Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

186  School Structuring , Balancing Powers

As Vijay was working on the constitution, he called in a few ministers to help lay the groundwork for the big changes that were going to shake up the empire's power structure. One of them, Raghavendra Bhatt, the Minister of Education, showed up at Vijay's office pretty quick. Raghavendra, a middle-aged guy dressed in saffron, gave a respectful bow and a "Namaskara" as he greeted Vijay, "Long live Your Majesty. Long live, Long live."

After the usual pleasantries, Vijay handed Raghavendra a document that outlined the proposed changes in the education department. He then got straight to the point, telling Raghavendra why he'd called him in. "I intend to grant some legislative privileges to the young people of the Empire. This news will be revealed in a week, as Massive changes are about to take place. But by that time, I need at least the structure of education institutions in the Empire to be clear."

Hearing this, Raghavendra Bhatt, despite being a knowledgeable scholar in his own right, was puzzled by what His Majesty was talking about. What does granting legislative rights to young people mean? What do the young people know about participating in the governance of the Empire? Although he wanted to ask these questions, considering that His Majesty is also a young man, he refrained from saying something offensive. So he hesitantly agreed in order to fully understand what His Majesty's plan was. "Please instruct me, Your Majesty; I will get the job done."

"Okay, it is nothing, actually. I need you to formalize the education in the Empire. Not like now, where although the schools are spreading rapidly, the content and age groups joining are mixed. So, clearly divide the levels of education a person is receiving. I have roughly divided education in the Empire into 4 stages: the school, the college, the university, and the post-graduate.

The school is generally for kids aged from 5 to 16, covering a total of 11 years starting from UKG and ending with the 10th standard. They will be taught a wide range of subjects, including core topics like science, arithmetic, general knowledge, Bharatiya history, and life skills.

As for college, it is for teenagers aged from 16 to 18 who have kind of figured out what direction their life will take. At this stage, they would learn the general spectrum of whatever they are interested in. It is also at this stage that they will be introduced to junior politics, as each institution is obligated to have its own student political body connected to the Radical House of the Parliament.

After completing college, if their aim is to pursue higher and deeper study in their field of interest, universities fulfil that role. Typically, teenagers complete their degrees in 2-4 or more years, depending on the course they choose. Another option is that after completing college or university if the person is gifted in leadership, They could pursue a career in the Radical House as a politician until the age of 30, although it is highly unsteady as a career choice. A wrong move can get them out of the seat they are in, but still, it's a place of grunt work and experience for the ambitious. If the person wants to pursue further education and scientific discovery, they could join the Academy of Sciences to complete their post-graduate degree, with guaranteed employment afterwards, either in the Academy of Sciences or as a professor in college. So, all in all, I need you, Raghavendra Bhatt, to polish out all the details according to my request and submit it to me for it to be officially put into motion."

Raghavendra Bhatt diligently wrote down all the instructions Vijay gave him, quickly leaving to fulfil his tasks as time was tight.

The next person called was the Minister of Justice, Bhuvan, along with the Finance Minister, Jagannath Mohan.

"Sit down," Vijay said to the two ministers who had just arrived.

Bhuvan and Jagannath Mohan sat down, not getting a clue why they were called. Soon, Vijay conveyed the reason.

"The reason why I invited you both is because there is an important matter to discuss with you. First, Bhuvan, take a look at this."

Vijay handed over the outline plan of the Judicial Department to the Imperial Committee, which would act as an executive branch separate from the legislative branch. He also explained the different powers and objectives of both branches through the outline he gave. Bhuvan had been handling both affairs until now, but upon reading the document and realizing that half of his power would be stripped away, he became sad. However, he soon recovered, understanding the reason for this division as many times even his own subordinates had misused this privilege.

Seeing that Bhuvan accepted the changes so quickly, Vijay felt satisfied and encouraged. "I hope you continue to be the Minister of the Judicial Department as you have been doing an excellent job by bringing new laws and regulations to the Empire. I hope you continue to do that. Don't worry about the loss of the executive powers. The time for a person to be a Chief Justice is only a few years, but in the legislative branch, you get a longer time. With your achievements, I have no doubt that you can retain your position."

"Yes, thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will do my best."

Next, Vijay talked with Jagannath Mohan about taking away the taxation privileges from the Ministry of Finance. Jagannath Mohan was actually very disappointed about this change because taxation accounted for a major part of the powers of the Financial Department. Although it was originally His Majesty's right, after having such influence, he felt a little reluctant to give it away. According to His Majesty, he could still be the Director of Taxation in the executive branch, but then he would only be in power for a few years. However, that came with the price of never being able to participate in politics again after his service. Not only him, but even his descendants would not be able to participate until his death. Although after his death, there is no such restriction, who can be sure his contacts would be functional after his death? So, reluctantly, Jagannath Mohan also accepted the general trend of the Empire.

Next, Vijay called Vinod and explained the reform of the government in the Empire. Vinod was initially shocked because, according to His Majesty's plan, he would get the right to control most of the ministries in the Empire, including the three main ministries: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bharatiya External Pragya. All three, dealing with force, knowledge, and resources, were given to him. Wasn't his position just the second for the Empire? Vinod thought as he could not understand why His Majesty would do such a thing. So, he directly asked, "Your Majesty, I do not understand why you are doing this. Doing so would lead to a high chance that the Empire will no longer be under your control," Vinod warned.

Vijay felt happy and relieved that Vinod, despite being given such an opportunity to become the second in command of the Empire, chose to warn him of the consequences. He smiled and replied.

" Vinod, do you really think that it is possible to conquer and establish a united Bharati Empire just by myself? There are millions of cultures in our land, and those millions of cultures have millions of different demands. How can it be possible that a single person like myself can govern a population of hundreds of millions of people? Don't you wonder why no empire that originated from our motherland, Bharat, was able to maintain the unified empire they had conquered? Isn't the collapse of their empires because of internal strife? So, my goal is not to build an empire that will only last a few centuries, but a great and united Bharatiya Empire where all cultures will get their representation according to their strength in the parliament the people run. Also, don't underestimate the powers I have. I have the right to dissolve the Parliament whenever I need. I can declare a national financial or military emergency whenever I see fit. All the taxation of the empire should directly go through me, and I am in control of one intelligence agency directly and one indirectly in order to keep the government in check. So, I am not really powerless, and you don't have to worry about me losing control of the government under my watch. But after me," Vijay said in a contemplative expression, " who knows."

Vinod finally left the palace with a thoughtful expression after listening to what His Majesty had to say.

Vijay continued to work diligently on the constitution of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, anticipating its role as the foundation for the United Bharatiya Empire. In a strategic move, he implemented restrictions on politicians to deter them from promoting their family members in politics. Specifically targeting existing politicians, the restriction disallows their children from participating in elections, even for the Radical House of the Parliament. The intention is to curb the potential abuse of influence and reputation to secure political positions for their offspring, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to ascend the social hierarchy. Vijay explicitly articulated this provision within the Constitution, reflecting his commitment to infuse new talent into the political landscape every five years, despite the associated resource expenditure, which he deems justified compared to the expenses incurred in political propaganda during his previous life.

Speaking of propaganda, Vijay incorporated a clause in the Constitution stipulating that every media entity in the Empire must be privately owned and entirely accountable to its owner. He introduced this provision to minimize the influence of politicians, elites, and capitalists on the media by severing shared interests. While this approach may lead to the prevalence of family-owned media entities, Vijay is unconcerned, as the media is not highly competitive in terms of technology. Any technological advancements in the future were universally adopted across the media industry. Therefore, the primary focus of the media remains the content and delivery of news. In a diverse landscape of numerous private media companies, only the most trustworthy and user-friendly are expected to thrive. Vijay also implemented this measure to safeguard against potential foreign interference in the media in the future.

In summary, Vijay established a governance structure that maintains a delicate balance between an emperor and a Prime Minister. While initially, both the Emperor and the Prime Minister appear to have equal rights, potentially leading to disagreements and even civil unrest, Vijay designed the system to ensure the Empire remains highly centralized under the leadership of a capable individual. This capable leader could assume the role of either the emperor or the Prime Minister, depending on who has more control of the empire with the tools given. Vijay crafted the power structure akin to a seesaw, where the weights on both sides are loosely identical. If one side gains strength, it tends to tilt the power in its favour, as some weights from the opposing end shift towards it. Similarly, if a Prime Minister is a formidable figure like Bismarck, certain powers of the Emperor become less effective, as some powers of the Prime Minister counteract those of the Emperor and it is constitutional to influence the executive powers through the emperor. The same principle holds for a powerful emperor, who can potentially suppress the Prime Minister and make him a tool man and the government a glorified employee organisation. Vijay falls under the second type of scenario with his achievement and influence.

Finally, Vijay outlined the election process for the government and for the position of Prime Minister.

P.S. The Next chap is the last in this Arc I promise. Like it ? Add to library！

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