Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Sociology

Chapter

Indian Society: Challenges of Cultural Diversity

Question:

Why are non-state actors required in society?

Options:

To help the state become authoritarian in nature

To impose censorship on media

To protest against the injustices of the state

To manage the culturally diverse nation

Correct Answer:

To protest against the injustices of the state

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (3) → To protest against the injustices of the state

The state is indeed a very crucial institution when it comes to the management of cultural diversity in a nation. Although it claims to represent the nation, the state can also become somewhat independent of the nation and its people. To the extent that the state structure – the legislature, bureaucracy, judiciary, armed forces, police and other arms of the state – becomes insulated from the people, it also has the potential of turning authoritarian. An authoritarian state is the opposite of a democratic state. It is a state in which the people have no voice and those in power are not accountable to anyone. Authoritarian states often limit or abolish civil liberties like freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of political activity, right to protection from wrongful use of authority, right to the due processes of the law, and so on. Apart from authoritarianism, there is also the possibility that state institutions become unable or unwilling to respond to the needs of the people because of corruption, inefficiency, or lack of resources. In short, there are many reasons why a state may not be all that it should be. Non-state actors and institutions become important in this context, for they can keep a watch on the state, protest against its injustices or supplement its efforts.