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  • Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020

    A panel of doctors to decide on the termination of pregnancy beyond 24 weeks as proposed in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020, is “unfeasible” as 82% of these posts are lying vacant in the country, finds a new study.

    Q. What are the differing opinions with regards to the Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020? Discuss.

    About the MTP Amendment Bill

    The MTP Bill was passed in Lok Sabha in March 2020 and is likely to be brought before Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session. Its salient features included:

    • Proposing requirement for the opinion of one provider for termination of pregnancy, up to 20 weeks of gestation and introducing the requirement of the opinion of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
    • Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include ‘vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, Minors) etc.
    • Upper gestation limit not to apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by Medical Board. The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
    • Anonymity of the person: Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law for the time being in force.

    Benefits sought with the bill

    • It is seen as a step towards the safety and well-being of the women and many women will be benefitted by this.
    • Recently several petitions were received by the Courts seeking permission for aborting pregnancies at a gestational age beyond the present permissible limit on grounds of foetal abnormalities or pregnancies due to sexual violence faced by women.
    • The proposed increase in gestational age will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate the pregnancy.

    Flaws in the bill

    • The Bill allows abortion after 24 weeks only in cases where a Medical Board diagnoses substantial foetal abnormalities.
    • This implies that for a case requiring abortion due to rape, that exceeds 24-weeks, the only recourse remains through a Writ Petition.
    • The Bill does not specify the categories of women who may terminate pregnancies between 20-24 weeks and leaves it to be prescribed through Rules.
    • The Act (and the Bill) require an abortion to be performed only by doctors with specialization in gynaecology or obstetrics.
    • As there is a 75% shortage of such doctors in community health centres in rural areas, pregnant women may continue to find it difficult to access facilities for safe abortions.

    Key Issues and Analysis

    • There are differing opinions with regard to allowing abortions. One opinion is that terminating a pregnancy is the choice of the pregnant woman and a part of her reproductive rights.
    • The other is that the state has an obligation to protect life, and hence should provide for the protection of the foetus.
    • Across the world, countries set varying conditions and time limits for allowing abortions, based on foetal health, and risk to the pregnant woman.
    • Several Writ Petitions have been filed by women seeking permission to abort pregnancies beyond 20-weeks due to foetal abnormalities or rape.

  • Who are the Bargis?

    As the Assembly elections in West Bengal draw closer, the ‘insider-outsider’ theme has grown to become one of the topics of political debate. Bengali politicians have been terming outsider campaigners as ‘bargis’.

    Bargis: Etymology of the term

    • The term ‘Bargi’is of special significance in Bengal’s history.
    • It is a reference to the several Maratha invasions of West Bengal between 1741 and 1751, which resulted in looting, plundering and massacres of what was then Mughal territory.
    • The happenings of this specific period have affected Bengal’s consciousness so much that they have an established presence in Bengali folklore and literature.
    • Today this term is used as a casual reference to troublesome outsider forces.

    Who were the bargis?

    • Simply speaking, the word bargi referred to cavalrymen in Maratha and Mughal armies.
    • The word comes from the Persian “bargir”, literally meaning “burden taker”, notes historian Surendra Nath Sen in his 1928 work The Military System Of The Marathas.
    • But in the Mughal and Maratha armies, the term signified a soldier who rode a horse furnished by his employer.
    • In the Maratha cavalry, any able-bodied person could enlist as a bargir, unless he had the means to buy a horse and military outfit.
    • Both the bargirs and silhedars were under the overall control of the Sarnobat (Persian for “Sar-i-Naubat”, or Commander in Chief).

    Why did the Marathas raid Bengal?

    • Maratha incursions into the Mughal province of Bengal (which included the regions of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa) between 1741 and 1751 came at a time of intense political uncertainty of then Mughal India.
    • At the Maratha capital in Satara, Chhatrapati Shahu was trying in vain to resolve the differences between his two top power centres– the Peshwa dynasty of Pune and Raghoji I Bhonsale of Nagpur.
    • As the Mughal Empire was crumbling by the 18th century, the two Maratha chieftains were scrambling to secure taxation rights in its far-flung regions, and violently disagreed over their spheres of influence.
    • In Bengal – a Mughal Subah (subdivision) during this era– Nawab Subahdar Sarfaraz Khan had been overthrown by his deputy Alivardi Khan.

    Try this PYQ:

    What was the immediate cause for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade and fight the Third Battle of Panipat:

    (a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore

    (b) The frustrated governor of Jullundhar Adina Beg khan invited him to invade Punjab

    (c) He wanted to punish Mughal administration for non-payment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal (Gujrat Aurangabad, Sialkot and Pasrur)

    (d) He wanted to annex all the fertile plains of Punjab upto borders of Delhi to his kingdom

    Stir within the Maratha empire

    • After Khan’s inauguration, the provincial governor of Orissa, Zafar Khan Rustam Jung, more commonly known as Murshid Quli II, rebelled against the usurper.
    • The revolt failed, and Jung enlisted Raghoji’s help to oust Khan.
    • Raghoji was also motivated by internal politics within the Maratha camp, fearful as he was of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, also known as of Nana Saheb who trying to establish his claim over Bengal first at this time of political disturbance in the province.

    Maratha invasions of Bengal

    • The Marathas first entered the Mughal province in August 1741, when Raghoji’s infantry troops accompanied Mirza Baqar Ali, the son-in-law of Jung, to conquer Orissa.
    • In 1743, the Bengal province faced the wrath of two Maratha armies – both, as it happened, at loggerheads with each other.
    • The Peshwa forces proceeded further, committing all sorts of atrocities on the way in a land which they had ostensibly come to protect.
    • Raghoji’s armies were also doing the same, but at least he had openly arrived as an invader.

    Ousting the ‘local’ invaders

    • Finally, in 1751, after remaining encamped in western Bengal for a significant amount of time, the Marathas reached an agreement with Alivardi Khan.
    • The Nawab promised an annual tribute of 12 lakh rupees and the cession of Orissa to the Marathas. In return, the Bhonsales gave word to not return to Bengal.

    Damage caused

    • Ten years of Maratha invasions had crippled Bengal’s economy.
    • The Dutch believed that 400,000 people had been killed. Losses of weavers, silk winders and those who cultivated mulberry were particularly high.
    • Historian P J Marshall noted that people were so distressed that they would take flight even on imaginary alarms, and wander around.

  • What are Social Stock Exchanges?

    The Economic Survey 2021 has backed setting up of Social Stock Exchange in India.

    Q. What are Social Stock Exchanges? Discuss how it will help finance social enterprises in India.

    What are Social Stock Exchanges (SSEs)?

    • An SSE is a platform which allows investors to buy shares in social enterprises vetted by an official exchange.
    • The Union Budget 2019 proposed setting up of first of its kind SSE in India.
    • The SSE will function as a common platform where social enterprises can raise funds from the public.
    • It will function on the lines of major stock exchanges like BSE and NSE. However, the purpose of the Social Stock Exchange will be different – not profit, but social welfare.
    • Under the regulatory ambit of SEBI, a listing of social enterprises and voluntary organizations will be undertaken so that they can raise capital as equity, debt or as units like a mutual fund.

    Why SSEs?

    • India needs massive investments in the coming years to be able to meet the human development goals identified by global bodies like the UN.
    • This can’t be done through government expenditure alone. Private enterprises working in the social sector also need to step up their activities.
    • Currently, social enterprises are very active in India. However, they face challenges in raising funds.
    • One of the biggest hurdles they face is, apparently, the lack of trust from common investors.

    Benefits

    • There is a great opportunity to unlock funds from donors, philanthropic foundations and CSR spenders, in the form of zero-coupon zero principal bonds. These bonds will be listed on the SSE.
    • At first, the SSE could become a repository of social enterprises and impact investors.
    • The registration could be done through a standard process.
    • The SEs could be categorized into different stages such as as- Idea, growth stage and likewise, investors can also be grouped based on the type of investment.

    Development so far

    • The Economic Survey 2021 highlighted the concept of setting up a social stock exchange (SSE) in India.
    • It will be under the regulatory ambit of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
    • SEBI constituted a working group (WG) on social stock exchanges back in September 2019.
    • The WG has outlined its vision and made recommendations, which include the participation of NPOs and for-profit enterprises (FPE) on SSE subject to committing to minimum reporting requirements.

  • Highlights of the Corruption Perception Index, 2020

    The Transparency International (TI)’s corruption perception index (CPI) was recently released for 2020.

    Another set of useful data in news to be noted by aspirants. Such data are essential and need to be memorized. One must note here. Such data recur every year. So it is not a big task to deal with such numbers along with other critical indices.

    About the Corruption Perception Index

    • The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
    • It uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

    Global prospects

    • Denmark and New Zealand top the index, with 88 points. Syria, Somalia and South Sudan come last, with 14, 12 and 12 points, respectively.
    • Nearly half of countries have been stagnant on the index for almost a decade, indicating stalled government efforts to tackle the root causes of corruption.
    • More than two-thirds score below 50.

    India’s performance

    • The CPI score for India is constant this year as well as the previous year’s score.
    • India’s rank is 86 out of 180 nations with a score of 40.
    • It was ranked at 80th position out of 180 countries in 2019 with a score of 41.

    A comparison with neighbours

    • At 40, India’s score is below the average score of the Asia-Pacific region (31 countries) and global average, the CPI 2020 report stated.
    • India’s overall score is also two points less than that of China, which docked at 78th position, with a score of 42.
    • Pakistan, however, scored just 31 points, falling at the 144th position on the index.

    What does it mean for India?

    • India is still very low on corruption Index, the report said, noting that experts feel the CPI does not reflect the actual corruption level in any country.
    • The integrity score determines the corruption situation of a country.

    Recommendations made by TI

    To reduce corruption and better respond to future crises, Transparency International recommends that all governments:

    • Strengthen oversight institutions to ensure resources reach those most in need. Anti-corruption authorities and oversight institutions must have sufficient funds, resources and independence to perform their duties.
    • Ensure open and transparent contracting to combat wrong-doing, identify conflicts of interest and ensure fair pricing.
    • Defend democracy and promote civic space to create the enabling conditions to hold governments accountable.
    • Publish relevant data and guarantee access to information to ensure the public receives easy, accessible, timely and meaningful information.

  • Type-II Supernova and the role of neutrinos

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in The Hindu.

    Another space-based abstract terminology has appeared in TH.

    What is the news about?

    • Many stars, towards the end of their lifetimes, form supernovas – massive explosions that send their outer layers shooting into the surrounding space.
    • Most of the energy of the supernova is carried away by neutrinos – tiny particles with no charge and which interact weakly with matter.
    • Researching the mechanisms of the so-called Type II supernovas, a team from IIT Guwahati has come up with new insights into the part played by neutrinos in this dramatic death of massive stars.

    What are Neutrinos?

    • Proton, neutron, and electron are tiny particles that makeup atoms.
    • The neutrino is also a tiny elementary particle, but it is not part of the atom.
    • Neutrino has a very tiny mass, no charge and spins half.
    • It interacts very weakly with other matter particles.
    • Neutrinos come from the sun (solar neutrinos) and other stars, cosmic rays that come from beyond the solar system, and from the Big Bang from which our Universe originated.
    • They can also be produced in the lab.

    Their types

    • Neutrinos come in three ‘flavours’, another name for ‘types’, and each flavour is associated with a light elementary particle.
    • For instance, the electron-neutrino is associated with the electron; the muon-neutrino with the muon and the tau-neutrino with the tau particle.

    What is Supernova?

    • All the stars burn nuclear fuel in their cores to produce energy.
    • The heat generates internal pressure which pushes outwards and prevents the star from collapsing inward due to the action of gravity on its own mass.
    • But when the star ages and runs out of fuel to burn, it starts to cool inside.
    • This causes a lowering of its internal pressure and therefore the force of gravity wins; the star starts to collapse inwards.
    • This builds up shock waves because it happens very suddenly, and the shock wave sends the outer material of the star flying. This is what is perceived as a supernova. This happens in very massive stars.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Which of the following is/are cited by the scientists as evidence/evidence for the continued expansion of the universe?

    1. Detection of microwaves in space
    2. Observation of redshirt phenomenon in space
    3. Movement of asteroids in space
    4. Occurrence of supernova explosions in space code

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 4

    (d) None of the above can be cited as evidence

    The Type-II Supernova

    • In stars that are more than eight times as massive as the Sun, the supernova is accompanied by a collapsing of the inner material of the dying star – this is also known as core-collapse supernova or Type II supernova.

    Role of neutrinos

    • The collapsing core may form a black hole or a neutron star, according to its mass.
    • As they spew out of the raging supernova, the neutrinos can change from one flavour to another in a process known as neutrino oscillations.
    • Due to the high density and energy of the supernova, it generates neutrino oscillations happening simultaneously over different energies (unlike normal neutrino oscillation), termed collective neutrino oscillation.
    • The oscillation result may dramatically change when one allows the evolution with the angular asymmetry, the oscillations can happen at a nanosecond time scale, termed fast oscillation.

  • Credit rating

    The Economic Survey-2020-21 highlights the issue of the adverse rating given to emerging economies by global credit rating agencies. This article suggests using our flawless repayment record as the basis of argument.

    Prejudice against emerging economies

    • The Economic Survey for 2020-21, charged international credit rating agencies with prejudice against emerging economies such as India and China.
    • The Survey has used economic size as an argument.
    • The economy that is the world’s fifth-largest has predominantly been rated AAA, S&P’s top rating.
    • By contrast, India, which displaced the UK in 2019 as the world’s fifth-largest, has been rated BBB-, the lowest investment grade.
    • The Survey points out that since 1994, only twice has the credit rating (as assigned by S&P and Moody’s) of the fifth-largest economy in US dollar terms been poor.
    • This was when China and India rose to that rank, in 2005 and 2019 respectively.

    Issues with Credit Rating

    •  Rating agencies rarely get credit quality right and they have been found to be well behind the curve in almost every default crisis.
    • The behavior of these agencies has been pro-cyclical, which is often seen to aggravate crises and fuel bubbles.
    • They are too lenient when the times are good, and too harsh when economic conditions worsen, making booms and busts that much more dramatic.

    What should be the basis of India’s argument

    • Unless the country has the privilege of printing the world’s reserve currency, as the US has, there is nothing special that ensures a large economy will always repay what it owes.
    • India’s argument should revolve around the country’s flawless repayment record.
    • The last time we were on the verge of a sovereign default, in 1991, we reformed our economy.
    • Today, the country has foreign exchange reserves in excess of $584 billion, while its total external debt, including that of the private sector, is a shade over $556 billion.

    Consider the question “The Economic Survey of 2020-21 point to the adverse rating of India economy by the global rating agencies. What is the significance of such ratings for the economy. What should be the basis of the argument against India’s adverse rating by the agencies?”

    Conclusion

    Despite the above-mentioned factors, we still find that Indian borrowers must pay higher rates of interest overseas than they would have to with a better rating. Global rating agencies need to overhaul their methodology to better reflect reality.

  • How PFMS is ensuring transformation via digital inclusion

    The article highlights the role played by the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) in promoting the good governance.

    About PFMS

    • With the objective of bringing in transformational accountability and transparency and to further promote good governance, the Indian government envisioned Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
    • PFMS has evolved as an end to end solution for Processing, Monitoring, and reconciling financial flows of Central Govt.
    • Today, PFMS has empowered governance to become more responsive, accountable, and transparent.

    Mandate of PFMS

    • Through Cabinet decision, PFMS has been mandated the following:
    • It acts as a financial management platform for all plan schemes and allows for efficient and effective tracking of fund flow to the lowest level of implementation for the planning scheme of the Government.
    • It is mandated to provide information on fund utilization leading to better monitoring, review, and decision support system to enhance public accountability in the implementation of plan schemes.
    • To result in effectiveness and economy in Public Finance Management through better cash management for Government transparency in public expenditure and real-time information on resource availability and utilization across schemes.

    Achievements of PFMS

    • PFMS can be credited to the transformation of Direct beneficiary transfers space in financial governance in India.
    • An estimated 102 crore DBT transactions were done through PFMS in FY 19-20 amounting to about ₹2.67 lakh crore.
    • Through efficient use of technology, PFMS is estimated to have saved about ₹1 lakh crore in direct beneficiary transfers.

    4 Factors that could determine the successful evolution of PFMS in future

    • Agility in terms of Onboarding/Integrating all Govt. accounts: Only after ensuring significant coverage, the true execution of the concept will take place.
    • Effective data management capabilities: PFMS will have to add significant data management capabilities in order to ensure better monitoring/review to deliver on the idea of a decision support system for effective cash management or management of idle float in the system.
    • Constantly upgrading: Adaption to rapid changes in technology is another key area that would call for a considerable amount of focus both in terms of gradation and monitoring.
    • Collaboration with the banking system: Lastly, one of the most critical factors for the successful execution of PFMS is its integration with the banking systems.
    • The Banks and PFMS will have to actively partner to ensure faster coverage/integration of all the Govt. entities.

    Consider the question “Governance in India has long been marred with structural challenges like transparency, lack of accountability and sustainable and inclusive growth. In light of this, discuss the role played by the Public Financial Management System in tackling these challenges.” 

    Conclusion

    The PFMS has revolutionized the ways public finances are managed in the country. With constant improvement and increasing coverage, the scope of PFMS is ever-increasing. Going ahead, PFMS will not only be seen as a tool for managing planned expenditure but will also add new meanings to Direct Beneficiary transfers, data-driven cash management, and e-Governance in India.

  • Symbolic significance of the Red Fort and Delhi

    Newsfeeds on Republic Day were dominated by scenes of protests on the ramparts of the Red Fort.

    Mob stormed and vandalized the national flag and the mast of Red Fort in guise of peaceful farmers protest! What did this act signify?

     

    To unravel some of these strands of meaning, one must go back in history, to a time centuries before the Red Fort was even constructed.

    The History of Capital

    • Before the 13th century, Delhi — or ‘Dilli’ — was, politically speaking, a moderately significant town.
    • It was for long the capital of the modestly sized kingdom of the Rajput Tomar dynasty.
    • By the mid 12th century it was conquered by the Rajput Chauhans who, however, ruled from Ajmer.
    • It was the conquest by Ghurid Turks in the late 12th century that put Delhi on the map as a centre of power.
    • As the capital of the Sultanate, Delhi gradually developed an aura of power — in the popular imagination, it came to be associated with a dominant power in the subcontinent.
    • Babur, having defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1526, headed for Delhi, which he described as “the capital of all Hindustan”, even though the Lodis had ruled from Agra for the previous two decades.

    Sultanate period

    • There was another important feature of the Delhi of these two centuries.
    • From the 13th century, the capital had been located at a number of different sites – Mehrauli, Kilugarhi, Siri, Tughlaqabad, Jahanpanah, Firozabad, and Dinpanah.
    • Now it came to be settled permanently in Shahjahanabad, with the emperor’s seat being in the Red Fort.

    Seat of the Mughal power

    • During the first century or so of Mughal rule, Agra was the capital for longer than Delhi.
    • Still, the Mughals continued to be seen as rulers of Delhi.
    • A Sanskrit inscription from 1607 refers to Akbar as “Dillishvara”, the lord of Delhi, though he had ruled from Delhi for a very short time.
    • In a Persian inscription dated 1621 on the Salimgarh Bridge adjoining the Red Fort, Jahangir, who never reigned from Delhi, was described as “Shahanshah e Dehli”, the emperor of Delhi.

    Construction of Red Fort

    • It was only in the reign of Shah Jahan (1628-58) that the Mughal connection to Delhi was given concrete form, with the founding of the city of Shahjahanabad and the inauguration of its palace citadel, the Red Fort, in 1648.
    • From that date to the end of Mughal rule in 1857, Delhi would be the formal capital of the Mughal Empire.

    Fading centre

    • The significance of Delhi and the Red Fort was thrown into sharp relief by political developments in the 18th century, once the Mughal Empire started on the long road to decline.
    • Erstwhile Mughal provinces such as Bengal, Awadh, and Hyderabad broke away, and new forces like the Sikhs and the Marathas arose.
    • Not only did the Mughal territories shrink, but the Mughal emperor also became increasingly ineffectual even within them.

    A takeover by the East India Company

    • The control over the emperor and of Delhi was, therefore, a prize worth fighting for.
    • Safdar Jang, the Nawab of Awadh, fought a civil war in an attempt to keep his position as PM of the Mughal emperor.
    • The Sikhs had their ambitions and came up to the walls of the city in 1783 before retreating.
    • The Marathas met with greater success the following year when Mahadji Sindhia became the power behind the throne.
    • Finally, the East India Company defeated the Maratha forces in 1803 and went on to control Delhi and the emperor for the next 54 years.

    Shifting of capital

    • Delhi was officially announced as the capital of British Raj by the then-Emperor George V, on December 12, 1911.
    • The capital was shifted from Calcutta as Delhi was the financial and political seat of many earlier empires and was located closer to the geographical centre of India.
    • The rising nationalist movement in Calcutta was also responsible for the shift.

    Symbolic importance then

    • In the popular imagination, the legitimate rule was associated with the Mughal emperor to the extent that when the country broke out in revolt in 1857, the mutinous soldiers made their way to Delhi, seeking his leadership.
    • When the revolt in Delhi had been crushed, the British army occupied the Red Fort and the officers drank to their Queen’s health in the Diwan-e-Khas, where the Mughal emperors had held court.
    • It was in this same hall that Bahadur Shah was put on trial, convicted, and exiled.
    • Nearly ninety years later, in 1945-46, the memory of that trial foreshadowed another historic trial in the fort.
    • The personnel of the Indian National Army were tried there, which generated an immense wave of nationalist sentiment in the run-up to Independence.

    Symbol of the nation, now

    • With the coming of Independence, it was necessary that the site of the Red Fort, over which the British colonial government had sought to inscribe its power and might, be symbolically reclaimed for the Indian people.
    • It was for this reason, that after the first hoisting of the national flag at India Gate on August 15, 1947, the next day, the PM hoisted it on the ramparts of the Red Fort.
    • This was to then become India’s lasting Independence Day tradition.

  • What is the ‘Doomsday Clock’?

    The hands of the ‘Doomsday Clock’, a visual depiction of how vulnerable the world is to a climate or nuclear catastrophe, remained at ‘100 seconds to midnight’ for the second consecutive year — the closest it has been to the symbolic annihilation of humanity.

    Q.The ‘Doomsday Clock’ represents the hypothetical countdown to raise human consciousness against mutually assured destruction. In this light, discuss various existential threats to humanity and action taken so far.

    What is the ‘Doomsday Clock’?

    • The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, founded by Albert Einstein and students from the University of Chicago in 1945, created the ‘Doomsday Clock’.
    • It is held as a symbol to represent how close the world is to a possible apocalypse.
    • It is set annually by a panel of scientists, including 13 Nobel laureates, based on the threats — old and new — that the world faced in that year.
    • When it was first created in 1947, the hands of the clock were placed based on the threat posed by nuclear weapons, which the scientists then perceived to be the greatest threat to humanity.
    • Over the years, they have included other existential threats, such as climate change and disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence.

    Significance of such clock

    • The reason the scientists selected a clock is twofold — they wanted to use the imagery of an apocalypse (midnight) as well as the “contemporary idiom of a nuclear explosion” (zero countdowns) to illustrate the threats to humanity.
    • The clock was originally set to seven minutes to midnight and has since moved closer or further away from the dreaded 12 o’clock position.
    • The furthest it has been being 17 minutes after the end of the Cold War in 1991.

    Why was the clock set at ‘100 seconds from midnight’?

    • It was set at the ‘100 seconds from midnight’ position due to the prevailing climate conditions, “cyber-based disinformation”, nuclear risk and the pandemic.
    • It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Clock.
    • We now face a true emergency – an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay.

  • [pib]Rajasthan becomes the 5th State to complete ULB reforms

    Rajasthan has become the 5thState in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies (ULB) reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and has thus become eligible for additional reform linked to borrowing.

    Which are the four other States?

    : They are Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Telangana, who have completed ULB reforms.

    Now try this PYQ:

    Q.The Constitution (Seventy-Third Amendment) Act, 1992, which aims at promoting the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country, provides for which of the following?

    1. Constitution of District Planning Committees.
    2. State Election Commissions to conduct all panchayat elections.
    3. Establishment of State Finance Commissions.

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

    (a) Only 1

    (b) 1 and 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    What are the ULB reforms?

    The four citizen-centric areas identified for reforms are:

    1. Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System
    2. Ease of doing business reform
    3. Urban Local body/ utility reforms
    4. Power Sector reforms.

    The set of reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure are:

    (a) The State will notify:

    • Floor rates of property tax in ULBs which are in consonance with the prevailing circle rates (i.e. guideline rates for property transactions) and;
    • Floor rates of user charges in respect of the provision of water supply, drainage, and sewerage which reflect current costs/past inflation.

    (b)   The State will put in place a system of periodic increases in floor rates of property tax/ user charges in line with price increases.

    Why need such reforms?

    • Reforms in ULBs and the urban utility reforms are aimed at the financial strengthening of ULBs to enable them to provide better public health and sanitation services to citizens.
    • Economically rejuvenated ULBs will also be able to create good civic infrastructure.

    Back2Basics: Municipal Governance in India

    • Municipal or local governance refers to the third tier of governance in India, at the level of the municipality or urban local body.
    • Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are small local bodies that administer or govern a city or a town of a specified population.
    • They are vested with a long list of functions delegated to them by the state governments.
    • These functions broadly relate to public health, welfare, regulatory functions, public safety, public infrastructure works, and development activities.
    • There are several types of Urban Local Bodies in India such as Municipal Corporation, Municipality, Notified Area Committee, Town Area Committee, Special Purpose Agency, Township, Port Trust, Cantonment Board, etc.

    Development through history

    • It has existed since the year 1687, with the formation of Madras Municipal Corporation, and then Calcutta and Bombay Municipal Corporation in 1726.
    • In the early part of the nineteenth century, almost all towns in India had experienced some form of municipal governance.
    • In 1882 the then Viceroy of India, Lord Ripon, known as the Father of Local Self Government, passed a resolution of local self-government which lead to the democratic forms of municipal governance in India.
    • In 1919, a Government of India Act incorporated the need of the resolution and the powers of democratically elected government were formulated.
    • In 1935 another Government of India act brought local government under the preview of the state or provincial government and specific powers were given.

    Changes after the 74th Amendment (1992)

    • It was the 74th amendment to the Constitution that brought constitutional validity to municipal or local governments.
    • Until amendments were made in respective state legislation on an ultra vires (beyond the authority) basis and the state governments were free to extend or control the functional sphere.