NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science Civics Chapter 10 Struggle for Equality

Power over the ballot box signifies the power of the common people, who are availing the right to vote in every election.

They are the real power of any country. They are driving the government and the working of the system without any second thoughts.

 In 1994, the government gave the rights to fishing in the Tawa reservoir to private contractors. These contractors drove the local people away and threatened the ones who did not leave by bringing in hoodlums.

The villagers stood united and decided that it was time to set up an organisation and do something to protect their rights. Thus they formed the Tawa Matsya Sangh (TMS), which organised rallies and protests demanding their right to continue fishing for their livelihood.

The villagers set up this organisation in order to protect their livelihood and their land. They also set it up with the additional objective of highlighting the injustice meted out to them by the government.

In response to the large-scale protests by the TMS, the government created a committee to assess the issue. The committee recommended that fishing rights be granted to the villagers for their livelihood. In 1996, the Madhya Pradesh Government decided to give fishing rights for the reservoir to the people displaced by the Tawa dam. A five-year lease agreement was signed two months later.

On January 2, 1997, people from 33 villages of Tawa started the new year with the first catch. With the TMS taking over the fish, workers were able to increase their earnings substantially. Thus, it can be said that the large-scale participation by the people forced the government to review the situation in the villagers’ favour, as they worked out a deal which would be beneficial for all the parties.

Constitution plays a significant role in the people’s struggle for equality. It ensures that there is free and fair treatment. In the eye of the constitution, everyone is equal. No one is superior to the other. It ensures that every person must get equal rights under the law. It makes sure that everyone has access to basic and fundamental rights.