THE INDIAN POLITY

1. EXPLAINED: THE PROCESS OF ELECTING INDIA’S PRESIDENT

THE CONTEXT: The tenure of the current President of India is set to end in July this year(2022), which is also when the 16th Indian Presidential election will be held to elect his successor.

THE EXPLANATION:

How is the President elected?

• The Indian President is elected through an electoral college system, wherein the votes are cast by national and State-level lawmakers. The elections are conducted and overseen by the Election Commission (EC) of India. 

• The electoral college is made up of all the elected members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs), and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs).
• This means, in the upcoming polls, the number of electors will be 4,896 — 543 Lok Sabha MPs, 233 MPs of the Rajya Sabha, and 4,120 MLAs of all States, including the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry.
• Before the voting, comes the nomination stage, where the candidate intending to stand in the election, files the nomination along with a signed list of 50 proposers and 50 seconders. These proposers and seconders can be anyone from the total of 4,896 members of the electoral college from the State and national levels.

What is required to secure a victory?

• A nominated candidate does not secure victory based on a simple majority but through a system of bagging a specific quota of votes. While counting, the EC totals up all the valid votes cast by the electoral college through paper ballots and to win, the candidate must secure 50% of the total votes cast + 1.
• Unlike general elections, where electors vote for a single party’s candidate, the voters of the electoral college write the names of candidates on the ballot paper in the order of preference.

What is the value of each vote and how is it calculated?

A vote cast by each MP or MLA is not calculated as one vote. There is a larger vote value attached to it.

The fixed value of each vote by an MP of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha is 708. Meanwhile, the vote value of each MLA differs from State to State based on a calculation that factors in its population vis-a-vis the number of members in its Legislative Assembly. As per the Constitution (Eighty-fourth Amendment) Act 2001, currently, the population of States is taken from the figures of the 1971 Census. This will change when the figures of the Census taken after the year 2026 are published.

THE WORLD GEOGRAPHY: CLIMATOLOGY

2. NO EL NINO EXPECTED, IT WILL BE A ‘NORMAL’ MONSOON, SAYS SKYMET

THE CONTEXT: According to Skymet, the southwest monsoon 2022 will likely be “normal”, though rainfall in August, the second rainiest month, will likely be subdued.

THE EXPLANATION:

• “Normal”, according to Skymet, is 98% of the historical average of 88 cm for the four-month stretch from June-September. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to be rain deficit throughout the season. The northeastern states have a high base level of rainfall.
• In the South, Kerala and north interior of Karnataka would see subdued rainfall in the core monsoon months of July and August. On the other hand, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh — key Kharif crop regions — and rainfed areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh would witness “above normal”’ rainfall, the agency stated.
• The El Nino, characterized by a warming of temperatures in the Central Pacific and associated with drying up rainfall over India, wasn’t expected to surface this year. Its converse, or a La Nina, had helped with two years of above-normal rainfall in 2019, 2020 and “normal” rain in 2021.
• “The last two monsoon seasons have been driven by back-to-back La Nina events…the occurrence of El Nino, which normally corrupts the monsoon, is ruled out.

Indian Ocean dipole

• Another factor that influences monsoon was the Indian Ocean dipole, whose “positive” phase corresponded to good rains and “negative” the opposite. “The Indian Ocean Dipole is neutral, albeit having a propensity of negative inclination… Monsoon will have to ride over ENSO — neutral conditions, while battling resistance from IOD, especially during the 2nd half of the season. This possibly can lead to extreme variability in the monthly rainfall distribution,” the agency said.
• The first half of the monsoon — June and July — was expected to be better than the second. June was expected to get 7% more rain than what’s usual, July 100%, August 95% and September, when the monsoon starts to wane, 90%. The last few years, however, have seen unusually high rains in September.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which issues the official forecast, is expected to announce its first forecast for the season later this week. The agency follows a multiple-stage forecast system with an update in June.

VALUE ADDITION

1. El Niño:  A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to become reduced while rainfall increases over the tropical Pacific Ocean.  The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator (“easterly winds”), instead of weakening or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction (from west to east or “westerly winds”).
2. La Niña: A cooling of the ocean surface, or below-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to increase while rainfall decreases over the central tropical Pacific Ocean.  The normal easterly winds along the equator become even stronger.
3. Neutral:  Neither El Niño or La Niña. Often tropical Pacific SSTs are generally close to average.  However, there are some instances when the ocean can look like it is in an El Niño or La Niña state, but the atmosphere is not playing along (or vice versa).

THE SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. EXPLAINED: MIDDAY MEAL AND SUPPLEMENTS

THE CONTEXT: From the next academic session, Karnataka is likely to become the 13th state to provide eggs under the midday meal scheme, which is among the largest initiatives in the world to enhance the nutrition levels of school-going children through hot cooked meals.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The proposal, which faces opposition and awaits the Karnataka government’s final stamp of approval, comes on the back of successive surveys pointing out the high prevalence of malnutrition, anemia and low immunity among children in many parts of the state, where the National Family Health Survey-V found 35% children under five stunted, and around 20% wasted.
• The current version of the programme, renamed PM Poshan Shakti Nirman or PM Poshan in 2021, traces its roots to 1995; it was launched as a centrally sponsored scheme on August 15 that year across 2,408 blocks for students up to Class 5. In 2007, the UPA government expanded it to Class 8.
• However, the first initiative to provide meals to children had been taken by the erstwhile Madras Municipal Corporation around 1920. In post-Independence India, Tamil Nadu was again the pioneer, with Chief Minister K Kamaraj rolling out a school feeding scheme in 1956. Kerala had a school lunch scheme run by a humanitarian agency since 1961. The state government officially took over the initiative on December 1, 1984, making Kerala the second state in the country to have a school lunch programme. Over the next few years, many other states launched their own versions of the scheme, and finally, in 1995, the Centre stepped in.

What is the scale of the scheme today?

• The scheme covers 11.80 crore children across Classes 1 to 8 (age group 6 to 14) in11.20 lakh government and government-aided schools and those run by local bodies such as the municipal corporations in Delhi under the provisions of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).
• In the Budget for 2022-23, the Centre has earmarked Rs 10,233 crore for the scheme, while the states are expected to spend Rs 6,277 crore. It is not just a scheme, but a legal entitlement of all school-going children in primary and upper primary classes, through the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling in the People’s Union of Civil Liberties vs Union of India and Others (2001).

Do the Centre and states run the scheme jointly?

• Under the rules, the allocation of Rs 4.97 per child per day (primary classes) and Rs 7.45 (upper primary) are shared in a 60:40 ratio with states and UTs with a legislature, and 90:10 with the Northeastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while the Centre bears 100% of the costs in UTs without legislature.
• But the states and UTs that supplement the meals with additional items such as milk and eggs contribute more. Components such as payments to cooks and workers are also split in the same ratio between the Centre and states. However, the Centre bears the entire cost of foodgrains and their transportation and also handles the expenditure on management, monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

4. EXPLAINED: HOW WILL THE CARDLESS CASH WITHDRAWAL SYSTEM AT ATMS WORK?

THE CONTEXT: India’s central bank announced cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs in the country. The feature will let consumers use the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) on their smartphones to withdraw cash from ATMs.

THE EXPLANATION:

How will this system work?

• Cardless cash withdrawals are to be authenticated via UPI. So, ATMs are expected to show an option for withdrawing cash using UPI. Once a user selects this option, they can input the amount to be withdrawn. A QR code will be generated on the ATM.
• Users will then need to scan that code via their UPI app and enter the password to withdraw cash from the ATM. Until now, only fund transfers between accounts were enabled via UPI. With this option, consumers can take cash out from ATMs without a card.

What issues does this tech solve?

• According to the RBI Governor, cardless cash withdrawals will enhance the security of cash withdrawal transactions. Besides, it would help prevent frauds like card skimming and card cloning.
• Currently, only existing customers of a few banks are allowed to withdraw cash without cards, and from specific bank’s ATM networks. However, RBI’s move to allow interoperability in cardless withdrawals will enable users to take cash from any all bank’s ATM.
• RBI’s move will invite more players into the payment ecosystem in India to innovate and solve further problems of customers.

What is card skimming?

• Criminals steal data from credit or debit cards by tracking a card swiped at ATMs. They pick this information using a skimming device that reads the card’s magnetic strip. These devices are surreptitiously installed on ATMs. And once the device picks up the data, it can be used to gain unauthorized access to the user’s banking records.
• The stolen information can be coded onto a new card, a process called cloning, and be used to make payments and transact with other bank accounts. Problematic ATMs that function intermittently and the ones located in isolated areas are often used to install such skimming devices.
• Fraudsters also install scanning devices on point of sale machines. These devices can stealthily scan a card before it is swiped at the payment counter at a departmental store. This is especially tough to spot if the billing counter is not in the line of sight of the card owner.
• These devices are difficult to identify as they appear to be a legitimate part of an existing ATM, or like a regular in-store card reader. It is skillfully fitted to the payment machines.

What is the future of debit cards?

• According to the statement, Issuing cards will not be stopped, as they have several other utilities beyond cash withdrawals. They can be used at a restaurant, shop, or for payments in a foreign country.
• The debit card is a very evolved financial product and has already gone through a lot of iterations to its perfection. In its further evolution, we are seeing new use cases for debit cards like having standing instructions or EMI payments.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

5. ODISHA’S BARBARA FOREST SET FOR ECOTOURISM PUSH

THE CONTEXT: According to the state forest officials, the Odisha’s Barbara forest is set to open for the public from the next tourist season in September 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Odisha’s Barbara Forestdubbed as Asia’s largest teak and sal forest, the Barbara forest in Odisha was perhaps the only forest in India guarded by the jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (for protecting forest resources).
• Spread over 870-sq km, the forest touches three districts Khordha, Nayagarh and Ganjam of Odisha and, as per legend, is named after a British forest officer’s wife, who was killed in a tiger attack in the area, 100-odd years ago.
• The dense teak forest, about 150 km from Bhubaneswar, lent to a flourishing timber market in Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Cuttack and Nayagarh. It is said the timber mafia worked in tandem with the locals, prompting former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik to seek deployment of CRPF in 1994-95 to check tree felling and protect the forest.
• “The CRPF presence had instilled fear in the mind of timber smugglers and the immediate destruction of precious teak treasure was contained.
• Though the CRPF deployment in Barbara was initially for three years but given the continued threat from the timber mafia, the State Government kept extending the date. According to sources, the CRPF wanted to withdraw from Barbara forest due to its commitment in other parts of the State, where Maoist violence was on the rise. However, a non-government organization moved to Orissa High Court seeking to retain CRPF deployment. The Orissa High Court stayed CRPF’s withdrawal.
• Once the State government deployed Odisha Special Striking Force (OSSF), the CRPF withdrew in 2016. According to reports, about 1,000 timber smugglers were arrested and sawmills around the forest area were shut down during the first decade of CRPF deployment.

VALUE ADDITION:

About Barbara Forest:

• It is nature’s best-kept secret near Chilika Lake in coastal Odisha.
• It is named after a British woman, Barbara who had been killed by a tiger in the late 19th century while she was with her husband on a hunting expedition.
• The Barbara landscape is an enriched area that boasts several century-old plants sown by the British back in 1910.
• Giant squirrels are found in great numbers in the thick forests of Barbara, making it a major contender to become a sanctuary for giant squirrels.
• Barbara was once historically famous for its tigers, now one can find sambar, deer, mouse deer and bison.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Which of the following is not a part of the electoral college for the election of the President of India?

a) Elected members of the State Assembly

b) Elected members of Lok Sabha

c) Nominated members of Rajya Sabha

d) Elected Members of Rajya Sabha

ANSWER FOR 12TH APRIL 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Gujarat has topped the list for larger States in the NITI Aayog’s State Energy and ClimateIndex–Round 1 that has ranked States and Union Territories (UTs) on six parameters.
• States have been categorized based on size and geographical differences as larger and smaller States and UTs.The index is based on 2019-20 data.
• Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab have been ranked as the top three performers in the category of larger States, while Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were the bottom threeStates.
• Goa emerged as the top performer in the smaller States category followed by Tripura and Manipur. Among UTs, Chandigarh, Delhi and Daman & Diu/Da- dra& Nagar Haveli are the top performers. The SECI developed by NITI Aayog which includes 27 indicators under 6 parameters is expected to play a crucial role in pushing the states to adopt best practices and move the needle on clean energy transition.

1. How to safeguard the open justice principle READ MORE
2. One pension for MLAs: Punjab has shown the way, Haryana needs to follow suit READ MORE
3. Reforms that India Needs to Fulfil its Constitutional Goals READ MORE
4. Big Tech’s privacy promise to consumers could be good news — and also bad news READ MORE

1. Mahavir’s core message is ‘Live and let live’ READ MORE
2. Medical profession deserves dignity, fair play READ MORE
3. The tragedy of Dr Archana Sharma is the failure of Indian society READ MORE

1. Tackling extreme heat risks in India READ MORE  
2. Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill 2021 misses the target despite good intentions READ MORE
3. Monsoon 2022 will be ‘normal’ but highly erratic month-to-month: Skymet READ MORE  

1. Many Women in India Quitting Jobs due to Lack of Flexibility, Says Report READ MORE
2. Indian Society and Ways of Living READ MORE
3. The tragedy of Dr Archana Sharma is the failure of Indian society READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. ‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ launched in additional 126 cities; READ MORE
2. The process of electing India’s President READ MORE
3. Explained | How will cardless cash withdrawal system at ATMs work? READ MORE
4. No El Nino expected, it will be a ‘normal’ monsoon, says Skymet READ MORE
5. Explained: Midday meal and supplements READ MORE
6. India Will Miss Its 2022 Solar Power Target: Report READ MORE
7. New WHO report highlights collaborative action to reduce antimicrobial resistance READ MORE
8. Neptune’s summer temperature drops dramatically. What may have caused this? READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Monsoon 2022 will be ‘normal’ but highly erratic month-to-month: Skymet READ MORE  
2. Architectural conservation – An Indian perspective READ MORE
3. Many Women in India Quitting Jobs due to Lack of Flexibility, Says Report READ MORE
4. Indian Society and Ways of Living READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. How to safeguard the open justice principle READ MORE
2. One pension for MLAs: Punjab has shown the way, Haryana needs to follow suit READ MORE
3. Reforms that India Needs to Fulfil its Constitutional Goals READ MORE
4. Big Tech’s privacy promise to consumers could be good news — and also bad news READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. HOPS as a route to universal health care READ MORE
2. With CUET will come more pressure, not less READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. India, U.S hold broad 2+2 discussions, with Ukraine looming over talks READ MORE
2. 2+2 = Counter China: Moscow is a point of difference, but New Delhi, Washington both know the bigger threat is Beijing READ MORE
3. View: The India-US relationship is deepening, despite major differences over Russia READ MORE
4. India-US dialogue: Both nations maintain focus on strategic cooperation READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Rural economy reaps rich gains from war READ MORE
2. Temperature, labour reallocation, and industrial production READ MORE
3. Integrated agriculture key to farmers’ uplift READ MORE
4. Quarter-billion people face extreme poverty in 2022 as the rich get richer: Oxfam READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 

1. Tackling extreme heat risks in India READ MORE  
2. Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill 2021 misses the target despite good intentions READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Mahavir’s core message is ‘Live and let live’ READ MORE
2. Medical profession deserves dignity, fair play READ MORE
3. The tragedy of Dr Archana Sharma is the failure of Indian society READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Temples of south India have been a true repository of religious, art and cultural glory’. Justify the statement with the help of relevant examples.
2. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have ensured that Moscow will be Beijing’s junior partner for the foreseeable future and in tis situation, India and the US have no choice but to work together. Do you agree with this view? Analyse your view.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.
• In the absence of public health centres, dedicated not only to primary health care but also to preventive work, there is a danger of patients rushing to expensive hospitals every other day.
• The use of privacy as a tool for market development, therefore, has to tread this tightrope between enabling and stifling competition.
• The impact of the Common University Entrance Test is likely to be harsher on disadvantaged sections of the society for whom access to higher education is seen as the only route to upward mobility.
• India and the US have no choice but to work together. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have not only put India in a tight spot but also ensured that Moscow will be Beijing’s junior partner for the foreseeable future.
• The Russia-Ukraine war has given an opportunity for India to step up wheat exports, benefitting our farmers.
• In a trias political (separation of powers) model, open justice is a key source of public information about, and a check on, legislative and executive actions.
• As the climate crisis heightens extreme heat risks in India, authorities must work to further strengthen these plans and adapt them in consultation with local communities.
• Food and nutritional needs of a more health-conscious population entails a diversification of farming from staples towards high-value crops, such as fruit and vegetables.
• The inclusion of health services in the Consumer Protection Act has not helped society but only created mistrust in the doctor-patient relation.
• Temples of south India have been a true repository of religious, art and cultural glory.
• The future of Indian democracy will be greatly dependent on the effective countercheck on the actions of the executive and Parliament exercised by the judiciary.
• Suicides which happen due to coercion and threat of violence are not truly suicides, they are murders committed by all of us.
• The absence of justice is not only complemented by the ruling class but a sense of impunity is also sown in the minds of the masses.

ESSAY TOPIC

• In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity.

50-WORD TALK

• “Kashmiris’ blood is flowing on the roads,” new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in his first speech—dispelling hopes he’d push for trade and a reset of India-Pakistan ties. Facing unpopular economic decisions, Sharif won’t risk being soft on India. New Delhi should ignore his words, and watch his actions.
• That India and the US were able to focus on their bilateral relationship despite not being on the same page on Russia demonstrates the strength and depth of this strategic partnership. Non-alignment may be dead but diplomacy isn’t a zero sum game. Modi government has played this well so far.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 200]

THE CONTEXT: The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2022, for the unification of the three municipal bodies in the capital. The Bill seeks to amend the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, passed by Parliament. The Central Government claims that this move will improve municipal governance, but there is a contrarian view. This article analyses this issue in detail.

THE SALIENT FEATURES OF THE DELHI MUNICIPAL CORPORATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022

UNIFICATION OF MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS: The Bill replaces the three municipal corporations of North, South, and East Delhi under the Act with one Corporation named the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

POWERS OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT:

The Bill empowers the Central government to decide various matters including:

1. total number of seats of councilors and number of seats reserved for members of the Scheduled Castes,
2. division of the area of corporations into zones and wards etc.

NUMBER OF COUNCILLORS: The Bill states that the total number of seats in the new corporation should not be more than 250 while the earlier number was 272.

REMOVAL OF DIRECTOR OF LOCAL BODIES: The Act provides for a Director of Local Bodies to assist the Delhi government and discharge certain functions, but the Bill omits the provision for a Director of Local Bodies.

SPECIAL OFFICER TO BE APPOINTED BY THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT: The Bill provides that the central government may appoint a Special Officer to exercise powers of the Corporation until the first meeting of the Corporation is held after the commencement of the Bill.

E-GOVERNANCE SYSTEM FOR CITIZENS: The Bill adds that obligatory functions of the new corporation will include establishing an e-governance system for citizen services on an anytime-anywhere basis for a better, accountable, and transparent administration.

DO YOU KNOW?

The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 was enacted to consolidate and amend the law relating to the Municipal Government of Delhi. A Corporation charged with the Municipal Government of Delhi was established under the said Act as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. In 2011, the said Act was amended by the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi vide the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2011 leading to the trifurcation of the said corporation into three separate Corporations.

THE RATIONALE FOR THE UNIFICATION OF THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS

NON FULFILLMENT OF MAIN OBJECTIVE:

• The main objective of the trifurcation of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was to provide more efficient civic services to the public.
• Due to inadequacies in resources and uncertainty in fund allocation and release, the three corporations have been facing huge financial hardships, making it difficult to maintain the civic services in Delhi at the desired levels.

ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGES:

• The trifurcation was also uneven in terms of territorial divisions and revenue-generating potential.
• As a result, there was a huge gap in the resources available to the three corporations compared to their obligations.

DELAYED PAYMENTS AND EMPLOYEE STRIKES:

• Due to poor financial conditions, payment of salaries and retirement benefits to their employees was delayed.
• This has resulted in frequent strikes by the municipal employees, which have not only affected civic services but also created concomitant problems of cleanliness and sanitization.

INTEGRATED PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT:

• A single, integrated, and well-equipped entity will ensure a robust mechanism for synergized and strategic planning and optimal utilization of resources and will bring about greater transparency, improved governance, and more efficient delivery of civic service.

REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES:

• There are three mayors, three commissioners, and 12 additional commissioners. Even different MCDs have different committees. This has increased the expenses manifold and is one of the major contributors to the financial crisis of the MCDs.
•  Unification will definitely curtail the office and meeting expenses along with the expenses which are being done by the leaders and officers.

CITY-LEVEL POLITICAL LEADERSHIP:

• When the MCD was unified, the mayor was treated as the First Citizen of Delhi, and the post used to carry a lot of weight.
• Mayor has to be called for most of the ceremonial events. Even foreign dignitaries used to meet the mayor of Delhi.
• Once unified, not just in the post of mayor but as an institution, MCD will have a larger say in the policymaking of the capital and the mayor will provide a single political leadership at the municipal level.

CRITICISM OF THE UNIFICATION OF THE CORPORATIONS OF DELHI

LACK OF LEGISLATIVE COMPETENCE:

• Many Members of Parliament argue that Parliament was overreaching its legislative authority to amend the Bill.
• Since the Act for trifurcation was passed by the Delhi Assembly, therefore Parliament cannot pass a law to merge the three civic bodies. The Constitution has given powers to the states to constitute municipal corporations.

POSTPONEMENT OF ELECTIONS:

• The municipal corporation elections were scheduled to be held in April. However, on March 9, the State Election Commission (SEC) deferred the polling indefinitely, citing a communication from the Lieutenant Governor, an appointee of the Central Government.
• It is alleged that the party ruling the MCDs sensed a strong anti-incumbency and hence used the “unification” strategy to defer the polls.

POLITICAL REASONS:

• The unification of municipal corporations could have been done in the last few years, as the same party has been in power in the Centre since 2014.
•  The real purpose of the unification is not the efficiency of municipal governance but the creation of a parallel system of governance to compete with the “Delhi Model” and to reap political dividends.

NO REAL REFORMS:

• The Bill doesn’t bring any substantive governance, administrative or financial reforms to the MCD.
• It does not mention the governance structure of the unified MCD and the status of the Mayor and the Council members vis a vis the administration.
• The Bill also missed an opportunity to establish a unified administrative and governance system by bringing the parastatals and the Special Purpose vehicles under the control of the Municipal Corporation.

QUESTION MARK ON INDEPENDENCE OF SEC:

• The postponement of the election also raises a question about the agency of an autonomous body such as the State Election Commission, whose prima facie job is to ensure free and fair elections in the country.
• The body seems to have succumbed to pressure from the central government.

AN ALL-POWERFUL CENTRAL GOVERNMENT: The Bill provides for overarching powers for the Central Government like:

• naming or resizing any zone or ward,
• listing out the obligatory functions of the MCD,
• rules on declaring assets of councilors,
• the appointment and pay scale of the commissioner,
• approvals for loans and action against any councilor or MCD official etc.

This is not in sync with the idea and practice of democratic decentralization and the spirit of the 74^th Constitutional Amendment.

SKEWED REPRESENTATION: 

• The total number of municipality wards will be reduced from 272 to 250, which goes against logic as the population of Delhi has increased from the last delimitation.

BUREAUCRATIC DOMINANCE:

• The reduction in the number of municipality wards will necessitate a delimitation exercise.
• Due to delimitation, the election will be delayed by one or two years. The Bill is silent on the “Census” based on which the delimitation will take place.
• All these mean that the special officer appointed by the Centre will be the overlord of the MCD.

A STRONG BUREAUCRACY AND A WEAK DEMOCRACY: A CASE STUDY OF MCD

• Delhi Municipal Corporation faces a unique kind of tussle between the elected and administrative wings. While the mayor has mostly ceremonial rights, the administrative decisions are being taken by the commissioner and his team.
• The IAS officers come on deputation to serve their MCD tenure, and the political wing claims that they are the real reason behind the mismanagement of financial and even administrative situations of Delhi Municipal Corporation.
• It was a long-pending demand to provide more powers to elected representatives, including the mayor, the standing committee chairperson, and heads of different committees.
• A change in the system in the favour of elected representatives by bringing the mayor into the council which will provide more administrative powers to the mayor needs to be established. This long-pending demand needs to be looked into the new amendment, which is based on the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

THE WAY FORWARD

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO GOVERNANCE PROBLEMS OF DELHI:

• Multiple power centers are operating in Delhi, and the tussle between the Centre and the NCT government has been a recurrent phenomenon.
• What is required is to iron out the differences, reform the Constitutional and legal provisions and bring about a clear demarcation of roles and responsibilities of the political and administrative institutions.

PROVIDE SCOPE FOR OWN REVENUE GENERATION:

• Even before the trifurcation, the MCD has taken loans from the then Delhi government to pay salaries to the staffers.
• Without addressing the issues in revenue generation and other core issues, the civic body will find itself in financial troubles again and will have to depend on the government for funds.

REFORMS IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE:

• Under the present system, mayors and other appointments are made for a year and by the time a person starts understanding the mechanism, the tenure gets over.
• Thus, the new amendment should bring reforms like the direct election of the mayor, his / her tenure being increased to at least two-and-half years instead of the existing one year, and provisions for allocation of funds directly from the Centre.

REFORMS IN TAXATION:

• In Delhi, the house tax rates have not been increased since 2004, and the MCD continues to collect taxes based on the same rates, which is basically loss-making. So, with the unification must come hardline taxation reforms to address these issues.

DECENTRALIZE POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE POWER:

• Growing population and vast geographical spread were cited among the reasons for the trifurcation, which was to lead to decentralization of administration for better delivery and governance with each commissioner overseeing services for a smaller area.
• With unification, there may be the problem of centralization of authority which needs to be addressed by empowering political and administrative leadership at zonal and ward levels.

AUTONOMY OF SEC AND CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS:

• That the SEC is and should be independent of the government is a maxim often stated. But how the SEC acted in the current context seems to undermine the exalted position of this constitutional authority.
• Also, the amendment and associated processes should not come in the way of citizens of Delhi exercising their legitimate democratic rights of choosing their own local representatives.

THE CONCLUSION: While the reunification will help save on expenditure and bring parity, making the civic body self-reliant will have to be the primary target. Whatever money is saved will not be enough to make the municipal institutions self-governing and deliver quality civic services. The major issue that needs resolution is the power tussle among the Centre, the Delhi government, and the municipal bodies, without which the unification exercise will not provide optimal results. Another crucial reform required is in the area of “City Governance” and Delhi must be developed as a model for other Indian cities.

QUESTIONS:

1. Critically analyse the features of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
2. The unification of the municipal corporations of Delhi, although maybe a right step toward administrative efficiency, will not be sufficient to ensure the quality delivery of public services. Examine.
3. The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, is all politics, less economics, and no governance. Critically Examine.
4. Without comprehensive constitutional, legal and financial reforms concerning municipal governance, Adhoc administrative reform measures will not bring good governance at the city level. Illustrate and Comment.