(a) Democracy provides dignity and freedom to the individual in several ways:
(i) In a democracy there, is no discrimination among the citizens based on religion, caste, sex or race and there is the concept of equality before the law. It helps in leading a dignified life by an individual.
(ii) There are equal opportunities for education, employment and other activities for all citizens which is a unique feature of democracy. There are certain special provisions too for the weaker sections of society.
(iii) Democracy provides freedom of speech and expression, movement, religion and many other spheres of life. These all factors are important for leading a dignified life.
(iv) It provides a proper law mechanism for the protection of the rights of individuals by the courts. The Supreme Court and the High Courts can issue writs for the protection of the fundamental rights of the citizens.
(v) It involves citizens as active participants in a democracy by giving them the right to vote and also voicing out their opinion freely.
OR
(b) Democracy is an Accountable, Responsive and Legitimate government:
(i) Democracy ensures that decisionmaking is based on norms and procedures. So, a citizen has the right and the means to examine the process of decision-making. This is known as transparency. Democracy follows standard procedures and is accountable to the people.
(ii) Democratic governments have a very good record when it comes to sharing information with citizens and is much better than any nondemocratic regime in this respect. Democracy is attentive to the needs and demands of the people and is largely free of corruption.
(iii) There is one respect in which democratic government is certainly better than its alternatives. A democratic government is a legitimate government. It may be slow, less efficient, and not always very responsive or clean. But a Democratic government is the people's government.