Which of the following is an example of 'civil society'? (A) Private…

The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (C) and (E) only

(A) Private media institutions Correct. Civil society is the non-state and non-market part of the public domain, in which individuals come together voluntarily to create institutions and organisations. It includes media institutions; a private media institution is not controlled by the state.

(B) Doordarshan Incorrect. Doordarshan is run by the government. The first test for inclusion in civil society is that an organisation should not be state-controlled, so Doordarshan belongs to the state, not to civil society.

(C) Trade unions Correct. Trade unions are voluntary associations of workers formed to pursue their collective interests; trade unions are part of civil society.

(D) Car manufacturing company Incorrect. The second test is that an organisation should not be a purely commercial profit-making entity. A car company is a business that makes profit by selling cars; it belongs to the market.

(E) Non-governmental organisations Correct. NGOs are formed by groups of citizens to take up social issues; they are neither state-controlled nor profit-making, so NGOs are part of civil society.