Polity

Paul H Appleby, in his two reports on Indian Administration, was very critical of the role of CAG and attacked the significance of his work5. He also suggested that the CAG should be relieved of the responsibility of audit. In other words, he recommended the abolition of the office of CAG. His points of criticism … Read more

The role of CAG in the auditing of public corporations is limited. Broadly speaking, his relationship with the public corporations falls into the following three categories: Some corporations are audited totally and directly by the CAG, for example, Damodar Valley Corporation, Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Air India, Indian Airlines Corporation, and others. Some other … Read more

. In pursuance of the provision of Article 350-B of the Constitution, the office of the Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities was created in 1957. He is designated as the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities. The Commissioner takes up all the matters pertaining to the grievances arising out of the non- implementation of the Constitutional and … Read more

. The National Commission for SCs and STs came into being consequent upon passing of the 65th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1990. The Commission was established under Article 338 of the Constitution with the objective of monitoring all the safeguards provided for the SCs and STs under the Constitution or other law. Geographically and culturally, … Read more

. Originally, Article 338 of the Constitution provided for the appointment of a Special Officer for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards for the SCs and STs and to report to the President on their working3. He was designated as the Commissioner for SCs and … Read more

. The Constitution of India envisages the Finance commission as the balancing wheel of fiscal federalism in India. However, its role in the Centre–state fiscal relations has been undermined by the emergence of the Planning Commission, a non-constitutional and a non-statutory body. Dr P V Rajamannar, the Chairman of the Fourth Finance commission, highlighted the … Read more

The Constitution makes a provision for the establishment of a Joint State Public Service Commission (JSPSC) for two or more states. While the UPSC and the SPSC are created directly by the Constitution, a JSPSC can be created by an act of Parliament on the request of the state legislatures concerned. Thus, a JSPSC is … Read more

. The Constitution visualizes the SPSC to be the ‘watchdog of merit system’ in the state. It is concerned with the recruitment to the state services and advises the government, when consulted, on promotion and disciplinary matters. It is not concerned with the classification of services, pay and service conditions, cadre management, training and so … Read more

. As in the case of UPSC, the Constitution has made the following provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial functioning of a SPSC: The chairman or a member of a SPSC can be removed from office by the president only in the manner and on the grounds mentioned in the Constitution. Therefore, … Read more

. The Committee recommends a total financial investment of Rs 1,00,000 crore over a five  year period. Its key recommendations are: The Committee notes that the ‘present environment on Indian Railways reveals a  grim picture of inadequate performance’ largely due to poor infrastructure and  resources, and lack of empowerment at the functional level. The financial … Read more