‘Inordinate delay in notifying Disability Act rules’

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context:

     ★ A think tank has written to the Goa Director of Social Welfare, a nodal department for persons with disability, over an inordinate delay in notifying the draft rules for the implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, in the State.

Issue:

     ★ The Centre notified the Act in January, 2017. All States were given six months to frame rules and notify them.

     ★ The rules are far from notified in Goa, the State has missed the deadline several times, breaching the Central directive.

                                                                                                                                 Source:- The Hindu

Scientists discover massive mountains under Earth’s crust

GS PAPER - 01 GEOGRAPHY - Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Context:

     ★ Scientists have discovered massive mountains in the Earth’s mantle, an advance that may change our understanding of how the planet was formed.

Key findings:

     ★ The layer lacks a formal name and is being addressed as the “660 kilometers boundary”. The recent discovery is expected to give new insights on the formation and evolution of Earth.

     ★ The researchers had used data from Bolivia Earthquake, 1994 – the second largest earthquake ever recorded (8.2 on Richter scale).

     ★ Using the data, the researchers have discovered mountains, as well as other topography on a layer located 660 kilometers downwards that separates the upper and lower mantle.

                                                                                                                      Source:- The Hindu

Caught down the wire: Punjab’s blackbuck fight for existence

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context:

     ★ According to the Punjab State government data as many as 25 blackbucks died in 2018.

More about the news:

     ★ The recent incidents of death of Blackbucks have raised concern among the civil society and Punjab government.

     ★ Blackbuck is the state animal of Punjab.

     ★ In Punjab, it is only found in Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary.

     ★ It faces a severe threat from stray cattle, attacks by stray dogs, and habitat fragmentation due to change in land use fencing agricultural fields and cropping patterns over the past few years.

     ★ Other unnatural reasons for blackbuck deaths include road accidents and falling into water storage tanks and concrete drains.

                                                                                                           Source:- The Hindu

States allocation : Panel Sticks to 2011 Census

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context:

     ★  The 15th Finance Commission will not alter its approach on solely using the 2011 Census for population figures in its calculations for allocations to States.

15th Finance Commission:

     ★ 15th finance commission is setup under the chairmanship of NK Singh to advise on the basis of Terms of reference(TOR).

Terms of reference (TOR) of the 15th FC:

     ★ Principles governing the Vertical devolution of taxes between union and states

     ★ Principles governing the Horizontal distribution of taxes between the states

     ★ Grant in aid to states and

     ★ Performance Based incentives for States.

     ★ The 15th Finance Commission(FC) will be using data from 2011 census for the devolution of taxes.

     ★ Few states have expressed concern over the decision as it would result in lower resource allocation.

     ★ 14th Finance commission had used 1971 Census formula which was given 17% weight i.e. more populous state will get more funds.While, 15th FC will use the 2011 Census data.Since, Southern states have reduced their fertility rate between 1971 to 2011, whereas Northern states could not achieve it.So, southern states fear they will get proportionately less funds, if 2011 Census is used.

                                                                                                                   Source:- The Hindu

Delhi dilemma [ Editorial / Opinion ]

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Context:

     ★ The Supreme Court’s split decision on the question of whether the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) has executive control over those in its service – points to the inherent complexity of the relations between the Delhi government and the Centre. It flags the need to address complexities in Centre-UT ties. There has been considerable debate over statehood issue of Delhi.

Delhi statehood:

     ★ The disadvantages of not having full statehood status has been felt by many elected regimes in Delhi. But at present, the extent of bitterness has been severe.

     ★ Battles have been fought in the political and judicial spheres over whether some subject or the other falls under the Delhi government or is the exclusive preserve of the Centre.

     ★ In June 2018, a five-judge Constitution Bench ruled that decisions of the Delhi government will not require the concurrence of the Lieutenant-Governor, except in matters relating to Land, Home, and Public Order.

     ★ However, that judgment was silent on matters relating to services and other issues.

     ★ Recently a number of petitions were filed challenging various notifications including on control of services and power of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Recent SC Judgement:

     ★ The split verdict by a two-judge bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan has, in essence, affirmed the power of the Union government (through the office of the lieutenant governor) over the elected state government on crucial matters.

     ★ The Centre remains the cadre-controlling authority in Delhi and the Delhi Anti Corruption Branch cannot investigate central government officers.

     ★ The two judges, however, differed on whether the state government can manage cadre below the rank of joint secretary.

     ★ Justice Sikri believes that going by a Constitution Bench decision last year, the NCTD would indeed have the power to deploy officials within its own departments.

     ★ However, the absence of a public service in Delhi means Entry 41 in the State List (services; service commissions) would imply that it is a matter inapplicable to ‘Union Territories’, and therefore, the LG need not act on the Delhi government’s aid and advice.

     ★ Therefore, he favours a solution under which transfers and postings of officers in the rank of Joint Secretary and above could be directly submitted to the LG, and those of others be processed by the Council of Ministers and sent to the LG.

     ★ In case of any dispute, the LG’s view will prevail.

     ★ Justice Bhushan, on the other hand, has ruled that once it is accepted that there is no ‘service’ under the NCTD, there is no scope for its government to exercise any executive power in this regard.

Way forward:

     ★ A larger Bench will now decide on the question relating to control over the services.

     ★ The more significant challenge is to find a way out of the complexities and problems thrown up by the multiple forms of federalism and power-sharing arrangements through which relations between the Centre and its constituent units are regulated.

                                                                                                                     Source:- The Hindu

How the 16th Lok Sabha fared [ Editorial / Opinion ]

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Parliament & State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges & issues arising out of these

Performance of 16 Lok Sabha:

     ★ The 16th Lok Sabha was surpassed only by the preceding one in terms of the low number of hours it worked. It met for 1,615 hours, 40% lower than all full-term Parliaments.

     ★ It met for 1,615 hours, 40% lower than all full-term Parliaments.

     ★ This Lok Sabha sat for 331 days (against a 468-day average for all previous full-term Lok Sabhas), and lost 16% of its time to disruptions.

     ★ The House was often disrupted by MPs carrying placards, entering the well, and even on occasion, blocking their colleagues from speaking.

     ★ A big casualty was Question Hour — the Lok Sabha lost a third of this time and the Rajya Sabha 60%; consequently, just 18% of the starred questions in each House got an oral reply.

     ★ Speaker blaming unruly behaviour for her inability to count the required number of MPs demanding a no-confidence motion but allowing the Union Budget to be passed in the interim.

Key legislations:

     ★ However, Parliament made some important laws.

     ★ The Goods and Services Tax was implemented.

     ★ The Insolvency and Bankruptcy code was enacted.

     ★ The IIM Act gave premier management educational institutions a level of autonomy not available to other public educational institutions.

     ★ The Juvenile Justice Act allowed children (between 16 and 18 years) accused of committing heinous crimes to be prosecuted as adults.

     ★ Mental Healthcare Act, The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 were passed: for treatment of mental health patients, and those with HIV/AIDS.

     ★ The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the disability legislation was passed by the Indian Parliament to fulfill its obligation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India ratified in 2007.

     ★ There were some efforts to address the issues of corruption, black money and leakages.

     ★ The Prevention of Corruption Act was amended to make bribe-giving an offence.

     ★ Laws were made requiring a declaration of assets held outside India.

     ★ Fugitive economic offenders act was passed to declare as fugitives those economic offenders who had fled the country.

     ★ The Aadhaar Act was passed to create a biometric-based identity system.

Bills passing:

     ★ The Aadhaar Act was passed as a Money Bill .

     ★ Finance Bills, in the last few years, have included items which have no relation to taxes or to expenditure of the government.

     ★ The Finance Bill, 2015 included provisions to merge the regulator of commodity exchanges with the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

     ★ The Finance Bill, 2016 included amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act which relate to donations to non-profits.

     ★ The Finance Bill, 2017 went further and changed the compositions of 19 quasi-judicial bodies such as the Securities Appellate Tribunal, the National Green Tribunal and the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), and repealed seven other bodies including the Competition Appellate Tribunal.

     ★ It is difficult to see how these Bills would fall within the narrow definition of Money Bill, as defined in Article 110 of the Constitution.

Bills - lapsed:

     ★ A few other Bills, such as the Triple Talaq Bill and the Citizenship Bill, were passed by the Lok Sabha but will lapse as they were not passed by the Rajya Sabha.

     ★ It is evident that the government was able to have its way on every issue in the Lok Sabha and was held in check only due to a lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha; even this check was bypassed occasionally using the Money Bill route.

     ★ The government could do this as a result of the anti-defection provision which gives complete control of all party votes to the party leadership.

     ★ This law has converted MPs from being representatives of the people to delegates of the party.

     ★ If the party in government has a majority of its own, it can have any provision passed; even coalition governments have to convince just a handful of leaders of their alliance partners.

Way forward:

     ★ Parliament plays the central role in our democracy by holding the government to account and scrutinising proposed laws and financial priorities.

     ★ It is time to ponder on how to make this institution more effective.

     ★ An important step will be by reviewing the anti-defection law that has hollowed out the institution.

                                                                                                            Source:- The Hindu

conference on Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation scheme

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

Context:

     ★ For the overall empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangajan), a “Regional Conference on Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS”) is being organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India at Kolkata.

Objective of the Conference:

     ★ The objectives of the Conference are to disseminate the provisions of the revised scheme and to sensitize various stakeholders about it.

     ★ This conference also provides a unique opportunity for interactions amongst all stakeholders.

     ★ The conference would ensure exchange of cross-sectoral views on the aspects of the efficacy of the scheme as well as the scope of improvements in it.

                                                                                                                                Source:- PIB

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