NCERT Class 8 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 2 Chapter 05 Citizenship Rights and Duties PDF Download

Chapter 5: Citizenship: Rights and Duties

The true source of rights is duty.
- Mahatma Gandhi

The Big Questions

1. What does it mean to be a citizen, not just legally, but in everyday life?
2. Why are both rights and duties essential?
3. How can we help build a society where everyone is treated fairly, respected, and included?

The topics in this chapter - citizenship, rights, duties, discrimination, and inclusion - are complex. They have legal meanings too. However, we have simplified them here to help you understand them. You will delve deeper into them in higher grades.

Who Is a Citizen?

New student Kruti was being teased on the playground for her accent. Sonali and Harshada saw this happening and decided to help. They bravely told the bullies to stop teasing her. But they didn't just stop there. They also invited Kruti to join their badminton team so she would feel welcome and included. Kruti happily joined them and finally felt like she belonged. Sonali and Harshada showed what it means to be good citizens - they stood up for someone who needed help and made sure everyone felt included.

A citizen is someone who legally belongs to a country and is a member of its political community i.e. they can participate in the decision-making of the country. In a democracy, citizenship gives rights such as voting, free speech, and living and working safely, but these rights have limits. At the same time, citizens have duties like obeying the law, paying taxes, respecting others, and helping keep society safe. Citizenship is both a legal identity and a social responsibility. As a legal identity, it formally connects people to their country. As a social responsibility, it creates a sense of belonging, and unites them through shared values, rights, and duties.

Don't Miss Out

Living in a place makes you a resident, but citizenship is a formal, legal membership in a country. Not every resident of a country is a citizen. A person can be a resident without being a citizen, and a citizen can even reside in another country.

Citizenship is about active participation. It involves fulfilling duties like paying taxes, helping others in need, and protecting the environment. Crucially, citizenship also grants you rights: the power to question unfair practices and stand up for what is right, shaping the future of your society.

Teacher's Note

Notice the difference between resident and citizen. You might live in a city (making you a resident), but citizenship is a legal status granted by a country. Some people are residents but not citizens; others are citizens living abroad. When answering exam questions, always check whether the question asks about resident or citizen - they are not the same thing.

In India, all citizens are equal under the Constitution despite differences of language, religion, or culture. The Citizenship Act of 1955 and Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 set the rules for gaining or losing citizenship.

In this chapter, we will explore what it truly means to be a citizen of India. We will focus on the following four concepts. 'Rights', 'duties' and 'discrimination' are specifically mentioned in our Constitution. 'Inclusion' is an affirmative way to ensure non-discrimination.

Rights

[Figure: A town festival with children participating in various activities including plays, debates, food stalls, and prayers at different places of worship, See in your textbook]

Every year, a town held a big festival. Children looked forward to it, as there were plays, debates, food stalls, and prayers at different places of worship. This year, a few problems arose.

Teacher's Note

The four children in the story faced different types of discrimination based on gender, class, caste, and physical ability. When studying rights, always remember that discrimination can happen in many ways and to many people. In exams, you may be asked to identify what right is being violated or what type of discrimination is occurring - look carefully at who is being treated unfairly and why.

Key Points

• A citizen is someone who legally belongs to a country and can participate in its decision-making, while a resident is simply someone who lives in a place. Not all residents are citizens.
• Rights are freedoms like equality, free speech, religion, and education that allow people to live with dignity, while duties are responsibilities like obeying laws and respecting others.
• Discrimination is unfair treatment based on identity such as gender, caste, class, or disability, and citizens must work to prevent it.
• Inclusion means making sure no one is excluded because of language, religion, culture, ethnicity, caste, or gender - it is the positive way to ensure equality for all.

This is a preview of the first 3 pages. To get the complete chapter, click below.