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Subject: Polity

  • Jallikattu Debate

    • Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day.

    • Jallikattu is derived from the words ‘calli’ (coins) and ‘kattu’ (tie), which means a bundle of coins is tied to the bull’s horns. In older times, the tamer sought to remove this bundle from the animal’s head to win gold or silver.

    • The southern parts of Tamil Nadu witness bull-taming the most, with Alanganallur near Madurai hosting the largest and most famous of these events.

    source
    • Background
    • Factors against the ban
    • Arguments favouring the ban
    • View of SC
    • What can government do?
    • International experience
    • Way ahead

    Factors against the ban

    • Jallikattu is an ancient sport which has continued since colonial times. So it is an ancient tradition which should be preserved and not banned.
    • In Jallikattu, the objective is to obtain the ‘Jallikattu’ a pouch which contains the reward coins called ‘Jalli’ tied to the horns of the bulls. While the players are not allowed to carry weapons of any kind or wear protective gears, the bulls on the other hand will not have nose rings or ropes.
    • Plus, they’re equipped with a pair of sharp horns which can gore a human within seconds. So it’s actually the bull which has the upper hand in this match.
    • Jallikattu is what’s keeping the native breed of cows from going extinct, according to some local people which is a huge problem for western cattle industry.

    Arguments favouring the ban

    • During Jallikattu, bulls are purposefully scared and petrified and then made to run across the crowd, destroying anything that would come in their way. Various cruel means are adopted to scare and anger the bull like pinching, nailing, stabbing with sticks that have nails at the edges, twisting their tails and even forcefully making them drink alcohol and other drugs. The ropes around their nose are painfully yanked and then they are dragged into the crowd of people who further anger the bull.
    • According to the documents by PETA, these bulls also break their bones in order to escape from the crowd continuously trying to toture them. Casualty and death of humans are also alarmingly high during this game.
    • What started as a simple act of bravado has become an act of cruelty towards animals.
    • The bulls are kept in the waiting area for hours, subjecting it to the scorching sun. The bulls used in the sport are also denied food and water.
    • Due to this sport, innumerable human lives, both of the participants and the audience, have also been lost, as the bulls try to flee from the pain.

    View of SC

    • Supreme court in 2014 banned the sport jallikattu as it violates provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA) and militates the constitutional duty of treating animals with compassion, Article 51A (g).
    • It also reiterated the expansive reading it had given in the past, to Article 21 (Right to Life), which prohibits any disturbance to the environment, including animals, considered essential for human life.

    What can government do?

    The Government must find alternate methods to continue it without hurting the animal or people. Following are some of the alternatives:

    1. Follow the famous Spanish bullfighting example where measures taken to avoid lethal damage
    2. Put effective protection (barricades, speaker announcements, clear demarcation) so that people are not hurt
    3. Create awareness regarding apathy faced by animals. Sports personalities, film stars, eminent jurists can come forward

    International experience

    • The tradition of bullfighting in Spain is cited to legitimise the conduct of Jallikattu and present it as a viable tourist attraction.
    • It is significant that the Spanish state of Catalonia banned the sport in 2012 after a prolonged ‘culture versus rights’ debate.
    • In 2002, Germany took animal rights to a new level by giving animals constitutional protection.

    Way ahead

    • Those who want the sport to be legalised have called for an amendment to the PCA Act and measures to revoke the 2011 notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) which barred the use of bulls as performing animals.
    • Trying to allow an event that legitimises cruelty to animals would be a direct insult to the carefully reasoned writ of the Supreme Court, a complete negation of the PCA Act and its objectives, and would take the country back by a few steps in the crucial area of Right to Life.

  • Cyber Security – CERTs, Policy, etc

  • Striking the Sec 66A of IT Act: The Shreya Singhal Case

    Supreme Court takes freedom of speech to the Net by striking down much abused Section 66A. The apex court has reaffirmed the importance of free speech.

    Do you remember? It is the same provision which became famous following the arrest of two girls for posting content against the bandh called for Bal Thackeray’s death. Since then, several arrests have been made by different State police.

    The provisions were challenged in Supreme Court by a law student, and the case came to be known as – Shreya Singhal vs Union of India 2015.

    What are the provisions of Information Technology Act, 2000?

    • It regulates the use of internet including the message service, social media, etc.
    • It creates separate offences for the misuse of internet & prescribes higher punishment for similar offences committed in print/electronic media.
      For Example –

      • Sec 66A made defamation as cognizable offence with a punishment of not more than 3 years with/without fine. <But, same offence is a non-cognizable offence under IPC>
      • Sec 67A of IT Act, confers a punishment that may range from 5-10 years of imprisonment with 1-2 lakh fine, for transmitting the obscene or vulgar offences across internet.< A similar offence would attract lesser punishment under IPC>
    • Sec 69A provided power to govt. to issue directions to block public access of any information through any computer source.

    Why Section 66A was challenged?

    • Section 66A had extremely wide parameters, which allow whimsical interpretations by law enforcement agencies.
    • There was no clarity over terms like offensive, grossly menacing, causing annoyance, etc opening it to many interpretations.
    • It outlawed all political satire, cartoons, caricatures and spoof writing indirectly.

    What was Govt. of India’s stand to protect Section 66A?

    • The Section 66A of the IT Act acts as a necessary deterrent against publishing or writing “objectionable” or “grossly offensive” contents in cyberspace.
    • The provision is essential for controlling inflammatory content provoking violence.
    • The Centre failed to impress the bench, by assuring that it will be administered in a reasonable manner.

    How Section 66A was in conflict with Fundamental Rights?

    It violated the freedom of speech and expression given under Article 19 (1)(a).

    ISP argued that it even violated right to equality given under Art. 14, as separate offences cannot be created for people using internet. < However, SC rejected this opinion, because there is clear intelligible difference between internet and other medium of communication. Can you imagine, what is the difference, please post in the comments box>

    What was court’s judgment in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India Case?

    • SC held that Sec 66A is unconstitutional and void on the ground that it was excessively vague, open-ended and undefined.
    • It did not give clear direction, either to the users of internet or to the law enforcement agencies on what acts performed on internet would amount to defamation.
    • Court held that vagueness of Sec 66A, took away the freedom of speech and the right to descent. It had a intimidating effect on free speech.

    Why scrapping Section 66A may not be in India’s best interests?

    • Some experts argue that India’s IT Act provides legal remedies for a just a handful of cyber crimes & many have been left out.
    • The new kinds of cyber crimes are emerging on a daily basis, which was facilitated by the vagueness of Sec 66A.
    • The ruling will only mean several steps backwards for the govt. and the country on this aspect.
    • However, it maybe very difficult to prove instances of cyber stalking, bullying or annoyance by applying provisions of the non-Internet world. < These activities are easily facilitated by the instant nature of the Internet>

    Why did SC upheld Section 69A of the IT Act?

    • SC upheld the constitutional validity of section 69A, which is exercised by govt. to issue directions to block an internet site.
    • Although, reasons for blocking have to be recorded in writing, which would be amenable to judicial scrutiny.
    • Powers under section 69A comes under ‘reasonable’ restriction as expressed in article 19(2) and thus it is legal.
    Published with inputs from Pushpendra

  • Defence Sector – DPP, Missions, Schemes, Security Forces, etc.

  • Indian Polity | Speaker of the Lok Sabha

    The office of the Speaker is more than merely a presiding officer of the LS. One thing you will notice is that you will not find an exhaustive list of rules and procedures for the Officers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. That’s because these are offices of trust. We take for granted that when a Member is appointed a speaker, he/she keeps his party allegiance aside and acts in an impartial manner.

    Powers of the Speaker

    The Office of the Speaker is a very powerful one. He derives his powers from three sources – a. The Constitution, b. The Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha and c. The Parliamentary Convention(residuary powers that are unwritten or unspecified).

    1. He is the sole authority to decide whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not. This decision of his cannot be challenged.

    The present Parliament is the best example to demonstrate how important this power can be. The Govt. enjoys a majority in the LS but not in the RS. Hence they are unable to get a lot of Bills passed. Our FM remarked that certifying the Bills as Money Bills are the only way to get them passed.

    *The Speaker has to consult Article 110 to mark a Bill as Money Bill. So it’s not entirely his discretion.

    1. He presides over the joint setting of the two houses. This privilege doesn’t belong to the Chairman of the RS. If the Speaker is absent, it goes to the Dy. Speaker of the LS. If the Dy. Speaker is absent, it goes to the Vice Chairman of the RS.
    2. The Speaker enjoys a special relationship with the Parliamentary Committees. All the Joint Parliamentary Committees are appointed by the Speaker and they report to him directly. Further, the Speaker nominates various members to these committees. If the Speaker himself is a Member, he becomes the ex-officio Chairman.
    3. The Office of the Speaker is retained till the 1st meeting of the next LS. All other Members cease to be in office once the LS dissolves.
    4. Special Role in Anti-Defection law. The Speaker has to accept the resignation of any Member of the House. This is to ensure that the resignation is voluntary. This decision is final but is open to Judicial Review. Ref: PRS India

  • Social Security Scheme for Farmers : Ministry of Agriculture

    The Government is implementing a number of schemes to help the farmers in increasing their productivity by reducing cost of cultivation, achieving higher yield per unit and by realizing remunerative prices. 

    Let’s know about important new initiatives in this context!

    Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme

    Soil health cards scheme by Dept of Agriculture and Cooperation
    Soil health cards scheme by Dept of Agriculture and Cooperation

    • By SHC, the farmers can know the major and minor nutrients available in their soils.
    • It will ensure judicious use of fertiliser application and thus save money of farmers.
    • The balanced use of fertiliser will also enhance productivity and ensure higher returns to the farmers.

    What is the Neem Coated Urea ?

    • Neem Coated Urea is being promoted to regulate urea use, enhance its availability to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizers application.
    • The entire quantity of domestically manufactured urea is now neem coated.

    Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

    Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, a Cluster based programme by Ministry of Agriculture
    Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, a Cluster based programme by Ministry of Agriculture

    • It is being implemented with a view to promoting organic farming in the country.
    • This will improve soil health and organic matter content and increase net income of the farmer so as to realise premium prices.
    • The PMKSY is being implemented to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency.

    Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) by Government –

    • National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
    • Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
    • National Mission on Oilseeds & Oil palm (NMOOP)
    • National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
    • National Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology (NMAET)
    • National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP)
    • Unified National Agriculture Markets
    • Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)

    But, What are the Centrally Sponsored Schemes?

    Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) are schemes that are implemented by State governments of India but are largely funded by the Central Government with a defined State Government share.

    Let’s know about Market Intervention Scheme (MIS)?

    • MIS is for procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities not covered under the Minimum Price Support (MPS) Scheme on the request of State/UT Government.
    • The MIS is implemented in order to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of bumper crop when the prices tend to fall below the economic level/cost of production.
    • Losses, if any, incurred by the procuring agencies are shared by the Central Government and the concerned State Government on 50:50 basis (75:25 in case of North-Eastern States).
    • Profit, if any, earned by the procuring agencies is retained by them.

    National Crop Insurance Scheme

    • It will protect the interest of farmers with a broader coverage towards crop losses and other such natural calamities. This is an intervention to cover the risks involved in farming.
    • Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI), through its various schemes, has been providing assistance to various agriculture related industries.

    But, What should be the priority of government for citizens?

    • To work towards enabling social security protection for citizens, especially from the economically weaker and vulnerable sections.
    • In accordance with this priority, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) were recently launched to address the areas of life and accident risk, and old age income security.

    Do you know any other important schemes in this context?
    Then, Let us know!

     

    Source - Ministry of Agriculture | Pic - Soil Health Card

  • Internal Security| National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

    It’s time to learn some basics from GS-IV paper as its Internal security part is significant to score. We will cover series of articles on Internal security with some contemporary topics.

    What’s the NATGRID?

    The National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID is the integrated intelligence grid connecting databases of core security agencies of the Government of India to collect comprehensive patterns of intelligence that can be readily accessed by intelligence agencies.

    Why do we need NATGRID ?

    • 26/11 attacks on Mumbai led to the exposure of several weaknesses in India’s intelligence gathering and action networks.
    • “NATGRID” data transfer system unveiled by Home Minister P. Chidambaram in December 2009 and operational now.

    How does it work?

    NATGRID will integrate 21 categories of data from agencies like

    • Banks,
    • Railways and airlines,
    • Income tax department,
    • Credit card companies etc.
    • Visa and immigration
    • This combined data will be made available to 11 central agencies including the R&AW, the National Investigation Agency(NIA), the CBI, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the Intelligence Bureau(IB), the Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) and the Enforcement Directorate(ED) to help them prevent terrorist attacks and criminal activities.

    Is there any Privacy and misuse issue?

    • Some people are concerned about the protection of individual privacy and misuse of information by law enforcement agencies.
    • NATGRID is only the technical interface for intelligence agencies and not an organization in itself. If the agency initiating the inquiry is not authorized to get that information, it cannot get it.
    • It has strong information protection technology and external audits Security and intelligence agencies will not be able to use the
    • NATGRID system to access information for any purpose other than that of countering terror.
    • It will not “store” any personal data, but only facilitate transfer.

    Will it be a concerning thing as Wikileaks does?

    • SIPRNET is a computer network connecting US Defense and State Departments (similar to our NATGRID).
    • One Soldier Bradly Mannins, accessed the SIPRNET, copied all the US diplomatic documents and sent them to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
    • Similar fiasco could happen with India’s NATGRID.
    Published with inputs from Arun

  • Internal Security | National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC)

    Let’s move to a next topic of Internal security –National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC).

    Why there was a need of NCTC ?

    • After the 26/11 attacks, Government felt the need to setup a separate body to deal with terrorism.
    • NCTC will derive its powers from the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act(UAPA), 1967.
    • The basic idea is to prevent confusion regarding intelligence inputs and also ensure that none of the police forces from the states enter into a blame game regarding intelligence sharing as one got to see during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.
    • The standing council of the NCTC will consist of anti-terror agencies in states.
    • The body will have 3 divisions dealing with collection and dissemination of intelligence, analysis and operations.

    How did the proposal to set up the NCTC originate?

    • The NCTC has been designed on the lines of the American NCTC and UK’s “Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre”.
    • Home Minister P. Chidambaram and former National Security Adviser (NSA) M.K. Narayanan visited USA in 2009 to study the working of the American NCTC.

    What will NCTC do?

    • It will have the power to conduct searches and arrests in any part of India.
    • It will collect, collate and disseminate data on terrorism.
    • It will also maintain a database on terrorist and their associates including their families.
    • In short, NCTC will serve as a single and effective point of control and coordination of all counter terrorism measures.

    But, What is the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC)?

    It is platform to share varied intelligence inputs coming from various agencies like –

    • Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)
    • Economic Intelligence Agency (EIA)
    • Enforcement Directorate (ED)

    How is it different from US and UK model?

    • USA’s NCTC which deals only with strategic planning and integration of intelligence without any operational involvement.
    • UK‘s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which too plays a purely coordinating role.
    • But the Indian NCTC will have not only intelligence functions but also powers to conduct operations, raids and arrests in any part of India.

    What is the problem with NCTC?

    NCTC was to start working from March 2012, but it could not be launched due to opposition from a group of Non-Congress chief ministers who say that NCTC is against the federal structure of the country.

    Power to Arrest without informing State Government

    • Non-Congress CM’s allege that the NCTC has been empowered to search and arrest people without informing the state government, police or anti-terror squad in the loop.
    • The role of the state becomes redundant with such powers and states would have no say or role to play in the fight against terrorism.
    • This would have a bearing on the rights and privileges of the states as enshrined in the Constitution.
    • To curb this fear, Home Ministry had altered the rules.
    • Now, the senior most police officers in all states – the Director Generals of Police and the chiefs of anti-terror squads of all states will be members of the Standing Council of the NCTC.

    Overlapping with NIA

    • National Investigation Agency (NIA) was established after the 26/11 attacks.
    • So, the establishment of a new NCTC would only add to the bureaucratic tangle in intelligence sharing and counter terrorist action.
    • However, Mr. Chidambaram had assured that NIA is merely a predecessor of NCTC. (so, once NCTC comes into operation, the NIA will function under it or will be submerged into NCTC)

    What is the Centre’s stance on this?

    • The UPA, however, has defended the setting up NCTC arguing that it will not trample on the rights of the states.
    • Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said that terror is a real threat and “it is necessary to bring together all elements of national power in real in order to surmount a formidable challenge to it.”
    Published with inputs from Arun

  • Indian Polity | Types of Majorities

    There are 4 main types of Majority. The last one is Special Majority which has 3 sub-types.

    The most important Majorities will be Simple Majority and Special Majority of the 2nd kind. We will use the current strength of the Lok Sabha = 545 in the examples to explain.

    1. Absolute – More than 50% of the Total Strength of the House. Meaning

    1/2 x 545 = 273 or more. 

    This majority is never used anywhere but has a huge significance. If a political party has an Absolute Majority, it means it gets to form the govt., there is stability in the house.  

    1. Simple – Also called functional majority. It means a Majority of more than 50% of members present and voting.

    Let’s assume the members present and voting is 300 (out of 545). We have –

    1/2 X 300 = 150 or more

    Usage

    • When not stated what type of Majority in the Constitution, this majority is assumed.
    • Passage of Ordinary, Money, and Financial Bills.
    • Passage of No-Confidence Motion, Confidence Motion, Vote of Thanks to the President, Censure Motion, Adjournment Motion, Calling Attention Motion.
    • Election of the Speaker, Dy. Speaker, Dy. Chairman of RS.
    • Passage of approval to President’s Rule and Financial Emergency.
    • Approval by LS for discontinuance of Emergency.
    1. Effective – Means Majority of the Effective Strength of the House where Effective Strength is defined as Total Strength – No. of Vacancies. Vacancies arise due to 3 reasons – Death, Disqualification, and Resignation. Some sources mention Absenteeism as a vacancy but that is incorrect.

    Let’s assume the Number of Vacancies is 6. We have

    1/2 X (545-6) = 270 or more

    Usage

    • Removal of the VP. Initiated by the RS, requires an Effective Majority in the RS, thereafter Simple Majority in the LS. (this procedure is assumed since the Constitution doesn’t explicitly state it. Actual text available here)
    • Removal of the Speaker, Dy. Speaker and Dy. Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
    1. Special – This majority has 3 sub-types that require some attention.

    1st kind: Not less than 2/3 of the Members present and voting.

    Usage (only in 2 conditions)

    • Passage of Resolution under Art. 249 and Art. 312. What are they and when have they been used? 

    2nd kind: Fulfills the following criteria

    i) Not less than 2/3 of the Members present and voting.

    ii) Majority of the Total Strength of the House.

    Eg. Out of 545, 450 Members are present and 300 vote in favor. Both the above conditions are satisfied – 300 is more than 2/3 of 450 and 300 is more than 1/2 of 545.

    To make it simpler to remember, it is Special Majority of First kind + Absolute Majority.

    Usage

    • Passage of Constitutional Amendment Bills under Art. 368.
    • Approval by both Houses for the continuance of Emergency.
    • Removal of Judges of SC, High Court, CAG, CEC.
    • Approval for the creation of the State Legislative Council of a State under Art. 169.

    3rd kind:  This is used only once – during the impeachment of the President of India. Is mentioned in Art. 61 of the Constitution.

    2/3rd Majority of the Total Strength of the House.

    2/3 X 545 = 364 or more

    As a rule of thumb, you should never mention Special Majority in any answer as it could mean any of the 3 Special Majorities. 

  • Indian Polity | A Quick Brush up with Our Emergency Provisions

    Indian Polity | A Quick Brush up with Our Emergency Provisions

    Very quickly then, most of us are familiar with the 3 types of emergencies.

    We will study them under 3 heads –

    #a. When can they be imposed?

    #b. Features

    #c. Effects

    #1. Art. 352 – National Emergency

    a. When can it be imposed?

    3 conditions – War, External Aggression, Armed Rebellion

    Note1: Armed Rebellion was changed from Internal Disturbance on the recommendation of the Shah Commission. Internal Disturbance was a vague term prone to misuse.

    Q1: What’s the difference between War and External Aggression?

    No technical difference! The President makes a “Proclamation of Emergency”. If it says its a war, its a war likewise of external aggression.

    b. Features

    Flashback : Lets go back to the time of the Emergency. All it took then was an oral instruction by the then PM Indira Gandhi to President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (who received a lot of criticism).

    To understand National Emergency, we need to examine the 44th Amendment Provisions whose sole purpose was to put a check on such powers of the President.

    • Can only be proclaimed on the written advice of the Union Cabinet (not the PM). Perhaps, this is the only place where Union Cabinet has a role.
    • Expires in 1 month from its issue unless approved by a Special Majority (of the second kind*) – Not less than 2/3rd of the Members present and voting + Absolute Majority – in both the houses of the Parliament.
    • If the LS is dissolved, then RS shall approve it within 1 month and the re-constituted LS shall ratify within 30 days.
    • Once approved, the proclamation is extended for 6 months, which can be extended again for 6 more months.
    • Not less than 1/10th of the Members of the LS(this can only be initiated in the LS) may give notice in writing to the Speaker or President (when LS is not in session). If there is no session, a special sitting of the LS shall be held within 14 days. If the resolution, the President has to revoke the Emergency.

    c. Effects

    • Executive : State Govt. is not suspended. Union Govt. can issue orders to the State Govt. on subjects on the State List (something that it can’t normally do).
    • Legislature : State Legislature is not suspended. However, Parliament can make laws on the State subjects. Such laws remain valid for 6 months after the Emergency ceases to be.
    • Financial : Distribution as per the President’s will subject to approval by the Parliament.

    Effect on FR (2 clauses here)

    • Art. 19 automatically suspended (only in case of War and External Aggression)
    • President by a further order can specify other FRs that wont be operative, excepting Art. 20 and 21.

    Art. 20 and 21 are fundamental of the FRs and cannot be suspended. Interested readers can read the story of Judge Khanna’s courage here.

    #2. Art. 356 – President’s Rule

    a. When can it be imposed?

    If the President is satisfied that there exists a situation where the State Admin. cannot be carried in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, he can make a Proclamation of Failure of Constitutional Machinery in a State.

    Ambedkar had envisaged Art. 356 to remain a dead letter in the Constitution. Much to his surprise it has been used not less than 119 times during the first 63 years.

    b. Features

    Such a proclamation lapses after 2 months, unless approved by the Parliament by a simple majority. Once approved, it lasts for 6 months which can again be extended for 6 more months subjected to maximum of 3 years.

    To extend it beyond 1 year, 2 conditions must be fulfilled

    • National Emergency should be in operation (in whole of India or whole or any part of the State).
    • ECI certifies that elections cannot be conducted in the state.

    c. Effect

    The President can

    • declare Executive powers of the State rest with him. He can also delegate the same to any other authority (like the Governor) as per his liking.
    • dissolve or suspend the State Legislature. If suspended, the Parliament can exercise its legislative powers. (or delegate it to any other authority)

    Effect on FR : No Effect

    #3. Art. 360 – Financial Emergency (^Never imposed till date)

    a. When can it be imposed? 

    If the President is satisfied that a situation has arisen whereby the financial stability or credit of India or of any part of the territory thereof is threatened, he may by a Proclamation make a declaration to that effect.

    b. Features

    It will ordinarily remain in force for 2 months, unless its is approved by both the houses. If LS is dissolved in this period, similar clause as that of the National Emergency applies.

    c. Effect

    The financial autonomy of the states is transferred. The President can

    • suspend distribution of financial resources.
    • issue directions to follow canons of finance.
    • direct the State Govt. to reduce the Salaries of their employees.
    • direct the governors to reserve all financial and money bills for his consideration.

    Effect on FR : No Effect

    Now is the time for 2 quick questions

    1. Attempt the following table. You need to give me the dates corresponding to A,B,C,D,E,F.
    TypeDate of IssueLast Date of ApprovalLast Date of Validity
    3521/1/2016AB
    3561/1/2016CD
    3601/1/2016EF
    1. Mention that checks and balances put in place to curb the improper use of Art. 356.

    Hint : R. Bommai vs Union Of India

    Additional Reads 

    1. Click here for everything on the types of Majority.
    2. Justice Khanna’s Courage