THE SOCIAL ISSUES

1. INDIA’S LIFE EXPECTANCY FALLS TO 67.2 IN 2021, DECADE-LONG IMPROVEMENT UNDONE

THE CONTEXT: Life expectancy at birth in India has gone down from 69.7 in 2019 to 67.2 in 2021, undoing a decade-long improvement, a United Nations report has found.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The figures report a global decline, with 70 per cent countries witnessing a decline in life expectancy and 85 per cent countries recording a decline in income in 2020, found Human Development Report 2021-2022 released September 7, 2022.
• The comparison of income and life expectancy also reminds us of the importance of looking beyond income.
• Despite a significant economic recovery in 2021, the health crisis intensified, with two-thirds of countries recording even further reductions in life expectancy at birth.

THE PANDEMIC EFFECTS
• The pandemic has severely affected the human development index (HDI). However, the report globally revealed an unequal impact after adjusting the HDI for COVID-19 losses since 2019 as a per cent of the total gain in 1990-2019.
• The adjustment was calculated by modifying “the expected years of schooling indicator to reflect the effects of school closures and the availability of online learning on effective attendance rates”.
• Latin America and the Caribbean emerged as the most severely affected regions, losing the equivalent of 30 per cent of its pre-COVID-19 progress since 1990. South Asia lost 24.6 per cent while Sub-Saharan Africa lost 23.4 per cent.
• In comparison, Europe and Central Asia lost 10.9 per cent of their pre-COVID-19 progress since 1990, East Asia and the Pacific lost 5.8 per cent and the Arab States lost 14.4 per cent.
• The disparity is even more pronounced when countries are aggregated based on their HDI, with very high HDI countries losing just 8.5 per cent of the progress and low and middle HDI countries losing 21.7 per cent and 25.5 per cent, respectively.
• Globally, a loss in COVID-19-adjusted HDI value equivalent to more than one-fifth of the progress from 1990 to 2019 was recorded, the study noted.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

2. CENTRE IMPOSES 20% EXPORT DUTY ON NON-BASMATI RICE FROM SEPTEMBER 9

THE CONTEXT: The central government imposed a 20 per cent export duty on select rice varieties, excluding parboiled and Basmati rice. This comes at a time when paddy sowing continues to remain low due to drought in several major rice-growing states.
THE EXPLANATION:
• Trade and market sources said the varieties on which duty has been imposed command a share of around 5.9 million tonnes (mt) of rice exported of the total 21-22 mt (28-30 per cent) of annual exports.
• The total also includes 3-4 mt of Basmati rice that has been kept outside the purview of any export tax.
• The imposition of export tax has fuelled debate on whether the Centre will reach a decision on further extending the free foodgrain distribution scheme – Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana – beyond September.
• The scheme to distribute 5 kilograms of rice or wheat per person per month to nearly 800 million beneficiaries of the National Food
• Security Act over and above their regular monthly quota was started during the pandemic as a welfare move.
• Since then, the scheme has been extended six times – the latest being in April for six months.
• So far, most rice varieties did not invite any export tax. This made domestic varieties cheaper than most global brands, leading to a surge in demand.
• The price of rice variants has risen 6-20 per cent in major markets across the country due to drop in acreage, stoking fears of a 6-10 mt fall in kharif production this year, compared to last year.
• In 2021, India produced around 111 mt of rice in the kharif season.
• Normal area is the average acreage of the past five years. In the case of paddy in the kharif season, the normal area is 39.7 million hectares.
• Given that much of the sowing has happened outside the ideal window and monsoon continues to play truant over Eastern states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, there is a great deal of uncertainty over the final output.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. INVASIVE SOUTH RED-EARED SLIDER TURTLE POSES THREAT TO INDIAN BIODIVERSITY

THE CONTEXT: The presence of invasive and non-native south red-eared slider turtles would lead to the extinction of native species of their own kind.
THE EXPLANATION:
• India is home to 29 freshwater turtles and tortoise species of the 356 turtle species recognised worldwide and around 80 per cent of them are threatened, according to a 2020 study published in journal Reptile and Amphibians conservation and Natural History. The paper was published in 2020.
• The red-eared slider is native to south-eastern USA and Mexico but have found their way across the globe including India through trade of exotic animals.
• In India, keeping indigenous turtles as pets is prohibited under the wildlife protection act. But the foreign breeds are not restricted and are kept as pets in many families across India.
• It also not mentioned in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
• The small and easy-to-maintain species is a hit in the pet’s market. The species breeds faster compared to other local turtle varieties.
ABOUT SPECIES
• The species is considered as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive non-native species. Also, the populations are observed in every continent except Antarctica and at least 73 countries.
• These turtles cannot be culled for sentimental value and other reasons but could be kept captive until their lifespan. These animals can be used for research and teaching purposes.
GOVERNMENT ACTIONS:
• The Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change has only an advisory in place to streamline the import and possession of exotic live animals in India.
• The government advisory demands registration and declaration of progenies of the imported exotic live species. But there should be more rules to prevent the species from entering our environment and negatively impacting the environment.

4. 39 BENGAL-BOUND EXOTIC ANIMALS SEIZED IN ASSAM

THE CONTEXT: The Assam police seized 30 exotic animals at the Mizoram-Myanmar border.
THE EXPLANATION:
• This was the biggest seizure of smuggled exotic animals in Assam. Two of these animals are joeys or baby wallabies, 19 are chimpanzees and monkeys, 13 small turtles, three large tortoises and two exotic birds.
• The animals have been taken to the Assam State Zoo where their health condition would be assessed, and the species identified.
NORTH BENGAL HUB?
• Assam Forest officials said Myanmar, despite the civil war, has been the source of most exotic animals smuggled into the northeast and then to the “mainland” with northern West Bengal becoming a hub of this illegal trade.
• The exotic animals have been transported within India on two routes so far. One is from Champhai bordering Myanmar in Mizoram and the other is from Moreh, also bordering Myanmar, in Manipur. Animals transported on the second route touch Dimapur in Nagaland.
• Most people arrested in Assam while transporting such animals said they were paid to deliver their consignments in West Bengal, specifically the Alipurduar-Cooch Behar-Jalpaiguri-Siliguri belt.
• This became more than apparent when Forest officials in West Bengal found four kangaroos in the Gajoldoba area of Jalpaiguri in April. Two more kangaroos – one dead, the other injured – were found in the Dabgram forest range.
• The West Bengal Forest officials rescued four monkeys smuggled from Indonesia from a Siliguri-bound bus around that time.
• In July 2020, The Assam Forest officials seized a red kangaroo, six hyacinth macaw, two capuchin monkeys from South Africa and three Aldabra giant tortoises from a truck near the State’s border with Mizoram.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. CHINA’S FULLY SOLAR-POWERED, SEMI-SATELLITE DRONE, EXPLAINED

THE CONTEXT: China’s first fully solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle has successfully completed its maiden test flight with all onboard systems functioning optimally.
THE NEW MACHINE
• With a wingspan of 164-ft, the drone is a large machine powered entirely by solar panels. The high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV can stay airborne for long durations.
• Named the Qimingxing-50, or Morning Star-50, this drone flies above 20-km altitude where there is stable airflow with no clouds. This helps these drones to make the maximum use of solar equipment to stay functional for extended durations.
• In fact, the drone’s chief designer told South China Morning Post that it can operate without a break for months, even years.
CROSS BETWEEN DRONE AND SATELLITE
• The fact that the drone can operate in near-space – 20 km to 100 km above the Earth’s surface – makes it capable of carrying out satellite-like functions.
• If satellite services are not available for, say, time-sensitive operations or in case of wartime disruption, then near-space UAVs can step in to fill the operational gap.
• These drones are also referred to as ‘High Altitude Platform Stations’ or pseudo-satellites. China already has this capacity, but the Qimingxing-50’s long-endurance provides an added advantage to make this capability available over a longer period.
• In July this year, the US Army helped test a solar-powered, near-space Airbus Zephyr S drone that set a new record by being airborne for 42 days.
• Both these drones can undertake surveillance missions that require them to stay operational, watching over borders or oceans, for months.
• Drones like the Morning Star-50 are cost-effective to build and are also easy to launch and operate. Being entirely powered by clean energy from the Sun, the present one can help boost China’s capabilities to operate in near-space and over the ocean.
• This HALE UAV is capable of conducting high-altitude reconnaissance, apart from monitoring forest fires, providing communication and environment relay.

THE SECURITY

6. INDIA, UK ORGANISE VIRTUAL CYBER SECURITY EXERCISE FOR 26 COUNTRIES

THE CONTEXT: The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the UK government jointly conducted the virtual Cyber Security Exercise for 26 countries.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The exercise is a part of the India-led International Counter Ransomware Initiative- Resilience Working Group, facilitated by the British Aerospace (BAE) Systems.
• The aim to organise this virtual Cyber Exercise on Ransomware Resilience is to simulate a large, wide-spread cyber security incident affecting organisations within a country.
• The exercise involved the National Cyber Crisis Management Teams of CRI partner nations dealing with ransomware attacks on multiple electricity distribution companies.
• These companies are responsible for the distribution of electricity to domestic customers and are the last link to the public supply. The exercise explores the complexity of decision-making around response to ransomware on Critical National Infrastructure.
• This exercise has been designed to support the mission of the CRI, and aims to allow participating CRI Members to test their capability to respond to a major ransomware incident; Demonstrates the benefit of sharing information and collaborating during a major incident; provide opportunities for the CRI Nations to share their approaches to countering ransomware.

MISCELLANEOUS

7. QUEEN ELIZABETH II, LONGEST-REIGNING BRITISH MONARCH, DIES

THE CONTEXT: Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history and a symbol of stability in an era of sweeping social and political change, has died at age 96.
THE EXPLANATION:
• During her seven decades on the throne, the British Empire was dismantled and the U.K.’s role in the world shrank dramatically.
• Growing pressure for independence in Scotland and arguments for Irish unification threatened to redraw the U.K.’s own borders, and ruptures within her family raised questions about the monarchy’s future role.
• But at the end, Queen Elizabeth remained head of state of 14 countries in addition to the U.K., and the leader of a Commonwealth that now includes 54 countries with a combined population of over two billion people.
• The new monarch is her eldest son, Charles, whose son, William, becomes next in line for the throne.
• Throughout the years, the queen reigned alongside 15 British prime ministers and 14 U.S. presidents, beginning with Winston Churchill and Harry Truman.
• She ascended to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952, at a time when much of Europe was still recovering from the trauma of World War II.
• Britain was still rationing food at her coronation in 1953, and much of the continent had fallen behind the Iron Curtain. She was still there decades later when the Soviet Union collapsed, and China began its rise as a global power.

1. A thought flowers READ MORE
2. Suicide is never a solution READ MORE

1. Time to put wastewater to good use READ MORE
2. Invasive south red-eared slider turtle poses threat to Indian biodiversity READ MORE

1. Should the mother tongue or English be the medium of instruction? READ MORE  
2. A Suitable Teacher: Success of new education policy depends on how we recruit and assess teachers READ MORE
3. Amid stressed healthcare system, a shining example READ MORE

1. Road safety needs a holistic policy framework READ MORE
2. Why India’s Data Protection Bill Should Follow the EU Model, Not the China-Russia One READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Centre imposes 20% export duty on non-Basmati rice from September 9 READ MORE
2. 39 Bengal-bound exotic animals seized in Assam READ MORE
3. Queen Elizabeth II, longest-reigning monarch of U.K., dies READ MORE
4. China’s fully solar-powered, semi-satellite drone, explained READ MORE
5. Invasive south red-eared slider turtle poses threat to Indian biodiversity READ MORE
6. India’s life expectancy falls to 67.2 in 2021, decade-long improvement undone READ MORE
7. India, UK organise virtual cybersecurity exercise for 26 countries READ MORE
8. Uncertain times: What UN human development report warns us about READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Road safety needs a holistic policy framework READ MORE
2. Why India’s Data Protection Bill Should Follow the EU Model, Not the China-Russia One READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Should the mother tongue or English be the medium of instruction? READ MORE  
2. A Suitable Teacher: Success of new education policy depends on how we recruit and assess teachers READ MORE
3. Amid stressed healthcare system, a shining example READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. The outline of an essential global pandemic treaty: A treaty under the umbrella of the World Health Organization would build coherence and avoid fragmentation READ MORE
2. Golden chapter continues: India-Bangladesh ties have grown. Mature leadership on both sides has not let minor disagreements disrupt them READ MORE
3. CEPA WILL be A FILLIP TO INDO-BANGLADESH TIES READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. India’s experiments for reducing the digital divide READ MORE
2. A warning on loose talk about bank privatization READ MORE
3. Data, the new oil of the 21st century READ MORE
4. Uncertain times: What UN human development report warns us about READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Time to put wastewater to good use READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Floods in Pakistan and the pulls and pressures of India-Pak disaster diplomacy READ MORE
2. Pakistan floods: Why India and other South Asian nations must collaborate to fight disasters READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. A thought flowers READ MORE
2. Suicide is never a solution READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. English should be taught effectively not as a medium but as a language. Comment on the statement regarding the ongoing debate.
2. The Covid-19 pandemic taught us that the world needs a global pandemic treaty under the supervision of the World Health Organization to build coherence and avoid fragmentation. Comment.
3. If India and Bangladesh want to secure a future of economic growth and prosperity, both countries must cooperate more closely against the menace of inimical forces. Discuss.
4. ‘The RBI’s plan to digitise Kisan credit lending can narrow the digital divide and boost rural banking with its knock-on effects’. Examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government.
• Politicians in India need to ask themselves whether ethics are more important than ‘gain now, damnation forever’.
• English should be taught effectively not as the medium, but as a second language.
• While bilateral ties will continue to grow, inimical forces will seek to undermine goodwill. Both countries must cooperate more closely against this menace if the future has to be secured for economic growth and prosperity.
• Respecting learner diversity and skills in building a participative/democratic classroom culture are crucial requisites of a teacher. The recruitment process should assess the teacher’s aptitude in this respect.
• The RBI’s plan to digitise Kisan credit lending can narrow the digital divide and boost rural banking with its knock-on effects.
• With water scarcity in India becoming alarming, industries and apartments should use tech to treat and reuse wastewater.
• Data pilferage is a big issue in the cyber world; to contain it, a composite approach with technical and political acumen is called for.
• Shared responses to humanitarian crises could be a mechanism to build co-operation and trust.

50-WORD TALK

• The free market enthusiasts in the Modi government and in the public sphere are afraid to discuss openly the pros and cons of a market economy: whether a market economy can function with its own rules or whether government regulation is needed and whether there is something called market failure. These issues might appear to be fruitless theoretical babble, but they need to be clarified time and again, and there are no simple answers either way.
• It is high time we stopped treating road safety as just a law and order or policing issue. It is a development and health issue. This change in outlook is necessary to tackle the problem effectively. It can be done by addressing such well-known risk factors as bad road engineering, poor road maintenance, slacked law enforcement and inadequate infrastructure for life-saving emergency care.

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 328]

THE CONTEXT: Many developing countries have reorganized their subnational administrative boundaries as a part of administrative reforms and decentralization. Theoretically, administrative proliferation can lead to better developmental outcomes by better managing ethnic heterogeneity, bringing public services closer to people, and better matching services to local preferences. This article analyzes the demographic and developmental outcomes of such administrative proliferation in India.

THE OVERVIEW: In a bid to arrive at the optimal population size in a local government unit, many national governments have reorganized their sub-national boundaries and have implemented vast decentralization reforms with an explicit goal to improve governance. The fundamental argument for decentralized administration is that there is heterogeneity in demand for public services. The variance in preferences can be better understood and catered to by a government that is closer to the citizens, thus raising well-being throughout society. Small jurisdictions have an information advantage and hence they can tailor their services, tax appropriately, and raise welfare. In addition, it also enhances the capability of the citizens to monitor their government and hold the responsibility of the public official to better match local preferences.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROLIFERATION:

●Administrative proliferation is the creation of new administrative units by the splitting of existing ones at subnational levels. Although administrative proliferation may be associated with decentralization reforms, it is a distinct policy choice. Decentralization involves the devolution of responsibility, authority, and resources to lower-level governmental units, while administrative proliferation only creates new governmental units without changing the underlying power structure.

● Many developing countries create new districts as a part of their administrative reforms process, also referred to as administrative proliferation or government fragmentation.

WHY ADMINISTRATIVE PROLIFERATION?

• Administrative proliferation may claim some of the theoretical benefits of decentralization as it brings citizens closer to their administrators. Each administrative unit is smaller and more homogeneous—with less heterogeneity in preferences, they are able to provide better services to citizens. Splitting of administrative units also may reduce the bargaining power of each unit.
• Another consideration in the creation of administrative units is the management of ethnic diversity. Ethnic politics constitutes a crucial dimension of public life and serves as an intermediary between public administration and the economic well-being of citizens, especially in cases where multiple hierarchically nested administrative units interact to provide public goods. In ethnically diverse states it is common to devolve power to subnational units as a compromise between the demands of territorially concentrated ethnic groups and the need to preserve the higher-level territorial integrity.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROLIFERATION IN INDIA

Administrative proliferation in India has been occurring since Independence, but it has picked up pace since the enactment of the decentralization reforms in 1992. India enacted extensive decentralization reforms with a constitutional amendment in 1992. Until the 73rd and 74th amendments to the constitution, the structure of government in India was two-tiered, with the union and state governments—and the district level administrators performing such tasks as assigned to them by the state governments, such as rural development programs. With the passing of the 73rd and 74th Amendments, the local government units became the third tier of government. The local government units are themselves of three levels – district level, 220 sub-district (taluka) level and village (panchayat) level.

According to the 2011 Census, between 2001-2011 alone as many as 46 districts were added within that time. Since the 2011 Census, approximately 100 districts have been added in India.

• In 2021 Punjab created Malerkotla as its 23rd district.
• The surge in a number of districts is mostly due to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into A.P. and Telangana in 2014. Telangana at present has 33 districts and Andhra Pradesh has 26 districts (13 new districts were created in 2022).
• Most recently in August 2022, WEST BENGAL also announced for creation 7 new districts.

ADVANTAGES OF CREATING NEW DISTRICTS IN INDIA

• Better administration and governance: This is one of the foremost advantages stated by state governments during the creation of new districts. To some extent, it is also true.
• The smaller district ensures better governance: New districts will host a range of administrative machinery in the district. This will result in better implementation of government schemes, proper fund utilization, enhanced coverage of schemes, etc. All this will improve governance in the new district.
• Service to the increased population: Since 1981, the average district area has become 44% smaller in 2019. But, the average number of people in a district has risen from 16.6 lakh to 18.6 lakh in 2019. So the new districts can ensure better service delivery for the increased population.
• Bring administration closer to the people: Bigger districts hinder the administration process in some areas of that district itself. For example, before the bifurcation of the Amravati district, the farthest taluka was around 150 km from the district headquarters. So, administrative officers in taluka have to travel nearly 3 hours to district headquarters. A new district can bring the administration closer to the people.
• District-specific government initiatives: New districts might attract more district-specific schemes. For example, the government can set up an agricultural research and assistance centre or a residential school for gifted children. The state government can provide better funding for backward districts. This will benefit the local population.
• Increase employment: Since the new district will require new officials from the top-down, this will increase the employment in government directly. It will also spur employment opportunities indirectly. For example, government tender and associated employment for locals, new shops and services near government buildings, etc.

DEMOGRAPHIC AND DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROLIFERATION

The district bifurcations are beneficial for the overall district – and especially newly created districts – in terms of economic output. There could be two underlying reasons for the observed outcomes – it may be arising due to the greater homogeneity in population distribution after the split, or due to the redistributive benefits of bifurcation.

• After the bifurcation, both the child and the parent region tend to be more homogeneous than before. When compared with a similar district that was never split, both child and parent districts do better in terms of economic outcomes. This suggests that the greater homogeneity in population distribution and preferences after the split could be playing a part in the observed positive outcomes.
• However, the child regions do better than the parent regions in the post-bifurcation period. This is reasonable to expect because the villages in the child district gain an additional advantage of having a new administrative setup built closer to them. This is consistent with the idea that reducing the distance between citizens and administrative centres could lead to better outcomes. [The parent region already has an established administrative system, and therefore the redistributive effects due to the creation of a new district headquarters do not come into play in the parent district. The observed benefit to the child region over the parent region seems to suggest that the positive outcomes are due to redistributive benefits.]

CHALLENGES IN THE CREATION OF NEW DISTRICTS IN INDIA

Creating a number of districts without any rationale can be challenging. This is due to various reasons such as,

• The very process of creating one district is challenging: The government has to find office space for different departments and fill many new positions. All this will require a huge government expenditure. The government will also face challenges with land acquisition.
• Substitute for genuine decentralization: Zilla Parishad and the Panchayat Samiti do not enjoy a lot of power in many states. So, these officials take most of their grievances to the collector. Creating smaller districts without empowering these bodies does not conform to the idea of decentralization in the real sense.
• The increased cost of living in new districts: The growth centres created in new district headquarters will also make the land rates and other service costs go up. This will increase the cost of living in the new district headquarters in the long run.
• Political motive: Many states reorganize the existing districts and form new ones due to political motives. However, the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission stated that the political gains from forming a new district are a “minor dividend” and not the major one.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUE

• In democratic societies, small jurisdictions are believed to enhance political participation, make politics less abstract, politicians more responsive, and facilitate exit-based empowerment of citizens. Decentralization may promote responsiveness and effectiveness of the government as it enhances the capability of the citizens to monitor their government and aligns the incentive structure facing the public official. Decentralization will increase economic efficiency as local governments have an information advantage and can respond better to variance in preferences at the local level and population mobility will lead to competition between local authorities and better provision of public goods [One District, One Product; Aspirational District Programme; Swachh Bharat Mission etc will incentivise the general public in a more comprehensive way].
• Decentralized service delivery especially when citizens directly elect the local governments is expected to provide better coverage, quality, and efficiency. Competing local governments may experiment with various ways to provide public goods and lead to innovations [ making use of locally available resources, traditional knowledge and manpower] that can also be applied/replicated elsewhere.
• Local government proliferation also brings citizens closer to their government and may engender a better match between the supply and demand of public goods and services.
• At the same time, there is a counter argument in favour of larger jurisdiction sizes because larger units allow for economies of scale in providing public goods. Local bureaucracies may be poorly staffed and ill-equipped to handle the responsibilities associated with the decentralized provision of public goods [such as in cases of natural disasters and climate change-related issues which impact a larger geographical area and needs more coordinated efforts at a large scale]. Making each unit smaller and increasing the number of units, may increase the total cost of coordination and cooperation.
• There is also the possibility that the newly created administrative units may struggle to generate resources due to poorer administrative capability, thus leading to subpar public good provision. Thus critics also argue that the effectiveness of decentralization measures/administrative proliferation is often hampered by the particular context of its implementation, which may or may not always lead to better outcomes.

THE WAY FORWARD:

1. Ensure proper decentralization: Instead of creating new districts every time, the State governments might reform their decentralization policy as the Panchayats and Zillas face many challenges in their functioning. If the state government provides more powers this will improve the functioning of Panchayats and Zilla Parishad. For example,

• Creation of SFCs(State Finance Commission) properly and allocating funds properly.
• Widening their tax base and providing access to the Capital market to raise funds.
• State Governments should provide local bodies with the power to recruit personnel to fulfil their functions properly.

2. Guidelines for the formation of new districts: With new districts added every year, the Center may prescribe certain criteria for the formation of a new district. For example, the Center may release a guideline that contains the minimum area of the district, its population, etc.
3. Work on other alternatives: Instead of creating new infrastructure, the States may conduct special camps and frequent field visits from officials. This will not only save the government exchequer but also serve the majority of the administrative and governance targets.
4. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are key instruments for achieving higher competitiveness in the economy and improving the social living standard of the citizens. Wide usage and incorporation of ICT in these two directions are targeted to achieve innovative, sustainable and associative growth, which is envisaged.
5. The present times is an era of technology and underlining the benefits of technology as demonstrated during the time of the pandemic, the union government is working to provide high-speed internet to every village and it is imperative to invest even further in technology and innovation, which will help in better administration and good governance initiatives, reducing the need for further bifurcation of the districts.
6. Parallel steps to enhance the Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency of the public offices will further enhance the overall functioning of the administration along with the administrative proliferation which indeed helps in bringing the government and administration closer to the people.

THE CONCLUSION: Administrative proliferation as a policy measure has mixed results with specific public service measures such as education, sanitation, water supply, or maternal health. Compared to districts that are not split, split districts (parent and child) are better off in terms of economic outcomes. However, the child regions have an advantage over the parent regions in the post-bifurcation period. Government functions are many and varied and the effect of population size on one of those functions might not be the same as that on others. The demographic and developmental outcomes may fall off the line with the conceived notions of administrative proliferation at lower levels of population per administrative unit.

Mains Practice Question:

1. What are the reasons for creating new districts in the state? are they helping in administrative ease or just a populist measure?
2. Does the concept of administrative proliferation conform to the idea of a leviathan state? In the era of minimum government, maximum governance justifies the idea of creating more administrative centres in the state.
3. Do newly added districts yield desired governance results? critically analyze.