirations. It is, therefore, / necessary to strike a balance between the political rights of the individual and the economic and social rights of the people in (600) the mass. A government pledged to defending and enlarging the democratic way of life is obligated to remove all obstacles/ to the continuous participation of the people in the economic, social and political processes which influence their destinies. In Mrs. / Gandhi’s words: “The great national task we face makes it necessary to evolve a political system in which the right/ balance is struck, in which the essence of freedom is maintained while conditions are created for a high level of / social disciplines and economic progress”. In conferring rights on those who have so far been denied them it is necessary (700) to curtail the rights of others. The overprivileged  minority must surrender some of its privileges for the sake of the/ vast under-privileged majority. The special privileges of the minority are the legacy of injustices perpetrated in the past and/ continuing into the present. They must, therefore, be abolished as soon as possible, to ensure the creation of an egalitarian/ society where all citizens have equal rights in practice no less than in theory. This is the very essence of / democracy. The Government is trying to develop such a social system. It has set in motion a chain of actions (800) which will usher in a democratic socialist society.