In any state, the government serves a variety of functions:
(i) The government provides public services such as water supply, healthcare, education, and sanitation, and ensures that private businesses do not take over these functions.
(ii) One of the government's main responsibilities is to regulate the actions of private enterprises by enacting, implementing, and upholding laws in order to prohibit unfair practises and ensure social fairness. This entails that the government is responsible for enacting and enforcing "suitable legislation." The government enacts rules to safeguard workers in manufacturing plants, such as minimum wage laws, labour laws, and workplace safety laws. It also enacts market-related legislation to safeguard consumers from overpricing and inferior products. A law prohibiting child labour has also been enacted by the government.
(iii) The government penalises businesses that fail to adhere to policies designed to safeguard the environment from pollution.