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The Central Secretariat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:48:00 +0000

The Central Secretariat system in India is based on two principles:

(1) The task of policy formulation needs to be separated from policy implementation.

(2) Maintaining Cadre of Officers operating on the tenure system is a prerequisite to the working of the Secretariat system.

The Central Secretariat is a policy making body of the government and is not, to undertake work of execution, unless necessitated by the lack of official agencies to perform certain tasks. The Central Secretariat normally performs the following functions:

(1) Assisting the minister in the discharge of his policy making and parliamentary functions.

(2) Framing legislation, rules and principles of procedure.

(3) Sect oral planning and program formulation.

(4) (a) Budgeting and control of expenditure in respect of activities of the Ministry/department.

(b) Securing administrative and financial approval to operational programs and their subsequent modifications.

(c) Supervision and control over the execution of policies and programs by the executive departments or semi-autonomous field agencies.

(d) Imitating steps to develop greater personnel and organizational competence both in the ministry/department and its executive agencies.

(e) Assisting in increasing coordination at the Central level.

Law Commission of India (Download the E-book)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:41:00 +0000

DOWNLOAD LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA FILE

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ELECTORAL REFORMS IN INDIA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:54:00 +0000

India is the largest and one of the most vibrant democracies of the world. It is true that we have been able to run a democratic system for more than 6 decades and we should be proud of it because very few developing nations have actually been able to run a democratic system.

But in recent years unfortunately there has been a growing feeling that the Indian Political System was not working very well. The entry of criminal elements in politics, defections of legislators, communalisation of politics, minuses of public office by persons in high positions and money power in elections have made it clear that there are deep seated problems in many sectors of Indian Parliamentary System. How and where did we fail? Does the fault lie with the constitution itself or its implementation? A very suitable answer is that it is mainly the political and electoral system, which has completely derailed the social, economic and administrative fabric of the country.

Now time has come to consider whether we were wrong in adopting the present system of parliamentary democracy. Therefore, the only way to remedy the present malady is to make the political system deliver the goods. And it is not only the politicians who are to blame, but also we are all responsible for the present state of affairs.

The prime need of the hour to bring holistic reforms in the election process is to save the nation from the clutches of 3MPs i.e. money power, muscle power and mafia power and 4cs i.e. communalism, casteism, criminalization and corruption. However, to strike as the root of the problems has been a vigorous debate on criminalization of politics and illegitimate use of excessive and unaccounted money power in election. Several sensible and practical suggestion have also been offered but all efforts at reform have been stymied for want of parliamentary action as it is true that our political parties and leaders, clamor for electoral reforms only just before the elections, but as soon as they come to power they turn a deaf ear to them.

Even after 62 years of independence and 13 general election to the Lok Sabha, we have not been able to make any meaningful reforms in our electoral system. Are we really serious and honest about the free and fair elections?

In recent times there have been many exercise aimed at reforming the electoral system. In the last ten years, there have been several exercise by the Government addressed to maintain the purity of elections and particularly to bring about transparency in the process of election. The role of Election Commission of India is praiseworthy and commendable in this direction. The Election Commission over the years enhanced its credibility by fair, fearless and impartial exercise of its constitutional authority in cleansing the Indian electoral system.

In pursuance of the Supreme Court directions, the Election Commission on 28 June 2002 in exercise of power of superintendence, direction and control of elections of Parliament and State Legislatures, conferred on it by Article 324 of the Constitution directed as follows:- (1) Every candidate at the time of filling his nomination paper for any election to the council of states, house of the people, Legislative Council of a State having such a council shall furnish full and complete information regarding criminal record, financial details and educational qualifications etc. as specified by the Hon'ble court in an affidavit. (2) The said affidavit by each candidate shall be duly sworn before a Magistrate of the First Class or a Notary Public or a Commissioner of Oaths appointed by the High Court of the State Government (3) Non-furnishing of the affidavit by any candidate shall be considered the violation of the order of Supreme Court and the nomination shall be liable to rejection by the returning officer at the time of scrutiny (4) Furnishing of any wrong or incomplete information or suppression of any material information by any candidate in or from the said affidavit may also result in the rejection, apart from inviting penal consequences under the Indian Penal Code of furnishing wrong information or suppression of material fact. (5) The information so furnished by each candidate in the aforesaid affidavit shall be disseminated by the respective returning officers by displaying a copy of of the affidavit on the notice board of his office and also by making the copies thereof available freely and liberally to all other candidates and the representatives of the print and electronic media. (6) If any rival candidate furnishes information to the contrary by mean of a duly sworn affidavit, then such affidavit of the rival candidate shall also be disseminated along with the affidavit of the candidate concerned.

To make the electoral process more fair, transparent Y equitable and to reduce the distortions and evils that have crept into it, the Supreme Court delivered the judgment of 13 March 2003 upholding Lok Satta's contention that section 33B inserted in haste by an act of Parliament in the representation of people Act 1951 violated the people's fundamental right to know so that they can drive out criminals from the fray by using their right to ballot. However, the key question is how long can we kept the criminals away from the arena of elections? What steps should be taken to reduce the criminals' entry into political parties? Nevertheless, the judgment has created a ray of hope for better governance in India. Politicians should not resist the voter's right to know but try and give it a meaning in a constructive way to protect Parliamentary Democracy.

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The scandals and controversies that marked the 14th Lok Sabha and the recent events after the general elections in India were announced, where smaller and regional parties have held bigger parties to ransom over various issues like that of seat-sharing, have once again highlighted the urgent need of electoral reforms in India. Some of the recommendations given below have been widely discussed in various forums and have found acceptability among various policy-making organisations including the Election Commission of India. It is high time that they are implemented in the earnest.

Abolish the first-past-the-post system: This has been amongst the most widely discussed electoral reforms in India. Multi-cornered contests have become a norm in India rather than an exception due to the increase in the number of smaller and regional parties. There have been cases in the state assembly elections where a candidate has been declared winner with the victory margin of less than 100 votes. Apart from this anomaly, in most cases, a candidate wins the election by securing just 30-35 per cent of the total number of votes polled. Hence he or she cannot be deemed to be a choice of majority of the electorate. To overcome this limitation, the first-past-the-post system should be replaced with a two-stage electoral process. In this, a second round of election will be held if none of the candidates in the fray is able to get 50 per cent of the total number of votes polled in the first round. The two candidates who have obtained the maximum number of votes in the first round will fight in the second round. Whoever between the two gets more than 51 per cent of the total votes polled in the second round is declared the winner.

Simultaneous elections for Union and state legislatures: Currently 3-4 states in India go for elections every year. This undermines the working of the union government as the regime in power cannot take tough decisions due to the fear of a backlash in the next round of assembly election. Hence simultaneous elections will not only ensure that governments at the centre and the states carry out their responsibilities in a smooth manner but also curtail unnecessary election expenditure. The arrangement of simultaneous elections can be extended to the elections for the municipal corporations and other Panchayati Raj institutions.

Fixed tenure of elected legislative bodies with no-confidence motion followed by a confidence motion: This is another move that will curtail the unnecessary election expenditure and at the same time ensure stable governments at the centre and in the states. In case none of the parties or coalition is able to form a government on its own, the members of the house should together elect an executive head among themselves and form a cabinet that has representation from members of all political parties on the basis of the number of seats they have secured in the elections.

Decrease number of registered parties: This move is necessary because the smaller parties are far more vulnerable to “ideological shifts” and in this era of fractured mandates, hold the bigger parties to ransom for their narrow political gains. The election commission should be given powers to de-recognise smaller political parties on the basis of their performance. Another move to achieve this goal would be to increase the minimum number of primary members that are needed to form a political party.

Increase the amount of security deposit: This move is necessary to put a check on the number of non-serious candidates contesting union and state assembly elections. Such a move has been taken in the past and has shown desired results. However in recent times, the number of candidates fighting elections has shown an increasing trend and hence there is a need to review the amount of security deposit.

Not allowing candidates to contest from more than one constituency in an election: This is necessary to curtail the unnecessary expenditure that election commission has to make when a candidate contests election from more than one constituency and wins from all the constituencies he has contested from. The bye-election that is necessitated by the candidate choosing one seat and vacating others seats he has contested from will no longer be needed.

Use of common electoral rolls in the union and state elections: This move will put a check on the cases of people finding their names missing in the electoral rolls. This happens because different lists are prepared by the Election Commission of India for general elections and the state election commissions for the elections of the state assemblies and local bodies. The effort and expenditure that is involved in making two lists for similar purpose will be greatly reduced.

Making false declarations in election affidavits an offence: This is necessary to ensure transparency about the profile of candidates contesting elections, many of whom have criminal cases going on against them on charges of heinous offence like kidnapping and murder. Anyone giving false information in the affidavits should be debarred from contesting elections for a minimum duration of five years.

Allowing negative/neutral voting: This will allow a voter to express his dissent by rejecting all the candidates contesting in his constituency if he finds none or them suitable to be elected. Currently a large number of people do not go to the polling booth because of their disenchantment with the candidates put up by the political parties. This is reflected in the falling poll percentages. Democracy in India will be strengthened if people participate in large numbers in the electoral process and have a choice to reject all the candidates instead of being forced to select one who they think is less bad than the others in the fray.

Ban on publication of exit/opinion polls results till voting is over for all phases: To ensure free and fair elections in India, the election commission holds them in different phases so that the available security staff is effectively deployed. Publishing the result of opinion poll on the earlier phases will have an impact on the voting pattern in the subsequent phases. Similarly, the opinion polls that are conducted before the election also influences the voting pattern. Hence there is a need to put a ban on the publication of the results of the exit/opinion polls conducted by various media agencies till all the phases of elections are over.

Policy Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:47:00 +0000

Policy analysis

Policy analysis is an attempt to measure the costs and benefits of various policy alternatives or to evaluate the efficacy of existing policies; in other words, to produce and transform information relevant to particular policies into a form that could be used to resolve problems pertaining to those policies. In the public sector, policy analysis is also concerned with conditions affecting implementation such as executive structures, efficiency, goods and services, recipients, equity, availability, distribution, monitoring and enforcement. In other words, policy analysis is concerned with an explanation of the causes and consequences of why governments do what they do. Dorr (1991: 3) uses policy analysis to mean approaches, methods, methodologies and techniques for improving discrete policy decisions.

Public policies are aimed at the improvement of the well being of society. It is therefore, imperative that those policies should be analysed to determine whether they are in effect contributing towards the common weal, i.e. whether the policies themselves or the conditions pertaining to their implementation are producing the desired results and impacts. The reasons for policy analysis can be scientific, professional or political. The basic idea underlying the scientific reason for policy analysis is to determine its feasibility in terms of technology (can it work?), economy (what are there source requirements), politics (what is the impact on the executive institutions?), society (is it socially acceptable?), and time (can it be implemented within a reasonable period of time?).Answers to the above could contribute towards narrowing the gap of uncertainty.Professional reasons for policy analysis are to do with the necessity for devising the policies most suitable to resolve social problems, bearing in mind the causes and results of policy decisions and the factors influencing policy. In other words, there is a search for and assessment of alternative policy options, inter alia by forecasting the direct and indirect impacts and long – range effects of existing or proposed policies by the application of cost – benefit analysis, modeling or simulation to the different options. Political reasons for policy analysis are concerned with ensuring that desired aims are realized by appropriate policies and that the political office – bearer is supplied with the information that will enable him to understand the complexity of the public issues he has deal with, and on which he has to make feasible policy.

From the foregoing it is apparent that public policy analysis is likely more concerned with description and explanation that with prescription (which is the function of policy advocacy); with an in – depth search for the reasons for and consequences of particular public policies, and with the developing of theories of public policy that will be reliable and applicable to different issues and can be utilized by different government institutions. If the policy – maker does not know exactly what the problem to be solved is, nor whether progress is being made in solving it, he does not know much, which could be very costly in policy – making.

Advantages of public policy analysis

Policy analysis can contribute towards the making of rational choices in public policy. It provides a basis for taking into account the probable consequences of selected courses of action and can help the political office – bearer and the appointed public official to work as team – mates in promotion the common will…One of the main advantages of policy analysis is that, as opposed to purely rational analysis, it helps the various participants to understand the roles of values, particular interests and political considerations in selecting a course of action. By providing ascertainable facts, which can be used to separate the relevant and the irrelevant, and by indicating annual changes, community differences, the clientele involved and envisaged performance versus results achieved, policy analysis is useful in determining whether a particular policy is working or not, and if not, noting what aspects are not working. Good policy analysis compares not only objectives or resources, but also alternative programs. It markets errors easy to identify by working with historical contexts and bears in mind that public officials must implement policies and those citizens are involved.

INCREMENTALISM views public as a continuation of past government activities with only incremental modifications. Political scientist Charles E. Lindblom first presented the incremental model in the course of a critique of the traditional ration model of decision – making. According to E. Lindblom, decision – makers do not annually review the whole range existing and proposed policies, identify societal goals, research the benefits and costs of alternative policies in achieving these goals, rank – order preferences for each policy alternative in terms of the ration of benefits to costs and then make a selection on the basis of all relevant information. Incrementalism is conservative in those existing programs, policies and expenditures are considered as a base, and attention is concentrated on new programs and policies and on increases, decreases, or modifications of current programs

Significance & Role of public policy

Public policy, as we have analyzed, is an important component of the democratic government, and its focus is on “the public and its problems”. It is an area which has to do with those spheres which are labeled as public. The concept of public policy presupposes that there is a domain of life which is not private or purely individual, but held in common. As such, public policies have important purpose to serve in the democratic society.

Management theory by Henri Fayol

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:52:00 +0000

Management theory by Henri Fayol:

Henri Fayol was born 1841 in Istanbul and died 1925 in Paris. He was a French management theorist. Fayol was one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management, having proposed that there are five primary functions of management: (1) planning, (2) organizing, (3) commanding, (4) coordinating, and (5) controlling. Controlling is described in the sense that a manager must receive feedback on a process in order to make necessary adjustments. Fayol's work has stood the test of time and has been shown to be relevant and appropriate to contemporary management.

Fayol believed management theories could be developed, then taught. His theories were published in a monograph titled General and Industrial Management (1916). This is an extraordinary little book that offers the first theory of general management and statement.

Fayol suggested that it is important to have unity of command: a concept that suggests there should be only one supervisor for each person in an organization. Fayol suggested that management is a universal human activity that applies equally well to the family as it does to the corporation.

Henri Fayol, the father of the school of Systematic Management, was motivated to create a theoretical foundation for a managerial educational program based on his experience as a successful managing director of a mining company. In his day, managers had no formal training and he observed that the increasing complexity of organizations would require more professional management. Fayol's legacy is his generic Principles of Management.

Fayol's management process allows command functions to operate efficiently and effectively through co-ordination and control methods. For Fayol, the managing director overlooked a living organism that requires liaison officers and joint committees.

There are many theories used in today's management roles that can be traced back to the theories of these "founding fathers" of management. For example, Henry Fayol's 14 principles serve as a point of reference that many of today's managers use when conceptualizing, planning, organization, implementing and overseeing ideas and theories in the workforce

The main purpose of Henri Fayol’s “General Principles of Management” is to offer valuable guidance in managing effectively and efficiently. He explains that these are only principles and may need to be built upon or changed due to certain circumstances. These principles can be applied to situations that we may face as managers. Fayol provides each principal with insight for each.

Division of Work is the first principle. Each person within an organization has certain tasks and responsibilities. Each person continues to do this same job every day and become efficient and skilled in their tasks. This means better productivity for the organization as a whole.

Authority and Principal in large companies mean there are varying degrees of responsibility assigned to each supervisory position. With this gained authority comes more responsibility.

Discipline is the next principle of management. It is important for the supervisor to prevent slacking or other bad behavior. Good examples should be set by the supervisors also.

Unity of Command is the idea that at any one time a worker should only have one supervisor to receive direct orders from. If there are orders coming from two supervisors, it can obviously cause confusion among the workers and animosity between the two supervisors. It can also cause a decrease in production due to confusion among the workers.

Unity of Direction is closely related to Unity of Command. The Leader makes the plans and the supervisors push the original idea through the chain. They take extra care in ensuring the original plan stays on track.

Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest is the concept of the supervisor taking an active role to fighting bad habits of employees. It is a supervisor’s duty to urge employees to leave personal interests and problems out of the workplace. It is also imperative that the supervisor teach by their own example.

Remuneration of Personnel is the next principle. There are many considerations to take when determining an employees pay. What is the state of the organization? What is the cost of living? Is there a shortage of qualified workers in this area? These considerations are all taken into account when deciding on a fair remuneration. Compensation should be given to those as reward for hard work. On the same token though, it is important to not overcompensate. The three different modes of payment are time rate, job rate and piece rate.

Centralization is having a leader or manager that effectively communicates the goal to all managers below them and getting the task at hand to all people within the organization. True centralization occurs when supervisors take the orders from the leader and effectively communicate it to those below them. They need not add their own directives or ideas. Just give the necessary direction to get the job done.

Scalar Chair is the chain of command within an organization. It answers the questions of who supervises who and who is responsible for what.

Order is the next principle. Order can be applied to the material aspects of an organization as well as the Social Order. Having all necessary products/ paperwork or even people in the right order and organized correctly will make it easier for the organization to operate. Workers should have a general order and a place to conduct business and tasks.

Equity as a principle in the organization assures that each employee receives fair treatment and the same respect as others. When an employee feels this way it will show through their work efficiency and general attitude towards their daily tasks.

Stability of Tenure of Personnel is the idea that an employee should have ample time to learn a position and skills needed for their job before removing them from the job. Each job or task does take a level of expertise. This expertise is best gained by experience. Firing someone too soon and firing too often can be more detrimental than sticking with a person until they learn to effectively do their job.

Initiative can be achieved in several ways. Managers and Supervisors must be able and willing to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in the minds of employees. They should also strive to be respected by the employees. This in turn will inspire workers to do their best for the manager.

Esprit De Corps principle is based on the idea of unity. Stay unified; do not split your employees up. Bring them together for a common good. Communicate effectively with all of them with a focus on verbal communication and not written. Strive for harmony in the organization

Henry Fayol’s Management Theory Pros and Cons

Pros

Fayol provided a language to communicate management theory and establish a foundation for management training.

Managers should perceive organizations as living organisms that require constant attention rather than as mechanical machines.

Cons

The principles describe a vision rather than reality and are based on Fayol's own experience rather than empirical research. Later studies by Mintzberg and Kotter found that successful managers spend little time carrying out Fayol's activities and rely more on cultivating networks and personal contacts.

Conclusion
It is the intertwining of these classic theories mixed with some of the more modern ones that keep the worldwide management and labor force in constant productivity and questing to achieve better and better efficiency roles. And though there are many different approaches to management, the goal stays the same: to produce goods and services efficiently in a timely manner with a positive and beneficial outcome for employee, manager and company as a whole.

Functions of management theory by HF

Criticism of Administrative Management Theory

Henri Fayol's management principles and functions are used even today for managing the organisations. However, his Administrative Management Theory is criticised on the following grounds :-

1. Management Oriented Theory : The administrative management theory is management oriented. It does not give much attention to the problems of the workers.

2. Lack of Importance to Informal Organisation : The administrative management theory does not give any importance to informal organisation or groups. It gives importance only to the formal organisation structure.

3. Concepts Borrowed From Military Science : Some of the concepts of administrative management theory were borrowed from military science. They tried to apply these concepts to the social and business organisations. For e.g. Henri Fayol gave importance to "commanding" and not "directing" the workers.

4. Mechanical Approach : The administrative management theory has a mechanical approach. It does not deal with some of the important aspects of management such as motivation, communication and leading.

1.“Employees should receive orders from one superior only”. How did Fayol define this principle?

Unity of Command. Unity of command states that every worker should have only one immediate superior – he or she is responsible to that person and should ideally receive orders from that person only. This helps to pin responsibility in case of faults and fix errors in the system more easily. It also helps prevent chaos.

2. "Respect for agreements which are directed at achieving obedience, application, energy and the outward marks of respect”. What was Fayol defining?

Discipline. Discipline was one of the most important principles (according to Fayol). He declared that discipline requires good superiors at all levels.

3. Fayol emphasised on the need for team work in completing objectives and in the principle “In union, there is strength”. What term did Fayol use for expressing this?

Esprit de Corps. Fayol was a Frenchman. He made his observations on general management in his book, “Administration Industrielle et Generale.”

4. To avoid wastage of time and resources while communicating in the formal chain (following the organisational chart), Fayol introduced a concept. What is it better known as?

Gang plank Policy. Suppose a supervisor in the service sector (of a firm) wanted to communicate something to his or her counterpart in the production sector. Following the formal line of communication would mean that he/she had to communicate to his/her superior who contacts theirs and so on till the person who is head of both the departments is contacted; from the latter, the message is routed downwards till it reaches the required person. As per the “Gang plank policy”, the supervisor can contact a counterpart in any department directly (subject to approval from his/her superior).

5. “Each group of activities with the same objective must have one head of one plan (to achieve the objective)”. What was Fayol defining?

Unity of Direction. Every department in an organisation must move according to specified plan – it is not only necessary that the plan optimises the working of the department; it should also be made considering the organisation as a whole (to prevent plans of different departments from clashing).

6. Fayol talks about “Division of Labour”.

Fayol believed that it is necessary to have division of labour to improve efficiency. He wanted this principle to all kinds of work – both managerial as well as technical.

7. “Order” was an important principle for Fayol. He broke down “Order” into two types – Material and what?

Social. Order was defined as “a place for everything (everyone) and everything (everyone) in its (his or her) place”.

8. Another important principle of Fayol was “Authority and Responsibility”. According to Fayol, Authority was a combination of official power as well as what?

Personal. Official authority was derived from the manager’s position while personal authority was obtained from a combination of factors like intelligence, past service, moral worth, experience, informal relationships etc.

9. Fayol advocated the need for subordination of general interest to individual interest.

He advocated that both ‘interests’ should be met but when these interests collide (or differ), then the overall interest (general interest) must prevail. Management must also try to reconcile the differences.

10."The extent to which authority is concentrated or dispersed”. This principle is known in the management fields as _______?

Centralisation. Fayol maintained that individual circumstances will degree (of centralisation) that is needed to “give the best overall yield”.

Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha (India)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:25:00 +0000

Functions of Lok Sabha

1. Legislative:

Lawmaking is the main function of the Parliament and in this field the Lok Sabha plays an important role. All types of bills can originate in the Lok Sabha and if a bill is moved in and passed by the Rajya Sabha, it has to come to the Lok Sabha for its approval.

If there is any disagreement between the two Houses, the Lok Sabha will prevail in the joint sitting with the Rajya Sabha because it has more members than the other House of the Parliament.

2. Financial:

Control over purse makes one powerful. In financial matters, the Lok Sabha has a distinct superiority over the Rajya Sabha. The Money Bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha. It cannot be moved in the Rajya Sabha.

Further, there is no question of joint sitting if the Rajya Sabha disagrees with the Lok Sabha on a Money Bill. It is up to the Lok Sabha to accept or reject the suggestions for change in the Money Bill made by the other House.

3. Control over Executive:

The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lower House of the Parliament. Thus, the government is accountable to the Lok Sabha for its acts of omission and commission. The Rajya Sabha cannot hold the government accountable to it. It is only the Lok Sabha which can force the Council of Ministers to resign by passing a vote of nonconfidence against it.

There are also other methods by which the Lok Sabha can exercise control over the central executive. These methods are putting questions, moving adjournment motions and call-attention motions, budget discussions, cut-motions and debates etc.

By employing any of these methods the Lok Sabha can expose the misdeeds and inefficiency of the government and warn it against repeating such mistakes.

4. Constitutional:

The Lok Sabha shares with the Rajya Sabha the power to amend the constitution.

5. Electoral:

(a) The Lok Sabha takes part in the election of the President and the Vice-President. (b) It elects the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. (c) Its members are elected to different Committees of the Parliament.

6. Judicial:

(a) The Lok Sabha has power to punish a person on the ground of breach of privilege; (b) It takes part in the impeachment proceedings against the President of India, (c) It shares power with the Rajya Sabha to remove the Judges of the Supreme Court and the Judges of High Courts.

7. Ventilation of Grievances:

The members of the Lok Sabha are elected from different parts of India. They try to remove the difficulties of their respective constituencies by stating their grievances on the floor of the Lok Sabha.

8. Imparting Education on Democracy:

The Lok Sabha discussions would help in raising the political consciousness of people. As the discussions in the Lok Sabha on no-confidence motions and confidence motions are directly telecast, the people are able to learn of different aspects of Indian politics.

9. Other Functions:

The Lok Sabha discusses reports submitted by the U Public Service Commission (UPSC), Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, Finance Commission etc.

COMPOSITION OF THE HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE.

The House of the People has a varied composition and the Constitution prescribes a maximum number as follows:

1. Not more than 530 representatives of the States

2. Not more than 20 representatives of Union Territories

3. Not more than 2 members of the Anglo-Indian community, nominated by the President, if he is of the opinion that the Anglo Indian community has not been adequately represented in the House of the People.

i. The representatives of the States shall be directly elected by the people of the state on the basis of adult suffrage. Each citizen who is not less than 18 years of age and is not otherwise disqualified, e.g. by reason of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt illegal practice, shall be entitled to vote at such election.

ii. There shall be no reservation of seats for any minority community other than the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

ii. The members of the Union Territories are to be chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide.

iii. Two members may be nominated from the Anglo-Indian community the President to the House of People if he is of the opinion that the Anglo Indian community has not been adequately represented in the House of the People.

The election to the House of People being direct, requires that the territory of India should be divided into suitable territorial constituencies, for the purpose of holding such election.

1. There shall be allotted in each State a number of seats in the House of the People in the manner that the ratio between that number and the and the ratio between that number and the population of the state is, so far as practicable, the same throughout the state.

2. Each state shall be divided into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it, so far as practicable, the same throughout the state.

RAJYA SABHA

It is the Upper House of the Parliament. It consists of representatives of the states. The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha is 250. Of these 238 represent the States and Union territories and the rest 12 are nominated by the President from amongst persons who have distinguished themselves in the field of literature, art, science, social service, etc. Representatives of the states are elected by members of State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of proportional representation through a single transferable vote. The Rajya Sabha represents the federal character of the Constitution in the Parliament. The membership of a State is based on the population of that state.

The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected according to the principle of proportional representation with a single transferable vote.

The number of members that a state or a Union Territory can send to the Rajya Sabha is determined roughly on the basis of its population. For the first five million of people, one seat is allotted for one million. But, for the people above 5 million, one seat is allotted for every two million.

As a result, the larger states send more members to the Rajya Sabha than the smaller ones. While Uttar Pradesh has 27 members in Rajya Sabha, Orissa has 10 and Nagaland, only one in that body.

Term: The Rajya Sabha is a permanent body, and not subject to dissolution. One third of its members retire every 2- year. The members are elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies for a six year term.. There are no seats reserved for Scheduled Castes & Tribes in the Rajya Sabha.

Qualifications for membership

In order to be qualified to become a member of the Rajya Sabha, a person must be:

(1) be a citizen of India;
(2) not be less than 30 years of age; and
(3) have registered as a voter in any parliamentary constituency.

Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha

The Vice –President of India is ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha . He presides over the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha. In his absence the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha presides over. The Deputy Chairman is elected by the members of the Rajya Sabha amongst themselves.

The Rajya Sabha performs several functions and these are largely as important as functions of the Lok Sabha. However, in financial matters, the Rajya Sabha plays a distinctly secondary role.

Functions of Rajya Sabha

(i) Legislative Powers:

All non-Money Bills can be introduced in either House of the Parliament and such a bill, to be an Act, must be passed by both Houses of the Parliament. Thus any non-Money Bill can originate in the Rajya Sabha, and if a non-Money Bill been initiated and approved by the Lok Sabha, it has to be approved by the Rajya Sa before it becomes an Act. Similarly, a non-Money Bill, originating in and approved by Rajya Sabha, has to be passed by the Lok Sabha before it becomes a law.

In case of disagreement between the two Houses on any non-Money Bill, the President can convene a joint sitting of both Houses to determine its fate. A non-Money Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, can be delayed by the Rajya Sabha for a maximum period of six months. If the Rajya Sabha fails to take any action on the bill within 6 months from the date of receipt of the bill, a joint sitting of the two Houses will be convened.

In joint sittings, decisions will be taken by simple majority. As the strength of the Sabha is much larger than that of the Rajya Sabha, the views of the former will prevail over those of the latter in joint meetings of both Houses. Thus, even in case of non-Mon Bills the Rajya Sabha plays a subordinate role as compared to the Lok Sabha.

As said above, the Rajya Sabha can delay a non-Money Bill, already passed by Lok Sabha, for a period of six months. This power to delay may enable the members Rajya Sabha to properly review and revise the bill which might have been passed hastily by the other House. This is a check on hasty and ill-considered legislation.

(ii) Financial Powers:

A Money Bill cannot be introduced in the Rajya Sabha. It is the prerogative of the Lok Sabha to initiate it. After its approval by the Lok Sabha, it sent to the Rajya Sabha for its 'recommendation'. The Upper House cannot change it in form, though it may suggest some changes which may or may not be accepted by the Lok Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha has power to delay a Money Bill, but not for more than fourteen days. It may be remembered that in case of non-Money Bills the Rajya Sabha has power to delay them for six months. There is provision for joint sitting if there is disagreement between the two Houses over any non-money bill. But there is no such provision for joint sitting in case of disagreement between them over a Money Bill.

Whether a bill is a Money Bill or not will be decided by the Speaker of the Low House. The Upper House has no power to decide it.

(iii) Control over Executive:

Though the Rajya Sabha is not an equal of the Lok Sabha in controlling the Executive, its powers, in this respect, are not insignificant. True the Council of Ministers is responsible only to the Lok Sabha, but the Ministers are not totally free from control by the Rajya Sabha. Through questioning, the members of Rajya Sabha can elicit information about Ministers. They can criticize the latter, their Departments and policies. And it has to be kept in mind that criticisms by the Elders (members of the Rajya Sabha) are taken seriously by Ministers.

Moreover, the Rajya Sabha has power of investigation on any governmental affair. The Rajya Sabha has no power to pass a vote of non confidence against the Council of Ministers, while the Lok Sabha has this power. But in several ways, the Upper House can have control over the Central Executive, though such control is limited and mostly indirect.

(iv) Judicial Power:

In the impeachment of the President of India, the Rajya Sabha has coequal powers with the Lok Sabha. This power of impeachment is shared by both Houses. The Rajya Sabha can draw up charges against the President. In that case, the Lok Sabha shall sit as the Court of Investigation. If the Lok Sabha draws up charges, it is the Rajya Sabha which will sit as the Court of Investigation.

The power to remove the Vice-President of India is shared by the Upper House and the Lower House. The motion for his removal is to be passed in the Upper House by the majority of its members and then it is to be approved by the Lower House. Similarly, the two Houses share power to remove the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. The Upper House has power to punish persons committing the breach of privilege.

(v) Constituent Power:

The constituent powers of the Rajya Sabha are mainly two in number. First, it shares the power with the Lok Sabha to amend the Constitution. Secondly, with two-third majority vote of the members present and voting, the Rajya Sabha can empower the Parliament to make law on any matter contained in the State List on the ground of national importance.

(vi) Electoral Power:

The Rajya Sabha takes part in the election of the President as well as of the Vice-President of India. The Vice-Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is also elected by its members.

(vii) Special Powers:

(1) According to Article 249, the Parliament will be able to make law in relation to a subject in the State List if the Rajya Sabha, with the support of at least two-thirds of its members present and voting, adopts a proposal to the effect that the Parliament, in national interest, should make law in relation to that subject in the State List. (2) If the Central Government wants to create or abolish any all-India service like Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service etc., it has to obtain the approval of the Rajya Sabha. (3) The resolution for removal of the Vice- President of India has to be first moved in the Rajya Sabha.

Yojanas/ Schemes in India

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:37:00 +0000

LIST OF YOJANAS/ SCHEMES IN INDIA

1. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY)

2. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

3. Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)

4. Rural Housing Schemes

5. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

6. Drought Prone Areas Program (DPAP)

7. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)

8. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)

9. Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY)

10.Food For Work Programme FFWP

11. National Social Assistance Programme

12. Annapaurna

13. District Rural Development Agency Administration (DRDA)

14. The Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART)

15. Bharat Nirman

16. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

17. Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA

18. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

19. Mid-Day Meal Scheme

20. Integrated Child Development Services Scheme ICDS

1. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY)

PMGY was launched in 2000-2001 in all States and Union Territories (UTs) in order to achieve the objective of sustainable human development at the village level. The PMGY envisages allocation of Additional Central Assistance (ACA) to the States and UTs for selected basic minimum services in order to focus on certain priority areas. PMGY initially had five components viz., primary health, primary education, rural shelter, rural drinking water and nutrition. Rural electrification was added as an additional component from 2001-02. For 2002-03 as well as 2003-04, the allocation of ACA for PMGY was Rs.2,800 crore. Both financial and physical monitoring of the programme is being carried out by the Planning Commission.

2. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)

After a review and restructuring of the erstwhile Integrated Rural Development Program and allied schemes, SGSY was launched in April, 1999 and is the only self employment Programme currently being implemented. The objective of the SGSY is to bring the assisted Swarozgaris above the poverty line by providing them incomegenerating assets through bank credit and Government subsidy. The Scheme is being implemented on a 75:25 cost sharing of between the Centre and the States. Since its inception, and up to April 2004, a total allocation of Rs. 6,734 crore was made available by the Centre and States. Rs. 4,980 crore, have been utilized up to April 2004, benefiting 45.67 lakh Swarozgaris.

3. Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)

The SGRY was launched in September 2001, by merging the ongoing Schemes of Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY) and Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS). The objective of the programme is to provide additional wage employment in the rural areas as also food security, along with the creation of durable community, social and economic infrastructure in rural areas. The SGRY is open to all rural poor who are in need of wage employment and desire to do manual and unskilled work in and around the village/habitat. The Scheme is implemented through Panchyati Raj Institutions. The scheme envisages generation of 100 crore man-days of employment in a year. The cost of each component of the programme is shared by the Centre and States in the ratio of 75:25. During the year 2003-04 an amount of Rs. 4,121 crore as cash component and 49.97 lakh tones of food grain were released to the States/UTs and 76.45 crore man-days (Provisional) have been generated as reported by the States/UTs. Under the Special Component of the SGRY, 65.84 lakh tonnes of foodgrain have been released to 12 calamity affected States during 2003-04.

4. Rural Housing Schemes

Rural housing schemes such as Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) aim at providing dwelling units, free of cost, to the poor families of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), freed bonded laborers and also the non- SC/ST persons Below Poverty Line (BPL) in the rural areas. The Scheme is funded on a cost-sharing basis of 75:25 between the Center and States. Till the end of 2003-04, the ceiling on construction assistance under IAY was Rs. 20,000/- in plain areas and Rs. 22,000/- in hilly areas, which has been increased to Rs. 25,000/- per unit for plain areas and Rs. 27,500/- for hilly areas from April 1, 2004. Twenty per cent of the allocation is allowed for upgradation of unserviceable Kutcha houses for which ceiling of Rs. 12,500 per unit applies since April 2004. Credit-cum-Subsidy Scheme for rural housing targeting rural families having annual income up to Rs.32, 000 was launched on April 4, 1999. An amount of Rs. 10 crore as equity support was provided to Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) during 2003-04 by Ministry of Rural Development. In addition, the innovative scheme of Rural Housing and Habitat Development and Rural Building Centres (RBCs) was introduced to encourage innovative, cost effective and environment friendly solutions in building/housing sectors in rural areas. A National Mission for Rural Housing and Habitat has also been set up to address the critical issues of housing gap and induction of science and technology inputs into the housing/construction sector in rural areas. Since inception (up to June 1, 2004) 113.96 lakh houses have been constructed/upgraded by incurring an expenditure of Rs. 19,869 crore. During 2003-04, against the target of 14.84 lakh, 12.54 lakh (provisional) houses have been constructed/upgraded.

5. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

The PMGSY, was launched in December, 2000, to provide road connectivity to 1.6 lakh unconnected habitations with population of 500 persons or more (250 in case of hilly, desert and tribal areas) in the rural areas by the end of the Tenth Plan period. It is being executed in all the States and six UTs. Although the initial estimates indicated a requirement of Rs. 60,000 crore for the program, the present indications are that about Rs.1,30,000 crore will be needed for achieving the intended connectivity. As per the Budget announcements of 2003-04, the diesel cess which is the source for funding the programme, was increased from Re. 1 per litre to Rs. 1.50 per litre, in order to provide additional funds for the programme. Since the inception of the program, project proposals for Rs. 14,417 crore have been cleared and 88,685 Kms. of rural roads have been taken up under this program. 20,740 road works had been completed till March 2004, and an expenditure of over Rs. 6,547 crore has been incurred by the States/UTs. The National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA), registered under the Societies Registration Act, provides Operations and Management support for the program. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to support the development of rural roads in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which have been identified as recipient States for the first tranche. The ADB Board has approved a loan of $400 million (in a project size of $571 million). The States of Assam, Orissa and West Bengal have been identified for the second tranche of ADB assistance, of the order of US $500million. A first tranche of $400 million for funding projects in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh is likely to be available from the World Bank by the end of 2004-05

6. Drought Prone Areas Program (DPAP)

Desert Development Program (DDP) and Integrated Wastelands Development Program (IWDP) are being implemented for the development of wastelands / degraded lands. DPAP was launched in 1973-74 to tackle the special problems faced by those areas constantly affected by drought conditions. DDP was launched in 1977-78 to mitigate the adverse effects of desertification. IWDP has been under implementation since 1989-90. These programs were implemented on a sectoral basis till 1994-95. Since April 1995, these programs are being implemented on watershed basis. For the project DPAP, total number of the projects sanctioned were 2,535, with funds released by the Centre at Rs 295 crore. Under DDP, 1,562 projects have been sanctioned with funds of amount Rs.215 crore; and under IWDP, 190 projects with funding of Rs. 306 crore, were sanctioned. The cost norms for all the three schemes have been revised to Rs.6,000 per hectare. Under DPAP and DDP, the cost is shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25, while in the case of IWDP, Rs.5,500 is borne by the Central Government and Rs.500 is shared by the States.

7. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)

AAY was launched in December 2000. Under the scheme 1 crore of the poorest among the BPL families covered under the targeted public distribution system are identified. Twenty five kilograms (kg) of food grains were made available to each eligible family at a highly subsidized rate of Rs. 2 per kg for wheat and Rs.3 per kg for rice. This quantity has been enhanced from 25 to 35 kgs with effect from April, 2002. The scheme has been further expanded in June 2003 by adding another 50 lakh BPL families. Under the scheme, during 2002-03, against an allocation of 41.27 lakh tonnes of foodgrain, 35.39 lakh tonnes have been lifted by State Governments, and during 2003-04, 38.24 lakh tonnes of food-grain have been lifted against an allocation of 45.56 lakh tonnes.

8. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)

The Urban Self-Employment Program and the Urban Wage Employment Program are two special schemes of the SJSRY initiated in December 1997, which replaced various programs operated earlier for urban poverty alleviation. Between the Centre and the States, SJSRY is funded on a 75:25 basis. During 2002-03, the full allocation of Rs.105 crore provided for various components of this program was released. For 2003-04, an allocation of Rs.94.50 crore plus Rs. 10.5 crore for North East and Sikkim was provided for various components of this program. The expenditure during 2003-04 was Rs. 105 crore.

9. Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY)

The VAMBAY was launched in December 2001 to ameliorate the conditions of the urban slum dwellers living below the poverty line without adequate shelter. The scheme has the primary objective of facilitating the construction and up-gradation of dwelling units for slum dwellers and providing a healthy and enabling urban environment through community toilets under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, a component of the scheme. The Central Government provides a subsidy of 50 per cent, the balance 50 per cent being arranged by the State Government. There are prescribed ceilings on costs both for dwelling units and community toilets. During 2003-04, Central subsidy to the extent of Rs. 239 crore has been released. Since inception up to May 2004, Rs. 522 crore have been released as Government of India subsidy for the construction/upgradation of 2,46,035 dwelling units and 29,263 toilet seats under the scheme.

10.Food For Work Programme: FFWP

The Food for Work Programme was started in January, 2000-01 as part of the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) in eight drought affected States viz. Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal. The Food for Work Programmes (FFWP) was later expanded to form a part of any wage employment scheme of the Central or State Governments being implemented in the notified districts during periods

of natural calamities, such as drought, flood, cyclone or earthquake. Now the programme is in operation in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Orissa and Rajasthan. For the States/Areas which are formally notified natural calamities affected, the programme will continue up to 31st of March 2002.

In this programme the cash component of the wage and material is met from the Scheme under which it is being implemented. The cost of transportation of foodgrains from FCI godowns to the worksites/PDS and its distribution is the responsibility of the State Government.Government of India makes available appropriate quantity of foodgrains to each of the affected States. Foodgrains are supplied to the States as an additionality and free of cost. The cost is borne by the Government of India with a view of enabling the State Governments to provide adequate wage employment opportunities to the needy rural poor.

11. National Social Assistance Programme:

The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) which came into effect from 15th August, 1995, is a 100 % Centrally Sponsored Programme. It has three components namely, National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). The NMBS has since been transferred to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare w.e.f. 1-4-2001. The NSAP aims at providing social security in case of old age, death of primary breadwinner andmaternity. The main objectives and features of the two schemes, NOAPS and NFBS are given below:The Programme aims at ensuring a minimum national standard of social assistance in addition to the benefit that States are already providing. The Central assistance is not to

displace expenditure by States on social protection schemes. However, the States/UTs are free to expand their own coverage of social assistance whenever they wish to do so.

12. Annapaurna:

The Annapurna Scheme has been launched with effect from 1st April, 2000. It aims at providing food security to meet the requirement of those senior citizens who, though eligible, have remained uncovered under the National Old Age Pension Scheme(NOAPS). The Scheme is targeted to cover, 20% (13.762 Lakh) of persons eligible to receive pension under NOAPS.The Central assistance under the Annapurna Scheme is, thus, provided to the beneficiaries on fulfilling the following criteria :

1. The age of the applicant ( male or female) should be 65 years or above.

2. The applicant must be a destitute in the sense of having little or no regular means of substance from his/her own source of income or through financial support from family members or other sources. In order to determine destitution , the criteria, if any, in force in the States/UTs may also be followed.

3. The applicant should not be in receipt of pension under the NOAPSor State Pension Scheme.

4. The beneficiaries are given 10 Kg. of foodgrains per month free of cost.

Funds are currently released to the State Departments of Food & Civil Supplies (F&CS;) in one instalment . This Department then ties up with the Food Corporation of India (FCI), to release foodgrains districtwise on payment of the cost of Foodgrains at CIP rates directly to the FCI offices. Initially the foodgrains were supplied at economic cost ( Rs.9.80 per Kg.). However, w.e.f. 1.11.2000, foodgrains are supplied at the CIP rates for BPL families( Rs.4.90 per Kg.) The beneficiaries under the scheme are selected in the Gram Sabhas and the Gram Panchayat distribute the entitlement cards to the beneficiaries.

13. District Rural Development Agency Administration (DRDA)

Over the years the District Rural Development Agencies have emerged as the principal organs at the district level to oversing the implementation of different poverty alleviation programmes. Since inception, the administrative costs of the DRDAs were met by setting apart a certain percentage of the allocation for each Programme. Of late, while the number of programmes increased, not all Programmes provided for the administrative cost of the DRDAs.

Keeping in view the need for an effective agency at the district level to co-ordinate the poverty alleviation efforts, a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme for strengthening the DRDAs was introduced w.e.f. 1st April, 1999.

The primary objective of the DRDA Administration Scheme is to professionalise the DRDAs so that they are able to effectively manage the poverty alleviation programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development and interact purposively with other agencies. The DRDAs are expected to (effectively) coordinate with the Panchayati Raj Institutions. DRDAs are to maintain their separate identity under the guidelines even though the Chairman of the Zilla Parishad is also the

Chairman of the governing body of DRDA.

14. The Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART)

The Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) was set up as a pioneer organisation in September, 1986, as a supporting and funding agency for the Voluntary Organisations (VOs) by merging two organisations, namely, People’s Action for Development (India) and Council for Advancement of Rural Technology (CART) with the mandate to promote voluntary action and propagate appropriate rural technologies for the benefit of the rural masses. Since then, CAPART has been contributing towards the rural development and poverty alleviation through the work of VOs at the grassroots level and by supplementing Government’s efforts.

The Minister for Rural Development, Government of India, is the President of the Council and also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Council.

The General Body comprises, not exceeding, 100 members representing voluntary agencies, Central and States Government, institutions engaged in activities connected with rural development, rural technology and individuals possessing experience/expertise relevant to the furtherance of the aforesaid objectives of CAPART. They are nominated by the President of the Council.The Executive Committee of CAPART comprises a maximum of 25 members nominated by the President of CAPART from amongst the members of the General Body. There is also a Standing Committee on Finance and Appointments which is chaired by the Director.

15. Bharat Nirman:

Bharat Nirman is a a time-bound plan for rural infrastructure by the Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions.

Tasks Under Bharat Nirman:

1. Every village to be provided electricity: remaining 1,25,000 villages to be covered by 2009 as well as connect 2.3 crore households

2. Every habitation over 1000 population and above (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road: remaining 66,802 habitations to be covered by 2009

3. Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water: 55,067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009. In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to

be addressed

4. Every village to be connected by telephone: remaining 66,822 villages to be covered by November 2007

5. 10 million hectares (100 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

16. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme:

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA, also known as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, NREGS) is Indian legislation enacted on August 25, 2005. The NREGA provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage. This act was introduced with an aim of improving the purchasing power of the rural people, primarily semi or un-skilled work to people living below poverty line in rural India. It attempts to bridge the gap between the rich and poor in the country. Roughly one-third of the stipulated work force must be women.The act was brought about by the UPA coalition government headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh. The promise of this project was one of the major factors that gained UPA victory in the Indian general election, 2004. Dr. Jean Drèze, a Belgian born economist, at the Delhi School of Economics, has been a major influence on this project.

Central Government shall meet the cost towards the payment of wage, 3/4 of material cost and certain percentage of administrative cost. State Government shall meet the cost towards unemployed allowance, 1/4 of material cost and administrative cost of State council.

Adult members of rural households submit their name, age and address with photo to the Gram Panchayat. The Gram panchayat registers households after making enquiry and issues a job card. The job card contains the details of adult member enrolled and his /her photo. Registered person can submit an application for work in writing (for at least fourteen days of continuous work) either to panchayat or to Programme Officer.

The panchayat/programme officer will accept the valid application and issue dated receipt of application, letter providing work will be sent to the applicant and also displayed at panchayat office. The employment will be provided within a radius of 5 km: if it is above 5 km extra wage will be paid.

If employment under the scheme is not provided within fifteen days of receipt of the application daily unemployment allowance will be paid to the applicant.

17. Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA:

ASHA is a new band of community under National Rural Health Mission, which serves as first port of call for any health related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children, who find it difficult to access health services. The main objective is to provide every village in the country with a trained female community health activist – ‘ASHA’ or Accredited Social Health Activist. Selected from the village itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system.

Key Components:

1. ASHA must primarily be a woman resident of the village – married/ widowed/ divorced, preferably in the age group of 25 to 45 years.

2. She should be a literate woman with formal education up to class eight. This may be relaxed only if no suitable person with this qualification is available.

3. ASHA will be chosen through a rigorous process of selection involving various community groups, self-help groups, Anganwadi Institutions, the Block Nodal officer, District Nodal officer, the village Health Committee and the Gram Sabha.

4. Capacity building of ASHA is being seen as a continuous process. ASHA will have t undergo series of training episodes to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence for performing her spelled out roles.

5. The ASHAs will receive performance-based incentives for promoting universal immunization, referral and escort services for Reproductive & Child Health (RCH) and other healthcare programmes, and construction of household toilets.

6. Empowered with knowledge and a drug-kit to deliver first-contact healthcare, every ASHA is expected to be a fountainhead of community participation in public health programmes in her village.

7. ASHA will be the first port of call for any health related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children, who find it difficult to access health services.

8. ASHA will be a health activist in the community who will create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilise the community towards local health planning and increased utilisation and accountability of the existing health services.

9. She would be a promoter of good health practices and will also provide a minimum package of curative care as appropriate and feasible for that level and make timely referrals.

10. ASHA will provide information to the community on determinants of health such as nutrition, basic sanitation & hygienic practices, healthy living and working conditions, information on existing health services and the need for timely utilisation of health & family welfare services.

11. She will counsel women on birth preparedness, importance of safe delivery, breast-feeding and complementary feeding, immunization, contraception and prevention of common infections including Reproductive Tract Infection/Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTIs/STIs) and care of the young child.

12. ASHA will mobilise the community and facilitate them in accessing health and health related services available at the Anganwadi/sub-centre/primary health centers, such as immunisation, Ante Natal Check-up (ANC), Post Natal Check-up supplementary nutrition, sanitation and other services being provided by the government.

13. She will act as a depot older for essential provisions being made available to all habitations like Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS), Iron Folic Acid Tablet(IFA), chloroquine, Disposable Delivery Kits (DDK), Oral Pills & Condoms, etc.

14. At the village level it is recognised that ASHA cannot function without adequate institutional support. Women’s committees (like self-help groups or women’s health committees), village Health & Sanitation Committee of the Gram Panchayat, peripheral health workers especially ANMs and Anganwadi workers, and the trainers of ASHA and in-service periodic training would be a major source of support to ASHA.

website of ASHA : http://www.mohfw.nic.in/eag/accredited_social_health_activis.htm

18. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan:

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is Government of India's flagship programme for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right. SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations. The programme seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have schooling facilities and strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants.

Existing schools with inadequate teacher strength are provided with additional teachers, while the capacity of existing teachers is being strengthened by extensive training, grants for developing teaching-learning materials and strengthening of the academic support structure at a cluster, block and district level. SSA seeks to provide quality elementary education including life skills. SSA has a special focus on girl's education and children with special needs. SSA also seeks to provide computer education to bridge the digital divide.

Website: http://www.ssa.nic.in/

19. Mid-Day Meal Scheme:

The Mid-day Meal Scheme involves provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all working days. The key objectives of the programme are: protecting children from classroom hunger, increasing school enrolment and attendance, improved socialisation among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to women. The scheme has a long history especially in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and has been expanded to all parts of India after a landmark direction by the Supreme Court of India on November 28, 2001. The success of this scheme is illustrated by the tremendous increase in the school participation and completion rates in the state of Tamilnadu. Allocation for this programme has been enhanced from Rs 3010 crore to Rs 4813 crore (Rs 48 billion, $1.2 billion) in 2006-2007. This program is being run by Akshaya Patra Foundation and is the world’s largest school meal programme being implemented across seven states in India and covering about ten lakh students in over 4,800 schools. The allocation was of Rs 8000 crore for the Mid-Day meal schemes in the interim budget 2009.

About Akshaya Patra Foundation

Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit, Bangalore-based secular trust, evolved the free meal programme in schools in the year 2000. It is one of the most successful public-private partnership which has successfully proved that the government in association with the private sector can achieve much if they get together. The mid-day meal provided by Akshaya Patra is funded equally by Government mid-day meal grants and by the generosity of the private sector.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit, Bangalore-based secular trust, evolved the free meal programme in schools in the year 2000. What started as a pilot project in five schools in Bangalore, feeding 1,500 children, has now grown into a mammoth endeavour covering over 9,83,000 children in over 4,500 government, government aided schools and anganwadis (day care centers) in 17 locations spread across seven states in India, day after day. This is amongst the largest school meal NGO run programme in the world. The foundation expects to reach a magical figure of five million children by 2020.

Six days a week, without a stop, the foundation provides unlimited, nutritious, hygienically cooked noon meals in government schools and government-run day-care centres (anganwadis), Ushering in a technology-intensive operating model that ensures high-quality, hygienic food on the one hand and increases internal efficiencies on the other, the programme has brought about policy changes at the state government levels and created a new image for mid-day meals in India. Akshaya Patra is an eloquent demonstration of public private partnership as it is run with part subsidies from the government, besides financial support from corporates and individual philanthropists.

The programme is independently governed by a Board of Trustees, an Advisory Panel consisting of professionals from the corporate world and bureaucracy, dedicated employees and a team of volunteers. The programme is advised in rigorous accounting standards and services by KPMG to ensure transparency and accountability to all its donors.

A study in the year 2006 by AC Nielsen Org Marg, has vouchsafed for the efficacy of the program in increasing attendance in schools, improving nutritional status of these children, enhancing their learning abilities and reducing drop out rates. The foundation’s work has been praised by all quarters and a recent feather in its cap has been the study conducted by Harvard Business School.

20. Integrated Child Development Services Scheme ICDS

The Integrated Child Development Sevices Programme aims at providing services to pre-school children in an integrated manner so as to ensure proper growth and development of children in rural, tribal and slum areas. ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme.

Launched on 2nd October 1975 in 33 Community Development Blocks, ICDS today represents one of the world’s largest programmes for early childhood development. ICDS is the foremost symbol of India’s commitment to her children – India’s response to the challenge of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality, on the other.

It is an inter-sectoral programme which seeks to directly reach out to children, below six years, especially from vulnerable and remote areas and give them a head-start by providing an integrated programme of early childhood education, health and nutrition. No programme on Early Childhood Care and Education can succeed unless mothers are also brought within it ambit as it is in the lap of the mother that human beings learn the first lessons in life.

Objectives:

-To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age group of 0 to 6 years.

-To lay the foundations for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child.

-To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school drop-out.

-To achieve effective coordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development.

-To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.

Sources:

http://indiabudget.nic.in

http://rural.nic.in

List of Awards in India

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:39:00 +0000

India

Indian honours and decorations

Civilian

International

· Gandhi Peace Prize

· Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

National

· Bharat Ratna

· Padma Vibhushan

· Padma Bhushan

· Padma Shri

· National Bravery Award

· National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement

Central

· Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Award

· Ganga Sharan Award

· Ganesh Hindi Vidyarthi Award

· Aatma Ram Award

· Subramanya Bharathi Award

· George Grierson Award

· Moturi Satyanarayan Award

By field

Literature	· Jnanpith Award · Sahitya Akademi Fellowship · Sahitya Akademi Award

Cinema	· Dadasaheb Phalke Award · National Film Awards

Other arts	· Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship · Sangeet Natak Akademi Award · Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship

Sports	· Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award · Arjuna Award · Dronacharya Award (coaching) · Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement)

Science and Technology	· Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology

Medical	· Dr. B. C. Roy Award

Military

Wartime	· Param Vir Chakra · Maha Vir Chakra · Vir Chakra

Peacetime	· Ashoka Chakra · Kirti Chakra · Shaurya Chakra

Wartime / Peacetime Service & Gallantry	· Sena Medal (Army) · Nao Sena Medal (Navy) · Vayusena Medal (Air Force)

Wartime Distinguished Service	· Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal · Uttam Yudh Seva Medal · Yudh Seva Medal

Peacetime Distinguished Service	· Param Vishisht Seva Medal · Ati Vishisht Seva Medal · Vishisht Seva Medal