Class Notes 4 You

Multi-level planning opposed to centralised planning is an exercise where local institutions are actively involved not only at the implementation level but involve all hierarchies of administrative, geographical, political, and regional levels in the planning process. It is cost effective and removing implementation blockages in the sense: 1. Freedom to Fix Priorities: Since the specific situation at the local level is quite different from the national scene, a block plan may even give different weightage to national priorities in its scheme of priorities. 2. Target Fixing: A block drawing upon the available resources and its own experiences should have the freedom to fix its own targets, depending upon their feasibility. 3. Tackling Corruption: Through empowerment and involvement of local bodies, various discrepancies in developmental implementation can be solved. 4. Reducing Regional disparities: Decentralised planning will help suitability of the implementation strategies and resour...

Earn while you learn scheme is based on twin pillars of Learning by doing and Earning by Learning. Vocational education is a great combination of work and learning. The scheme needs to be strengthened because: • It provides opportunities for students to earn while learning to meet their expenses. • Exposes the students to the world of work before actual employment. • Gives students hands-on experience and confidence thereby prepares them better for taking up jobs in future.  The government scheme of ‘Earn while you learn’ is turning out to be a major draw for several college students who might have otherwise dropped out due to financial reasons. Challenges of Earn while Earn to make it meaningful for Vocational Education: • The lack of regular staff remains an issue of concern. • Lack of motivation: The government is managing to get its work done at merely Rs 100 per hour where as a government employee earns at least Rs 20,000 per month. • Diversification: Students need to be engag...

Recently, the Delhi High Court has held that the CAT can exercise the same jurisdiction and powers, as a High Court, in respect of its contempt proceedings. Thus, it gave more power to act as an independent judicial authority. Also, CAT has shown that it exercises its power as independent judicial authority in many cases like:  1. In UPSC vs EWS candidate case CAT took swift action to allow EWS candidates to give mains exam and decide matters later. 2. CAT is also giving judgement against the central government. (DGP Jacob Thomas) 3. CAT has also held that government employees on the verge of superannuation should not be disturbed merely because they have stayed for a considerably long period at a particular place. 4. The conditions of service of the chairman and members are the same as applicable to the judge of HC as per Administrative Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2006. However, the Central Administrative Tribunal still cannot be called truly independent judicial body because: 1. Tri...

Recently, some of the sections of RTI like section 13, 16, 27 has been amended, which has the potential to impact the autonomy of the Information commission. Amendments done: 1. Term of Information Commissioners: The amendment states that the central government will notify the term of office for the CIC and the ICs. 2. Determination of salary: The amendment seeks an amendment to state that the salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the central and state CIC and ICs will be determined by the central government.  3. Deductions in salary: The Act states that at the time of the appointment of the CIC and ICs (at the central and state level), if they are receiving pension or any other retirement benefits for previous government service, their salaries will be reduced by an amount equal to the pension. Impact of such amendment on Autonomy and Independence of the Information Commission: Dismantling of Transparency architecture. It has been criticised as an RTI ...

The commission is the watchdog of human rights in the country. It works to protect the right to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India. Contribution to Protection of Human Rights: Commission took cognizance of many individual cases of displacement on account of mega projects, disasters and conflicts. The Commission took Suo motu cognizance of the reports about suicide by farmers. The NHRC took cognizance of the issue of inadequate access to health care in Adivasi communities of south Orissa. As the Convention against torture has not yet been ratified by India, the Commission has been advocating early ratification of the Convention. The Commission is also concerned about allegations of impunity of State and non-State players for torture, deaths in custody, abductions and unlawful killings. The NHRC role has been significant in combating encounter killings and custo...

The National commission of women, apex national level organization of India with the mandate of protecting and promoting the interests of women, but it has a statutory status. Steps in constitutionalization of a Commission are: 1. A bill is introduced under Article 368 to amend the Constitution. 2. Bill has to be passed by both the houses by special majority. 3. Bill is given assent by the President. Benefits of constitutionalization of the commission: Independent Functioning: Today, although the NCW is an autonomous body, it is functioning as if it is under the ministry of women and child development. Constitutionalization will make following changes: 1. Dependence on the Union government for the grant will not be there. 2. The commission will have the power to select its own members. Today, the power is vested with the Union Government. 3. The commission will have right to concrete legislative power. Today, It has only power to recommend amendments and submit reports which are not bi...

Finance Commission (FC) is a constitutional authority, constituted under Article 280, that sets the mechanismnand formula for allocating tax revenues between the Centre and states, as well as among states, in accordancebwith the Constitutional and current needs. Recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, enabling fiscal position of states: 1. Increased devolution to states from the divisible pool of taxes from 32% to 42%. States would receive a larger volume of untied funds relative to tied funds. This will enhance the states’ autonomy in decidingbtheir expenditure priorities. 2. Recommend eight centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) to be delinked from support from the Centre, thus,nstates sharing a higher fiscal responsibility and autonomy to implement development initiatives. 3. FFC, unlike the past Commissions, has covered the entire revenue account requirements of the States, both plan and non-plan, in its recommendations. Resulting in better allocation of resources even to pancha...

An Act to provide for the conduct of elections of the Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Legislature of each State, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses, the corrupt practises and other offences at or in connection with such elections and the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with such elections. A person can be disqualified on below grounds: • Disqualification on conviction for certain election offences and corrupt practises in the election. (Sec 8) • Disqualification on conviction for certain offences. • Disqualification on ground of corrupt practices. (Section 8A). • Disqualification for dismissal for corruption or disloyalty. (Section 9). • Disqualification for Government contracts, etc. (Section 9A) • Disqualification for office under Government company (Section 10) • Disqualification for failure to lodge account of election expenses. (Section 10 A)  Remedies available against such Disquali...

Eradication of corruption from Politics and decriminalisation of Politics is a long-sought dream to achieve the ideals of Free and Fair election. The RPA 1951 is a legal intervention to check corrupt practises in elections. RPA 1951: Section 123 of RPA defines: What is the meaning of Corrupt practises and section 8 of RPA has a provision to disqualify individuals on the ground of corrupt practises. But the provisions of the act and the complexity of the procedure delays the conviction and thus the corrupt practises are continued: ● Section 62 (5) of RPA 1951: Person in Jail can contest election, but can’t vote. This provision has been nullified by the SC in Jan Chowkidar case, but the government restored it. ● Non-Uniformity in Disqualification: The section 8 (1), 8(2), 8(3) of RPA 1951 sets out different tenures for punishment for different cases, which is confusing and complex. E.g.: Section 8 (1) provides for imprisonment for 6 years, from the date of such conviction and shall conti...

  Current Affairs  Important Newspaper Highlights for UPSC Civil Services Examination. 27 July 2022 The HINDU   🟠 FRONT PAGE : Can promises of ‘irrational’ poll freebies  be curbed, SC asks govt.(Page 1) 🟢 STATES : Karnataka HC notice to Centre on Twitter plea  challenging ‘blocking’(Page 4) 🟠 STATES : Rare flight of Antarctic’s Light-mantled  Albatross to T.N. coast intrigues researchers (Page 4) 🟢EDITORIAL: Whose GDP is it anyway? (Page 6) 🟠OPED : A path to global connectivity (Page 7) 🟢 TEXT& CONTEXT : Power tariff revisions and the state  of DISCOMs Page 8) 🟠 NEWS : 19 Rajya Sabha members suspended in one go  (Page 11) 🟢 NEWS : India adds five more Ramsar sites (Page 12 🟠 NEWS : Third parties joining CPEC is inherently illegal:  India(Page 12) 🟢 BUSINESS : IMF cuts outlook for global growth, flags  recession risk (Page 14)  The Indian EXPRESS 🟠 FRONT PAGE : Ask finance panel if possible to check  freebies: SC...

The Constitution under Article 76 has provided for the office of the Attorney-General for India (AGI). He is appointed by the President and holds the office during the pleasure of the President. As the chief legal adviser of the Government of India, the Attorney-General has the following duties: 1. To give advice to the Government of India on legal matters, which are referred to him by the President. 2. To perform other duties of a legal character that are assigned to him by the President. 3. To discharge the functions conferred on him by the Constitution or any other law. Through a notification of 1950, he has been assigned the following duties by the President: 1. To appear on behalf of the Government of India in the Supreme Court and high courts. 2. To represent the Government of India in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court under Article 143 of the Constitution. 3. Along with these duties, the AGI also has the right of audience in all courts enjoys all the privi...

Farmers’ organisations are seen as a useful organisational mechanism/Pressure Group for mobilising farmers’ collective self-help action aimed at improving their own economic and social situation and that of their communities.  Methods Employed: 1. Lobbying : So that Policy is favourable. E.g.: Favourable Administered State Price for sugarcane and Protest against GM Crops by Bhartiya Kisan Union. 2. Activism : All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee has drafted Bills (Farmers’ freedom from Debt Bill and guaranteed Fair and remunerative prices bill). 3. Protest : For Loan waiver, Higher MSP, Free electricity. 4. Supporting parties in election : By Supporting the candidate in garnering vote 5. Use of media : A 2015 study by Meredith Agrimedia and a 2016 Farm Futures survey found that Facebook is the most popular social media platform used by farmers, followed by YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram.  Farmers’ organisations face challenges like: 1. Limited ...

1) Out of 25 High Courts in the country only one state HC has a woman Chief Justice (CJ Hima Kohli at Telangana High Court). Only 73 out of 661 High Court judges, which is roughly 11.04% are women. 2) In five High Courts, namely, Manipur, Meghalaya, Patna, Tripura and Uttarakhand, there is not even a single woman judge. Advantages of increasing women presence in judiciary: 1. Women judges contribute far more to justice than improving its appearance: they also contribute significantly to the quality of decision-making, and thus to the quality of justice itself.  Women judges bring those lived experiences to their judicial actions, experiences that tend toward a more comprehensive and empathetic perspective- one that encompasses not only the legal basis for judicial action, but also awareness of consequences on the people affected. Suggestions to increase women’s participation in the higher judiciary: 1. Making the process of Judicial appointment more transparent, inclusive and invo...

Chief Justice of India remarked on the quite low representation of women at all levels in the legal field and promised that he would take up the demand for their higher representation beyond 50% on the bench with his colleagues. Status of representation of Women in Higher Judiciary:  1). There has never been a woman Chief Justice of India.  2). Of the 256 Supreme Court judges appointed in the past 71 years, only 11 (or 4.2%) have been women.  Desirability of greater representation to women in the higher judiciary: 1. By their mere presence, women judges enhance the legitimacy of courts, sending a powerful signal that they are open and accessible to those who seek recourse to justice. 2. It will ensure diversity of perspectives is fairly considered. E.g.: more balanced and empathetic approach in cases involving sexual violence. It will instil greater public trust in the judiciary.  3. Improvements in women’s representation in the judiciary remain intrinsic to the cons...

A pressure group is a group of people who work together to promote and defend a common cause. It influences public policy by applying pressure to the government via a liaison between the government and its constituents. They are vested groups or interest groups. Role of pressure groups in influencing public policy: 1. People's demands and wants are brought to the attention of policy-makers by pressure groups by interest articulation. E.g.: Association of Engineers, Conference of Indian Industries, etc. 2. Better public policy formation may occur through reactions of groups of people on issues of public importance like reservation policy, environmental issues, regional imbalances, etc. E.g., Samyukta Kisan Morcha Agitation for Farm Laws. 3. They play a mediatory role between the people and government by balancing the national interest and interest of individuals. E.g., Chipko Movement. 4. They play a significant role in identifying possible policy alternatives or options by providin...