General. OAG (Office of the Auditor General) is composed of one Auditor General of Nepal. The President
appoints the Auditor General on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. S/he remains in the
office for six years or until 65 years of their age, whatsoever is earlier. Auditor General is removed in the
same manner as judges of the Supreme Court are removed (i.e. through impeachment).
Qualifications
To become the Auditor General of Nepal, following qualifications are needed:
(a) S/he has worked at special rank or worked in auditing related work in government of Nepal for
minimum 20 years after having passed the examination of Chartered Accountancy or after having
completed ‘Bachelor Degree’ from the recognized university of government of Nepal in Management
or Commerce or Auditing.
(b) S/he is not the member of any political party at the time of appointment.
(c) S/he must have completed 45 years of age.
(d) S/he has high moral character.
Power, Functions and Responsibilities
1. The Office of the Auditor General does the auditing with expected professional standard and competency
of the following:
Supreme Court, Legislature-Parliament, Constituent Assembly, Commission for the Investigation of
Abuse of Authority, Office of the Auditor General, Public Service Commission, Election Commission,
National Human Rights Commission, Office of the Attorney General with other departments attached
with constitutional bodies, Nepal Army and Armed Police Force and all the other government offices.
2. Auditor General of Nepal advises the company or enterprise exclusively owned and managed by
government of Nepal or more than 50 percent of the total ‘share’ in the capital held by the government
with regard to the appointment of the “Auditor General” for the company.
3. Auditor General while doing auditing for above institutions, departments or organizations may demand
any related paper/document/report as auditor general deems fit and it is binding on the part of concerned
institution or organization to furnish the details through paper/document/report as demanded.
4. Office of the Auditor General prepares an annual report regarding all the work of auditing and its
assessment to submit the same to the President. Then, the President, through the Prime Minister,
presents that report before legislature-parliament.
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
Composition and Appointment
Part 23 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS (from Article 242 to 244) deals with PSC (Public service
Commission). PSC is composed of one Chairman and four other members. The President appoints the
Chairman and other members on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. They remain in the
office for six years or until 65 years of their age, whatsoever is earlier.
At least half of the total members of the ‘Public Service Commission’ have minimum 20 years of
experience in serving any government service and remaining come from the field of Science, Technology,
Art, Literature, Law, Public Administration and Sociology or are reputed and distinguished in any of the
aforementioned areas due to their special research, investigation and study.
These members are removed in the same manner as judges of the Supreme Court are removed (i.e. through
impeachment).
Qualifications:
To become the Chairman or member of the PSC, following qualifications are needed:
145<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
(a) S/he has obtained ‘Master Degree’ from a university recognized by the government of Nepal.
(b) S/he is not the member of any political party at the time of appointment.
(c) S/he has completed 45 years of age.
(d) S/he has high moral character.
Power, Functions and Responsibilities:
1. PSC conducts written examination and interview to select eligible candidates for government services.
However, PSC does not conduct examination or any type of recruitment tests for Army and Armed
Police Service.
2. PSC gives advice to government on matters related to making laws for public service, adopting right
principle for appointment, promotion and disciplinary actions for public (government) servants,
deciding about switching over to one public post from another and so on.
3. If requested, PSC can give advice to adopt right principles for making decisions in the matters related
to appointment and promotion of personnel working in Armed Service, Police Service and Armed
Police Service.
4. If requested, PSC can give advice to a public enterprise (or company) on matters concerning
appointment, promotion and disciplinary actions for the employees.
5. PSC prepares an annual report regarding all the work done by this constitutional body to submit the
same to the President. Then, the President, through the Prime Minister, presents that report before
legislature-parliament.
ELECTION COMMISSION
Composition and Appointment:
Part 24 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS (from Article 245 to 247) deals with ‘Election Commission’.
Election Commission is composed of one Chief Election Commissioner and other four commissioners. The
President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and other commissioners on the recommendation of
the Constitutional Council. They remain in the office for six years or until 65 years of their age, whatsoever
is earlier. They are removed in the same manner as judges of the Supreme Court are removed (i.e. through
impeachment).
Qualifications:
To become the Chief Election Commissioner and commissioners of the Election Commission, following qualifications
are needed:
(a) S/he has obtained ‘Bachelor Degree’ from a university recognized by the government of Nepal.
(b) S/he is not the member of any political party at the time of appointment.
(c) S/he has completed 45 years of age.
(d) S/he is of high moral character.
Power, Functions and Responsibilities:
1. Election Commission conducts, supervises, directs, and controls the election of Constituent Assembly,
legislature-parliament and the local bodies.
2. Election Commission conducts and supervises the referendum.
3. Election Commission decides upon the eligibility of the candidates who have already filed their
nomination but election is yet to take place.
4. Election Commission, under the provisions of the constitution, asks for required staff and other logistic
support to conduct the election successfully.
146 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
5. The Election Commission is empowered to draft a code of conduct to be followed by the government,
office and employees of the government and semi governmental bodies, professionals involved in
election, political parties, candidates and persons related to them and by the mass media.
NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Composition and Appointment:
Part 25 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS (from Article 248 to 249) deals with ‘National Human Rights
Commission’. NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) is composed of one Chairman and four other
members. The President, on the recommendation of Constitutional Council, appoints the Chairman and
other four members. They remain in the office for six years from the date of their appointment. They are
removed in the same manner as judges of the Supreme Court are removed (i.e. through impeachment).
Qualifications:
(a.) Following candidates are eligible to become the Chairman of NHRC:
One has retired as Chief Justice or Judge of the Supreme Court and has contributed to promote and
preserve human rights within the country. Or,
One has earned fame and reputation for making special contribution in area of promotion and
preservation of human rights or in the field of social work.
(b.) To become the member of NHRC, one must have earned fame and reputation for making special
contribution in area of promotion and preservation of human rights or in the field of social work.
Power, Functions and Responsibilities:
1. NHRC undertakes to respect, promote and preserve the human rights and ensure effective
implementation of such rights.
2. NHRC makes recommendation to punish the violator of human rights when it comes to know about
such violation (infringement) of human rights from the victim, or the relative or any other source or
on its own.
3. NHRC makes sure to take disciplinary action against those officers who are supposed to check and
stop the violation of human rights but have chosen to be negligent and unconcerned towards one’s
own duty.
4. NHRC, if convinced to bring the issue of violation of fundamental rights to the court, files a case
against an abuser of rights.
5. NHRC makes in-depth study of all the existing laws connected with human rights to find out
weaknesses in them and then makes recommendation to the government of Nepal to remove those
weaknesses by making necessary amendments in order to strengthen the laws on human rights.
6. NHRC guides government of Nepal to endorse (become party) any international treaty or convention
pertaining to human rights.
7. NHRC makes those names public who have not taken action against the perpetrators of rights
violations despite being told about it (by NHRC).
8. NHRC can enter anywhere, anytime in any government office, private house of any individual
without giving prior notice with this regard in order to collect evidence of ‘rights violation’ or to
check any situation or document as NHRC deems fit while investigating the case.
9. NHRC prepares an annual report regarding all the work done by this constitutional body to submit
the same to the President. Then, the President, through the Prime Minister, presents that report before
legislature-parliament.
147<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
NATIONAL NATURAL RESOURCE AND FINANCE COMISSION
Composition and Appointment:
Part 26 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS (from Article 250 to 251) deals with ‘National Natural Resource
and Finance Commission’. The President appoints the Chairman and maximum five other members on
the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. They remain in office for six years or until 65 years of
their age, whatsoever is earlier. They are removed in the same manner as judges of the Supreme Court are
removed (i.e. through impeachment).
Qualifications: To become the Chairman and members of the National Natural Resource and Finance Commission,
following qualifications are needed:
(a.) S/he has worked for 20 years in areas of natural resource and financial management or law, economics
or in field of management after having obtained ‘Bachelor Degree’ from a university recognized by the
government of Nepal.
(b) S/he is not the member of any political party at the time of appointment.
(c) S/he has completed 45 years of age.
(d) S/he has high moral character.
Power, Functions and Responsibilities:
National Natural Resource and Finance Commission shall have the following functions, power and
responsibilities:
1. It creates a framework and basis for the distribution and division of revenue between the federal, the
provincial and the local governments from the consolidated fund in accordance with the constitutional
and other legal provisions.
2. It recommends for grants to be given to provincial and local governments by the federal (central)
government.
3. It suggests for reforms required at the levels of federal, provincial and local governments to make the
revenue collection effective and efficient.
4. It fixes the slab for procuring internal debt that the federal, the provincial and the local governments
can take after the in-depth analysis of economic indicators.
5. It recommends the limit and extent of investment to be made at all the three levels of the government
while regulating and managing the natural resources within the country.
6. It suggests on possible disputes which are likely to arise between different levels of government with
respect to distribution of natural resources and investigates into the matters regarding this.
7. It recommends the impact (and evaluation) of the natural resources on overall environment of Nepal
to the Federal Government.
Words and Terms you would like to know:
Autonomous (adj.): politically independent and self-governing
Institutionalize (v.): to make something an established custom or an accepted part of the structure of a large organization
or society
Referendum (n.): a vote by the whole of an electorate on a specific question or questions put to it by a government or
similar body
Violation (n.): a crime or infringement of a law or rules, especially one less serious than a misdemeanor or a foul in
sports
148 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Activities:
1. Make a chart to show all the “Constitutional Bodies (Organs)” mentioned in the Constitution of Nepal,
2072 BS. Display the chart in the classroom.
2. Compare and contrast the ‘constitutional bodies (organs)’ mentioned in the Constitution of Nepal, 2072
BS with those of ‘Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063 BS’.
Exercise:
1. Describe the main functions of the Public Service Commission.
2. Explain the composition of the ‘Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)’. What are
the required qualifications to become the chief and members of the CIAA?
3. Write a letter to your friend studying abroad in Irving, Texas (United States of America) mentioning
about powers and functions of the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission of Nepal).
4. Make a table and specify the composition, appointment, qualifications and tenure for all the constitutional
bodies (organs) of Nepal.
5. Highlight the significance of having constitutional bodies (organs) in the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS.
6. What are the essential qualifications to be the Auditor General? List out the power, functions and
responsibilities of the Auditor General.
7. Outline the significance of having the Election Commission.
8. Write down the procedure of appointment of the Auditor General and the Chief Election Commissioner
in Nepal. For how long do they stay in office?
9. Who can become the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission?
10. Differentiate between the Public Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission.
11. What is the relevance and significance of ‘National Natural Resource and Finance Commission’ in
Nepal? Illustrate with suitable examples.
Community Work:
Visit the extension-local offices of at least four ‘Constitutional Bodies (Organs)’ to conduct interview (both
oral as well as written) with the officials working there to understand ‘constraints and limitations’ under
which they have to work with a view to understand the challenges involved in the functioning of the
Constitutional Bodies. Prepare a report on the topic “Constraints, limitations and challenges involved in
the functioning of Constitutional Bodies” based on your interaction and interview with the aforementioned
officials and present it in the class in front of your Social Studies teacher.
149<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Lesson Some Other Constitutional
5 Commissions
Part 27 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS deals with other commissions like National Women Commission,
National Dalit Commission, National Commission for Inclusion, Commission for Indigenous and Ethnic
Groups, Madhesi Commission, Tharu Commission, and Muslim Commission. A total of seven commissions
have been mentioned here.
A. National Women Commission
The Article 252 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has a provision of the National Women Commission
which consists of a Chairperson and four other members. A Chairperson and other members of the
National Women Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Constitutional
Council. Once appointed, the Chairperson and four other members of commission remain in office for six
years or till the age of 65 years, whatsoever is earlier.
Required qualifications (eligibility) to be appointed as Chairman and other members of the National
Women Commission
A Chairperson or member of National Women Commission must possess following qualifications:
(a) A woman who has made a significant contribution for the rights, interest of women or gender justice
or women development or in the field of human rights and law for at least ten years,
(b) She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university in case of the Chairperson,
(c) She has attained the age of forty-five,
(d) She is not a member of any political party immediately before the appointment, and
(e) She possesses high moral character,
Functions, duties and powers of the National Women Commission
1. National (federal) Women Commission formulates policies and programs regarding women welfare
for the Government of Nepal and forwards them to the Government for implementation.
2. It sees how far and how honestly laws (statutes) both national and international related to women’s
welfare are executed in the country, and forwards recommendation to the Government of Nepal in
case these laws or treaties are found not to have been executed (implemented).
3. It monitors, reviews and evaluates policies and programs implemented by the State to bring women
into the mainstream of national development such as proportionate representation in all of the state
agencies, and forwards recommendation to the Government of Nepal for an effective implementation
of those provisions.
4. It carries out research and studies regarding gender equality, women empowerment, other legal
provisions concerning women, and forwards recommendation to the concerned bodies regarding the
areas to be amended in those laws, and monitors the same. It also monitors the government regarding
report to be submitted by the Government of Nepal in matters related to international covenants and
treaties to which Nepal is a party.
5. It forwards recommendation to concerned authority to lodge a petition in the court, in accordance
with the law, in matters related to gender violence, and women deprived of women rights due to
social malpractices.
B. National Dalit Commission
The Article 255 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS provisions for the National Dalit Commission which
consists of a Chairperson and four other members. The Chairperson and members of National Dalit
150 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of Constitutional Council. The term
(tenure) of office for the Chairperson and members of National Dalit Commission is six years or 65 years of
age, whatsoever is earlier, from the date of appointment.
Required qualifications (eligibility) to be appointed as Chairman and other members of the National
Dalit Commission
(a) A person must belong to Dalit community and has made significant contributions in the areas of Dalit
welfare, human rights and has been active in the legal field for at least ten years.
(b) In case of the Chairperson, the person must hold at least Bachelor’s Degree in human rights, social
justice, sociology, or law from the recognized university.
(c) A person has attained the age of forty-five years.
(d) A person has not been a member of any political party immediately before the appointment.
(e) A person possesses high moral character.
Functions, duties and powers of the National Dalit Commission
1. National Dalit Commission carries out research and studies regarding Dalit community of Nepal to
identify legal and institutional reforms to be made and makes recommendation to the Government of
Nepal.
2. It formulates national policies and programs in matters related to ending caste discrimination,
untouchability, suppression and to enhance Dalit’s status and development. It forwards recommendation
to the Government of Nepal for implementation.
3. It monitors the implementation of the special provisions and laws related to Dalit welfare and it
forwards recommendation to the government of Nepal, in case these provisions are found not to have
been implemented.
4. It reviews or monitors the decisions, orders and functioning of Government of Nepal to ensure the
safety and security of Dalits.
5. It further monitors, reviews and evaluates all the policies and programs implemented by the State to bring
Dalit community into the mainstream of national development such as proportionate representation in
all of the state agencies and so on. It forwards recommendation to the Government of Nepal for an
effective implementation of those provisions.
6. It recommends to respective agencies on filing petitions in court according to the law, against any
person or organization found practising caste discrimination or untouchability or depriving Dalits of
their rights.
C. National Inclusion Commission
The Article 258 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS provisions for the National Inclusion Commission
which consists of a Chairperson and four other members. The Chairperson and members of National
Inclusion Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of Constitutional Council.
The term of office of Chairperson and members of National Inclusion Commission is six years or 65 years
of age, whatsoever is earlier.
Required qualifications (eligibility) to be appointed as Chairman and other members of the National
Inclusion Commission
(a) A person who has significantly contributed, for at least ten years, in the field of social inclusion,
and in promoting the rights and interests and development of persons with disability, marginalized,
minority and backward communities, and in areas of human rights.
(b) To be a Chairperson, a person has obtained at least Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university.
151<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
(c) A person has attained the age of forty-five years.
(d) A person has not been a member of any political party immediately before the appointment.
(e) A person possesses high moral character.
Functions, duties and powers of the National Inclusion Commission
1. National Inclusion Commission carries out research and studies for protecting rights and welfare of
Khash Arya, backward class, persons with disability, senior citizens, labourers, peasants, marginalized
and minority communities, people of Karnali region and economically disadvantaged people.
2. It reviews the policies of the Government of Nepal for inclusion of the persons in public offices and
ensures their implementation. It forwards necessary recommendation to the government for reform
to follow the principle of inclusiveness.
3. It conducts study about the rightful representation of all the marginalized ethnic groups, casts,
peasants and labourers, etc.
4. It studies whether protection, empowerment and development of the Dalits is satisfactory or not.
If not, then it forwards recommendation to the Government of Nepal regarding the policies to be
adopted for the future.
5. It recommends the Government of Nepal regarding policies and programs to be implemented for
development and prosperity of Karnali and other backward regions. It recommends for timely
revision in the laws related to minorities and marginalized communities.
6. It monitors the situation of implementation of rights and interests of minorities and marginalized
communities.
D. Adibasi Janajati Commission
Article 261 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has the provision of the Adibasi Janajati Commission which
consists of a Chairperson and four other members. The Chairperson and members of the Adibasi Janajati
Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of Constitutional Council. The term
of office of Chairperson and members of the Adibasi Janajati Commission is six years. The qualifications,
conditions of vacancy, remuneration and conditions of service of the Chairperson and members of Adibasi
Janajati Commission and other provisions related to functions, duties and power of such commission are
fixed according to the federal law. This commission is committed to the development and welfare of Adibasi
and Janajati of the country and advocate for their rights.
E. Madheshi Commission
Article 262 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS arranged for the Madheshi Commission which consists
of a Chairperson and four other members. The Chairperson and members of the Madheshi Commission
are appointed by the President on the recommendation of Constitutional Council. The term of office of
Chairperson and members of the Madheshi Commission is six years from the date of appointment. The
qualifications, conditions of vacancy, remuneration and conditions of service of the Chairperson and
members of Madheshi Commission and other provisions related to functions, duties and power of such
commission are decided according to the federal law. This Commission is devoted to the development and
welfare of the Madheshi community in Nepal and advocate for their rights.
F. Tharu Commission
The Article 263 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS deals with the Tharu Commission which consists of a
Chairperson and four other members. The Chairperson and members of the Tharu Commission are appointed
by the President on the recommendation of Constitutional Council. The term of office of Chairperson and
members of the Tharu Commission is six years from the date of appointment. The qualifications, conditions
of vacancy, remuneration and conditions of service of the Chairperson and members of Tharu Commission
and other provisions related to functions, duties and power of such commission are decided according to
152 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
the federal law. This Commission is dedicated to the development and welfare of the Tharu community in
Nepal and fight for their rights.
G. Muslim Commission
The Article 264 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has the provision for the Muslim Commission
which consists of a Chairperson and four other members. The Chairperson and members of the Muslim
Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of Constitutional Council. The term of
office of Chairperson and members of the Muslim Commission is six years from the date of appointment.
The qualifications, conditions of vacancy, remuneration and conditions of service of the Chairperson and
members of Muslim Commission and other provisions related to functions, duties and power of such
commission are decided according to the federal law. This Commission is devoted to the development and
welfare of the Muslim community in Nepal and fight for their rights.
Words and terms you would like to know
Recommend (v.): to suggest something as good idea
Forward (v.): to assist the progress of something
Peasant (n.): an agricultural laborer or small farmer; somebody who lives in the country
Inclusion (n.): the addition of somebody or something to, or the presence of somebody or something in, a group or
mixture
Marginalized (adj.): those who are left out in development and progress and waiting to be the part of mainstream
society
Federal Law: the laws made by the federal (central) legislature and implemented by the executive
Activities
Prepare a table to show other commissions mentioned in Part 27 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS with
reference to their composition, qualifications, appointment and tenure.
Exercis
1. Discuss the necessity of having ‘National Women Commission’ in context of Nepal.
2. How can a Dalit Commission protect the issues and concerns of Dalits in Nepal? Illustrate with
appropriate examples.
3. Highlight the significance of National Inclusion Commission in Nepal.
4. Explain how Commissions on Janajati, Madheshi, Tharu and Muslims can work for the development
and welfare of their respective community.
5. Compare and contrast the National Women Commission with the National Dalit Commission.
Community Work
Meet at least five Dalits, women, Muslims, Adibasi Janajati, Madhesi and Tharus in your neighbourhood
or in community and note down their main grievances. Write a letter each to the concerned commission
separately illustrating their plights and grievances to urge the commission for taking up their issues for
redressing them right away.
153<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Lesson
6 Political Parties
Political Party: Meaning and Nature
Political party is a group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power. In a democratic
country, political parties are organizations that mobilize voters on behalf of a common set of interests,
concerns, and goals. Thus, political party is a group of people who share the same views/ideas with regard
to national and regional issues of the country and seek political solutions through the decisions taken by the
government. Once a political party has achieved electoral victory in democratic election, the political party
or a group of political parties form the government (executive) in parliamentary democracy depending
upon their numerical strength in the elected House of Representatives (the Pratinidhi Sabha). A political
party or a group of political parties that form the government (executive) is known as the “Ruling Party”
and the rest is known as the “Opposition Party”. A ‘Ruling Party’ is the largest party having won more than
a half of the total seats in the parliament’s election and hence forms the executive-government. For example,
Nepali Congress secured two-thirds majority (74 out of 109 seats of Parliament) in the first parliamentary
election in Nepal held on February 18, 1959 (Falgun 7, 2015 B.S.). Once again Nepali Congress secured
majority (114 seats out of 205) in the second parliament election held on May 12, 1991 (Baishakh 29, 2048
B.S.) and formed the government. Thus, Nepali Congress in above case became the ‘ruling party’ and
others who could not form the government after the election in parliamentary democratic system became
the ‘opposition party’. Again on 10 February 2014 (Magh 27, 2070) in the Constituent Assembly-II, Sushil
Koirala as Prime Minister formed the coalition government with the support of CPN (UML). The CPN
(Maoist Centre) played the role of main opposition party when Sushil Koirala was the Prime Minister but
became the ruling party by supporting CPN (UML) to form the government under the Prime Minister K. P.
Sharma Oli on 11 October 2015 (Ashwin 24, 2072) turning Nepali Congress as the main opposition party this
time. Once again, two political parties CPN - UML and UCPN -Maoist with the support of other political
parties formed the coalition government on February 15, 2018 (Falgun 3, 2074) under the leadership of K.
P. Sharma Oli as the Prime Minister. Here both CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoist are the ruling parties and
Nepali Congress is the main opposition party. In above case of coalition government, two or more than two
political parties become the ruling parties and the others who are left out act like the opposition parties in
the parliamentary democracy.
Note: CPN stands for Communist Party of Nepal and ‘(UML)’ stands for United Marxist-Leninist. The CPN
(Maoist Centre) was earlier known as CPN (Maoist) and then UCPN (Maoist). UCPN stood for Unified
Communist Party of Nepal.
Understanding Political Party System
A political party system consists of all the parties in a democratic country. The democratic values, prevailing
laws and existing customs guide the behaviour and functioning of the political parties. There are three types
of party systems: (1) multiparty systems, (2) two-party systems, and (3) one-party systems.
Multiparty systems are the most common type of party system in democracy particularly in parliamentary
form of government. Parliamentary governments based on proportional representation often develop
multiparty systems (as Nepal is a multi-party parliamentary democracy). India is the largest parliamentary
democracy in the world. In countries like United Kingdom and United States of America, only two dominant
political parties exist at national level and other political parties have very limited political influence.
Therefore, election-contest converges around the political agenda of two political parties making it the
‘Two-party System’. Control of government keeps on shifting between two dominant parties in a two-party
system (bi-party system). Smaller parties under this party system cannot survive unless they choose to side
with one or the other of the two major political parties.
154 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
One-party system is not possible in democracy, so ‘People’s Republic of China’ is the classic example of
authoritarianism of one-party where no general election takes place to choose the representatives periodically.
A single-party system is one in which one party nominates all candidates for office and therefore there
is no competition for elected offices. Communist party governments around the world like China, North
Korea and Cuba follow the single-party system. Nepal follows the multiparty parliamentary democracy. A
multiparty system proposes more than two political parties to contest elections and stake claim for forming
a democratic government.
Provisions Regarding Political Parties in Nepal
The Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has adopted multiparti parliamentary democracy. Part 29 of the
Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS (from Articles 269 to 272) deals with provisions regarding the regulation
of political parties. Article 269 says that those people who are committed to a common political ideology,
philosophy and program, subject to other laws and other provisions within this constitution are entitled to
form and operate political parties. The Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS advocates for multiparty democratic
system and any attempt, therefore, to impose ‘single party system’ like China and North Korea will become
‘ipso facto void’(non-operative from very beginning).
What are the preliminary conditions to launch a political party and to register it with Election Commission?
The following are the preliminary conditions to launch a political party and to get it registered with the Election Commission:
1. Name of a political party with an address of the ‘main office’,
2. Name and address of all the members of the ‘executive committee’ of a political party and the other
officials working for the party,
3. Details of all the financial sources of a political party along with its “audit report” must be submitted to
the Election Commission.
4. A political party has to clarify its constitution, manifesto, rules, and organizational structure to ensure
its belief in democracy. A political party must not digress from the constitution and other laws of the
land. No political party should try out to establish party-less or single-party system within the country.
5. The political parties are required to be democratic in both philosophy and in terms of internal structure.
Political party must hold election at least once in five years to elect the different positions within the
party at central and provincial levels.
6. A political party must not risk (go against) the unity of the country by using or adopting name, symbol,
flag or purpose of any religion or sect of the country. Apolitical party must not aim at spreading communal
hatred amongst different communities (groups) based on caste, race, religion, language and gender and
must not disintegrate the country for selfish political interest.
7. A political party must reflect the diversity of the country through inclusive representation given to all
sections of the Nepalese society in the executive committee of the party operating at various levels. Due
representation to women, lowest caste group, suppressed and marginalized class must be given in the
formation of the executive committee.
Under the Election Commission Act 2007 AD (2063 BS), the parties seeking legitimacy for elections must file
their applications with the Election Commission within the stipulated time as mentioned by the Commission.
The Political Party Registration (for the purpose of Election) Rules, 2007 AD has been formulated in exercise
of the power of the Election Commission Act. Under these rules, the Commission issues notice prior to
holding an election inviting parties to register.
List of Few Political Parties with their Election Symbol:
Election Commission has registered and given election symbols to political parties in order to contest
elections. Some of the political parties with their election symbols are given here:
155<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
S.No. Political Party Election Symbol
1. Nepali Congress Tree
2. CPN – UML Sun
3. UCPN (Maoist-Centre) Hammer and Sickle in Circle
4. Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Nepal Cow
5. Rastriya Janata Party Nepal Open Umbrella
6. Nepal Workers and Peasants Party Madal
7. Federal Socialist Forum, Nepal Mashal
8. Bibeksheel Sajha Party Taraju
9. Naya Shakti, Nepal Eye
Contributions of political parties in institutionalizing democracy in Nepal
Prior to a formal launch of a political party in Nepal, many of the energetic youths from Nepal were the
members of the Indian National Congress, while others joined the Communist Party of India in a bid to
lend support to drive away the British imperial regime from India and work for the common interest of the
poor people there. At the time when the Ranas prevented the formation of political and social organizations
in Nepal, the emigrant Nepalese were well exposed to functioning and contribution of the political
parties in political and social life of Indians. B.P. Koirala took the initiative to organize students and other
political workers to launch Nepali Rastriya Congress (Nepali National Congress) in January 1947. Other
important parties formed in the Indian exile in the late forties were the Nepali Prajatantrik Congress (Nepali
Democratic Congress) and the Nepal Communist Party. Another landmark event took place in the course
of the multiparty democracy in Nepal when Nepali National Congress (established on January 25, 1947)
and Nepal Democratic Congress (established on August 4, 1948) merged together to form Nepali Congress
at Calcutta (India) on April 9, 1950 (Chaitra 27, 2006 B.S.). Nepali Congress had played an important role
in ending the 104-year-long despotic Rana rule by launching an Armed Revolution to overthrow the Rana
regime in September 26-27, 1950 (Ashwin 10-11, 2007 B.S.). The political party succeeded when Nepali
Congress formed the first democratically elected government in Nepal on May 27, 1959 (Jesth 13, 2016 B.S.)
after the first parliamentary general election conducted on February 18, 1959 (Falgun 7, 2015 B.S).
United Leftist Front (Common platform for the communist parties in Nepal) joined hands with the Nepali
Congress to extricate democracy from the draconian hands of Shah monarchy who had captured the hard-
won democracy and replaced the same by their own absolute rule sans political party. Thus Mass Movement
I was launched on February 18, 1990 (Falgun 7, 2046 B.S). In the second parliamentary election held on May
12, 1991 (Baishakh 29, 2048 B.S.) the people voted again in favor of the old traditional party, the Nepali
Congress, and helped the party in restoration of democracy by helping the party to form the democratic
government on May 30, 1991 (Jesth 16, 2048 B.S.). Thus, the political parties crushed (wiped out) forces
opposed to democracy in 1991AD election.
Yet again one audacious effort was made by the last Shah King to strangulate democracy by imposing direct
rule just like his father king Mahendra did in the past. Political parties of Nepal came forward to rescue the
democracy this time from the deadly grasp of ambitious King Gyanendra. The Seven Party Alliance (SPA)
with the help of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) launched a decisive Mass Movement II on April 6, 2006
(Chaitra 24, 2062 BS) against the direct rule of the King and to establish ‘Democratic and Republic’ state in
Nepal. After the fall of Shah Monarchy, SPA and Maoists took further steps to draft Interim Constitution
by replacing Monarchy by the ‘Democratic Republic’ political system. They further agreed to go ahead
with the election of Constituent Assembly and they did that too. The Seven Party Alliance was a coalition
of seven Nepali political parties seeking to end autocratic rule in the country. The alliance was made up of
the following parties: Nepali Congress, Nepali Congress (Democratic), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified
156 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Marxist-Leninist), Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Nepal Sadbhavana Party - Anandi Devi, United Left
Front, People’s Front.
Political parties in Nepal have shown their commitment to institutionalize democracy through the drafting
of constitution after the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly-II held on January 22, 2014 (Magh 8,
2070) following the dissolution of the elected Constituent Assembly-I. A total of 30 political parties and
two independents are represented in the second Constituent Assembly, which speaks volume in terms
of contributions made by these political parties towards democracy. On September 16, 2015 Wednesday
(Bhadra 30, 2072 B.S.), Nepal’s Constitution 2072 B.S. was endorsed by the Constituent Assembly-II meeting
by two-thirds majority. Out of total 598 current CA-II members, 507 members (84.78%) voted in favor of the
Constitution, 25 voted against the Constitution and 66 members remained absent. In this way, the Constitution
of Nepal, 2072 BS was endorsed by the political parties to conclude the peace process in Nepal. This is a
remarkable landmark in the history of democracy of Nepal. “The Constitution is the common document
of all of us to protect our freedom, independence, geographic integrity, and sovereignty in people.” The
preamble of the new Constitution says: “Realizing a dream cherished by the Nepali people since 65 years,
the new Constitution will formally take the country towards a federal structure from the existing unitary
structure that remained rooted in the country for 240 years.” It is all because of the committed efforts of
the political parties of Nepal, the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has finally institutionalized democratic-
republic status of Nepal in place of monarchy, and federalism in place of unitary system.
Roles (Functions) of Political Parties in Representative Democracy
Representative democracy creates a conducive environment for the development of common people within
the defined constitutional limits. Representative democracy functions only with the help of political parties.
Following are the roles played by the political parties in representative democracy that make them important
in the present complex and competitive life:
1. Political parties through their campaigns and programs educate the people with regard to burning
issues of the country and help them know about successes (told by ruling party) and failures (told
by opposition parties) of the past governments. Furthermore, ‘party membership’ provides the
understanding of party-based knowledge and functioning of democracy within the country. The fact
that one is a socialist, another a conservative, a third a liberal, and a fourth a communist provides an
insight into the agenda and the policy the candidate will bring into action after coming into power or
assuming political office.
2. Political parties advocate for collective action to bring about any change at political, social or economic
level. Power of the people is the strength of the political party through which it functions. People
especially less privileged members of society understand the time-tested wisdom, ‘unity is strength’
and learn the importance of people’s participation -- collective action to bring change.
3. Political parties help vest the political authority in ever changing set of government through periodic
elections. People by exercising right to vote feel empowered when government comes into power or
goes out of power just because of periodic election when political parties knock at their door to ask
for votes. In this manner, political parties keep the competitive democratic system going and save the
nation from perpetual exploitation in the hands of narrow elite in control of political power.
4. Political parties mediate the relationship between citizens and their government just like a bridge
crossing over to both the ends and pressure the government to respond to the needs and interests of the
people. A truly democratic party never dupes the citizens, who are the voters, nor does it mislead the
government by telling lies to score political points. If it does happen, people punish the political parties
by voting them out of office.
5. Political parties keep a tab on international events and calculate how beneficial these unfolding
international events are in the country’s social, political and economic life. They strategize about their
military interest too and alert the government and the people alike about impending security danger, if
any.
157<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Functions and Responsibilities of Opposition Parties in Parliamentary Democracy
Roles or Functions of Political Parties
Institutionalization Promotion of Raising voice and Emphasizing on
and Human Rights and concrete actions 'Good
against social evils
concreteziation of Social Justice and standing for Governance' and
Democracy paving the way for
social welfare
development in
society
In parliamentary democratic system, both the ruling and opposition parties are inevitable and play the
game of democracy from both the sides (ends). One from the government side making and implementing
laws for the welfare of the people as per the promise made in the last election and the other from the
opposition side just watching how sincerely the ruling party is in fact implementing the laws and translating
the promises made during the election into real actions. Opposition party acts like a shadow cabinet judging
and evaluating every move taken by the government (Prime Minister and Council of Ministers) on the altar
of national security and integrity in the overall interest of the people.
Opposition party is no less important than the ruling party. Opposition parties educate the people about
the opportunistic political behavior and corrupt practices of the ruling party. Opposition party is like a
watchdog that cautions the ruling party not to deviate from the principles of good governance. It is not true
that opposition parties go on just opposing all the time, whatever the ruling party in the government does.
In case of threat or emergencies, either external or internal in nature, they help the government by furnishing
constructive suggestions as most often opposition parties themselves have the experience of running the
government in the past. Moreover, never to forget that in parliamentary democracy, today’s opposition
party is ruling party tomorrow and vice versa.
Words and terms you would like to know
Electoral Victory: Electoral victory is the result of the just concluded election held at nationwide level after counting
the votes for those political parties or coalition of parties, which got permission to proceed to govern the country.
Electoral victory also means a win for an individual candidate contesting election from a particular constituency.
Proportional Representation: Proportional representation, electoral system that seeks to create a representative body
that reflects the overall distribution of public support for each political party based on the percentage of vote cast in
its favor. In simple terms, PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate
to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 15% of voters support a particular party
then roughly 15% of seats will be allocated to that political party in the government and in the legislature-parliament.
Direct Election Method: Direct election method is also known as the plurality voting system or the first-past-the-post
(FPTP) system. This is a single-winner voting system where the candidate with more votes (not necessarily majority
votes) than any other(s) wins the election. It further means that the candidate with the plurality of votes is the winner
of the seat in legislature-parliament and the losing party or parties win no representation at all.
Executive Committee: Executive committee of a political party decides about the course of action that the political
party has to take and recommends the same to the head of the party.
Restoration of Democracy: The word restoration means bringing something back into place. Thus, restoration of
democracy does not mean introducing democracy for the first time as it happened in Nepal after the end of ‘Rana rule’,
rather it means bringing democracy back into Nepal again after it was lost for some time.
Periodic Election: Periodic election is the hallmark of vibrant democracy where nationwide election to elect either head
of the state/government or to form a new legislature-parliament takes place regularly after a certain period of time (say
4 or 5 years) as fixed by the constitution.
158 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Right to Vote: Right to vote is a fundamental right given to every citizen as universal adult franchise unless contrary
arises to elect the constitutional positions and constitutional bodies including legislature-parliament. Right to vote has
a corresponding duty (obligation) on citizens to vote when election of any kind in democratic country approaches.
Activities
1. There may be several office-bearers of political parties in your community. Meet the office-bearers from
different political parties and ask them about the good works their political party has done in the society.
Make a list of these works and present the same in the classroom.
2. Collect manifestoes issued by the different political parties at the time of elections. Hold a discussion on
different issues and concerns raised by the political parties in their manifestoes and arrive at conclusions.
Read the conclusions aloud in the class so that every student can listen to them.
3. Prepare an essay on the topic, “Political parties are the pillars of democracy” and affix it on the School
Notice Board.
Write an editorial for a local newspaper on the topic, “Roles of political parties in democracy.”
4. What are the conditions fixed by the Election Commission for getting the political parties registered?
Collect the relevant information on your own from different sources and present the same in the class.
Exercise
1. What is meant by political party? Make a list of dominant political parties in Nepal.
2. Differentiate between ruling party and opposition party.
3. Why is ‘single party system’ dangerous for democracy?
4. What is multiparty system? Highlight its strengths and weaknesses.
5. Define coalition government. Mention any two occasions on which the coalition government was
formed in Nepal.
6. Is a ‘coalition government’ anti-democratic? Give reasons for your answer.
7. Critically evaluate the contributions of Nepali political parties in strengthening and institutionalizing
democracy in Nepal.
8. Are you satisfied with the roles played by the political parties in Nepal after the elections of Constituent
Assembly and the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS? Write your assessment backed
up by reasons and examples.
9. The role of opposition party in democracy is not less important than the ruling party. Critically analyze.
10. The political parties of Nepal had played a really crucial role in 2046 BS when multiparty democracy
was restored. Critically comment on this observation.
11. The success of Mass Movement–II in 2062/63 was possible only due to the unified demonstrations of
the then political parties. Justify the statement.
12. Why does Election Commission ban the political parties indulged in spreading hatred in the name of
religion and ethnicity and disrupting the social harmony? Give reasons with suitable examples.
Community Work
Visit the area-offices of different political parties in your district to have a talk with local leaders to understand
the line of political thinking their political parties follow and how helpful their ideologies have been to
transform your area. Note down the contents and gist of your interaction with them. Prepare the properly
structured report and get it approved by your school principal. Send your report to Central Office of these
political parties with conclusions and mandatory suggestions that you would like them to follow for the
development of your local area and welfare of the local people.
159<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Lesson
7 The Election process
Election – Meaning and Scope
Elections in democracy are ways to fill public offices to make the laws and to govern the country. Elections
are normally used to form legislature and executive at national (central), provincial (regional) and local level
in the democratic political system. There are two modes (ways) to conduct election in democracy – one is
direct election and another one is indirect election. In direct election, citizens themselves vote to choose the
members of parliament (legislature) and the head of the political executive. In case of indirect election, the
elected (chosen) representatives of the citizens (people) vote to choose members of parliament (legislature)
and the head of the political executive. Thus, there can be directly elected legislature with indirectly elected
head of the executive or there may exist indirectly elected legislature along with directly elected legislature
in the model of “Bi-Cameral Legislature”. An election is the ‘political interaction’ between citizen-voters
and political parties which ensures political participation of the people by means of casting votes to form
representative government. The political power in democracy flows from the people to the government
only through the medium of election. Sovereignty (the supreme political power) in the ‘Democratic State’ is
vested with the people and thus they exercise that sovereignty by casting votes in elections.
Importance of Elections in Democracy
Elections are of utmost importance in any democratic country. As we all know, democracy is defined as a
government of the people, by the people and for the people. Too many cooks are sure to spoil the broth, and
it is simply not possible for any government to function with all these people clamoring to be head of the
political system and desiring to make decisions. This is why at regular intervals representative governments
are elected on the basis of adult franchise.
We need elections for the following reasons.
1. Elections in democracy provide the basis for people’s choice and representation. Elections are important
because people’s participation in elections proves political equality in democracy and ensures political
justice to them.
2. Elections help in the crystallization of political aspirations of the people from time to time expressed
through election mandate.
3. Elections prove the fundamental guiding principle of democracy that supreme political power called
sovereignty is vested with the people.
4. Elections throw different combinations of political parties who form the government and thus desists
any one of them from becoming autocratic.
5. Elections keep the democracy afresh and vibrant as in a dynamic society political issues keep on
changing because of new challenges confronting the society at economic, socio-cultural and political
levels every time election takes place. In this way, elections provide an opportunity for the people to
express pleasure (or displeasure) and approval (or disapproval) of the government’s plans and policies.
Essentials of a Democratic Election
Both democratic and non-democratic regimes hold some or other kinds of elections. Just by holding elections,
no regime can claim to follow democracy. There are differences between democratic and non-democratic
elections. Many a times, non-democratic regimes use elections as their ‘engineered political tool’ to befool
the people or just dupe the democratic forces within the country to continue their hold to political power.
Let us take the example from Nepal when general election was held for Rastriya Panchatat on Baishakh 27,
2038 (May 9, 1981) following which Surya Bahadur Thapa became the Prime Minister of Nepal. A question
arises here: Can we consider election of Rastriya Panchayat under the aegis of ‘party-less Panchayat system’
160 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
a democratically held election? King Mahendra originally imposed party-less Panchayat system on Poush
1, 2017 (December 15, 1960) to end the multi-party democratic system whose success through first general
election conducted in Nepal on Falgun 7, 2015 (February 18, 1959) had both astounded and shocked him.
The elections of Rastriya Panchayat during the Party-less Panchayat System were a gimmick to give false
impression of a democratic nature of non-democratic institution of Panchayat Raj.
Now, let us differentiate democratic elections from non-democratic ones.
Several conditions are required to make an election democratic. These essential conditions are as follows:
1. Every citizen must have the right to vote under ‘universal adult franchise’ based on the notion of
political equality ‘one person, one vote and one value’.
2. Political parties must have freedom to contest elections by nominating their candidates and voters-
citizens must have freedom to choose their candidate or the political party they like.
3. Elections in a democracy must be held periodically after the expiry of certain (fixed) time-period.
4. Candidates preferred by the people must be elected from amongst many in the party-system democracy.
5. Elections must be ‘free and fair’ without exercising any kind of duress, force or undue influence to put
‘fear or greed’ in the minds of the voters.
6. Popular participation of the voters-citizens with impressive “turn out” (i.e. more than half of the total
voters) and acceptance of election outcome as ‘people’s verdict’ (particularly by defeated party and
international democratic community ---observers) make the election democratic.
Eligibility to Vote and Universal Adult Franchise
Eligibility to vote in ‘Democratic Republic Nepal’ flows from the basis of ‘Universal Adult Franchise’.
The Election Commission prepares an electoral list of all voters who are eligible to vote and according to
‘Universal Adult Franchise’, right to vote (suffrage or franchise) is available to all adult citizens of a country
cutting across all kinds of differences and discriminations.
Following conditions apply before one is able to vote in Nepal:
(a) S/he must be a citizen of Nepal.
(b) S/he must have completed the age fixed by the law of the land (18 years at present).
(c) S/he must not have been held guilty of any of the criminal act (crime) mentioned in law of the land
(Muluki Ain) or declared bankrupt by the court of law within the country or suffering with unsound
mind at the time of election.
Similarly, following conditions apply when one is declared incompetent (not eligible) to vote:
(a) S/he has renounced the Nepali citizenship.
(b) S/he has been convicted for treason or sedition.
(c) S/he is debarred by the Election Commission for spreading communal hatred based on religion, race,
language, caste, etc. towards other communities.
(d) S/he has been declared as bankrupt or insane.
Merits of Universal Adult Franchise:
(a) It is based on the notion of ‘political equality’.
(b) All the adult citizens above 18 years get the opportunity to vote – participate in political process of
forming the government.
(c) It helps in educating the mass about politics and the way it works for solving problems of the people.
(d) It unites the people, as this political right to vote is available only to the citizens, not to the foreigners.
161<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
(e) It protects the rights of minorities and other unprivileged classes as all of them have equal value of their
vote that give them freedom to choose the candidates/parties whom they think will work for them.
Demerits of Universal Adult Franchise:
(a) Political equality introduced through ‘universal adult franchise’ is dangerous when masses are
uneducated and poor as they are not able to make judgment based on burning issues of the country as
to who is the right candidate/party to vote.
(b) Common-voters do not elect the candidates or the political party on their intelligence and ability to
perform rather on their appearance, caste, region they belong to, personal familiarity and so on.
(c) Commoners fall prey to money, muscle and manipulation and ultimately sell their votes for few bucks,
petty favor or immediate safety.
(d) This is a time-consuming process and incurs a lot of expenditure.
(e) It promotes violence and criminalization before and during the election whose effects are perceptible
even after elections are over. Criminal activities like rigging, booth capturing, false counting, coercing
the voters are quite common.
Steps or Stages Involved in Election Process
Actual decision to hold the election as per provisions of the constitution comes from the executive (either
head of the state or the head of the government). The head of the executive (the Prime Minister in Nepal) has
power to dissolve the democratically elected parliament and declare the fresh election or the expiry of the
fixed term of the parliament brings the election on its own. Whatever is the case, formal declaration of the
date when election - local or national - has to happen must come from the executive. Before the formation of
the next Government, Election Commission has to arrange for counting of the votes and prepare the results
– as according to the performance of the candidates from different political parties and then submit the poll
results to the Head of the State.
Following steps or stages are involved in completing the election process:
1. Declaration of Elections and Preparation: The executive wing finalizes the date of the next election, for
example election of the next parliament election and then asks the Election Commission to go ahead for
further arrangement.
2. Demarcation and Administration of Electoral Constituencies: Election Commission carves out
the ‘electoral constituencies’ in the country as per the seats in legislature-parliament. In each of the
constituencies, there are polling booths (stations) and sub-polling booths under the charge of ‘presiding
officer’ who reports to ‘District Polling Officer’ who in turn reports to national head office of the Election
Commission controlled by the Chief Election Commissioner and other commissioners.
3. Date for Filing Nominations: Election Commission announces the date of filing the nominations for
election, withdrawal of the names and the scrutiny of the filed nominations.
4. Nominations, Withdrawals and Scrutiny: All the registered political parties with the Election
Commission rush to file the nominations and go for withdrawals of nominations, if any, so that final
scrutiny of nominations may take place.
5. Imposition of Code of Conduct: Election Commission imposes ‘code of conduct’ for the political parties
and their candidates. For example, ruling parties or others cannot use government vehicles, aircrafts
and officials for elections. Once elections are announced, Ministers will not lay foundation stones of any
projects or make any promises to voters of providing public facilities.
6. Electoral Campaigns: During electoral campaigns, political parties use the print and electronic media to
address their voters and to organize public meetings to mobilize political support. The election campaign
is not limited to few weeks as given by the Election Commission after the filing of nominations. In fact,
political parties prepare for elections for months. Political parties and candidates, in election campaigns,
try to attract people’s vote in their favor. Election Commission fixes the time-period (may be 72 hours or
48 hours) before the polling begins during which no campaigns take place.
162 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
7. Polling and Counting Votes: The final stage of an election comes when the day of polling arrives.
All the voters whose names figure in the electoral rolls (voters’ list) go to the nearest polling booth in
their locality (area). Voters are supposed to put their mark on the ballot paper in favor of their preferred
candidate or the political party. With the advent of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), the voter has to
press the button against the number allotted to each candidate on the EVM.
After the voting is over, all the ballot papers and EVMs are brought to a safe place. On a fixed date,
counting of all the votes cast begins under the supervision of a polling officer. Counting takes place as
per the modality of election method (FPTP or PR system) adopted during the election. Agents of all the
parties are present during ‘counting of votes’ to ensure impartiality. The result comes out within a few
hours of the counting and it becomes clear which political party will form the next ‘Government’.
8. Poll Results: The Election Commission prepares the document of “Poll-Results” and hands it over to
the President. This triggers the formal process of formation of the next Government.
Challenges before Free and Fair Elections
Some of the major challenges before free and fair elections are as follows:
1. Undemocratic forces like monarchy, dictatorship, single-party political system etc. are always on
prowl to vitiate the democratic culture of holding periodic elections at fixed interval. Narrow coterie
of elite hates to accept the people as their masters and manoeuvre elections in their favor.
2. Non-democratic political forces get many material benefits like continuing in office, arm-twisting
the donors, using the office for their personal grandeur when political environment of the country is
marked with fear and hence the country rolls down into unstable, indecisive and uncertain political
phase. These corrupt forces deliberately prolong the uncertainty to remain in power and fear the
opposite verdict from the people when regular elections are conducted. This favors their fortune as it
allows them to fishing for power and money in troubled waters of politics.
3. The hold of old leaders with feudal mindset on the political parties has blocked the way for
young leaders to take decision during the distribution of tickets and electing them as member of
legislature-parliament.
4. Candidates with criminal background and penchant for violence elbow out the meritorious candidates.
5. Whom do you choose? This is the greatest dilemma in Nepali democratic politics. Right from the
oldest party to the newest one, people have tested them all and all of them taste the same—power
hungry, least interested in long-term development of the country, more party-oriented and less
nation-oriented, tendency to stick to Chair at the cost of national interest.
6. Small parties and independent candidates are at loss when compared with money, muscles and
majesty of big parties. There is no level-playing field for them and this goes against the democratic
values of freedom, equality and justice. This is the reason smaller and regional parties demand for
their share of pie in a coalitional government even at the cost of frequent objections raised by the
people.
Words and terms you would like to know
Non-Democratic Regime: Non-democratic regimes impose the political rule without getting the people’s mandate to
rule over them through periodic elections.
Vote Rigging: ‘Vote rigging’ is all about managing votes in one’s own favor through dishonest means like voting for
others, dishonest counting, bribing polling officers and so on. Thus, when a political party or a candidate indulges in
fraud and malpractices to increase the number of vote-tally, it makes the case of rigging.
Booth Capturing: Booth capturing is a violent act in which a particular political party through his supporters and hired
musclemen gains physical control of a polling booth and forcibly debars eligible voters to vote and threatens them in
case any report is made to the police or the Election Commission.
Electoral Constituency: Before the elections are actually conducted, the Election Commission carves out an area for
poll to take place based on population and geographical area in accordance with the seats available in legislature.
163<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
People’s Mandate: Outcome of an election held at nationwide level with the political participation of the people is
known as people’s mandate or people’s verdict.
Voters’ Turn Out: Total number of voters who come out to exercise their right to vote in election is called voters’ turn
out.
Electoral Roll: Electoral roll is a voters’ list maintained by the Election Commission to keep the actual record of the
number of voters in a country. The Election Commission keeps on modifying the list (or roll) every year as new voters
are added to it due to migration and marriage and some of them are struck out of the list (roll) because of death,
migration or any other reasons set for voters’ disqualification.
Ballot Paper: Ballot paper contains the details of the candidates or the political parties contesting the election in an
electoral constituency with the symbol attached to each of the candidates (political parties).
Polling Booth (Station): Polling booths are arranged normally in each residential colony at a distance of few kilometres
in every district for voters to come conveniently to cast vote. Normally, polling booth (station) is kept in school or some
other public places. There can be two or more than two polling booths in case population in an area is larger.
General Election: General election takes place after the full term (may be 4 or 5 years as stated in a constitution of the
democratic country) of legislature-parliament ends.
Mid-Term Election: Mid-term election takes place when legislature-parliament is unable to complete its full term and
is dissolved before the term is completed.
By-Election: By-election takes place in a particular single-member constituency when the elected representative dies,
resigns, or promoted to some higher constitutional post or any other reason. In simple words, by-election takes place
to a single-member constituency that fell vacant or went unrepresented.
Polling Officers: Polling officers are appointed to manage and supervise the election at polling booths and work
under the hierarchy of ‘District Election Officers’ who are connected to the Election Commission at national level. If an
extraordinary emergency arises, polling officers are entitled to cancel the poll or postpone the election at the concerned
polling booth.
Code of Conduct: Code of conduct is a set of norms and guidelines that must be followed by political parties and
contesting candidates during election time. The Election Commission issues the code of conduct.
Voter’s I-card: Voter’s I-card contains all the important information regarding a voter such as his or her name, age,
address, photograph and voter’s specific number given by the Election Commission.
Minimum Age to contest elections: In federal, democratic republic of Nepal elections are held at different levels from
the top to the bottom. Election Commission does not allow any candidate to contest election unless age requirement is
fulfilled amongst various other qualifications. Let us know about the minimum age for different positions.
A. For the President and Vice-President: 45 years of age
B. Member of Central (Federal) Parliament: 25 years for the Pratinidhi Sabha (House of Representatives)
and 35 years for Rashtriya Sabha (National Assembly)
C. Members of the Provincial Assembly (Pradesh Sabha): 25 years of age
D. Chairman, Vice-Chairman and other members of Village Executive, the Chief, the Deputy Chief and
other members of the municipality: 21 years of age
E. Member of Village/Town Assembly: 21 years of age
Qualification to become a member of federal parliament: Following are the general qualifications to
become MP of the federal parliament:
1. A citizen of Nepal 2. Not convicted for a crime involving moral turpitude
3. Not disqualified by any law 4. Not occupying any post of profit
Activities
1. Collect the samples of the ballot paper and prepare the ballot paper on your own. Make a voting stamp
out of carrot or radish and carve out the sign of Swastika on it. Practice how to vote on the ballot paper.
164 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
2. Just like the qualifications needed to become a member of parliament, find out the needed qualifications
to become the member of ‘Provincial Assembly’, ‘Village Council’ and ‘Town Assembly (municipality)’.
Present it in the class.
3. Nowadays EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) has replaced the manual voting by stamping with Swastika
(fylfot) sign. What are the complexities and conveniences involved while using the EVM in elections?
Hold a discussion in the class and write down your conclusions.
4. Few democratic countries are providing an option of not voting in favour of any candidate or political
party listed in the ‘ballot paper’ and duly considered as the ‘rejection of vote’. This is also understood
as ‘None of the above’ (NOTA). Do you think this option is suitable and relevant in our context? Give
reasons.
5. Many of the ballot papers get cancelled in our country. What are the reasons behind it? What are the
ways to reduce or stop the cancellation of the ballot papers in elections? Hold a discussion in the class
and reach at final conclusions. Share the conclusions with the entire class.
6. Prasadi Rawat, a landless squatter in Laxmipur village of Dang, can never forget how brutally cadres of
a particular political party had thrashed his wife and three daughters in front of his eyes for refusing to
vote for the party in the CA election of 2008 AD. “Then, I was helpless as they had threatened to kill me
if we did not vote for their party,” said Rawat, adding further, “They would frequently visit our doors
and threaten us to vote for their party or else face consequences.” “Now on, I will face bullets but won’t
compromise on my choice of my candidates,” concluded Rawat. (Republica, March 23, 2013)
Free and fair election is the foundation of vibrant democracy. Hold a discussion in the classroom and
write conclusions.
7. Negative Voting Right: Negative voting right for the voters are available in elections of Nepal. Negative
voting right is a democratic right of voters to cast negative vote when they believe none of the contestants
deserve their vote. Voters will cast vote in the category of ‘none of the above’ in a ballot paper if they
are not satisfied with contesting candidates. Does the negative voting right strengthen the democracy?
Organize a debate competition on the topic.
Exercise
1. Define election. Why are the elections so important in democracy?
2. What do you understand by “electoral constituencies”?
3. What is ‘Electoral Roll’? Which organization prepares the “Electoral Roll”? What is its importance?
4. What are the qualifications needed to become the ‘MP’ (Member of Federal Parliament)’?
5. What do you understand by the proportional representation system and the ‘Direct Election System?
Explain with the help of examples.
6. What is ballot paper? How does it differ from Electronic Voting Machine?
165<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
7. What do you understand by “people’s mandate”? What is the importance of people’s mandate in
democracy?
8. In what kind of political situations “by-election” and “mid-term election” take place in democracy?
9. Enumerate the powers and functions of the “Polling Officers”.
10. Voters’ turn-out is low. Interpret this statement.
11. Mention any two conditions which make the elections successful in democracy.
12. What do you mean by ‘Universal Adult Franchise’? What is its significance?
13. What is meant by the “General Election”?
14. Differentiate between vote-rigging and booth-capturing. Suggest ways to stop them.
15. The elections of ‘Rastriya Panchayat’ were held during 30-long years (from 2007 -2047 BS) of PACHAYAT
rule in Nepal. Do you consider these elections as democratic in nature? Give reasons for your answer by
highlighting the essential conditions for a democratic election.
16. Why do we require independent and autonomous “Election Commission”? Discuss.
17. Who can vote in Nepal? What are the essential qualifications for being voters in Nepal?
18. Define ‘Universal Adult Franchise’. Outline the merits and demerits of ‘Universal Adult Franchise’.
19. Elections alone do not serve the people without having democratic political system which delivers on
the promises made during the elections. Critically examine the statement.
20. Enumerate all the steps or stages involved in completing the election process.
Community Work
1. Visit the District Election Office to see the difference in ‘Election Ballot’ for FPTP election method and
‘proportional representation’ method. Make your own assessment regarding merits and demerits of the
above stated election methods. Conduct an interview with ‘District Election Officer’ to know the ways to
conduct election at local and national level.
2. Chief Election Commissioner informed that 5.18 percent parliamentary FPTP votes cast in both the first
and the second phase of provincial and parliamentary elections held on November 26, 2017 (Mangsir 10,
2074) and December 7, 2017 (Mangsir 21, 2074) were invalid.
Conduct a survey in your community and neighbourhood to find out why voters end up casting votes
which are declared invalid. Also suggest the ways as to how to cast votes properly so that votes are not
rendered invalid.
166 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Lesson
8 Citizens’ Roles in Elections
Citizens play great role in conducting democratic elections with discipline and decorum. No election in
a democratic country can ever be a success unless citizens participate in the process of voting for their
candidates and political party. It is the democratic responsibility (duty) of citizens to get their names
registered in the voting list (electoral roll) and make sure that their votes do not become invalid due to some
technical mistakes or human negligence or carelessness. Nepali voters vote on the basis of adult suffrage
therefore the election commission registers the name of all adult citizens. However, quite often, there are citizens
whose names are not registered in the voter’s list.
Thus, citizens play an important role in elections. Let us examine it as given below:
A. Pre-Election Phase: Voters-citizens have to take care of the following things before the elections take
place:
1. It is the responsibility of the government to get the names of all the eligible voters put on the voters’
list. At the same time, it is the duty of the voters to enquire if his/her name has been entered in
voters’ list after attaining the age of voting. If not, s/he has to make an effort to do so. Voters have
to show interest in voting.
2. Voters need to make a ‘claim’ to amend the voters’ list in case of errors in essential information like
name of the voter, name of the father, name of the Gaunpalika (Rural Municipality) and so on.
3. Voters must inform the office of the Election Commission under right to oppose, if any voter dies,
migrates, or ceases to be a voter or in case of any other disqualifications mentioned under the
existing law.
4. Voters should know about the functioning of the Election Commission – its powers and the calendar
of work. For example, every year the Election Commission goes for revision of the electoral roll
or voters’ list in the month of Baishakh (April-May) as there are always new inclusions to and
exclusions from the list. The Election Commission publishes the revised voters’ list in the month of
Shrawan (July-August).
5. Voters should cooperate with the Election Commission in any other manner, as the latter wants the
former to do.
B. During the Election Phase: Voters-citizens have to take care of following things during the elections:
1. Encourage other voters to cast vote: Normally, not all the other voters are equally enthusiastic to
vote. “All the political parties, when they come to power, behave the same and they are all the same
under different banners,” say the voters. Sincere voters understand the value of ‘vote’ as it gives
them an opportunity for ‘political participation’. Therefore, not only they cast vote themselves but
also encourage others in their locality to vote.
2. Become vigilant: Citizens remain alert and vigilant to check if any unfair means or use of threat
is in work during the elections. If there is a case of proxy voting, rigging, booth capturing, threats
through gunfire or in any other way, citizens must shoot the film, take the picture and report to the
office of the Election Commission in the district or at national level office.
3. Helping others to maintain decorum: Voters have gathered themselves to exercise most important
democratic right i.e. right to vote. Therefore, they must help each other in maintaining line,
informing each other about correct way of voting and cooperating with the presiding officer at the
polling booths (stations).
4. Correct way of voting: Every voter should vote in correct manner without making mistakes or
spoiling his/her vote. The process goes like this:
(a) Verifying your name at polling booth – (b) Getting marked on the nail with indelible ink -- (c)
Receiving the ballot paper with all the names of the candidates or the name of the political
parties – (d.) Marking with specially designed stamp in the correct box referring to the name
(symbol) of the candidate or the party or Pressing the correct button on EVM Electronic Voting
Machine – (e) Folding the ballot paper correctly and inserting the same in the ballot box
5. No argument on political ideas: Voters should not get involved in any kind of debate on political
parties or the leaders during elections as these arguments create uneasiness among the voters with
different political ideas and they support different political leaders.
167<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
C. Post-Election Phase: Voters-citizens have to take care of following things after the election is over
(Post-election Phase):
1. Acceptance of the result: Voters have to accept the result of poll after counting is over. Voters should
not indulge in hooliganism, arson, attack on any other public or private property and so on.
2. Friendly exchange of behaviour: Voters should understand that right to vote is a precious right in
democracy given after a long series of movements and sacrifices. They were able to exercise that
right and hence people’s verdict is out there to follow. They must congratulate the candidates and
other voters as this verdict would not have been in place without having the right to vote and
without the voters having turned out to vote.
3. All set to observe the political performance of political parties and their candidates: Voters as sincere
voters are now all set to check and analyze the performance of the elected political parties and their
candidates. Voters themselves make a committee in their locality to be ready with their priority of
demands to hand over to the elected candidates.
4. Constant interaction with the elected leaders/political party: Voters with the help of their committee
should make a regular contact with the elected leader to apprise him/her of the emerging
development needs or any other challenges present in electoral constituency.
Words and terms you would like to know
Insert (v.): to put something inside or into something else
Vigilant (adj.): watchful
Proxy (adj.): voting in other’s name
Inclusion (n.): the addition of somebody or something to, or the presence of somebody or something in a group or
mixture
Exclusion (n.): the act of excluding something or somebody
Enthusiastic (adj.): showing passionate interest in something or eagerness about something
Activities
1. Follow the procedure mentioned in this lesson while selecting a monitor in your class.
2. Present a short street (road) drama educating the people about citizens’ role in conducting democratic
elections.
3. Prepare a dialogue between two friends talking about the roles played by responsible citizens in
elections.
4. There are many election offences which we often hear during elections in Nepal. Election offences
include the act of preventing voters from casting their votes, intimidating voters, distributing cash
and kind to voters to buy their votes, hosting feasts for voters, capturing polling booths, committing
disorderly conduct and indulging in character assassination of candidates, spreading communal hatred
and animosity and so on.
Form four groups in the class and hold a discussion on the roles and responsibilities of citizens in
preventing and dealing with above mentioned election offenses.
Exercise
1. What roles would you play as a responsible citizen for conducting free and fair elections?
2. What suggestions would you give for encouraging your neighbours and guardians to cast vote in
elections?
3. “Nothing happens whether you cast your vote or choose not to cast vote.” How would you motivate
such people who are not very enthusiastic about casting votes?
4. What roles citizens should play before the election? List them out.
5. Highlight the roles to be played by the citizens after the election.
6. Describe the importance of the code of conduct during the elections with examples.
Community Work
Meet your close relatives or those people in your community who have been engaged in election-related
activities in some ways or other. Ask them about elections, their experiences and various other related
activities. Note down the responses they share with you and prepare a report on it. Present the report in the
class.
168 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Lesson
9 Human Rights
Human Rights – Meaning and Evolution
Human rights are “inalienable fundamental rights” – either recognized as natural rights or legal rights
in national and international laws. Rights are automatically available just because one is human (human
as individual or humans in a group). Human rights are available to everyone irrespective of their caste,
language, religion, gender, disability, nationality and his or her social and economic backgrounds. Human
rights are much wider than the ‘Fundamental Rights’. The ‘Fundamental Rights’ are limited because not
all the Human Rights are treated as Fundamental Rights. Some of the Human Rights are constitutionally
recognized to be treated as the fundamental basis for the protection and development of the citizens’ life and
personality and those rights are called the Fundamental Rights. The Human Rights are unalterable and the
same all over the world but the Fundamental Rights vary from one country to another depending upon the
nature and type of political governance system. The non-democratic states do not guarantee more number
of human rights to their citizens as Fundamental Rights as the democratic states do.
The expression “human rights” is relatively new and has come into regular use only since the end of World
War II and the founding of the United Nations in 1945. The expression “human rights” has replaced the
earlier phrases like natural “rights” and “rights of man”. The background of acceptance and adoption of
“universal human rights” lies in the gross mindless violations of human rights in the Second World War
(1939-1945) in which millions and millions of humans were killed and the destruction of public-cum-private
property (worth more than 3000 billion US$-- a conservative estimate) took place. Some 40-50 million people
lost their lives in World War II making it the bloodiest conflict as well as largest war in human history. The
United States, which had no significant civilian losses, sustained more than 400,000 deaths. Moreover, Nazi
sponsored merciless killing of Jews has ignominy of being ‘unparalleled example’ in human history in terms
of its brutality and perversity. The Nazi Holocaust shook all the sane minds in the world and stood as the
most heinous and perverted act ever perpetrated by a group of humans against another group of humans
but persuaded the leaders all around the world to have a strong mechanism to protect human life and allow
them to live with dignity.
The Nazis considered the life of the mentally impaired and severely disabled people as “life unworthy of
living.” In the end of 1939, they started killing mentally challenged and physically disabled Germans by
administering euthanasia and thus murdered more than 70,000 persons in six extermination centres. The
United Nations Charter “reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, and dignity and worth of the hu-
man person” and committed all member states to promote “universal respect for, and observance of, human
rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion”. A separate
instrument was needed to protect the human rights everywhere in the world in any situation of human life.
Thus, preparation for one such instrument or document containing safeguards for human rights came into
offing.
Eleanor Roosevelt and UN Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt was trained in politics, at the same time she was the first lady of United States of
America in capacity of being the wife of the longest-serving President in USA, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945). She served herself as able adviser to her husband and held other import-
ant offices of responsibility after her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945 when World
War II was still in progress. Franklin D. Roosevelt had guided and led the USA in this time of crisis quite
sturdily and firmly. Harry S. Truman then became the president of USA and formal declaration of victory
of ‘Allies’ over fascist powers (Axis powers) was made under his presidency.
169<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Eleanor Roosevelt with Spanish version of UDHR Eleanor Roosevelt
The United Nations established a Human Rights Commission on February 16, 1946, with Eleanor Roosevelt
as one of its members to look into all kinds of possible violations of human rights in the World War II.
Since Eleanor Roosevelt was genuinely committed to human dignity and compassion and her ability to
convert her commitment into reality due to her long experience in politics and lobbying, and her more
recent concern for refugees after World War II, its members elected her chairperson of the Commission.
Hence, Eleanor Roosevelt was finally on her ardent task to draft a Declaration of Human Rights. She
worked on Universal Declaration of Human Rights, writing parts of its text, directing others and helping
to keep simple and clear language and endeavoured towards keeping human dignity in the centre of all
the drafted text.
The commission’s goal was to gift such a document or instrument of human rights that must serve as a
model for how human beings and nations should treat each other and avoid war and any local violent
clash. The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the resulting Declaration on December 10,
1948 that came to the whole world as Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The UDHR is a milestone document in the history of human rights and for the first time it set out funda-
mental human rights for universal protection. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural
backgrounds from all regions of the world, this Declaration was proclaimed as a common standard of
achievements for all peoples and all nations.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and
conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1 of the UN Universal
Declaration of Human Rights)
UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The UDHR is a non-binding declaration. The UDHR urges member nations to promote a number of human,
civil, economic and social rights, asserting these rights are part of the “foundation of freedom, justice and
peace in the world”. There are total 30 articles enumerating several rights along with the preamble.
Let us have a perusal of all the 30 Articles given below:
Preamble of the UDHR, amongst other things, declares…“recognition of the inherent dignity and of the
equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and
peace in the world… Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort,
to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law…
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full
realization of this pledge…”
A common understanding of these rights in the simplified version of all the 30 Articles goes like this…
170 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
1. We Are All Born Free and Equal: We, human beings, are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
All human beings have reason and conscience and they should act towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood.
2. Don’t Discriminate: Human rights belong to everybody, whatever the differences are amongst human
beings. Distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status is prohibited and does not apply in enjoying
human rights.
3. The Right to Life: All human beings are entitled to the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.
4. No Slavery: Nobody has any right to make other human beings a slave or can treat anyone like a slave.
5. No Torture: Nobody can give any kind of torture to another human being and treat him or her in inhu-
man manner or inflict degrading punishment.
6. We Have Rights Wherever We Go: I am a person just as others are. Therefore, I must get recognition as
human being as others get anywhere under any law in any part of the world. A human being has human
rights all the time at all the places.
7. We Are All Equal Before the Law: The law is same for everyone. It must treat all the human beings
fairly. All are entitled to equal protection provided by law and are equal before law. No discrimination
is to be tolerated if practised through or by law.
8. Law Protects the Fundamental Rights: Laws come forward to protect and help a human being if he or
she is unfairly treated and his or her fundamental rights are violated (taken away).
9. Right against Detention: Nobody has the right to put anyone in prison without good reason and keep
a person there, or to send a person away from his or her country in exile.
10. The Right to Fair Trial: If one is charged for a criminal offence then one must get fair and public hearing
by an independent and impartial tribunal.
11. We are Always Innocent until Proven Guilty: Nobody should blame anyone for doing something
wrong until it is proved in a court of law. When people blame a person he or she committed a crime a
person has all the rights to show it is not true and put up a defence.
12. The Right to Privacy: Nobody should try to harm a person’s good name or reputation. Nobody has the
right to interfere with a person’s privacy, family, home or any correspondence in an arbitrary manner
without a good reason.
13. Freedom to Movement: We all have the right to go wherever we want to in our own country and to
travel abroad as we wish and come back to the country any time. All the human beings have freedom of
movement.
14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live in Foreign Country: If one is afraid of life in one’s own country,
he or she has the right to run away to another country in order to be safe. However, this right is not
available for non-political criminal cases.
15. Right to a Nationality: Every human being has the right to belong to a country. Nobody shall be forced
to give up his or her own nationality, neither shall a person be barred to accept another nationality.
16. Marriage and Family: Every adult is entitled to initiate a family by entering into a relationship of mar-
riage as per his or her wish. Men and women have the same rights when they are married. The family is
the natural and fundamental group unit of society and therefore needs protection from the society and
the State.
17. The Right to Own Wealth (Property): Everyone has the right to own property or share it. Nobody can
take a person’s wealth except in accordance with law under special circumstances.
18. Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion: Every human being is free to have his or her belief and
171<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
act according to one’s own conscience and practice a religion that he or she feels comfortable with. We
all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want. We
have the right to openly declare our belief and religion in public for teaching, practicing or worshipping.
19. Freedom of Expression: Nobody can stop to express one’s own thoughts, ideas, views, opinions and
feelings through any medium one chooses to do. We are free to think what we like, to say what we think,
and to share our ideas with other people.
20. The Right to Join Public Assembly: Everybody has the right to join the public assembly peacefully
without arms. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace without arms to
defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we do not want to.
21. The Right to Democracy: All the human beings are entitled to participate in the democratic process like
casting vote, raising community issues, contesting elections and suggesting laws to be made and so on.
Every grown-up should be allowed to choose his or her own leaders. No one will stop a citizen to have
access to public service in the country. The ultimate political power called sovereignty remains with the
people and therefore people through secret vote in periodically held elections choose the Government.
22. Right to Social Security: Every human being is entitled to have all the basic needs fulfilled such as af-
fordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare, etc. A person should have enough money to live
on and to get medical help if he or she is ill or old.
23. Workers’ Rights: Every adult has the right to get employment and to earn a fair wage for his or her
work. Every worker has a right to join a trade union.
24. The Right to Leisure: Everyone has the right to rest from work and to relax.
25. Food and Shelter for All: No one is to be deprived of food and shelter even in the face of unemploy-
ment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or any such events. In case of newly born babies and
mothers, they deserve special care and assistance whatever the human situations may be.
26. The Right to Education: Education is a compulsory right until elementary school level. Parents have a
right to decide the kind of education children require in the beginning. Parents or/and guardians under
no circumstances deprive the children under their custody of schooling (education).
27. Copyright: Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others
cannot make copies without permission.
28. A Good Social Order: There must be a favourable social order so that we can all enjoy rights and free-
doms in our own country and all over the world.
29. Duty towards Own Community and Fellow Human beings: We have a duty to other people, and we
should protect their rights and freedoms as they have a corresponding duty to protect ours.
30. No One Can Take Away Our Human Rights: The UDHR as mentioned above represents a contract
between governments and their peoples, who have a right to demand that this document of rights
must be respected. All countries have accepted the affirmation of UDHR that the inherent human dig-
nity and worth of every person in the world deserve protection from the state without making any
discrimination.
Roles of National and International Organizations in Protecting Human Rights
National and international organizations have been playing very effective role in protecting and preserv-
ing the human rights in Nepal. These organizations issue cautions if violations of human rights take place,
spread awareness regarding observance of human rights in rural areas and to the people who are less aware
regarding the rights, and coordinate with the authorities to enforce the human rights and ask them to limit
their highhandedness or negligence with regard to respecting the human rights of the common men, women
and children.
Here are brief descriptions of the works being done by some of the national and international organizations:
1. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC): National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is the
172 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Constitutional Body (Organ). The NHRC was established in 2057 BS. This is an autonomous body and
has been working for protecting and safeguarding human rights. The NHRC strives hard to ensure
dignity, equality and justice to all. (For more details see Lesson 4 of Unit 5)
2. Informal Service Sector (INSEC): INSEC has been working in Nepal since 1988AD. This organization
has been working to protect the human rights of those people who are working in the informal sector.
It provides legal aid and support to workers or labourers in case their human rights are violated while
working in the unorganized sectors. The INSEC issues a yearly Booklet on all the works that it does in
the area of safeguarding human rights.
NHRC Amnesty International INSEC
3. Amnesty International: Amnesty International works in the field of human rights. It is an international
organization which was established in 1961 AD in London (England). Amnesty International has been
very active in preventing the abuse (violation) of human rights and has been very vocal and steadfast
(firm) in demanding justice for the victims of human rights abuse. This organization was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 AD for its work against torture or human rights abuse. Amnesty International
has also been awarded with the United Nations Human Rights award.
Words and terms you would like to know
Inalienable (adj.): impossible to take away
Unalterable (adj.): impossible to change
Indiscriminately (adv.): in an unselective manner
Sturdily (adv.): in a resolute (determined) manner
Tyranny (n.): oppressive government by one or more people who exercise absolute power cruelly and unjustly
Treaty: Treaty is a binding formal agreement, contract, or other written instrument that establishes obligations between
two or more subjects of international law viz. between two countries.
Convention: Convention is an agreement between groups, especially an international agreement slightly less formal
than a treaty.
Declaration: Declaration is a formal document giving explicit details like UDHR, usually non-binding in nature; an
emphatic formal public statement, especially between a government or public body, it further means the process or act
of declaring something in an official or public way.
Ordinance: Ordinance is the ‘governing-instrument’ to run the country when the legislature-parliament is not in a
session and law cannot be passed in normal way by following legislative process.
Ratification: Ratification is all about formally approving an agreement, treaty or convention usually through parlia-
mentary approval and signature received from the head of the State so that it can become valid or operative.
Activities
1. Present a chart showing the differences between the Human Rights and the Fundamental Rights.
2. Organize a speech competition on the topic “Every person has the right of self-defence and personal
liberty”.
173<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
3. Prepare a biography on Eleanor Roosevelt by collecting information on her life from different sources.
4. Prepare lists of different sets of important human rights depending upon their nature and types and
discuss them in different groups of students within the class.
5. Collect different kinds of news and views published in daily newspapers and different types of maga-
zines. Display these news and views (articles) on the ‘Bulletin Board’ of the school.
6. Draw the logos of NHRC, INSEC and Amnesty International. Also explain the meaning of these logos.
7. Describe the process how National Human Rights Commission of Nepal is formed.
8. Make a list of all the organizations which are working in your community in the areas of human rights.
Specify their commendable works which they have performed in preserving and protecting the human
rights. Present it in the class.
Exercise
1. Mention the pronouncements made in the Article–1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2. Critically examine the impacts of UDHR on organizational and governmental behaviours in relation to
their dealing with the human beings.
3. The Human Rights guaranteed by the State are called the Fundamental Rights. Analyze the statement
with the help of reasoned logic.
4. Illustrate the contributions made by Eleanor Roosevelt.
5. Explain how you respect the organizations and people who are engaged in preserving and protecting
human rights.
6. The right to assemble peacefully without arms is one of the important human rights of a person. Give
reasons why this right is so important for human beings.
7. When was Amnesty International established? Highlight the roles and functions of Amnesty
International.
8. Illustrate the roles played by INSEC in areas of human rights.
9. When was the UDHR made? On which day is ‘Human Rights Day’ celebrated?
10. ‘Right to Democracy’ is protected under UDHR. No political force can deprive us of this right. How do
you see it in context of Nepal?
11. What kinds of human rights violations are generally observed in Nepal?
12. What was the opinion and response of the main architect of UDHR, Eleanor Roosevelt, towards the
adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
13. Describe the entire background under which the UDHR was made or given to the world.
14. Enumerate any 10 “Human Rights” mentioned under UDHR with their implication on human life.
Community Work
1. Make assessment of all the works and efforts made towards promotion and preservation of “human
rights” in your community.
2. Nepalese women, Dalits and children are still under the clutches of exploitation and misery. Several of
them are working in hotels, restaurants and different other places. A state of slavery still continues for
them as they are deprived of adequate food, cloth, shelter and medical care. Social evils and social prob-
lems are other strings which have tied them to pillars of superstitions, poverty and illiteracy. Despite
having constitutional provisions in their favour and several Articles of UDHR protecting them, it is iron-
ic that women, children and Dalits are still languishing in their life. Make a profile of minimum ten such
women, Dalits and children and send the same to the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission),
Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) and the Amnesty International for institutional actions in a bid
to ameliorate (improve) their situation by restoring their human rights.
174 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
Lesson Rights to Women, Adivasi and
1 0 Janajati
Women Rights
Women constitute more than half of the total population of Nepal. Nepal being a developing country, wom-
en’s lives here largely revolve around their traditional roles like doing household chores, helping out in
agricultural activities, fetching water and animal fodder and others. Their existence and standing in soci-
ety depends upon the male members such as father, brother, husband and son. Their economic and social
dependence on male members have chained them as they find themselves constrained and stifled in using
their intelligence, capacity and skills for their own development as well as the development of entire family.
They toil in domestic work and assist other male members in work yet they wait for more understanding
and support from the family members and people of society. Women have all the qualities and capacities
to become productive and efficient members of the mainstream society earning respect and recognition for
their work. Although the constitution offers women equal rights, many social, economic, and cultural fac-
tors have contributed to lower status and backwardness of women in Nepal. Women empowerment shall
remain a distant dream without ensuring rights to them for their personal growth, security and develop-
ment. Therefore, besides the constitutional provisions different policies and several laws have been enacted
and are currently in force for securing women rights in Nepal.
Following provisions under a series of laws and the constitution have favoured women to assert their tal-
ents, realize their potentials and attain to respectful positions in the society:
1. To build a society based on liberty, equality and justice where the principles of proportional representa-
tion, inclusiveness and participation are in full play
2. To stop (end) gender discrimination
3. To get citizenship in the name of mother
4. To discard any consideration of birth, religion, colour, caste, gender, disability or any other such bases
while implementing laws in day to day life
5. To make special and specific arrangements for the protection and empowerment of backward women
and people with disability as per law
6. To accept the lineage from the side of woman as mother (matrilineal lineage) along with the man as
father (matrilineal lineage) without bringing disrepute and discrimination
7. To provide for safe maternity and reproductive health
8. To stop all kinds of emotional, physiological and sexual violence and exploitation of women perpetrat-
ed against them in the name of religious, social and cultural traditions and customs
9. To ensure participation of women in all the departments of Government of Nepal following the princi-
ples of proportional representation and inclusiveness
10. To provide special facilities and opportunities to women in the areas of education, healthcare, and social
security following the policy of positive discrimination with affirmative action in their favour
11. To have equal decision making powers and equal share in the property to both wife and husband within
the family
12. To get women’s rights actualized and their grievances redressed with the help of the Constitutional
Organ called the National Women Commission
13. To get socially backward women represented in all departments of the State by following the principle
of inclusiveness and provide them social justice
14. To provide social security to economically weak, helpless and deserted women
15. To remain politically committed in capacity of being responsible State to ensure values and spirits of
Human Rights, Fundamental Rights and gender equality.
175<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Rights related with Adibasi and Janajati (Indigenous and Ethnic Groups)
Adibasi are the tribal groups who are considered as the indigenous people. These tribal groups are no longer
nomads devoid of any culture or language. Most of these Adibasi groups have been able to develop their
distinct culture as to differentiate one group from another group. Those Adibasi (tribal groups) who have
organized themselves into a distinct cultural group are called Janajati (ethnic groups). Sometimes Adibasi
and Janajati are taken together as Adibasi Janajati. It is because all the Janajati groups have been Adibasi
(indigenous groups). Indigenous peoples (Adibasi Janajati) are the original inhabitants of the land and have
been living on their land much earlier than the other settlers do. Indigenous peoples (Adibasi Janajati) claim
that they have been oppressed and exploited by outsiders who displaced them from their own land, forest
and other means of livelihood. They were unfairly treated by so-called superior migrants and settlers by
using wealth and technology. The indigenous peoples have also been victims of human rights abuses during
the decade long violent conflict from (1996 to 2005 AD). Even after the promulgation of the Constitution of
Nepal, 2072 BS (2015 AD), their demands for proportional representation and inclusion in the affairs of State
have not been well-addressed.
After the Mass Movement–I in 2046 BS (1990 AD), Nepal witnessed the upsurge in political demands put
forward by the Adibasi Janajati for their social and economic betterment and due recognition in the affairs
of the Government. The restoration of democracy after the success of Mass Movement–I was a great sign of
success for Adibasi Janajati peoples as they could come out in open to organize themselves and place their
demands at social, economic and political fronts. Until 1996 AD Nepal didn’t have any official list of Adibasi
Janajati when a total of 61 Adibasi Janajati groups were identified. And a national foundation for Nepal’s
ethnic groups was set up. Nepal got its first government institution concerned with Adibasi Janajati issues
with the approval of the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities Act (NFDIN) in
2002 AD (2058 BS). Under this act, 59 ethnic groups or communities were identified as Adibasis/Janajatis. This
Act defined Adibasis/Janajatis as those ethnic groups or communities who have the following characteristics:
• Have their own ethnic languages other than Nepali,
• Have their own distinct traditional customs other than those of ruling high castes,
• Espouse distinct culture other than the Hindu culture of dominant groups,
• Have distinct social structure that does not fall under hierarchical Varna or caste system,
• Have written or oral history that traces their line of descent back to the occupants of their territories
before the annexation into present Nepal.
The National Population Census 2011 combined both the caste and ethnic groups and declared a total of
125 caste/ethnic groups in Nepal. Most of the caste/ethnic groups are spread throughout the 75 districts
of the country. There is no district in Nepal with a single caste/ethnic group. Nepal’s various indigenous
“Adibasi/Janajati” tribes have been incorporated within the caste hierarchy but not all of them have firmly
adjusted to this. Thus, castes must not be confused with being identified with Adibasi/Janajati groups (in-
digenous and ethnic groups). The ethnic indigenous groups do not adhere to or fall under the caste system
and hence are not recognized by the caste identity or caste specific names.
Education Related Rights of Adibasi Janajati Groups
a) Right to get free and compulsory basic education,
b) Right to get education in school in child-friendly environment,
c) Right to preserve, protect and promote their own language, script, local skills, knowledge and culture,
d) Right to have easy access to means and resources naturally available in their areas of residence (living),
e) Right to obtain basic education in their respective mother tongues,
f) Right to have special and specific supportive facilities in placing them in higher education,
g) Right to get special treatment and reservation from the State in receiving basic essential services, shelter
and employment,
176 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
h) Right to strongly represent their case in all the departments of the Government (State) by participating
in the State-sponsored activities based on the principle of inclusive participation in all the affairs of
public life.
Efforts of the State towards Establishing Adibasi Janajati Rights
a) Establishment of National Commission on Adibasi Janajati,
b) Provisions for providing basic education in the formative years in their own mother tongue,
c) Acceptance of the principle of inclusive participation for Adibasi Janajati in all the government depart-
ments at all levels,
d) Making arrangement for curriculum, textbook, teachers and other instructional materials in their own
mother tongue to impart education, skills and training,
e) Facilities for scholarship, hostels and other related arrangements.
Words and terms you would like to know
Constrain (v.): to limit or restrict somebody or something, especially to prevent the free expression of something
Stifle (v.): to curb, repress, or prevent the development of something
Fetch (v.): to go after and bring back somebody or something
Espouse (v.): to adopt or support something as a belief or cause
Hierarchical (adj.): relating to or arranged in a formally ranked order
Descent (n.): an act of going from the top to the bottom or from a higher position to a lower position; the connection
somebody has to an ancestor or group of ancestors
Adhere (v.): to stick firmly to a surface or an object
Activities
1. Are Adibasi Janajati living in your community exercising all the rights as mentioned in this lesson?
Evaluate their positions and their life in your community and present a report in your class.
2. Make a list of all the Adibasi Janajati groups living in your community. Also mention if they are using
their own mother tongue or not.
3. Consider the following data presented in the table connected with women’s representation in politics in
South Asian countries.
Proportion of Seats held by women in National Parliament of few countries (%)
Left Hand Side Right Hand Side
Country 1990 AD 2016 AD Country 1990 AD 2016 AD
Afghanistan 4 28 China 21 24
Australia 6 29 Finland 32 42
Bangladesh 10 20 India 5 12
Bhutan 2 9 Maldives 6 6
Brazil 5 10 Nepal 6 30
Canada 13 26 Pakistan 10 21
Sri Lanka 5 6 USA 7 19
UK 6 30 S. Africa 3 42
(a.) Analyze the above data in light of socio-economic status of women in different countries in relation
to Nepal.
(b.) Select any five countries from the above table and make a separate table to show them in bar
diagram.
177<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
4. A woman forum in Nepal organized a symposium on ‘Gender Empowerment Measures (GEM)’. A local
reporter went to attend the program held in Kathmandu where different participants put forth their
views. The reporter collected all the facts, information, views and thoughts to convert it into a good
precise essay. Here is the essay being presented for you:
Women in Nepalese Society
To start with, let us celebrate the glory of women shared by none other than Zarathustra (the prophet
of Ancient Iran). “Woman is the marvel of creation. She is the blooming flower in the garden of life
that breathes perfume all around. Woman is the teacher of gentility to man. She helps man to grow in
moral height. She is the sustaining power of the life of man” – Zarathustra
Women Rights are all about developing capabilities and degree of freedom needed for women and girls
of all ages in a society. The idea is women should have their rights to develop their own womanhood
along with capabilities to compete with men in political, social and economic world. Women rights
are closely related to women empowerment. Women empowerment highlights three different aspects
of power that women in any society require to develop: social, political, and psychological aspects of
power. Social power means having access to resources such as information, knowledge, and skills.
Political power refers to participation in decision making, in particular those decisions that affect
a person’s own future. Psychological power concerns with individual’s sense of potency and self-
esteem, which may positively influence his or her access to social and political power.
The development workers, professionals and women themselves pointed out various barriers that
restrict them from entering the mainstream social and economic life. They are illiteracy, traditional
attitudes and behaviours, discrimination on gender and economic dependency. Women are not the
natural and most preferred choice in politics or as ‘HEAD’ of the family or in society. However, there
are protections and rights available to women in Nepal as remedial cum preventive measures and
Government of Nepal has shown interest in women’s empowerment. These rights and protections
given to women in Nepal are as follows:
A. Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has given several rights and protections to Nepalese women.
I. All the fundamental rights of citizens are naturally available to women as well.
II. Article 18 prohibits from making any kind of discrimination on the basis of gender. Both
men and women are entitled to get same amount of salary and social security for same kind
of work. Woman as daughter has the right to have equal share in parental property as sons
have.
III. Article 38 especially deals with “right to women’’ where a series of rights have been
guaranteed to Nepalese women.
• No woman shall be subject to gender discrimination.
• Every woman shall be ensured protected and secured maternity and shall have the right
to reproductive health.
• No woman shall be subject to physical, mental, sexual or psychological or any other kind
of violence or exploitation on the basis of (in the name of) religious, social and cultural
tradition or custom or any other such system.
• There shall be inclusive participation of women in all the departments and institutions
functioning under the Government of Nepal.
• Special opportunity shall be provided to women on the basis of positive discrimination
to ensure their education, health, employment and social security.
• Married women shall have equal rights in the matter related to property and family.
178 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
IV. Every political party that ensures its representation in the central legislature-parliament must
have women representatives at least one-third of the total members who are representing the
party in the legislature-parliament.
V. President and Vice-president under the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has to be from
different gender or community. At the same time, Speaker or Deputy Speaker has to be a
woman and the two posts should be allotted to two different parties.
B. A score of legal provisions along with several judgements of the Supreme Court of Nepal have
given protection and shield against various kinds of social evils and problems such as dowry,
Chhaupadi, Kamalari, Baadi, Deuki, Jhuma and so on.
C. Institutional protection to Nepalese women comes from Ministry of Women, National Women
Commission, National Human Rights Commission and women cell of Nepal Police. All of these
institutions function under the Government of Nepal. Furthermore, those women who are in
single status or have become destitute are taken care of by several NGOs functioning at national
and international level.
D. Strong legal provisions do not allow any male-member (son, father, husband or any one) to
inflict any kind of physical or psychological injury (harm) to a woman at home. Every woman
has the right to have a roof over her head even when she has been divorced till the alternative
arrangement is made. If son or daughter is alive, then s/he shall be forced to take care of their old
parents in accordance with the law of the land.
Based on above essay, answer the following questions:
(a.) List all the provisions related to women rights mentioned in the Constitution of Nepal in a table.
(b.) Even today, many women are tortured for not giving birth to a male child. It makes no difference
whether the woman is from Kathmandu or from Dalit family in Tarai – women share similar expe-
rience of discrimination and domination. Share your views in the class based on your observation
and experience of gender-specific behaviours (equations) in your family and neighbourhood in the
presence of your teacher.
(c.) Hold a discussion on the ways (methods) to be adopted for women empowerment in Nepal and
present the same in the class.
Exercise
1. Define women rights with the help of examples.
2. Explain how women empowerment is not possible without guaranteeing women’s rights.
3. It is impossible to ensure women’s rights without uplifting them socially, particularly in family, neigh-
bourhood and community. Express your views with reasons on this observation (statement).
4. Specify the criteria to identify Adibasi Janajati in our society.
5. What do you understand by Adibasi Janajati Rights? What kinds of rights do fall under it?
6. All the Adibasi Janajati have the right to get basic education in their own mother tongue. Justify the
statement with appropriate illustrations.
7. Brigham Young (1801-1877), American religious leader, said, “You educate a man; you educate a man.
You educate a woman; you educate a generation.” Critically evaluate the statement in context of the
present day Nepalese society.
8. Enumerate the main barriers on the path of “Gender Empowerment Measures” in Nepal.
Community Work
Collect the information regarding Adibasi Janajati peoples living in your community. Prepare a report on
them giving detailed description on their language and cultural patterns such as customs, traditions, dress-
es, food habits, relationships, etc. Present the report in the class.
179<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Lesson
1 1 Citizen’s Identity and Citizenship
Introduction
A state provides every citizen an identity by conferring a citizenship certificate. This is also a legal identity
given by a state to its citizens. Citizenship is often mistaken for nationality. Citizenship and nationality are
two different concepts and hence must not be used interchangeably. Citizenship is a legal status which
bestows certain specific legal-political rights such as the Right to Vote in a particular city or state. The rela-
tionship between a citizen and the institution (a Government representing a state) that confers this status
is formal. This formal relationship between a citizen and a state includes both a set of rights as well as a set
of duties (obligations) which a citizen owes to the state and to the fellow citizens. Nationality, on the other
hand, refers to a cultural identity of a person who carries behaviour patterns, values and mores of a country
where he or she is born or brought up. In this way, all the nationals may or may not be the citizens of a coun-
try where they are born or brought up to imbibe the culture of the land. They may choose to get citizenship
of some other country. For example, there are sections of citizens in the United States of America who are
referred to as Chinese Americans, Indian Americans and so on. Such designations indicate the nationality of
the sections of American citizens. One cannot be deprived of nationality because it is a natural phenomenon
and comes through by being born in a country or through inheritance from his/her parents. However, a
person becomes a citizen of a country only when he/she is accepted into that country’s political framework
through legal terms. One can become citizen of one or more than one country as per the provisions of law
but one is a national of only one country.
Legal evidences such as passport and citizenship card as a proof to be a citizen
Unlike nationality, citizenship demands a legal document such as a passport or a citizenship card to be pro-
duced in order to enjoy a set of political and legal rights within or outside a country. The term nationality
is, therefore, a very personal relationship with a nation which gives a cultural and ethnic identity or offers
a pride to be associated with a historic community of a specific part of the world. A country recognises and
defends the nationals living in other countries even though they are not the citizens of their country of birth
or ancestral origin. A country may issue some sort of identity card to them as a proof of being nationals so
that they can enjoy certain concessions and privileges in their country of birth or origin. But, such identity
cards issued for nationals must not be confused as valid legal documents to prove the citizenship.
Differences between the Nationality and Citizenship
1. Citizenship is obtained only when one continues to live in a state (country) while one can remain a na-
tional of one’s own country despite being settled in a foreign country.
180 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
2. One can give up the citizenship of one country and obtain the citizenship of another country. But one
cannot leave one’s own nationality ever in lifetime. Therefore, citizenship is temporary while nationali-
ty is permanent.
3. Citizenship has a limited scope concerning with politico-legal rights while nationality has much broad-
er scope because of its socio-cultural identity.
4. Citizenship is a legal relationship between a state and a citizen while nationality is the emotional rela-
tionship of a citizen with his or her country of birth or ancestors.
5. Citizenship has very personal and individualistic meaning to a person while nationality brings a group
or ethnic affiliation which imparts collective identity to a person.
Popular Practices and/or Systems Regarding Citizenship
There are different practices in vogue regarding acquisition of citizenship. There is a practice to acquire
citizenship based on birth in a territorial boundary of a particular country. Another practice to get citizen-
ship is based on descent according to which a person becomes a citizen of a state of which his/her parents
(both mother and father) are citizens because of their birth. Amongst many other practices of acquiring
citizenship, the practice of naturalization is very popular. Naturalization refers to the process in which a
foreign-born person voluntarily becomes a citizen of a state. When a country grants citizenship, it may or
may not consider a voluntary renunciation of that citizenship to be valid. Some countries require applicants
for naturalization to renounce their former citizenship while some others don’t. There are countries in the
world such as Malta, Austria, Cyprus, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda which grant citizenship de-
pending upon the minimum fixed amount of investment. Israel is one such country in the world that grants
citizenship based on religion and accepts all the Jews scattered around in different parts of the world as the
citizens of Israel. Israel does not mind any Jew having citizenship in any other country with “dual citizen-
ship” with a condition of using Israeli passport while entering Israel. There are instances where a country
may grant a state honour to a famous or an eminent foreign personality by conferring honorary citizenship
to him or her. In such a situation, the person awarded with the honorary citizenship may remain deprived
of the right and privileges enjoyed by a citizen of that country.
There are many federal democratic countries around the world which follow either a system of single citi-
zenship or dual citizenship. Let us take the example of the largest federal democratic country of the world
India and the oldest federal democratic country United States of America (USA). India follows a single and
uniform citizenship for the whole of the country while the USA follows a system of dual citizenship – one
for the province and another for the country. A system of single citizenship does not recognize provincial
citizenship and as such there is no distinction between the citizens of two or more provinces. The provision
of single citizenship is a great step forward in the creation of an integrated society full of ethnic, cultural
and lingual diversity. Same is the situation in Nepal which has become “federal democratic republic” di-
vided into several provinces (commonly known as states). Like India, Nepal too has adopted the system
(practice) of single citizenship throughout the country. A single citizenship for the entire country removes
much of the artificial provincial (state) barriers which tend to separate people of one province from another.
All the citizens in a single citizenship are clothed (bestowed) with common civil and political rights all over
the country. The United States of America has adopted a practice (system) of dual citizenship. A citizen in
the USA owes firstly allegiance to the Unit (province he or she belongs to) and secondly to the union that
181<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
is headed by the central (federal) government. This is what a dual citizenship means within a country. But,
dual citizenship has one more meaning that is about possessing citizenship of two countries at the same
time. If more than one country recognizes a person as a citizen, it is a case of dual citizenship. There can be
cases where a person is recognized as a citizen by more than two countries making it a fit case of being called
the “multiple citizenship”.
Provisions of Citizenship as Mentioned in the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS
Part–2 of the Constitution of Nepal deals with the provisions related to citizenship. Article 10 of Part–2 of
the Constitution declares that every Nepali living within the country has the right to acquire citizenship.
Every Nepali is entitled to have a single federal citizenship with provincial identity in Nepal. There are
mainly four ways to grant citizenship to a Nepali under the present Constitution of Nepal:
A. Citizenship based on Descent:
The following conditions apply to acquire citizenship on the basis of descent in Nepal as per the pro-
visions of the present Constitution of Nepal:
1. A person whose mother and father are the citizens of Nepal at the time of his/her birth, s/he is
eligible to acquire a citizenship based on descent.
2. A person who has acquired the citizenship of Nepal by descent before the commencement of this
constitution shall be considered to have the citizenship by descent.
3. A child of a citizen who has acquired citizenship of Nepal by birth before the commencement of
this constitution shall be entitled to Nepali citizenship by descent upon his/her attaining the age
of maturity (18 years) if his/her parents (father and mother both) are the citizens of Nepal.
4. Every child whose paternity and maternity is not known, if found in Nepal, will be treated as a
citizen of Nepal by descent until the biological mother or father is traced.
A person born to a Nepali citizen mother and having his/her domicile in Nepal but the father is
missing is granted a Nepali citizenship by descent.
B. Citizenship based on Naturalization:
The following conditions apply to acquire citizenship on the basis of naturalization in Nepal as per
the provisions of the present Constitution of Nepal:
1. A person born to a Nepali citizen mother and having his/her domicile in Nepal but the father is
a foreigner gets a naturalized citizenship according to the Federal law.
2. A foreign woman married to a Nepali citizen gets a naturalized citizenship if she desires so.
3. A person whose father is not a Nepali citizen is born to a mother who is a Nepali citizen (married
to a foreigner) acquires naturalized citizenship of Nepal as provided for by a Federal law if s/
he has the permanent domicile in Nepal and at the same time has not obtained citizenship of the
foreign country.
C. Honorary Citizenship:
A country bestows a status of ‘honorary citizenship’ on a foreign individual whom it considers to
be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. According to the Constitution of
Nepal–2072 BS, Government of Nepal may confer honorary citizenship according to Federal law if a
foreign individual has safeguarded the interest and pride of Nepal and has enhanced the country’s
prestige. For example, Government of Nepal in the past had conferred honorary citizen on Dr. Toni
Hagen and Sir Edmund Hillary.
Dr. Toni Hagen (1917 – 2003) was a Swiss geologist. Dr. Hagen was the first foreigner to trek through-
out Nepal. The United Nations Organization had engaged him in geological and geographic
182 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
survey work and mapping. Dr. Hagen had authored a book on Nepal based on his experience. He
also produced a film titled, “The Ring of the Buddha”.
Sir Edmund Hillary (1919 – 2008) was a citizen of New Zealand. He was mountaineer, explorer and
philanthropist. Hillary and the Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climb-
ers to have reached the summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953. Time magazine has named Hillary
one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. After the successful ascent of Everest,
Hillary devoted most of his life to helping the Sherpa community of Nepal. He set up the Himalayan
Trust for extending financial and material support for building many schools and hospitals in Nepal.
D. Non-residential Citizenship:
Non-residential citizenship may be conferred on a person who has acquired citizenship of a foreign
country and residing in a country other than the country which is a member of the South Asian
Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). A person will acquire non-residential citizenship only
when his or her ancestor like father or mother, grandfather or grandmother was citizen of Nepal by
descent or birth and later on migrated to foreign country. Such a person may not enjoy all the political
and legal rights of a citizen but will definitely enjoy the economic, social and cultural rights as pro-
vided for in a Federal law.
Some of the analysts refer to non-residential citizenship as dual citizenship though without legal and
political rights. This clearly shows that Nepal recognizes foreigners of Nepali origin as its own, and
acknowledges their importance and potential contribution to the development of Nepal.
Words and terms you would like to know
Non Resident Nepali: The NRN (Non Resident Nepali) is a citizen of Nepal who holds a Nepalese passport and has
temporarily emigrated to another country for six months or more for employment, residence, education or any other
purpose. The NRN is also called Gaira Aawasiya Nepali. According to the Non Resident Nepali Act, 2007 Article II, the
phrase ‘Non Resident Nepali’ does not include Nepali citizen or citizen of SAARC countries of Nepali descent living
in SAARC countries. It further excludes the students and members and staffs of Nepali diplomatic mission staying in
any foreign country.
Person of Nepali Origin: A person of Nepali origin is a person of Nepali origin or ancestry who was or whose ancestors
were born in Nepal or nations with Nepalese ancestry but is not a citizen of Nepal. He or she is currently the citizen of
another country. A person of Nepali origin might have been a citizen of Nepal and later on taken decision to acquire
the citizenship of another country.
Country of Domicile: A country of domicile is that country which a person treats as his or her permanent home, or
lives in and has a substantial connection with. Domicile is somebody’s true, fixed, and legally recognized place of
residence, especially in cases of prolonged absence that require them to prove a continuing and significant connection
with the place.
Activities
1. Minutely examine the design and details of the citizenship card of your guardian or elders. Make note
of all the details that you make out after seeing the citizenship card and share them in the class.
2. Organize a speech competition on the topic “A citizen without citizenship has same fate as a fish with-
out water”.
3. Are there any problems or impediments in acquiring citizenship card in your community? If yes then
discuss the various impediments with concerned heads (like secretary) of village council or municipali-
ty so that people from the community can exercise their constitutional rights as the citizens. Prepare the
description of your meeting with the officials from the village council and municipality and share it in
the class.
4. Article 14 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS has made a provision to grant the non-residential
183<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
citizenship to overseas Nepali having foreign citizenship but has a root in Nepal. This is the provision
of dual citizenship that Nepal has adopted. Dual citizenship is not a new concept. Many countries in the
world have this provision, notably the United States, the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Israel and over 20
countries in Africa. The rights and privileges accorded to dual citizenships vary from country to coun-
try, with some countries making no distinction between regular citizens and dual citizens. However,
Nepal has not granted any legal or political rights to overseas Nepali and has maintained a clear differ-
ence between a regular single citizenship and dual citizenship. Is this move to deprive overseas Nepali
of legal and political rights right? What are the benefits Nepal will get by guaranteeing dual citizenship
to overseas Nepali having foreign passport?
Form four groups and discuss the above questions and write down your conclusions. Also read the
conclusions aloud in the class for the benefits of all the students.
5. As per the provisions of Nepal Citizenship Act 2063 BS (2006), the Government of Nepal may grant
naturalized citizenship as prescribed to those foreign citizens, who have contributed specially for the
uplift of science, philosophy, art, literature, world peace, human welfare or Nepalese industry, finance
or social development and have fulfilled the following conditions or status: (a) S/he is able to read and
write Nepali or any other language in practice in Nepal. (b) S/he is engaged in any occupation and
domiciled in Nepal. (c) S/he has renounced or declared such renunciation of the citizenship of the other
country. (d) S/he has resided in Nepal for a minimum period of 15 years. (e) S/he is a citizen of the
country where there is provision of the law or practice to grant naturalized citizenship to Nepalese. (f)
S/he bears good moral character (g) S/he is mentally fit and healthy.
I. Is it appropriate for Nepal to grant naturalized citizenship to a foreigner who applies for it as an
independent person? Give reasons for your answer.
II. Are you satisfied with the above conditions which need to be fulfilled before one becomes a natural-
ized citizen? Do you want more conditions to be imposed or want to make the existing conditions
much simpler or easier? Express your views with concrete suggestions.
Exercise
1. What is citizenship? List the major ways to acquire citizenship.
2. Highlight the differences between nationality and citizenship.
3. Differentiate between the descent-based citizenship and naturalized citizenship.
4. What types of people are eligible to receive honorary citizenship in Nepal? Express your views.
5. What do you understand by “dual citizenship”? Who does Nepal bestow dual citizenship on and
why?
6. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of single citizenship.
7. Briefly introduce the profile of those foreigners who have been granted honorary citizenship by
Nepal.
Community Work
Collect the news and views on citizenship from different newspapers and magazines. Take the opinions
of your community people and women with regard to different provisions of citizenship mentioned in the
Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS. Analyze all the collected materials and prepare a report with your conclu-
sions. Present the report to the class teacher for evaluation and grading.
184 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
UNIT
6
Our Earth
Learning Objectives
After the completion of this Unit, students will be able to......
Describe the pattern of the onset of weather and climate and their prevalence in different climatic
regions around the world.
Understand the relationship between the kinds of topography and presence of specific climate in
a particular region.
See the correlation between the climate and human life pattern in a region.
Describe the physical, social and economic conditions of continents like North America, South
America and Africa.
Evaluate the danger and nature of disaster caused by Earthquake and Tsunami with the mitigating
measures to lessen their deadly impacts on human life.
Draw the Map of Nepal and other regions with the help of modern available technology.
Lesson Types of World Climate and the
Influencing Factors
1
Weather vis-à-vis Climate: An Understanding
Weather describes the condition of the atmosphere over a short time-period e.g. from day to day or week
to week, while climate describes average conditions over a longer time-period say for more than a decade.
We are always surrounded by a weather that in fact determines the climate. Experience of weather predicts
the type of climate we are living in. Climate is average weather condition of a particular region. If an area
has more dry days throughout the year than wet days, it would be described as a dry climate; a place
that has more cold days than hot days would make it a cold climate. Weather is the fluctuating state of
the atmosphere characterized by atmospheric parameters such as temperature, pressure, humidity and
precipitation that occur from hour-to-hour or from day-to-day. Weather is the state of the atmosphere at
any given time and place. For example, when we step outside, what we experience is the weather made up
of varying proportion of factors (or elements) like humidity, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and
direction, cloud cover and type, and the amount and form of precipitation. These elements or parameters of
weather, which go on changing in any locality from the morning until the night, create specific atmospheric
characteristics as momentary conditions. Therefore, climate is the long-term weather of that area (at least 30
years) which includes the region’s general pattern of weather conditions. Two of the most important factors
determining an area’s climate are air temperature and precipitation.
Climatic Regions and Climatic Zones
Climatic region is the geographical area on the Earth, which has similar climatic conditions because of the
predictable interplay of components like atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (land and soil),
185<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
biosphere (flora and fauna) and cryosphere (frozen part of the earth). Climatic region lies within the climatic
zone, which has observable variations in weather conditions between two climatic regions with overall stark
commonalities that differentiate one climatic zone from another.
For example, Tropical zone having hot and humid climate spreads from 30º N to 30º°S with several climat-
ic regions like Equatorial Region, Savanna Region, Tropical Desert Region and Tropical Monsoon Region
exhibiting pronounced observable differences in weather conditions yet the entire tropical zone shows a
common pattern that distinguishes it from other climatic zones like temperate and cold zones. Temperate
zone having warm summer and cold winter spreads from 30º N/S to 60º°N/S with several climatic regions
like Mediterranean Region, Steppe Grassland, British Type Climate and Laurentian Type Climate exhibiting
pronounced observable differences in weather conditions yet the entire temperate zone shows a common
pattern that distinguishes it from the cold zone. The Cold Zone that spreads from 60º N/S to 90º°N/S in
both the hemispheres shows the weather conditions of cool summer and very cold winter with little or no
precipitation.
The world has several climatic zones. The map of the climatic zones is generally based on the maximum
and minimum temperatures and the temperature range as well as the total and seasonal distribution of
precipitation.
Climatic Zones Based on Temperature Range and Precipitation
Simple summary of climatic regions:
Polar - very cold and dry throughout the year
Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
Arid - dry, hot throughout the year
Tropical - hot and wet throughout the year
Mediterranean - mild winters, dry hot summers
Mountainous (tundra) - very cold throughout the year
The Factors which Influence the Climate
It is very natural for everybody to feel that climate in the hilly region is different from the plain area. The
climate of mountainous region differs from the plain desert and the sea-side is totally different from the
inner continental area. It means that there are various factors operating on the climate of a specific region to
be different from the other regions located in different settings.
The following is the description of the factors, which affect the climate:
1. Latitude: As the Earth circles the sun, the tilt of its axis causes changes in the angle according to which
186 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
sun’s rays contact the earth and hence change the daylight hours at different latitudes. Between 23.5º°N
(tropic of cancer) and 23.5º°S (tropic of Capricorn), we have the tropics or the tropical zone -- where high
temperatures are the norm and the sun can beat down from directly overhead once or twice each year. The
sun’s rays hit the equator at a direct angle between the above latitudes. Radiation (Sun’s rays) that reach the
atmosphere here are at their maximum (most intense).
Varied heating of the Sun across the Earth’s surface from Equator to Pole
In all other cases, the rays arrive at an angle to the surface and are less intense. For example, the region from
23.5º°N/S to 66.5º°N/S in both the hemispheres constitute temperate zones and sun rays in temperate zones
are not that direct as they are in the equator. From 66.5º°N to 90º°N at the North Pole lies the Arctic Circle
Region and from 66.5º° S to the 90º°S at the South Pole lies the Antarctic. Both the regions towards the poles
receive the slant rays from the Sun. In this arctic region, the sun is above the horizon for part or all of the sum-
mer and never rises at all during some day(s) in the winter. It is the case in the Antarctic too in the southern
hemisphere. The closer a place is to the poles on the earth, the smaller the angle and therefore the less intense
the radiation. For more details, see the above figure.
2. Distance from the Sea: Distance from the sea/ocean is an important factor that affects the climate/
weather of the region. The sun warms the sea/ocean more slowly in comparison to the land because of
water’s greater specific heat compared to land. Specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the
temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. The specific heat of water is one calorie
per degree; that is, one calorie of heat must be supplied to a gram of water to raise the temperature by
one degree Celsius and this is greater than the land’s specific heat. This is why land heats up much more
quickly during the day with the same amount of sun rays received both on the land and on the sea and
cools down sooner than the sea/ocean during the night. The cooler air above the sea/ocean where the
high-pressure area develops during the day blows inland (or towards the land) into the lower pressure
area. This is known as sea breeze or onshore wind. This creates a cooler breeze near the coast. During the
night because of its difference in specific heat values, the land cools off more quickly than the sea/ocean
resulting in land breeze (also known as offshore wind) to blow from the land towards the sea/ocean. As
we have already seen, land heats and cools faster than the sea and therefore, coastal areas have a lower
temperature range than those areas inside the land. The coast areas experience mild winters and cool
summers whereas inland areas do have hot summer and cold winter.
3. Winds: Simply understood, wind is air in motion. Differences in atmospheric pressure primarily caused
by differences in temperature because of the differential heating of the earth’s surface by the Sun generate
wind. The warmer air tends to rise and flow over the colder, heavier air as and when the temperatures of
adjacent regions become unequal and is further modified by the earth’s rotation. Winds are normally clas-
sified into four major types: the prevailing winds, the seasonal winds, the local winds, and the cyclonic and
anti-cyclonic winds and they play a significant role in determining and controlling climate and weather.
For example, planetary winds called the 'Trade winds' that blow towards the equator from sub-tropical
high-pressure belt bring maximum rainfall in the tropical region and make it ‘hot and humid’. Westerly, on
187<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
the other hand, originates in and around 30º° N/S (sub-tropical high-pressure) and blows towards 60º° N/S
(sub-polar low-pressure belt) brings rain in temperate zone of the planet Earth. In meteorology, strength of
the wind and the direction from which it is blowing determine its nature. For example, gusts are short bursts
of high-speed wind whereas squalls last for intermediate duration (around one minute). Long-duration
winds according to their average strength are famous by different names such as breeze, gale, storm, hur-
ricane and typhoon. Hurricanes and their likes in other places (typhoons near Japan and cyclones off India
and Australia) blow most often during the warmer months of the year. Hurricanes with the speed of 75 and
150 miles an hour mainly blow near the Equator and on some rare occasions are even much stronger.
[Note: 1 Mile = 1.609 km]
A: Sea breeze; B: Land breeze Pressure Belts with Wind Directions
Interplay between the ocean current and prevailing winds: The interplay between the ocean current and the
prevailing wind is best exemplified in the climate of the UK (United Kingdom) and Northern Europe. The
climate of the UK and Northern Europe is not that cold as the climates of Canada, Russia and Alaska even
though all lie along the same latitude. The climate of the UK and Northern Europe is very mild due to the
effect of the North Atlantic Drift – a section of the Gulf Stream.
North Atlantic Drift moving along with the force of westerly winds towards the Northern Europe
188 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
The Gulf Stream is the current that moves from the Atlantic Ocean into the North Sea in one branch and
down past Portugal to the Mediterranean Sea. The Gulf Stream brings with it the warm water from the Flor-
ida Current near the Gulf of Mexico to cast a warming effect on the climates of the land that it passes along.
The warm water that moves in the North Atlantic Drift is accompanied by strong westerly winds. This com-
bined force of the ocean current (North Atlantic Drift) and the wind (westerly) moves towards the coast
of Norway and other Scandinavian regions including Finland and Sweden making them comparatively
warmer and free from ice (snow). The Norwegian coast and Northern European regions lie very close to the
Arctic Circle and Arctic Ocean to make their climate much colder. Arctic Zone is permanently covered with
ice and snow in winter but the coast of Norway remains mostly free of snow and ice. It is all due to the Gulf
Stream which creates warmer weather systems in the northern region of Europe facing the North Atlantic
along with the push of westerly winds in the region. The effect of Gulf Stream is visible even beyond the
Scandinavian mountains in the region.
4. Altitude: Normally, climatic conditions become colder as altitude increases. On an average, 1º°C tem-
perature decreases with an elevation or altitude of 165m. This has an impact on the pattern of life in the
region of varying altitudes. For example, flora and fauna at the base are the same as those in surrounding
countryside, but no trees at all can grow above 5000 meters and types of animals vary in the higher altitudes.
Snow crowns the highest elevations as temperatures decrease with the increasing altitude (or height). The
air becomes less dense and cannot hold heat as easily as air around the sea level does. Hills and valleys
interrupt the environmental wind flow, the wind circulation between mountains and valleys affects the
prevailing winds too. Hills and valleys substantially distort the airflow by increasing friction between the
atmosphere and landmass by acting as a physical block to the flow. If there is a pass in the mountain range,
winds rush through the pass with considerable speed because of an inverse relationship between speed and
pressure. In mountainous parts of the world particularly in tropical zone, the moist climate usually prevails
on the windward side of a mountain rather than on the leeward or downwind side where a formation of
rain shadow area takes place.
5. Topography, Geography and Surface of the Earth: The topography of an area and geographical position
of a town, city or place in relation to its distance from mountains and water bodies greatly influence our
climate. Mountain ranges are natural barriers to air movement.
Topography and altitude play decisive roles in determining the nature of climate in a region.
189<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
In California, winds off the Pacific Ocean carry moisture-laden air towards the coast and the Coastal Range
in Western Cordilleras block these moist winds to allow them for condensation to receive light precipitation.
Similarly, advancing monsoon from Bay of Bengal causes maximum rainfall in Pokhara in Nepal as it is in
windward side of the Annapurna range. Since sinking air warms from compression (just opposite to con-
densation), clouds evaporate to cause dry conditions on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in Western
United States. Manang and Mustang are dry valleys in Nepal located in trans-Himalayan regions as cold
desert in the extension of Tibetan Plateau with hardly any precipitation.
Coastal areas across the world enjoy refreshing breezes in summer. At the same time, coastal cities have a dan-
ger of facing damage of life and property from devastating storms as Sandy storms hit the eastern coastal city
New York on October 29, 2012. Furthermore, the surface of the Earth plays a decisive role in absorption and
reflection of the sun rays along with the atmospheric heating. For example, greener areas or vegetated regions
absorb more sun rays in comparison to snow and ice-covered regions. Thus, topography, geography and sur-
face of the Earth have enormous influence over the type of climate we have around different parts of the world.
Words and terms you would like to know
Weather & Climate: Weather is the fluctuating state of the atmosphere characterized by atmospheric parameters such
as temperature, pressure, humidity and precipitation that occur from hour-to-hour or from day-to-day whereas climate
of the region is the weather, averaged over a period of time (say for 20 years) and over a specific geographical region.
Weather changes from moment to moment but climate remains comparatively non-changing.
Season: Season brings major change in pattern of weather conditions for an interval of few months in a year like
summer, rainy, autumn, winter and spring seasons. These seasons are created by the revolution and the rotation of the
earth, which is tilted towards the sun at 23.5° degrees.
Altitude: Altitude is any elevation from the sea level. Altitude affects the climate in the sense that climatic conditions
become colder as altitude increases. On an average, 1º°C temperature decreases with an elevation or altitude of 165m.
ITCZ: The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ, is a belt of low pressure which circles the Earth generally near
the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. It is characterised by
convective activity which often generates vigorous thunderstorms over large areas. It is most active over continental
land mass by day and relatively less active over the oceans.
Wind: Wind is air in motion and air is the mixture of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and smaller amounts of hydrogen,
carbon dioxide, water vapour, helium, neon, krypton, xenon, and others that compose the atmosphere surrounding the
Earth. Differences in atmospheric pressure are primarily caused by differences in temperature because of the differential
heating of the earth’s surface by the Sun generate wind.
Gusts, Squalls & Hurricanes: Gusts are short bursts of high-speed wind whereas squalls last for intermediate duration
(around one minute) and hurricanes are long-duration winds, which usually blow during the warmer months of the
year.
Activities
2. The following diagram shows different latitudes across the surface of the Earth between the north and
the south poles. Indicate different types of climates with two main features found on or near the major
five latitudes marked below.
190 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
2. Rearrange the following graph till the height of 8,848 meters (the height of Mount Everest located in
Nepal). Also present the data in a tabular form.
3. Show the different types of climates along different latitudes across the Globe on the chart paper. Display
the chart paper on the wall of the classroom.
4. Explain the types of climate found in your area of residence to the classmates and also listen to their
explanation of types of climate found in their respective areas.
5. Explain the pattern of monsoon in Nepal and show with the help of a diagram the interplay of different
factors which are responsible for the monsoon here every year. Hold a discussion in the classroom on
the presence or absence of different factors influencing the monsoon in Nepal.
Exercise
1. Differentiate between weather and climate with examples.
2. What do you mean by season? How is it created (caused)?
3. Sun is ultimately responsible for the change in weather and climate. Critically analyze the statement.
4. How do coastal areas in/around the world affect climate? Explain with examples.
5. How does the distance from a sea affect the climate? Explain with examples along with the underlying
causes behind this phenomenon.
6. The mountainous slopes facing the wind-ward side have humid climate. Describe the statement with
the help of examples.
7. An ocean current plays such a dominant influence on climate that it nullifies the effects of latitudes in a
region. Examine the statement with the help of illustrations.
8. What is climatic zone? How many climatic zones are present on the Earth? Name them with their char-
acteristic features.
9. What are the climatic conditions at the place you live in? Also explain the causes for such climatic con-
ditions you experience in the place you currently live in.
10. Winds wave the magical wand to waver the climate. Explain with suitable illustrations.
11. Describe all the features that influence the climate of the earth.
Community Work
Have you ever scaled any mountain? If not, make a plan to scale a mountain of your choice in Nepal by
making a group of students and teachers. This will give you practical exposure and you will experience
varied climates at different altitudes of the mountain. You should also arrange a meeting with an experienced
mountaineer in order to have productive interaction regarding nature and types of climate along different
slopes of the mountain right from the bottom to the top ( from the foot of the mountain to the peak of
mountain). Write down all the details based on your experience of mountain excursion and the interaction
you had with the mountaineer. Get your details published in a newspaper or a magazine.
191<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
Lesson Tropical Climatic Zone – Nature
and Types of Climate
2
Tropical climatic zone extends roughly from 30º° N to 30º° S on both sides of the equator (0° latitude) and
mainly covers the “Tropics” in both the hemispheres namely Tropic of Cancer at 23.5º N and Tropic of
Capricorn at 23.5º S. The sun- rays fall vertically in tropics and remain almost directly overhead during the
entire year. Within the tropical climate zone there are climatic regions (or Biomes) having distinct varieties
of vegetation, animals and way of human life:
1. Tropical Equatorial (Rainforest) Climatic Region (5º° N to 5º°S)
2. Tropical Grassland Climatic Region (5º°N/S to 20º° N/S)
3. Tropical Desert Climatic Region (20º° N/S to 30º° N/S)
4. Tropical Monsoon Climatic Region (5º° N/S to 30º° N/S)
Let us understand the details of each of the climatic regions or biomes that fall under tropical zone.
1. Tropical Equatorial (Rainforest) Climatic Region (5° N to 5°S)
(a) Location or Distribution: A tropical rainforest climate popularly known as equatorial climate dominates
near the equator mostly at latitudes within ten degrees North and South of the equator. The geographical
area around the world that falls under the influence of the equatorial climate is Southeast Asia, Central
Africa (in Congo Basin), South America (particularly Amazon Basin in Brazil) and Northern Queensland in
Australia.
(b) Climatic Conditions: There is little or no dry season in equatorial climate as heavy rainfall [more than 80
inches (2000 mm or 200 cm)] occurs uniformly throughout the year with average relative humidity as high
as around 80% in a year. The equatorial climatic region experiences uniformly high temperature throughout
the year because the sun shines overhead all the year round. The average temperature stands at 27º° C.
Above Figure Shows the Equatorial Climate across the World
The high temperature combined with excessive humidity makes the weather very oppressive and
unpleasant. Equatorial climate has only one season characterized by hot, humid and wet weather conditions
throughout the year. The difference between the hottest (in summer) and coolest (in winter) month is just 3º°
C. This makes the weather in equatorial region too monotonous. However, the diurnal range (the difference
between high and low of any given day) is quite large and it is said that night is the winter of the tropics.
192 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
(c) Vegetation: The popular vegetation of this climatic region is the ‘rain forest’ that includes tall trees found
in the areas. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth’s land surface. Scientists estimate that more than
half of all the world’s plant and animal species exist in tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests produce 40%
of Earth’s oxygen. A tropical rainforest has more types of trees than any other area in the world. All tropical
rainforests resemble one another in some ways. Many of the trees have straight trunks that do not branch out
for 100 feet or more. The trees have no branches below the canopy because there is little sun-light available
there and almost all the light (sunrays) hangs above the leaves forming the canopy. The majority of the trees
have smooth, thin bark as they receive ample water and do not require special protection against freezing
cold temperature due to equatorial climate. The smooth and thin barks of the trees also help them save from
epiphytes (a plant that grows on another but does not get nutrition from the host plant) as well as plant
parasites to get hold on the trunks. Equatorial rain forest in the Amazon Basin is famously known as Selvas.
Some of the popular trees/plants in the rainforest are Bengal Bamboo, Bougain Villea, Coconut, Durian,
Jambu, Kapok Tree, Mangrove Tree, Stranglers Figs and Tualang.
(d) Animals: Amongst the popular animals in the equatorial rainforest are African Forest Elephant, Bengal
Tiger, Chimpanzee, Golden Lion, King Cobra, Orangutan, Silvery Gibbon, Vampire Bat, Harpy Eagle,
Kinkajou, Wagler’s Pit Viper.
Tropical rainforests account for 20-25 percent of all known arthropods. Nearly 90% of all primates (including
orangutan, arboreal ape, gibbons, langurs, gorillas, chimpanzees and lemurs) live in these rainforests.
Orangutans live in the treetops of the Southeast Asian tropical rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. They
spend most of their lives on trees and rarely descend down. The name Orangutan means “man of the forest”
in Malay.
2. Tropical Grassland Climatic Region or Savanna (5° N/S to 20° N/S)
(a) Location or Distribution: A tropical grassland climate popularly known as Savannas biome dominates
the latitudinal area from 5º°N/S to 20º N/S in both the hemispheres. Savannas occupy the area between
rainforests and deserts. Savannas cover mainly Central Africa and large areas in Australia, South America,
India and Southeast Asia.
(b) Climatic Conditions: Savannas have warm temperature round the year. Only two dominant seasons
exist in a Savanna – a very long dry season (winter), and a very wet season (summer). Dry season i.e. winter
receives only an average of about 4 inches (10 cm) of rainfalls. Temperatures in winter go up to 24º°C and do
not produce sweating. Summer season is very wet and brings the rainfall ranging from about 85 to 150 cm
per year for six to eight months of the year. It gets hot and very humid during the rainy season. Every day the
hot, humid air rises off the ground, collides with cooler air above, and turns into rain. In the afternoons on the
summer Savanna, the rains pour down for hours. In the summer, the temperature ranges from 78º° to 86º° F
(25º° - 30º° C). As a whole, the Savannah climate has a temperature range of 68º to 86º F (20º - 30º C) in a year.
Above Figure Shows the Tropical Grassland Climate across the World
193<< Nova Social Studies Grade-10
(c) Vegetation: The dominant Savanna vegetation includes grasses and forbs (small broad-leaved plants that
grow with grasses). Different Savannas around the world support different grasses because of the disparities
in rainfall and rain conditions. For example, Savanna in Venezuela is called Llanos, Campos in Brazil, and
Savanna in Central Africa and tropical grassland in South of Africa is known as Veldt. Since most of the
Savanna grassland lies in Sudan in Central Africa, tropical grasslands are sometimes referred to as Sudan
Type Climate. The most common species in all the tropical grasslands around the world famously known as
Savannas are lemon grass, star grass, red-oat grass and Rhodes grass. These grasses grow up to 3- 6 feet tall
at maturity. These grasses have deep roots and underground stems (or rhizomes). With the arrival of rains,
bunches of grasses grow vigorously as high as an inch or more in 24 hours.
Trees in the African Savanna look like a flat top and grow up to a fair height. This is the adaptation of trees
to save themselves from animal-browsing like Giraffe. Unlike rainforest trees, scattered trees in Savanna do
not grow too tall because light energy from the Sun is easily available in the dry heat and they do not have to
compete for it. The scattered shrubs or trees are resistant to drought, browsing and fire. The trees survive a
fire by retaining enough moisture in them above the ground throughout the dry season. Some of the famous
plants of Savanna are Bermuda grass, Elephant grass, Gum tree, Eucalyptus, and Umbrella thorn Acacia.
(d) Animals: An African Savanna has the world’s greatest diversity of ungulates (hoofed mammals).
Hoof is a horney covering of foot in animals like horse, deer and cow. There are over 40 different species.
Especially, antelopes are of diverse species. Prominent herbivores are rhinoceros, giraffes, elephants, zebras
and warthogs. Both grazing and browsing species of animals coexist together in the same area. Most of these
animals are herd animals and are organized into groups of females. Their young ones are protected with a
single dominant male and group of bachelor males.
Emu Savanna Elephant African Wild Dog
Amongst the predators are lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, wild dogs and hyenas. Some animals like birds
come to eat grasshoppers, lizards and beetles that are killed by the fire. Many number of underground holes and
crevices provide a safe shelter for some creatures in world’s Savannas. Such a rich variety of animals and their
interplay in Savanna has made this climatic region “zoo of the world”.
3. Tropical Desert Climatic Region (20° N/S to 30° N/S)
(a) Location or Distribution: A tropical desert climate dominates the latitudinal area from 20º°N/S to
30º°N/S in both the hemispheres. Actually, at about 30 north and south of the equator lies the subtropical
climate belt (near about Tropic of Cancer: 23.5º°N and Tropic of Capricorn: 23.5º°S) of dry descending air with
high atmospheric pressure and clear skies leading to desert conditions. Most of the Hot and Dry Deserts are
near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. The subtropical warm deserts are found in the coasts
of Peru and Chile (Atacama), South-western United States of America (Sonoran, Mujave, Chihuahuan) and
Argentina (Monte), the coast of south western Africa (Namib), South-western Africa (Kalahari), Northern
Africa (Sahara), the Arabian Peninsula (Arabian Desert), Thar Desert in India and Pakistan, and in Australia
lies the Great Sandy and Victoria Desert.
The Atacama and Namib deserts are the driest of the tropical deserts because they lie in the west coasts of
South America and south-western Africa where cold easterly from the poles prevent moist air from coming
on to the west coasts and cold ocean current blowing in these localities convert the moisture in the sea air
into fog.
194 Nova Social Studies Grade-10 >>
The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.
Nova Social Studies 10
Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search
Nova Social Studies 10
- 1 - 50
- 51 - 100
- 101 - 150
- 151 - 200
- 201 - 250
- 251 - 300
- 301 - 350
- 351 - 400
- 401 - 450
- 451 - 468
Pages: