Government officials should rely on their own judgment rather than unquestioningly carry out the will of the people they serve.

The argument raises a question that is it required for the Government to rely on their own judgment while taking big decision, framing crucial policies and implementing schemes? Or should the officials blindly follow what is being demanded by the public of the nation? I believe that a correct balance between both of them is very important for the welfare of the country.

In a democratic county like India, Government is formed by the leaders elected by the nation. The leaders also have highly qualified officials who help them while evaluating the feasibility of a scheme, a new government policy or any crucial change. These officials have tremendous amount of experience and high intellect level which help them in framing the policies. Sometimes, the demands asked by the public are over ambitious like lowering petrol prices. While lowering prices below a threshold can affect the country’s economy terribly, high prices hit middle and lower class pockets. At such kind of scenarios, these officials run highly sophisticated studies to analyze all the pros and cons of the demands being asked. They come up with the schemes that not only justify the demands of the public but also make sure that nothing else gets impacted adversely.

On the other side of the picture, we cannot give entire control to the authorities to make policies without public consent. It would violate the democratic principle – for the people, by the people and of the people. If public consent is not taken under consideration, there is every possibility that a particular segment of masses like a specific class, caste and religion might get ignored. For example the Section 377 of Indian penal code is concerned with homosexuality. During the past few years it has undergone some changes. While making changes to such kind of amendment, it is fundamental to get views of homo sexual community. It is crucial that their views are being listened, analyzed and after a thorough evaluation implemented.

Both of the above mentioned philosophies get covered under the concept of ‘Democratic Consensus’. This is the process in which broad range of opinions is gathered from the public. The opinions generated are being analyzed by the qualified officials and with the consent of masses the schemes and amendments are being formulated and implemented.

At last, I will conclude by stating that, for the welfare of society, it is important to have a right balance between listening the needs of the masses and then analyzing the feasibility, pros and cons of the demands before implementing them blindly.