When the state institutions become unable or unwilling to respond to the needs of the people because of corruption, inefficiency, or lack of resources, what kind of society can then come to people’s rescue?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Civil Society
Option (1) Authoritarian Society — Incorrect. An authoritarian state is one in which the people have no voice and those in power are not accountable to anyone; it often limits freedom of speech and of the press. Authoritarianism is itself one of the ways a state fails its people, so it cannot come to their rescue.
Option (2) Civil Society — Correct. When state institutions become unable or unwilling to respond because of corruption, inefficiency or lack of resources, non-state actors and institutions become important: they keep a watch on the state, protest against its injustices or supplement its efforts. Civil society is the non-state and non-market part of the public domain in which individuals get together voluntarily to create such institutions and organisations.
Option (3) Patriarchal Society — Incorrect. A patriarchal structure is one where men exercise authority and dominance. It describes power within families and society, not a body that steps in when the state fails.
Option (4) Secular Society — Incorrect. Secularism is about the state’s relationship to religion. A secular society treats religions alike; it says nothing about who acts when the state is corrupt or inefficient.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.4 State and Civil Society … 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. Civil society is the name given to the broad arena which lies beyond the private domain of the family, but outside the domain of both state and market. Civil society is the non-state and non-market part of the public domain in which individuals get together voluntarily to create institutions and organisations.…” |