Class 7 civics notes

Chapter 1:- On equality 

Topics to be covered:-
1. Introduction
2.Equal right to vote
3.Other kinds of equality
4.Recognising dignity
5.Equality in Indian democracy.
6.Issues of equality in other democracies
7.Challenges of democracy
INTRODUCTION:-
•India is a democratic country.
•It include people's participation, the resolution of conflict, and equality and justice.
•Equality is a key feature of democracy and influences all aspects of its functioning.
•so equality is a condition in which adequate opportunities are given to all. It is the soul of Indian democracy.
EQUAL RIGHT TO VOTE:-
•In a democratic country,like India , adults , irrespective of their religion, caste , education etc. are allowed to vote . This is called universal adult franchise.
OTHER KINDS OF EQUALITY:-
•Does equality exist?
-In reality, a difference exist between rich and poor.
-The caste system is also rigid.
-Dalits in India and the minorities are denied the right to dignity and equality.
•Dalit is a term that the so called lower castes use to address themselves. Dalit means 'broken'.
• Omprakash Valmiki is a famous Dalit writer. He wrote "Joothan".
EQUALITY IN INDIAN DEMOCRACY:-
•The Indian Constitution recognise every person as equal. This is not to say that inequality ceases to exist.
•This recognition of equality includes some of the following provisions in the constitution:-
First:-Every person is equal before the law.
Second:-No person can be discriminated against on the basis of their religion, race, caste, place of birth etc.
Third:- Every person has access to all public places including playgrounds, hotels, shops and markets.
Fourth:- untouchability has been abolished.
•How has government tried to implement equality?
•Two ways
First :- through laws
Second:-through government programmes
•Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to start midday meal scheme(2001).
*Positive effects of scheme:-
-Help to reduce caste prejudices
-Dalit women have been employed to cook the meal.
-Help to reduce hunger of poor students
-more and more students get enrolled in schools for education.
ISSUE OF EQUALITY IN OTHER DEMOCRACIES:-
•In United States of America,the African-Americans continue to describe their lives today as largely unequal.
• Rosa Parks , an African-American women, changed the course of American history with one defiant act.
•The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion or national origin.
CHALLENGE OF DEMOCRACY:-
•No country can be described as being completely democratic.
GLOSSARY:-
1.Universal adult franchise:-
This is a very important aspect of democratic societies. It means that all adults (above 18) citizens have the right to vote irrespective of their social or economic backgrounds.
2. Dignity:-
This refers to thinking of oneself and other persons as worth of respect.
3. Constitution:- This is a document that lays down the basic rules and regulations for people and the government in the country to follow.
4. Civil Rights Movement:-
A movement that began in USA in 1950s in which African-American people demanded equal rights and an end to racial discrimination.
MORE TO KNOW:-
Excerpt from Article 15 of the Indian Constitution:-
1. The state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them
2. No citizen shall ,on grounds only of religion, race , caste , sex ,place of birth or any of them , be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to -
(a) access to shops, public restraunts, hotels and places of public entertainment;
Or
(b) the use of wells , tanks , bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly our of state funds or dedicated to the use of general public.

Chapter 2:- Role of government in health

What is Health?

• Health means our ability to remain free of illness and injuries. There are certain factors which affect our health.

Healthcare in India

• India has the largest number of medical colleges in the world and is among the largest producer of doctors.
• India is the fourth largest producer of medicines in the world.
• Most doctors settle in urban areas, while people in rural areas have to travel long distance for medical facilities.
• About 5 lakh people die from tuberculosis every year, while 2 million cases of malaria are reported every year.
• In India, a paradoxical situation exists as health care resources are uneven.

Private and Public Healthcare

• Healthcare is divided into two categories: Public health services and private health services.
• Public health services is a chain of health centres and hospitals run by the government. One important aspect of public health is that it is meant to provide quality healthcare services either free or at a low cost so that even the poor can seek treatment. It is available in both the rural and urban areas.
• Private health services are not owned or controlled by the government. People have to pay a lot of money for every service that they use.

Healthcare and Equality

In India, private health services are increasing but public health services are not. As the cost of these private services is high, many people cannot afford them.

Private services sometimes encourage practice which is unethical. Barely 20% of the Indian population can afford medicines that they require during an illness.

It is the responsibility of the government to provide quality healthcare services to all its citizens, especially the poor and the disadvantaged.

In 1996, Kerala decentralized its health budget at Panchayati level to ensure effective health planning.

The best example of healthcare comes from Costa Rica where the government provides for adequate healthcare to people.

In a democratic country, it is the expectation of the people that government work for their welfare through the provision of education, health, employment, etc.

Health is a vital aspect because only healthy people can prove themselves resourceful.

Health means our ability to remain free of illness and injuries. In broader sense, health means something more than this. Apart from disease, we need to think of other factors such as clean drinking water, pollution-free surroundings etc. that affect our health. Adequate food is also essential for keeping ourselves in good health.

A life with stress will lead us to illness. Hence we need to be without mental strain. Thus, good health includes both a sound mind and sound body.

We need proper healthcare facilities to maintain good health.

Healthcare facilities include health centres, hospitals, laboratories for test, ambulance services, blood banks, etc.

In order to run such facilities, we need health workers, nurses, qualified doctors, etc.

We also need medicines and equipment that are essential for treating patients.

India has no dearth of qualified doctors. There are a large number of clinics and hospitals too. Perhaps, therefore, a large number of medical tourists come to our country for treatment at a reasonable cost.

India is the fourth largest producer of medicines in the world and is also a large exporter of medicines. Despite all this, the health situation in our country is very poor. The reason is that the government fails to make necessary healthcare available to all.

Healthcare facilities can be divided into two categories—Public health services and Private health facilities.

The public health service is a chain of health centres and hospitals run by the government. It is found in both the rural and urban areas.

At the village level, there are health centres where there is usually a nurse and a village health worker. They deal with common illnesses.

At the district level is the District Hospital that supervises all the health centres.

Big cities have many government hospitals.

Under the public health system, quality health care services are provided either free or at a low cost, so that even the poor can seek treatment.

Under this system, the action is also taken to prevent the spread of diseases like Tuberculosis, malaria, jaundice, cholera, diarrhoea, chikungunya, etc.

A wide range of private health facilities exists in our country. A large number of doctors run their own private clinics.

In the rural areas, Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) are found whereas in the urban areas a large number of doctors can be seen.

There are hospitals and nursing homes that are privately owned, and not run by the government.

Unlike public health services in private hospitals, patients have to pay a lot of money for their treatment.

In our country, private services are increasing but public sen/ices are not. As the private sen/ices are run for profit, the cost of these services is rather high. Poor people find it difficult to get treatment here.

Adequate healthcare is not available to all in the country. Only 20% of the population can afford all the medicines that they require during illness.

It has been found that 40% of people who are admitted to a hospital for some illness have to borrow money or sell some of their possessions to pay for the expenses.

For the poor, every illness is a curse. As they are undernourished and live in unhygienic conditions they frequently fall ill. The expenses on illness make their situation even worse.

So far women’s health is associated, it is easily ignored.

Many tribal areas have few health centres.

Thus, we can say without a doubt that the health situation of most people in our country is not good.

However, Kerala has made efforts to provide adequate healthcare to people of the state.

Costa Rica is a country in North America. It is considered to be one of the healthiest countries in the continent.

The Costa Rican government curtailed the expenses on the army to spend it on health, education and other basic needs of the people. It provides them with safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition and housing.

Medical Tourists: The foreigners who come to our country for medical treatment at hospitals that change the reasonable cost.

Communicable Diseases: Diseases that spread from one person to another through water, food, air, etc.

Public: A service that is meant for all people in the country and is organised by the government. For example, schools, hospitals, etc.

Private: A service that is organised by an individual or company for their own profit.

OPD: It refers to the Out Patient Department. This is where people are first brought in and treated in a hospital without bwithouing admitted to any special ward.

RMPs: It refers to Registered Medical Practitioners. They are found in rural areas.

Chapter 3 :- How the state government works

• Government works at three levels- national, state and local.
• In states, it is the MLA (Member of Legislature Assembly) who represents the people. The MLAs enter the assembly and form the government.
• Every MLA is elected from one area. This area is known as his constituency.
• Every state in India has legislative assembly.
• Each state is divided into different constituency.
• For example:- Himachal Pradesh is divided into 68 assembly constituency.
• From.each constituency , people elect one representative who then become MLA
• A political party whose MLA’s win more than half the number of constituencies in the state get the majority. The political party is called the ruling party.
• All the other members are called opposition.

Working of the Government

• The organization of the state government includes the Governors, the state legislature and the state council of ministers.
• Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly and duration of the Legislative Assembly is five years.
• The head of the state is the Governor while the head of the government consists of the council of ministers headed by the Chief Minister.
• The leader of the ruling party who forms the government is the Chief Minister.
• The Legislative Assembly is a place where leaders debate and discuss on important issues and make important bills.
• In addition to the Legislative Assembly, the press conference is also a mode of knowing what the government does for the people.
• The government works through various departments like public works department, agriculture, health and education.
• The government has the power to make new laws for the state regarding health and sanitation.
• Laws for the state are made by the state Legislative Assembly.
• Laws for the country are made by the Union Parliament.
• An MLA is a member of the Legislative Assembly. He is elected by the people. In this way, he represents people.
• Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly.
• Each state is divided into constituencies.
• A constituency is an area from which all the voters living there choose their representatives, who then become Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
• These MLAs belong to different political parties.
• A political party whose MLAs have won more than half the number of constituencies, a state can be said to be in a majority.
• The political party that has a majority becomes the ruling party and all other members become the opposition.
• After the elections, the MLAs belonging to the ruling party elect their leader who becomes the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister then selects other people as ministers.
• The Governor of the state appoints the Chief Minister and other ministers.
• The ministers have separate offices.
• Some MLAs have dual responsibilities—one as an MLA and the other as a minister.
• The debate is generally held in the Assembly to discuss current problems. During debate time MLAs can express their opinions and ask questions related to the issue or give suggestions about what should be done by the government. The minister then replies to the questions and assures the Assembly that adequate steps are being taken.
• The Chief Minister and other ministers together are responsible to run the government.

• The word ‘government’, refers to government departments and various ministers who head them.
• All the MLAs who gather together in the legislative assembly are called the Legislature.
• The Legislature Assembly is not the only place where opinions are expressed about the work of the government. There several newspapers, TV channels, and other organizations which also talk about the government.
• After the discussion in the assembly, a press conference is generally held by a particular minister who explains the steps taken by the government. Media persons then report these discussions in several newspapers.
• The government can also decide to make new laws for the state regarding sanitation and health facilities. The various government departments then implement these laws.
• Whenever the government fails to satisfy people’s needs, they organize meetings to voice their opinions and protest against the government.

Glossary:-

Constituency: It refers to a particular area from which all the voters living there choose their representatives.

Majority: A political party whose MLAs have won more than half the number of constituencies in a state can say to be in a majority.

Opposition party: The elected representatives who are not the members of the ruling party belong to the opposition party. The representative together plays the role of questioning government decisions and actions. They also raise new issues for consideration in the Assembly.

Ruling party: The political party that has the majority is known as the ruling party.

Press conference: A gathering of media persons who are invited to hear about and ask questions on a particular issue and are then expected to report on this to the larger public.

Chapter 4:-Growing up as boy and girl

Gender is a social construction through which the social and cultural roles of males and females are defined.

Most of the societies value men and women differently. The role women play and the work they do are usually valued less than the roles men play and the work they do. This clears the fact that men and women do not have the same status.

Gender justice is an important issue to be highlighted.

Samoan Islands

The Samoan islands are one of the large groups of small islands in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. Till the 1920s, children in this island did not go to school. When the babies started walking on own, they were left under the care of their older brothers and sisters. Children as old as five years looked after their younger siblings.

After attaining nine years of age, boys joined the older boys for outdoor activities like fishing and planting coconuts. However, girls continued looking after the younger ones.

When girls became teenagers, i.e., 14 years of age, they were allowed more freedom as they could then go for fishing and plantation activities or help their mothers in cooking, etc.

Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, India, boys and girls had a different outlook. The school for boys was open while the one for girls was closed.

Men and women do equal work, but it is not valued equally.

Valuing Housework

Many women work in offices and many do only household work.

Valuing housework is an important element which needs to be propagated in society.

If we look at the lives of domestic workers, they are involved in activities like sweeping, cleaning, cooking, washing clothes and dishes or looking after children. Most of these are women.

A number of housework actually involves many different tasks. The work requires strenuous and physically demanding situation.

Women’S Work and Equality

Equality is an important principle of our constitution which says that being male or female should not become a reason for discrimination.

While the constitution does not discriminate between male and female, in reality, discrimination still carries on.

Government has introduced measures like Anganwadis or Child Care Centres to improve the status of women in society.

The government has also started creche facilities to help women to take up employment outside the home.

We find distinctions between boys and girls in our societies. This begins at a very young age.

Boys are often taught to be tough and serious while girls are taught to be soft and mild.

Boys are given toys like cars and guns to play with while girls are seen playing with dolls. These toys become a way of telling children what they will have different futures when they become men and women.

Most societies value men and women differently. The roles women play and the work they do are usually valued less than the roles men play and the work they do. This clears the fact that men and women do not have the same status.

If a woman is a housewife, it is often said that she does not work. But the reality is that it is always the woman who bears the main responsibility for housework and caregiving tasks like looking after the family. As she does not earn money by doing these tasks, her work is not recognized.

The term houseworks involves many different tasks which require heavy physical work.

In both rural and urban areas women and girls carry heavy headloads of firewood. Housework also involves washing clothes, cleaning, sweeping and cooking foods, etc. for the family. All these works are very tough, still, women do them every day. They do not complain or show any anguish on their face.

The work of women is time-consuming too. They do not have much time for leisure.

Many women nowadays work both inside and outside the home. This is often referred to as the double burden. Women bear this double burden very skilfully and efficiently.

Equality is an important principle of our constitution which says that being male or female should not become a reason for discrimination. But what we see in reality is that inequality still exists between both the sexes. The government is, therefore, very much keen to take some positive measures to improve the situation.

The government has set up Anganwadis or Child-care Centres in several villages in the country.

The government has also started creche facilities to help women to take up employment outside the home.

Caregiving: Looking after the family with great sincerity.

Devalue: When we do not give due recognition for work, it means we devalue it. In our society, women’s work is easily devalued.

Double-burden: There are several women who work both inside and outside the home. This is known as a double burden.

Identity: It is a sense of awareness of who one is. For example, a person can be a brother, a pilot, an engineer, etc.

Physically demanding: It refers to the household tasks which are very tough and demand great physical strength.

Time-consuming: It refers to the various household tasks which take much time.

Strenuous: Very tough and difficult.

Chapter 5:-Women change  the world

Women have been facing inequalities at every step.

By getting an education, women have got opportunities to rise in every field.

Women’s movement has risen to challenge discrimination in all parts of the world.

Fewer Opportunities and Rigid Expectation

A lot of people feel that women are fit only for certain kinds of jobs as a nurse. They are not fit for technical jobs.

In most families, women are taught that after school they have to get married. Laxmi Lakra, however, broke this stereotype image when she became the first woman engine driver of the Northern Railways.

We live in a society full of pressures. If boys do not work hard and get a good salary they are bullied

Learning for Change

Going to school is an important part of life.

Today, it is difficult for us to imagine that school and learning could be seen as out of bounds or not appropriate for some children.

In the past, very few people learnt reading and writing. Most children learnt the work their families or elders did. Even in families where skills like pottery, weaving and craft were taught, the contribution of daughters and women was seen as secondary.

In the nineteenth century, new ideas about learning and education appeared. But there was a lot of opposition to educating girls ever then.

In the 1890s, Ramabai championed the cause of women’s education.

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain learnt English from her elder brother and an elder sister in spite of family opposition and went on to become a famous writer.

Rashsundari Devi of Bengal was the first Indian woman to write an autobiography called ‘Amar Jiban’.

Schooling and Education Today

Today both boys and girls attend school in large numbers.

The difference in Their Education Still Remains

Today education is the right of both boys and girls, despite that only 50 % of the girls receive an education.

India has a census every 10 years which counts the population of the country. This information is used to measure things like literacy, sex-ratio, etc.

A huge number of SC and ST children leave school at an early age. The 2014 census even shows that Muslim girls are less likely than Dalit girls to complete primary school.

Many reasons like non-availability of teachers and schools, lack of transport, cost of education, indifferent attitude of teachers and parents are responsible for the negligence of education.

Women’s Movement

Women have individually and collectively struggled to bring about changes. This is called the Women’s Movement.

Different strategies have been used to spread awareness, fight discrimination and seek justice.

These movements are related to campaigning, raising awareness, protesting and showing solidarity.

Men and women in society are looked upon as playing specific gender roles.

Women have been facing inequalities at every step since time immemorial. No doubt, their position and status have been improved with the change of time, still, they lag behind men in almost every field.

In this male-dominated society, they fail to avail equal privileges and opportunities.

It has also been seen that some occupations are considered to be more suitable for men than for women. It means women are good at only certain jobs.

Many people believe that women make better nurses because they are more patient and gentle. It is also believed that women do not bear technical mind and therefore they are not capable of dealing with technical things. Thus, they have been stereotyped as good nurses, good teachers, etc. They are never seen as army officers, pilots, railway engine drivers, etc.

A majority of Indians believe in these stereotypes. It is, therefore, girls do not get the same support that boys do to study and train to become doctors and engineers.

Today’s women have become very aware. They are determined to break these stereotypes by excelling them in fields which were considered male preserves till now. We have now women pilots, engineers, police officers, scientists etc. We can mention here the name of Laxmi Lakra who by becoming an engine driver, showed the world that women can do everything.

Children especially boys are under great pressure. They are pressurised to think about getting a job that will pay a good salary.

It is a matter of great anxiety for the parents if their son shows his inclination towards studying subjects other than science or maths.

In our present social set-up parents have developed a false belief that only science and maths are meaningful subjects. Only these subjects can make their son’s future secured. These notions have no base. They must be eliminated from our mind. Subjects like history, political science, etc. are also job oriented.

One positive change that is visible today is that more and more children have started going to school. In the past, the skill of reading and writing was known to only a few. Most children learnt the work their families or elders did.

But girls faced the even worse situation. In communities that taught sons to read and write, daughters were not allowed to learn the alphabet.

Slowly and steadily there came more and more positive changes. The communities that never learnt reading and writing started sending their children to school. In the beginning, there was a lot of opposition jp educating girls. But there were also women and men who made efforts to open schools for girls.

Women struggled to learn to read and write. Here, the experience of Rashsundari Devi (1800-1890) is worth mentioning. She was a housewife from a rich landlord’s family. At that time, it was believed that if a woman learnt to read and write, she would become a widow. Despite this, she taught herself how to read and write in secret, after her marriage. She wrote her autobiography in Bangla which titled Amar Jaban,

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was another example who did a lot for women’s education. She knew how to read and write Urdu, but she was stopped from learning Bangla and English. In those days only boys were taught English. However, she learnt to read and write Bangla and English. Afterwards, she became a writer and wrote a remarkable story titled Sultana’s Dream in 1905. She did a lot to help other girls go to school and to build their own dreams. In 1910, she started a school for girls in Kolkata which is still functioning well.

No doubt more and more girls have started attending school, still they lag behind boys. As per the most recent census of 2001, 76% of boys and men are literate but the figure is comparatively very low in case of girls. Only 54% of girls and women are literate in India. Thus, the percentage of the male group is higher than the female group.

Girls who are from Dalit and Adivasi backgrounds are less likely to remain in school. One of the many reasons is that several families are too poor and unable to bear the cost of educating all their children. Boys easily get preference in such circumstances.

The position and status of women have undoubtedly improved a lot which is due to the collective efforts of the women of the country. Women’s Movement also gets the support of men. They used different strategies to spread awareness, fight discrimination and seek justice. For example, they organise campaigns to fight discrimination and violence against women. They also protest when violations against women take place. Women’s Movement also shows solidarity with other women and causes.

Stereotype: the Fixed image of a person and a community. Stereotypes prevent us from looking at people as unique individuals.

Discrimination: Treating people unequally.

Violation: When someone forcefully breaks the law or a rule or openly shows disrespect, we often say that he/she has committed a violation.

Sexual Harassment: Physical or verbal behaviour that is of a sexual nature and against a woman’s wishes.

Protest: To raise voice against the wrong action or decision.

Scheduled Caste (SC): It is the official term used for Dalit class of people.

Scheduled Tribe (ST): It is the official term used for Adivasi class of people.

Autobiography: Autobiography is the life sketch of the writer himself.

Manuscript: The script written in the writer’s own handwriting.

Census: Census is held every 10 years. It counts the whole population of the country. It also gathers information about the people living in India—their age, schooling, what work they do, and so on.

Chapter 6 :-Understanding media

Media refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on TV can be called media. TV, radio, and newspapers are forms of media. Since they reach millions of people across the world they are called mass media.

Media is the plural form of the word ‘medium’ and it describes the various ways through which we communicate in society.

Media and Technology

Life without media is difficult. Cable TV and the Internet are recent phenomena.

Both print media and electronic media have played an important role in social change.

Changing technology or machines help media to reach more people.

Television has enabled us to think of ourselves as members of the global people.

It is the responsibility of the media to present a fair and balanced report.

Media is far from being independent. This is because of the control of the government over media called censoring and because big business houses control the media.

An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage and news.

Media and Money

The different technologies that mass media use are expensive.

In a news studio, it is not only the newsreader who needs to be paid but also a number of other people who help put the broadcast together.

A lot of money is spent on getting the latest technology. To meet this cost, it needs money.

Media thus has come to be owned by big corporate.

Media, therefore, uses advertising as a tool to raise revenue.

Media and Democracy

Media plays a very important role in providing news and discussing events taking place in the country and the world.

New stories of media inform people about important events in the country.

Some important ways by which people can take about important events in the country are organizing public protests, starting a signature campaign, etc.

Setting Agendas

The media also plays an important role in deciding which stories to focus on.

By focusing on particular issues, it influences and shapes our thoughts. It is said the media sets the agenda for people.

Very recently, the media reported alarming levels of pesticides in cold drinks. This report led to safety standards being set for colas.

Media plays a very important role in our lives as it tells us about working of the government.

Freedom of expression should be given to media to report events independently.

Media is the plural form of the word ‘Medium’. It describes the various ways through which we communicate in society.

Media refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on television.

Television, radio, and newspapers are called mass media because they reach millions of people at the same time.

Cable television and the widespread use of the Internet is a recent phenomenon.

The technology that mass media uses keeps changing.

Newspapers and magazines come under print media while television and radio come under electronic media.

Changing technology, or machines and making technology more modern, helps media to reach more and more people. It also improves the quality of sound and the images. It also changes the ways in which we think about our lives.

Television plays a major role in our life. We cannot think of life without TV. It gives us news and entertainment and many other things.

Mass media uses expensive technologies. A TV studio needs lights, cameras, sound recorders, transmission satellites, etc. All these cost a huge amount of money.

Mass media also spends a lot of money on getting the latest technology.

Most television channels and newspapers become a part of big business houses in order to fulfill their requirement of money.

Mass media earns money by advertising different things such as surf, chocolates, etc.

Media plays a significant role in democracy. It provides news and discusses events that take place in the country and the world. It is on the basis of this information we come to know how the government works.

The information that the media provides should be balanced. A balanced report is one that discusses all points of view of a particular story and then leaves it to the readers to make up their minds.

Independent media can write a balanced report. Hence, it is necessary for the media to be independence.

But the reality is that media is far from independent.

There are two reasons behind it. The first is the control that the government has on the media. Where the government prevents either a news item or scenes from a movie, or a lyric of a song from being shared with the larger public, this is known as censorship. During the Emergency period (1975-77) the government censored the media.

While the government does continue to censor films, it does not really censor the media’s coverage of news.

Despite the absence of censorship by the government, most newspapers do not provide a balanced report.

It has been found out by the persons who research media that business houses control media. It means that the media is not independent.

Media sets the agenda. It means media has to decide what stories to focus on and therefore, decides on what is newsworthy.

Media should focus on issues that are significant in our lives. But very often it fails to do so. Cricket, fashion shows are very popular with the media.

Local media deals with small issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives. Khabar Lahriya, a fortnightly newspaper, is run by eight Dalit women in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh. It is written in the local language, Bundeli.

Media: The word ‘media’ refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the news on television.

Public protest: When people collectively state their opposition to some issue by organizing a rally, starting a signature campaign, etc., it is known as a public protest.

Balanced report: A balanced report is one that discusses all points of view of a particular story and then leaves it to the leaders to make up their minds.

Censorship: The government has the power to disallow media from publishing or showing certain stories. This means that the government can censor the media.

Broadcast: A TV or radio programme that is widely transmitted.

Setting Agenda: One of the important functions of media is that it decides what stories should be focused on and thus decides on what is newsworthy. This is often said that the media sets the agenda.

Local Media: It deals with small issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives. It publishes news of local importance.