India yet to exhibit capacity for renewing democracy: Jairam Ramesh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh today said the country is yet to exhibit the capacity for renewing democracy.

Delivering the valedictory address at International Conference on Deepening Democracy here, Ramesh said to strengthen the foundations, the institutions need to undergo periodic review. "This is my message on democracy," he added.

"To assess where we are on the path of democracy, we should answer the five basic questions regarding democracy: is our democracy politically representative, socially responsive, intellectually reasoning, economically responsible, and institutionally renewing," he asked.

Indian democracy is a very advanced form of political representation but socially it is not sufficiently responsive as it had not yet proved its responsiveness to chronic maladies like sanitation and malnutrition, Ramesh said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said e-governance was the future for fostering local self governments in the state.

Kerala stood first in empowering local governments, he added.

The Conference was organised by Local Self Government department.