International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. IAEA The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology. The Agency’s genesis was U.S. President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on 8 December 1953. From the beginning, it was given the mandate to work with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The objectives of the IAEA’s dual mission – to promote and control the Atom – are defined in Article II of the IAEA Statute. For the 2020-2021 period, the new composition of the 35-member IAEA Board will be as follows: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America. The newly elected Board members are the following: Argentina, Austria, Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Senegal, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates. Read Nuclear Magnetic Resonance India – IAEA: India has become the 35th country to join the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Response and Assistance Network(RANET), a group of states which offer assistance to mitigate the consequences of nuclear or radiological emergencies. Through RANET, states can register their emergency preparedness and response capabilities, including support for radiation measurements, medical advice or treatment, and specialized equipment. This enables the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre to promptly mobilize an assistance team upon request of a state affected by an emergency. “India’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities can now be offered to countries during an emergency, if these countries ask for assistance. This shows a strong commitment by India to strengthen the international framework for nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness and response,” which serves as a focal point for coordinating and facilitating international assistance. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
High-security number plates to be mandatory in Karnataka
High-security number plates to be mandatory in Karnataka Motorists who registered their vehicles more than two years ago will have to change the number plates as Karnataka is making the installation of High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) mandatory for all vehicles. As per the Transport Department’s data, 2.10 crore vehicles were registered till March 2019, of which 80.49 lakh were registered in Bengaluru alone. The owners will have to pay to replace the number plates. The rule for installing HSRPs is already applicable for vehicles registered after April 1, 2019. The State government had initiated the implementation of HSRP in 2010-11. However, the tender process was embroiled in various controversies and the matter also reached the courts. HSRP: A high security registration plate is made up of aluminium and is fixed on the vehicle using two non-reusable locks. The registration plate comes with a hot-stamped chromium-based hologram of Ashoka Chakra on the top left corner which is blue in colour and precisely measures 20mm x 20mm. At the bottom left corner of the plate is a 10-digit PIN (permanent identification number) that is laser-engraved on the reflective sheet. Similarly, the HSRP also comes with a hot-stamped film applied on the registration numerals and letters bearing the inscription ‘India’ at a 45-degree angle. Once the unique registration is fixed, it is then electronically linked to the vehicle. The central govt has not capped the price of HSRP which means the cost could differ in various states. On average, the HSRP costs around Rs 400 for two-wheelers, up to Rs 1,100 for four-wheelers depending on the category. The colour-coded stickers can be fitted for Rs 100 for vehicles with an HSRP. Benefits: The primary reason behind this mandate is that the old number plates are quite easy to tamper with and can be taken out or switched easily. A stolen vehicle always ends up with a replaced registration plate, making it difficult for the authorities to track it down, but the HSRPs come with a non-removable snap-on lock and are quite difficult to replace. The HSRPs are also beneficial because essential details of a car including engine number and chassis number are stored in a centralized database. The stored data along with the 10-digit PIN becomes crucial in identifying a stolen car. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Theatre High Altitude Area Defense – Missile System
Theatre High Altitude Area Defense THAAD – Missile System The THAAD terminal (formerly theatre) high-altitude area defence missile system is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats, such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles, at ranges of 200km and altitudes of up to 150km. The THAAD terminal (formerly theatre) high-altitude area defence missile system is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats, such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles, at ranges of 200km and altitudes of up to 150km. THAAD system provides the upper tier of a ‘layered defensive shield’ to protect high-value strategic or tactical sites such as airfields or populations centres. The THAAD missile intercepts exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats. The sites would also be protected with lower and medium-tier defensive shield systems, such as the Patriot PAC-3, which intercepts hostile incoming missiles at 20 to 100 times lower altitudes. THAAD system has maintained a 100% success rate over its last 16 intercept tests since the beginning of production. The system used a government-developed remote launcher kit in its 16th attempt in August 2019, for the first time, to extend the range of the defended area. THAAD- China: China has issued a statement reiterating its long-standing objections to the presence of the US THAAD missile defence system in South Korea overnight operation to bring in new, replacement interceptor missiles to the US base in South Korea. China has been objecting to the defence system since it was first deployed in South Korea three year ago, causing a deterioration in ties between the two countries. South Korea-China: In South Korea, the THAAD missile defense system is operated by the US army stationed in the country. The US had previously announced that the deployment of this missile defense system was a countermeasure against potential attacks by North Korea, particularly after the country had engaged in testing ballistic missiles. In 2017, matters escalated in the Korean Peninsula after North Korea test fired a few missiles in the direction of US bases in Japan. Following this incident, the US amended its plans and moved the systems to its army base in Osan, South Korea while the final deployment site was being prepared. These moves by the US and by extension, South Korea, particularly angered China. For a while the dispute has temporarily subsided, if not resolved. However, with the latest developments, it appears the controversy has resurfaced. China opposing THAAD in South Korea: China’s opposition has little to do with the missiles itself and is more about the system’s inbuilt advanced radar systems that could track China’s actions. The controversy also has much to do with the geo-politics and complex conflicts in East Asia, with the US having a presence in the region particularly through its many military bases in Japan and South Korea. China believes the US exerts influence over South Korea and Japan and may interfere with Beijing’s long-term military, diplomatic and economic interests in the region. China had issued a statement urging the US not to harm bilateral relations between Beijing and Seoul. The US and South Korea have consistently maintained that these missiles are only to counter potential threats by North Korea. South Korea also issued a statement saying the number of missiles had not increased, but had only been replaced with newer versions. China could change its approach to North Korea, making this THAAD business less necessary in the short-term. Source: The Indian Express Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Udyamimitra Portal
Udyamimitra Portal Udyamimitra Portal is an enabling platform, aims to provide ‘End to End’ solutions not only for credit delivery but also for the host of credit plus services by way of handholding support, application tracking, multiple interface with stakeholders (i.e. lenders, service providers, applicants). Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) which is the Principal Financial Institution for Promotion, Financing and Development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector as well as for co-ordination of functions of institutions engaged in similar activities in the country. Benefits: The portal provides access to both financial (1.25 lakh lender branches) and non financial services (17000+ handholding agencies) with three distinct features viz. seek handholding support; select and apply for loans to preferred banks enable faster loan processing. Further, New age lenders viz. Fintechs, NBFCs, Small Finance Banks, MFIs are being on-boarded on the platform for enhancing the flow of credit to MSMEs. Apart from linking prospective borrowers to lenders for loans, the web portal also provides handholding support through a network of agencies engaged in application filling/ report preparation, financial training, skill development, mentoring, entrepreneurship development programmes, work shed and subsidy schemes. Features Matchmaking platform– It provides a unique match making platform to MSME loan seekers, lenders as also handholding agencies. The portal has designed capability to accept varied MSME loan applications. Presently loans upto 10 crore can be accessed. On entering Portal, the user is guided for registration and login. Based on information furnished by a prospective entrepreneur the system categorizes the applicants into ‘trainee’ (those needing training or other help before they are ready for entrepreneurship) and ‘ready’ borrowers (borrower feels he/she is ready to approach lenders for loan). It then guides them to access handholding support or direct loan application module as per their requirement. Ready Borrower can submit its loan application online with instant acknowledgement through SMS/email. The submitted application flows to the preferred bank as selected by the loan applicant with online notification to the Nodal Officer of the bank as also Lead District Managers. It facilitates Access to Non Financial Services– The applicant may search for contact details of the required handholding agency in the vicinity of his place of proposed enterprise (based on the state and district given at the time of registration) to avail services. The portal has mapped hand holding agencies in different areas of expertise viz. financial training, skill development, project report preparation, application filing, work sheds and access to margin money/subsidy support being operated by various state/central organizations/corporations. The aim is to evolve this as a portal attending to the entrepreneurs need during entire enterprise development cycle. Access to Finance – Presently, 1.25 lakh branches (public sector banks, private sector banks, foreign banks, NBFCs, Fintechs, Small Finance Banks) are mapped on the portal. The portal replaces the manual operations with electronic platform where pre-sanction process shall get standardized in a simpler way in all banks. The portal has a MARKET PLACE where bankers would be able to compete themselves in their loan delivery mechanism. The Portal is designed to obtain application forms, gather and provide information, enable registration, provide links for handholding and assist in tracking request for handholding or loan. At the loan market place, a preferred banker or any other banker who are active, undertake P3 (peruse, pick and process) on the loan applications offline as also mark their sanctions and rejections online. Applications from the virtual loan market are picked up by lenders and disposal of the applications are expected to be ensured as per Code of Commitment for its Customers adopted by respective banks. All submitted applications will be available at virtual market place for credit access to entrepreneurs and status visible to all stakeholders viz. lenders, handholding agencies, applicants, SIDBI and Govt. agencies till the same is disbursed by one of the lenders. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Ghana first country to receive COVAX vaccines
Ghana first country to receive COVAX vaccines Ghana received the world’s first delivery of coronavirus vaccines from the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative on Wednesday — the long-awaited start for a program that has thus far fallen short of hopes that it would ensure shots were given quickly to the world’s most vulnerable people. The arrival of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the West African country marks the beginning of the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF. It is a linchpin of efforts to bring the pandemic to an end and has been hailed as the first time the world has delivered a highly sought-after vaccine to poor countries during an ongoing outbreak. With the first shipment of doses, we can make good on the promise of the COVAX facility to ensure people from less wealthy countries are not left behind in the race for life-saving vaccines. However, the initiative has been hampered by the severely limited global supply of doses and logistical problems. Although it aims to deliver 2 billion shots this year, it currently has agreements only for several hundred million shots. COVAX: COVAX is one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which was launched in April by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and France in response to this pandemic. Bringing together governments, global health organizations, manufacturers, scientists, private sector, civil society and philanthropy, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. The COVAX pillar is focussed on the latter. It is the only truly global solution to this pandemic because it is the only effort to ensure that people in all corners of the world will get access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, regardless of their wealth. Why we need COVAX: Developing a vaccine against COVID-19 is the most pressing challenge of our time – and nobody wins the race until everyone wins. The global pandemic has already caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and disrupted the lives of billions more. As well as reducing the tragic loss of life and helping to get the pandemic under control, introduction of a vaccine will prevent the loss of US$ 375 billion to the global economy every month. Global equitable access to a vaccine, particularly protecting health care workers and those most-at-risk is the only way to mitigate the public health and economic impact of the pandemic. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Food processing revolution needed
Food processing revolution needed The time has come to increase the private sector participation in all areas of agricultural research and development as well as in the food processing space, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Food processing: Food processing is the transformation of raw ingredients into food, or of food into other forms (ie. food processing may denote direct manufacturing of food or value addition on existing food). Food processing typically takes harvested crops or butchered animal products and uses these to produce long shelf-life food products. Significance: Food processing sector in India is a composite sector comprising two broad segments viz. organized and unorganized segments. There are an estimated 25-lakh micro food processing enterprises in the country, which are unorganized and unregistered. With 7% of investment in plant & machinery, the unorganized enterprises contribute of 74.3% of employment (a third of which are women), 12% of output and 27% of value addition in the food-processing sector. Nearly 66 per cent of these units are located in rural areas and about 80 per cent of them are family-based enterprises. The organized sector5 with nearly 40,000 units accounts for 93% of the plant & machinery in the sector, in value terms. This segment accounts for 26% of employment and contributes around 90% of output and 72% GVA The Indian food processing industry has remarkable capability to grow, considering the still promising levels of processing currently. Though India’s agricultural production base is practically strong, wastage of agricultural produce is large. Goals and Roles: A strong and dynamic food processing sector plays a vital role in reduction in the wastage of perishable agricultural produce, enhancing shelf life of food products,ensuring value addition to agricultural produce, diversification &commercialization of agriculture, generation of employment, enhancing income of farmers and creating surplus for the export of agro & processed foods. In the era of economic liberalization, all segments including; private,public and co-operative sectors have defined roles to play and the Ministry promotes their active participation. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has a clear goal of attaining these objectives by facilitating and acting as a catalyst to attract quality investments from within India and abroad into this sector with the aim of making food processing a national initiative.With this overall objective, the Ministry aims to: Enhance farmer’s income by better utilization and value addition of agricultural produce Minimize wastage at all stages in the food processing chain by the development of infrastructure for storage, transportation and processing of agro-food produce; Introduce of modern technology into the food processing industries from both domestic and external sources; Encourage R&D in food processing for product and process development and improved packaging; Provide policy support, and support for creation of Infrastructure, capacity expansion/ Upgradation and other supportive measures form the growth of this sectors; Promote export of processed food products. Food processing revolution – Challenges: · Availability of raw materials · Storage Constraints · Transportation Issues · Technological equipment · High competition Government Initiatives: Recognising the role that FPI can play in promoting employment and income in the rural sector, the Government of India has identified it as a priority sector under the ‘Make in India’ Programme. FPI offers an opportunity to reduce dependence on agriculture in the rural areas as the main employment generating sector. Various initiatives have been taken by the Government to promote this sector considering the challenges faced by the sector. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has identified six key challenges faced by the food processing industry: (i) gaps in supply chain infrastructure (i.e., lack of primary processing, storage and distribution facilities); (ii) inadequate link between production and processing; (iii) seasonality of operations and low capacity utilisations; (iv) institutional gaps in supply chain, viz., dependence on APMC markets, etc.; (v) inadequate focus on quality and safety standards; and (vi) lack of product development and innovation (Government of India, 2018). Accordingly, the focus has been to smoothen the supply chain by creating infrastructure, promoting exports, improving quality standards, expanding supply of formal credit, particularly to small and medium enterprises, and broadening skilled labour pool in the economy. Way Forward: Food processing revolution was now overdue for several decades. “In the 21st century, in a time of increasing agricultural production, India needs a post-harvest food processing revolution, with a focus on value addition. It would have been good for the country had this been done two to three decades back,”. In order to ensure that such a revolution takes place speedily, apart from the participation of farmers, public private partnerships were also needed. It was critical that storage facilities and processing units were available near the fields. Seaweed, beeswax, millets, coarse cereals and organic vegetables were the other sectors with significant potential. Conclusion: Though India is a major producer and exporter of agricultural produce at raw material stage, only less than 10 per cent of them are processed and traded. One major reason for this is the large consumer base domestically and having preference for fresh produce over processed food. Slow pace of urbanisation and low labour force participation of women have resulted in the preference for fresh foods at the All-India level. India has the potential to emerge as a major exporter of processed food by adhering to the quality standards. The Government initiatives for strengthening quality standards can provide impetus to the sector An analysis of corporate data showed that profitability of food processing firms has been either higher or comparable with the levels of other firms. However, the value-added component in food processing firms was found to be lower than other firms operating in the industrial sector. The econometric analysis on credit reveals the importance of credit for growth in this sector. Relative to the share of the food processing sector in industrial GVA, sectoral credit data suggest adequate availability of credit for the sector. With the bourgeoning urban and young population, demand for processed food items is set to increase in the coming years. The food processing industry in India needs to gear up to meet
Himalayan serow spotted in Assam
Himalayan serow spotted in Assam A Himalayan mammal, somewhere between a goat and an antelope, has been confirmed as the newest creature to be spotted in Assam. The Himalayan serow, a goat-antelope, in the 950-sq.km Manas Tiger Reserve. The animal — a high-altitude dweller usually found 2,000-4,000 metres above sea level — was seen being chased by wild dogs. The serow has been spotted for the first time in the tiger reserve or anywhere else in Assam, but “this does not mean the animal never visited our forests before. The sightings of rare animals and birds in Manas is an outcome of better access to remote parts of the protected area where extremists and hunters once ruled. “There are chances of more faunal species, found in the higher reaches, being spotted in the park.” The Reserve is contiguous with the 1,057-sq. km. Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The black-necked crane was also recently sighted in Manas. A pair each of such cranes was sighted on January 10 and February 18. The Buddhists revere the bird that nests in the Tawang region. Officials in Manas said the critically endangered whitebellied hero was also seen, birders had sighted the colourful Mandarin duck in the Maguri-Motapung wetland near eastern Assam’s DibruSaikhowa National Park. This duck was last spotted in Assam 118 years ago. Read Panna Tiger Reserve Himalayan serow A biologist has decribed a Himalayan serow as resembling a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig. It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair. There are several species of serows, and all of them are found in Asia. The Himalayan serow, or Capricornis sumatraensis thar, is restricted to the Himalayan region. Taxonomically, it is a subspecies of the mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). Himalayan serows are herbivores, and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres (6,500 to 13,000 feet). They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region. Spiti lies in the cold mountain desert region of the western Himalaya, and its valley floor has an average elevation of 4,270 metres above sea level. Serows are generally not found at this altitude, and never before has a serow been seen in the Himalayan cold desert. Wildlife officials believe this particular animal may have strayed into the Spiti valley from the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary in adjoining Kinnaur. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Himalayan serows have experienced significant declines in population size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to continue due to intensive human impact. Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan serow is now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection. Himalayan serows are solitary by nature, and even though it has been sighted twice, it is “too clever” to be caught for rescue purposes. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Tholpavakkoothu – A puppet master with a chip in the brain
Tholpavakkoothu – A puppet master with a chip in the brain When tradition meets modernity, the result can sometimes be amazing. A puppet with robotic movements may not sound very charming but in a melding of traditional art and cutting edge technology, a shadow leather puppet in Kerala’s famous temple art Tholpavakkoothu is being animated by a robot. For the first time, the famous shadow leather puppets will tell stories of the epic Ramayana with the help of robots. M. Lakshmana Pulavar and his son Sajeesh Pulavar from Harishree Kannan Tholpavakkoothu Kala Kendra, Koonathara, are set to animate their leather puppets using robotics with help from Inker Robotics, owned by Rahul Balachandran. The first robotic leather puppet was installed at the Palakkad District Heritage Museum, which was inaugurated by Minister for Museums Kadannappally Ramachandran,. Although there is a wide variety of art and cultural symbols showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Palakkad at the museum, the shadow leather puppets installed at Navarasa zone-5 have been a big draw with visitors with their robotic movements. According to Lakshmana Pulavar, the most difficult part of Tholpavakkoothu is the limb movements of the puppets. Tholpavakkoothu is a traditional temple art in Kerala having its roots in Palakkad and neighbouring regions. It used to be performed in the Bhadrakali temples of Palakkad, telling tales from the Ramayana. It is also known as Nizhalkkoothu and Olakkoothu. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Panel seeks more data to clear Sputnik V
Panel seeks more data to clear Sputnik V A Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has sought more data on Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine trials from Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to accord emergency use authorisation for the COVID-19 antidote. “The committee recommended that [the] firm should submit immunogenicity and safety data of Phase II and III trial as per approved protocol for further consideration. Further, the firm is requested to present its data with more clarity, “We understand the importance of effective investigation and we will approach the regulator with the requisite data soon.” The SEC meeting asked Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech, which sought permission to conduct phase III clinical trial of the vaccine candidate in children aged 5-18 years, to submit efficacy and safety data of ongoing Phase III clinical trial in adults along with the age subgroup analysis. 20 mn doses for Brazil, Bharat Biotech said it has signed an agreement with Brazil for supplying 20 million doses of Covaxin. Under the deal worth 1.6 billion reals ($290 million), the vaccine will be delivered in the second and third quarter of 2021. “There is a strong interest in Covaxin from many countries and the company is fully committed to ensuring supplies promptly and efficiently,”. Read Also Sutra Model Sputnik V Sputnik V is the world’s first registered vaccine based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector-based platform. Sputnik V is already registered in more than 35 countries. The ongoing Sputnik V post-registration clinical trial in Russia involved more than 31,000 volunteers. Phase 3 clinical trials of Sputnik V have been conducting in the UAE, India, Venezuela and Belarus. Sputnik V is one of the three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%. The Vaccine’s efficacy is confirmed at 91.6% based on the analysis of data on 19,866 volunteers, who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the final control point of 78 confirmed COVID-19 cases. RDIF jointly with partners and manufacturers is ramping up the production of Sputnik V. The cost of one dose of the vaccine for international markets is less than $10 (Sputnik V is a two dose vaccine). The lyophilized (dry) form of the vaccine can be stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, which allows for easy distribution worldwide, including hard-to-reach regions. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by RDIF’s international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries. The vaccine is named after the first Soviet space satellite. The launch of Sputnik-1 in 1957 reinvigorated space research around the world, creating a so called “Sputnik moment”for the global community. Read Also Technological revolution Covid19 Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Structural issues of Union Territories
Structural issues of Union Territories Recently, MLAs from the Puducherry Assembly have turned out to be an ingenious move to topple the government. This was done in 2019 with devastating effects in Karnataka. In both cases, the governments lost majority and went out of office. Resigning from the membership of the House is every member’s right. But according to Article 190 of the Constitution, the resignation should be voluntary or genuine. If the Speaker has information to the contrary, he or she is not obliged to accept the resignation. But there is by now a familiar pattern to the resignations of Members of the Legislative Assembly. Such resignations invariably lead to the fall of the government and resignations take place only from the ruling parties in the States which are opposed to the ruling party at the Centre. These parties are, in fact, in a precarious condition because in most cases, the resignations are quite unanticipated and reduce the party’s majority in the House abruptly. Even the most seasoned Chief Ministers who have weathered many storms look flummoxed in the face of this blow. Resignations are done with such precision that the exact number of MLAs required to reduce the majority resign, not more. This mode of toppling a government has an odd attractiveness about it because of its sheer novelty. The beauty of this scheme is that no MLA has to defect and face disqualification and get a bad name. It is a wonderful way to end defection and save the honour of the legislators. The Puducherry development has tremendous political significance. Structural fragility of Union Territories: Composition of the legislature: Article 239 does not meet the democratic aspirations of the people. Therefore, the creation of a legislature and a Council of Ministers is logical and in consonance with the policy of the state to promote democracy. But a closer look at the relevant provisions in the Constitution reveals that this professed aim has often been sought to be defeated by the Union. Article 239A was originally brought in, in 1962, to enable Parliament to create legislatures for the UTs. A legislature without a Council of Ministers or a Council of Ministers without a legislature is a conceptual absurdity. In our constitutional scheme, a legislature is the law-making body and a legislative proposal is initiated by the government, which is responsible to the legislature. Neither can the legislature exist without a Council of Ministers nor can the Council of Ministers exist without a legislature. Similarly, a legislature that is partly elected and partly nominated is another absurdity. In fact, a simple amendment in the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 can create a legislature with more than 50% nominated members. Issue of nomination: The Government of Union Territories Act provides for a 33-member House for Puducherry of whom three are to be nominated by the Central government. So, when the Union government nominated three members to the Assembly without consulting the government, it was challenged in the court. The Supreme Court (K. Lakshminarayanan v. Union of India, 2019) held that the Union government is not required to consult the State government for nominating members to the Assembly and the nominated members have the same right to vote as the elected members. There is provision for the nomination of members to the Rajya Sabha (under Article 80). The Article specifies the fields from which they will be nominated. The purpose of this nomination is to enable the House to draw on the expertise of those eminent members who are nominated and thus enrich the debate in the House. However, in the case of nomination to the Puducherry Assembly, no such qualification is laid down either in Article 239A or the Government of Union Territories Act. Due to this, the law invites arbitrariness in dealing with the nomination of members to the UT legislature. Administrator’s power: The UTs were never given a fully democratic set-up with the necessary autonomy. The power vested in the administrator (Lieutenant Governor) conflicts with the powers of the elected government of UTs having a legislature. Section 44 of the Government of Union Territories Act and Article 239 AA(4) (proviso) of the Constitution vests the power in the administrator to express his or her disagreement and refer the matter to the President The President decides on the advice of the Union government. So, in effect, it is the Union government that finally determines the disputed issue. This can be reflected in the Chief Minister of Puducherry asking removal of the Lt. Governor. Similarly, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, one often hears of complaints against the Lt. Governor from the ministers about the non-cooperative federalism being practiced by him. Way Forward: Indian Government can emulate the model of administrative sharing of power between the Union government and the Governments of UTs Both the government and UTs need to imbibe the ethos of cooperative federalism. For effective autonomy to the governments of union territories, there is a need for amendment in the legal and constitutional provisions. Conclusion: Experience shows that the UTs having legislatures with ultimate control vested in the central administrator are not workable. The redemption for the harried governments of these territories lies in the removal of the legal and constitutional provisions which enable the administrator to breathe down the neck of the elected government. So far as the conspiratorial resignation by legislators to bring down their own government is concerned, the political class will have to rack its brains on how to get the better of the predatory instincts of political parties through constitutional or other means. Read Also Sedition Law Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
