Course Code :EPA -02/BPAE-102
Assignment Code:EPA-02/BAPE-102/AST/TMA/2010-2012
Maximum Marks :100
Answer the following question in about 500 words each.
1) Discuss the organisational structure and role of Planning Commission in
planning process 20
Solution: An organizational structure consists of activities such as task allocation, coordination and supervision, which are directed towards the achievement of organizational aims. It can also be considered as the viewing glass or perspective through which individuals see their organization and its environment. Organizations are a variant of clustered entities. An organization can be structured in many different ways, depending on their objectives. The structure of an organization will determine the modes in which it operates and performs. Organizational structure allows the expressed allocation of responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities such as the branch, department, workgroup and individual. Organizational structure affects organizational action in two big ways. First, it provides the foundation on which standard operating procedures and routines rest. Second, it determines which individuals get to participate in which decision-making processes, and thus to what extent their views shape the organization’s action
Role of Planning Commission in Planning Process:
The vision of the Planning Commission is to focus on socio-economic policy formulation and analysis as well as on strategic planning. The Planning Commission is expected to be a center of excellence and chief advisor to Government in matters of day to day economic management as well as medium and long term socio-economic development.The role of the Planning Commission is basically facilitation and stimulation of economic activities through analysis and articulation of policies to promote and guide the participation of economic agents.The mission of the Planning Commission is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and improve social welfare through proper management and guidance of the national economy.
Role of Planning Commission:
Analysis and design of overall macro-economic policy.
Analysis and formulation of external sector policies.
Identification and planning of strategic public investments.
Articulation of policies and strategies for sectoral development.
Designing and carrying out studies and research focusing on aspects of economic development deemed to need special attention – particularly on a long-term perspective.
Initiation and design of policies for human resources development.
Formulation/articulation of strategies for employment creation.
Facilitation and promotion of the involvement of private economic agents in the economy.
Formulation of policies and strategies for rural development.
Collection, processing, storage and dissemination of statistics.
Development of Economists, Statisticians and Planners.
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2) Analyse the role of Chief Minister 20
Solution: The Chief Minister holds a key position in the administration of the State and his position is similar to the position of the Prime Minister at the Centre. He is the effective head of the State Government. It is upon his recommendation that ministers are appointed. He allocates portfolios to the ministers. If a Chief Minister is unhappy with a minister, he can ask the minister to resign or he can drop him from the Council by reshuffling it. He can even ask the Governor to dismiss a minister in extreme cases. As the presiding officer of the Council of Ministers be greatly influences, its deliberations and decisions. He ensures that Council’s working as a team.
It is the responsibility of the Chief Minister to communicate to the Governor the decisions of the Council of Ministers and make available to the Governor such information about the administration of the State or legislative proposals which the Governor may seek. In the Legislature, too, the Chief Minister plays an important role. He determines when the sessions are to be summoned or prorogued even though formal action in this regard is taken by the Governor. He makes important policy announcements on the floor of the legislature and defends government policy in the House.
Inspite of the pivotal role he plays, the Chief Minister’s position depends on certain factors, such as his personality, the importance he has in his own party and the relations of his party with the Centre. He is the kingpin in the State Administration. He looks into the fairs of the State and also builds a good rapport with the
From time to time, a Chief Minister may keep one or more portfolios under his charge. Such departments attain special importance in the government.
The C.M's leadership provides them with influence, prestige, power and added responsibility. No hard and fast rule regarding the number of portfolios a C.M. can or should keep has been stipulated. Herein lays the question of variations in the individual capacity of a C.M. in managing public affairs.
At the same time, it would be desirable for a C.M. to have, under his direct control only as many departments as he can efficiently manage. In administering these departments, the C.M.'s administrative role gains significance. In order to explain the point, a reference may be made to the case of Rajasthan.
Though there has been no uniformity in the pattern of C.M.'s portfolios in Rajasthan all the C.Ms of the state, since 1949, have kept the Department of General Administration and Personnel (earlier known as Appointments) with themselves besides, the Planning Department has also been with the Chief Minister intermittently. There have also been occasions when the Chief Minister has held the portfolio of the Finance Minister and presented the annual budget in the legislative assembly.
In addition, the C.M. may take under his direct charge departments which have situational significance. For instance, due to acute shortage of power in the state, the then C.M., Mohan Lai Sukhadia, took over the charge of the Power Department in June, 1968. Barkatullah Khan took over the Waqf and Linguistic Minorities Department in July, 1971 to sort out the problems of the Muslim community. Moreover, since the state of Rajasthan is backward industrially, a good number of the C.Ms has kept the Industries Department with them from time to time.
It has been observed that whenever a minister leaves the Council of Ministers for some reason, the Chief Minister may keep with himself one or all of the portfolios of the outgoing minister until the next Cabinet reshuffle take place. In Rajasthan, there have been occasions, though rare, when a Chief Minister had the direct charge of more than a dozen departments and, yet, he performed his role smoothly. The principle of span of control, though violated prima facie, gets interpreted in a new light when a chief executive is supported by knowledgeable and experienced higher level administrators in most of the units being managed and controlled.
When the Chief Minister acts as the political head of a department, his powers and functions are exercised on the same pattern as are adopted by other ministers in regard to their respective departments
It may be pointed out that, for all departments of the state government, there are standing orders approved by the respective ministers. Specifications are made in these orders on the levels at which particular matters or cases are to be dealt with and disposed of. Even the C.M.'s powers in various matters are well-defined. Moreover, mention should also be made of cases, the final disposal of which could be made only at the level of the Cabinet.
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Section - II
Answer the following questions in about 250 words each.
3) Critically evaluate the proposed All India Federation under the Government of
India Act, 1935. 12
Solution: Coming soon
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4) Explain the significance and changing role of the Prime Minister’s Office. 12
Solution: The most significant change is probably the way Prime Ministers have become more interventionist in the running of Departments and their individual policies. Rather than intervening only on major issues of policy or strategy, or where Departments were in disagreement, the Prime Minister (or those acting in his or her name) routinely comment on or change policies that are solely matters for a single Department. Several units have been set up over the years to carry out intervention and scrutiny ion different forms (Policy Unit, Delivery Unit, Strategic Communications Unit, and so on) but these remain unaccountable, overlap with the Cabinet Office and Treasury and collectively risk undermining the effectiveness of individual Departments.
Another significant change has been the growing willingness under successive Prime Ministers to use a majority in the House of Commons to over-ride checks and balances established by constitutional convention; for example, successive moves to curtail the independence of local government since the 1980s, or changes to civil liberties such as detention without trial. This links to the UK’s lack of a written constitution: such fundamental changes can be carried by a simple majority in the Commons, while countries with a written constitution would usually require a higher threshold for ‘constitutional’ changes. Combined with the extreme concentration of power in the hands of the Prime Minister, this creates the risk – and in some cases the reality – of a dictatorship of the majority.
A further change has been the role of the Prime Minister in party fund-raising, particularly from major donors, as elections have become more expensive and income from ‘rank and file’ members has become a smaller proportion of the total. Though hard to measure (for obvious reasons), it appears that this role has become more significant since the 1980s and could perhaps be compared to the situation prior to the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. The risk of this development is that the decisions of the Prime Minister are, or are seen to be, influenced by donors.
3. What is the impact of coalition government on the role and powers of the Prime Minister?
Though it is too early to be certain, the effects appear to be minor and temporary.
4. Are there sufficient checks and balances on the powers of the Prime Minister?
No, and those that exist – notably constitutional convention or judicial review - are weak.
If no, what additional or improved checks and balances are required?
As a minimum, the role and powers of the Prime Minister should be defined in statute; the Royal prerogative should be ended; and the Prime Minister and his or her Office should be open to greater scrutiny and accountability.
Is any further change required with regard to specific powers currently exercised under the royal prerogative, by transferring them to statute or otherwise?
Yes. All powers exercised under the Royal prerogative should be transferred to statue or extinguished. Specifically, the power to wage war should be Parliament’s responsibility. If the Prime Minister or Cabinet is empowered by Parliament to declare war in the case of an attack on the UK, this should still require immediate ratification by Parliament. The power of a single individual to declare war on another country, as happened in Iraq, should be ended.
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5) Write a note on the functions of the Union Public Service Commission. 12
Solution: Union Public Service Commission is one of the most important institutions of democratic governance and has been instrumental in ensuring the constitutional provision of Equality of Opportunity to all the citizens by adhering to the standards of fairness and honesty in the administration of its competitive exams. It is abundantly obvious by looking at the back ground of the candidates who succeed at this exam. It has always given hope to millions of aspirants who come from poorest to richest of the backgrounds. It wont be wrong to say that UPSC has been a beacon of bright light in the dark sea of failing institutions of governance in India.
The functions of the UPSC as described in the Constitution are :
(i) To advise the government on all matters relating to the methods of recruitment and
norms to be followed in making apointments to civil services either directly or by
promotion.
(ii) To advise on the suitability of candidates for appointment, promotion and transfer.
(iii) To conduct examinations for appointment to All India services.
(iv) To advise on disciplinary matters affecting government servants.
(v) To advise on claims of legal proceedings instituted against a government servant and
on the claims in respect of injuries sustained by a government servant while on duty.
(vi) To advise on any other matter specifically referred by the President.
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6) Analyse the issues confronting police administration. 12
Solution: Police Commissions at the National and State levels have made several suggestions
' to make the police efficient, responsive and responsible. But unfortunately on one
consideration or the other they have not been seriously considered. This indicates
that police reform is a low priority area in the country. Whatever reforms were
implemented they were done half-heartedly without understanding the socio-political
milieu within which the police has to operate. Because of the adhoc and piecemeal
nature of the reforms they did not have the intended effect. The reforms are required
not only in organisation, personnel. procedures but also in the attitudes of the people
and the police officials. Still colonial attitude pervades the minds of the police
personnel. Reform should be continuous because no adhoc approach will give the
intended results.
The police behaviour like rudeness, non-registration of FIR, maltreatment in lock-
ups and so on, are forbidden in the Police Regulations. Mohit Bhattacharya
explained the problem areas in the field of human rights. In his words "(a) General
feeling that the ground realities - how crime and criminals have actually to be dealt
with - are not appreciated by "human rights" protagonists, (b) the balance seems to
be tilting towards criminals, leading to police discomfiture; (c) human rights are, no
doubt, of great value; at the same time, police discretion is necessary to deal with the
ground situation". The major problems faced by police functionaries and Police
Stations are intra-organisational issues related to human resource like insufficient
manpower, low motivation, lack of promotion opportunities, lack of proper training
etc. Infrastructure related problems such as shortage of vehicles and fuel, poor
maintenance and limited space to work and lack of communication facilities affect
the efficiency. In addition, ill lighted unhealthy place; difficulties in supply of food
for lock-up inmates, short supply of stationary items; lack of elementary
investigation kit, inordinately long time in post mortem reports; pending cases and
low priority to investigation also affect the services. In the context of finance, Police
Station has no system of keeping fund, travelling allowance bills are hard to get and
remain pending for months. Strict discipline becomes an artificial barrier to genuine
inter-personal understanding of work, which affect inter-personal relations as well as
dealing with public. In certain cases, police extorts money, nothing moves without
greasing palms. In rural areas, payments are generally made in kind.
Human Rights are promised on two important aspects, that is dignity and equality for
a human being. The incorporation of the rights on the paper or in the Constitution
does not ensure their fulfillment. Constitutional guarantees and legal stipulations are
of no use unless these are put into practice by the enforcement agencies. Since
police is the first step on the ladder of the criminal justice system as an agency that
investigates and detects crime. Human rights can be imperative and effective if the
functional level is fair, just and reasonable in its dealings with suspects and others. It
largely depends upon the law enforcement officers. Hence, the contribution of police
is crucial for the successful implementation of law and order; and in building-up of
an institution for justice. For this, senior leader must internalise the concept of
human rights. He has to undergo a change in his style of thinking and functioning with the conviction thathuman rights are inevitable and a technique for better
governance.
The above mentioned issues need to be examined critically. There is no dearth of
suggestions but what is important is the political will. One has to examine the police
reforms in the total context of social change, and political dynamics. Reform in the
police cannot be viewed in isolation. Structural and institutional changes can only
bring marginal improvements in the working of the police system. What is important
is attitudinal change, both on the part of the police personnel and also the
community. Neither police can take law into its hand and curtail the liberties of the
people nor people can expect peace and order unless they themselves co-operate with
the police in discharge of its functions
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Section - III
Answer the following questions in about 100 words each.
7) What are the various types of sources of income of the Urban Local Self Government?6
Solution: Generally the sources of finances of a urban body are 0f four types:
1. Collection of Local Tax Revenue- Urban local bodies levy some taxes in their area; such as octroi, property tax, profession tax, entertainment tax, advertisement tax, animal tax, market tax, water tax, pilgrim tax, toll on new bridges etc. The revenue from taxes constitutes the two-third of the total revenue of urban local bodies. Octroi has been abolished in Uttar Pradesh, which was a major source of income.
2. Non-Tax Revenue- It consists of fees, receipts, fines or income from remunerative activities of the urban local bodies. The fees is collected through various forms and processing fees. These bodies also collect some non-tax revenue through parks and exhibition grounds.
3. Grants-in-Aid- The state government gives grants-in-aid to the urban local body for special purpose. Under the 74th Amendment, a State Finance Commission is established to recommend the principles governing the grants-in-aids to the urban local bodies by the state governments.
4. Loans- Under the respective Municipal Acts, the urban local bodies are entitled to raise loans from the state governments. The loans are to be paid back within prescribed time limit along with the interest. The proposals of loans are to be cleared by the Reserve Bank of India.
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8) Write a note on judicial review.
Solution: Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review (and possible invalidation) by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority (such as the terms of a written constitution). Judicial review is an example of the separation of powers in a modern governmental system (where the judiciary is one of three branches of government). This principle is interpreted differently in different jurisdictions, which also have differing views on the different hierarchy of governmental norms. As a result, the procedure and scope of judicial review differs from country to country and state to state.
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