Right and Duties of Citizens

Introduction:
Generally the major persons of a country are called her citizens. The constitution of India has defined the qualifications to be an Indian citizen. Generally those who are born in India, who are born of the Indian parents and who are the long time residents of India are accepted as the Indian citizens. Besides, there are some special categories too. Every citizen has certain rights to enjoy. So he would have the obligation to do certain duties to his country an nation.
A citizen should have duties and responsibilities for his country. He should try to do the public good. He should control his conduct on the light of the good of his country. He should exercise his rights with proper judgment and obey the law of road and the like. He should try to build himself to do the best service for the country. He should have patriotism and fellow-feeling. As a citizen, he should know his responsibility to discharge his duties.
Conclusion:
It is a matter of regret that most of the Indian citizens are neglectful of their duties to India. However, it is hoped, our student community will do their duties to the country, while enjoying the rights, guaranteed by the Constitution.
The duties and responsibilities of a free country can be discussed in four areas. These include the duty to finance the government, to vote in elections, provide public services to institutions of government and to review and question governmental decisions.

Most people try to avoid taxes, but to have the freedoms that we have, we must fund our government agencies. The Departments of Health, Defense, Education, Housing, Transportation and Communicable Disease Control (there are many others) all exist to make our lives better. To enjoy our comparatively trouble free lives, we must pay taxes.

Voting in elections is the only way citizens can stay free. When citizens fail to vote or have political opinions, they allow vested interests to have their way. This can quickly restrict their personal freedoms.

It also the responsibility of a free citizen to provide public service to the government. This means volunteering for various agencies and charities, but it also means to serve jury duty. Without this component, people will most certainly lose the opportunity to be judged by a jury of their peers.

Finally, it is a citizen's duty to scrutinize the government's actions and take stands against repression and the loss of their civil rights. When citizens get too complacent, they will not notice when their freedom is being abridged.

As you can see, a citizen's failure to participate in government can allow special interests to take control and will also have an impact on our ability to live comparatively trouble free lives.

Almost every modern state, especially a democracy, allows its citizens several rights; but in return, it expects its citizens to perform certain duties.

Among the rights enjoyed by the citizen in a democracy are the right to pursue his own affairs as he prefers; the right to express his views, however silly they may appear to others, and the right to move about as he pleases. The citizen is considered so important that his rights are protected by the law of the state, and whenever they are infringed, he can secure redress.

But in a totalitarian state, the rights of the citizen are so restricted that he has practically no freedom. The citizen is supposed to exist for the state. His interests are always subordinated to those of the state. Thus, his duties exceed his rights.

Even in a democracy, however, the citizen is expected to exercise his rights within the limits of the law. He should not do or say anything that may affect the rights of others. In exercising his right to act as he pleases, for example, he should not try to elope with another man’s wife or say anything slanderous about her or anyone. In the same way, his actions should not cause injury or damage to any individual or his property. He cannot kill as he pleases. If his conduct infringes the rights of others, then those who have been affected by his misconduct could take legal action against him and he will be punished according to the law of the state. In this way, the state protects its citizens and their rights from the thoughtlessness of any individual in the state. This means, of course, that every citizen in the state is expected to do his duty to his fellow citizens.

The citizen is also expected to give his services for the protection of the state in times of war, and to maintain law and order in his state, at all times.

Thus, every citizen who is conscious of his rights should also be conscious of his duties to the state and his fellow citizens.