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India2020AREFERENCEANNUAL

CompiledbyNEWMEDIAWING

PUBLICATIONSDIVISIONMINISTRYOFINFORMATIONANDBROADCASTING

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA


2020(Saka1941)E-versionofPrintEdition(2020)*

64thEdition

©NewMediaWingMinistryofInformationandBroadcasting

eISBN:978-81-230-3274-0

Publishedby:ThePrincipalDirectorGeneralPublicationsDivisionMinistryofInformationandBroadcastingGovernmentofIndia,SoochnaBhawanCGOComplexLodhiRoadNewDelhi-110003

Editor:RomaChatterjee

CompilationK.SatishNambudiripadSayyidRabeehashmiSakshiSinghSimmiKumar

CoverDesign:RajeshKumarProduction:V.K.Meena

Formoreinformation,pleasevisitourwebsite:http://www.publicationsdivision.nic.in

* This e-book fully corresponds to the p-book. The spellings, names of places, facts and figures,nomenclaturesandexpressionshavebeenretainedaspertheprintedversion


Contents1. LandandthePeople2. NationalSymbols3. Polity4. Agriculture5. CultureandTourism6. BasicEconomicData7. Commerce8. CommunicationsandInformationTechnology9. Defence10. Education11. Energy12. Environment13. Finance14. CorporateAffairs15. Food,CivilSuppliesandConsumerAffairs16. HealthandFamilyWelfare17. HousingandUrbanAffairs18. IndiaandtheWorld19. Industry20. LawandJustice21. Labour,SkillDevelopmentandEmployment22. MassCommunication23. Planning24. RuralDevelopment25. ScientificandTechnologicalDevelopments26. Transport27. WaterResources


28. Welfare29. YouthAffairsandSports30. StatesandUnionTerritories31. DiaryofNationalEvents32. GeneralInformation

Appendices


1 LandandthePeople

“INDIAisthecradleofthehumanrace,thebirthplaceofhumanspeech,themother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother oftradition.OurmostvaluableandmostinstructivematerialsinthehistoryofmanaretreasuredupinIndiaonly.”—MarkTwain

Indiahasauniquecultureandisoneoftheoldestandgreatestcivilizationsofthe world. It stretches from the snow-capped Himalayas in the north to sundrenched coastal villages of the south and the humid tropical forests on thesouth-west coast, from the fertile Brahmaputra valley on its east to the Thardesert in thewest. It coversanareaof32,87,263 sq.km1. It has achieved all-round socio-economic progress during the last so many years of itsIndependence.Indiaistheseventhlargestcountryintheworldandrankssecondinpopulation.ThecountrystandsapartfromtherestofAsia,markedoffasitisbymountainsandthesea,whichgiveheradistinctgeographicalentity.BoundedbytheGreatHimalayasinthenorth,itstretchessouthwardsandattheTropicofCancertapersoffintotheIndianOceanbetweentheBayofBengalontheeastandtheArabianSeaonthewest.

Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends betweenlatitudes 8°4’ and 37°6’ north, longitudes 68°7’ and 97°25’ east andmeasuresabout 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about2,933kmfromeasttowestbetweentheextremelongitudes.Ithasalandfrontierof about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland,LakshadweepIslandsandAndamanandNicobarIslandsis7,516.6km.

GeographicalBackgroundCountrieshavingacommonborderwithIndiaareAfghanistanandPakistan

tothenorth-west,China,BhutanandNepaltothenorth,Myanmartothefareastand Bangladesh to the east. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrowchannelofsea formedby thePalkStraitand theGulfofMannar.Thecountrycanbedividedintosixzonesmainlynorth,south,east,west,centralandnorth-eastzone.Ithas28statesandnineunionterritories.2


PhysicalFeaturesThe mainland comprises four regions, namely, the great mountain zone,

plainsoftheGangaandtheIndus,thedesertregionandthesouthernpeninsula.TheHimalayascomprisethreealmostparallelrangesinterspersedwithlarge

plateaus and valleys, some ofwhich, like theKashmir andKullu valleys, arefertile, extensive and of great scenic beauty. Someof the highest peaks in theworldarefoundintheseranges.Thehighaltitudesallowtravelonlythroughafew passes, notably the Jelep La and Nathu La on the main Indo-Tibet traderoute throughtheChumbivalley,north-eastofDarjeelingandShipkiLain theSatlujvalley,north-eastofKalpa(Kinnaur).Themountainwallextendsoveradistanceofabout2,400kmwithavaryingdepthof240to320km.Intheeast,between India andMyanmar and India and Bangladesh, hill ranges aremuchlower.Garo,Khasi, Jaintia andNagaHills, running almost east-west, join thechain to Mizo and Rakhine Hills running north-south. India_2020_DPD: EpublishedonDPDmobileapp

TheplainsoftheGangaandtheIndus,about2,400kmlongand240to320kmbroad, are formedbybasinsof threedistinct river systems—the Indus, theGanga and theBrahmaputra.They are one of theworld’s greatest stretches offlat alluvium and also one of the most densely populated areas on the earth.Between theYamuna atDelhi and theBay ofBengal, nearly 1,600 km away,thereisadropofonly200metresinelevation.

The desert region can be divided into twoparts—the ‘great desert’ and the‘little desert’. The great desert extends from the edge of the Rann of KutchbeyondtheLunirivernorthward.ThewholeoftheRajasthan-Sindfrontierrunsthrough this. The little desert extends from the Luni between Jaisalmer andJodhpurup to thenorthernwest.Between thegreatand the littledeserts liesazoneofabsolutelysterilecountry,consistingofrockyland,cutupbylimestoneridges.

ThePeninsularPlateau ismarkedoff from theplainsof theGangaand theIndusbyamassofmountainandhillrangesvaryingfrom460to1,220metresinheight.Prominentamongtheseare theAravali,Vindhya,Satpura,MaikalaandAjanta. The Peninsula is flanked on the one side by the EasternGhatswhereaverage elevation is about 610metres and on the other by theWesternGhatswhere it is generally from915 to 1,220metres, rising in places to over 2,440metres.Between theWesternGhats and theArabianSea lies a narrowcoastalstrip,while between EasternGhats and theBay of Bengal, there is a broadercoastal area. The southern point of the plateau is formed by the Nilgiri Hills


where the Eastern and the Western Ghats meet. The Cardamom Hills lyingbeyondmayberegardedasacontinuationoftheWesternGhats.

GeologicalStructureThe geological regions broadly follow the physical features and may be

grouped into three regions: the Himalayas and their associated group ofmountains,theIndo-GangeticPlainandthePeninsularShield.

TheHimalayanmountainbelttothenorthandtheNaga-Lushaimountainintheeast,aretheregionsofmountain-buildingmovement.Mostofthisarea,nowpresenting some of themostmagnificentmountain scenery in theworld, wasunder marine conditions about 60 crore years ago. In a series of mountain-building movements commencing about seven crore years ago, the sedimentsand the basement rocks rose to great heights. The weathering and erosiveelements worked on these to produce the relief seen today. The Indo-GangaplainsareagreatalluvialtractthatseparatetheHimalayasinthenorthfromthePeninsulainthesouth.

The Peninsula is a region of relative stability and occasional seismicdisturbances.Highlymetamorphosedrocksoftheearliestperiods,datingbackasfar as 380 crore years, occur in this area; the rest being covered by theGondwanaformations, lavaflowsbelongingto theDeccanTrapformationandyoungersediments.

RiverSystemsThe river systems of India can be classified into four groups viz., (i)

Himalayan rivers, (ii)Deccan rivers, (iii)Coastal rivers and (iv)Rivers of theinland drainage basin. TheHimalayan rivers are formed bymelting snow andglaciers and therefore, continuously flow throughout the year. During themonsoon months, Himalayas receive very heavy rainfall and rivers swell,causing frequent floods. TheDeccan rivers on the other hand are rainfed andtherefore fluctuate in volume. Many of these are non-perennial. The Coastalstreams, especially on the west coast are short in length and have limitedcatchmentareas.Mostofthemarenon-perennial.Thestreamsofinlanddrainagebasin of western Rajasthan are few and far apart. Most of them are of anephemeralcharacter.

Themain Himalayan river systems are those of the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghnasystem.TheIndus,whichisoneofthegreatriversoftheworld, rises nearMansarovar in Tibet and flows through India and thereafterthrough Pakistan and finally falls into the Arabian sea near Karachi. Its


important tributaries flowing in Indian territory are the Sutlej (originating inTibet),theBeas,theRavi,theChenabandtheJhelum.TheGanga-Brahmaputra-Meghnaisanotherimportantsystemofwhichtheprincipalsub-basinsarethoseofBhagirathiandtheAlaknanda,whichjoinatDevPrayagtoformtheGanga.Ittraverses through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar andWest Bengal. BelowRajmahalHills, theBhagirathi,which used to be themain course in the past,takes off, while the Padma continues eastward and enters Bangladesh. TheYamuna,theRamganga,theGhaghra,theGandak,theKosi,theMahanandaandtheSonearetheimportanttributariesoftheGanga.RiversChambalandBetwaare the important sub-tributaries, which join the Yamuna before it meets theGanga.ThePadmaandtheBrahmaputrajoinatBangladeshandcontinuetoflowas thePadmaorGanga.TheBrahmaputra rises inTibet,where it isknownasTsangpo and runs a long distance till it crosses over into India in ArunachalPradeshunder thenameofDihang.NearPassighat, theDebangandLohit jointheriverBrahmaputraandthecombinedriverrunsallalongtheAssamvalley.ItcrossesintoBangladeshdownstreamofDhubri.

The principal tributaries of Brahmaputra in India are the Subansiri, JiaBhareli, Dhansiri, Puthimari, Pagladiya and the Manas. The Brahmaputra inBangladeshfedbyTeesta,etc.finallyfallsintotheGanga.TheBarakriver,theheadstreamofMeghna,risesinthehillsinManipur.Theimportanttributariesofthe river areMakku, Trang, Tuivai, Jiri, Sonai, Rukni, Katakhal, Dhaleswari,Langachini, Maduva and Jatinga. Barak continues in Bangladesh till thecombinedGanga-BrahmaputrajoinitnearBhairabBazar.

In theDeccan region,mostof themajor river systems flowinggenerally inthe east fall into Bay of Bengal. Themajor east flowing rivers are Godavari,Krishna, Cauvery andMahanadi. Narmada and Tapti are major west flowingrivers.

The Godavari in the southern Peninsula has the second largest river basincovering10percentof theareaofIndia.Nexttoit is theKrishnabasinintheregionand theMahanadi isanother largebasinof the region.Thebasinof theNarmada in theuplandsof theDeccan, flowing to theArabianSeaandof theCauvery in the south, falling into theBay ofBengal are about the same size,thoughwithdifferentcharacterandshape.

There are numerous coastal rivers, which are comparatively small. Whileonlyhandfulofsuchriversdrainintotheseanearthedeltaofeastcoast, thereareasmanyas600suchriversonthewestcoast.

AfewriversinRajasthandonotdrainintothesea.Theydrainintosaltlakesand get lost in sandwith no outlet to sea. Besides these, there are the desert


riverswhichflowforsomedistanceandare lost in thedesert.TheseareLuni,Machhu,Rupen,Saraswati,Banas,Ghaggarandothers.

Theentirecountryhasbeendividedinto20riverbasins/groupofriverbasinscomprising12majorbasinsandeightcompositeriverbasins.The12majorriverbasins are : (1) Indus, (2) Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna, (3) Godavari, (4)Krishna, (5) Cauvery, (6) Mahanadi, (7) Pennar, (8) Brahmani-Baitarani, (9)Sabarmati,(10)Mahi,(11)Narmadaand(12)Tapti.Eachofthesebasinshasadrainageareaexceeding20,000sq.km.

The eight composite river basins combining suitably together all the otherremainingmedium (drainage area of 2,000 to 20,000 sq. km) and small riversystems(drainagearea less than2000sq.km)for thepurposeofplanningandmanagementare : (1)Subarnarekha—combiningSubarnarekhaandothersmallrivers between Subarnarekha and Baitarani; (2) east flowing rivers betweenMahanadiandPennar;(3)eastflowingriversbetweenPennarandKanyakumari;(4)areaofInlanddrainageinRajasthandesert;(5)westflowingriversofKutchandSaurashtra includingLuni; (6)west flowing rivers fromTapi toTadri; (7)west flowing rivers fromTadri toKanyakumari and (8)minor rivers drainingintoMyanmar(Burma)andBangladesh.

Climate/SeasonsTheclimateofIndiamaybebroadlydescribedastropicalmonsoontype.The

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) designates four official seasons: (i)Winter,fromDecembertoearlyApril.Theyear’scoldestmonthsareDecemberandJanuary,whentemperaturesaveragearound10-15°C(50-59°F)inthenorth-west;temperaturesriseasoneproceedstowardstheequator,peakingaround20-25 °C (68-77 °F) inmainland India’s south-east, (ii) Summer or pre-monsoonseason, lasting from April to June (April to July in north-western India). Inwestern and southern regions, thehottestmonth isApril; fornorthern regions,Mayisthehottestmonth.Temperaturesaveragearound32-40°C(90-104°F)inmost of the interior, (iii) Monsoon or rainy season, lasting from June toSeptember.Theseasonisdominatedbythehumidsouth-westsummermonsoon,which slowly sweeps across the country beginning in lateMay or early June.Monsoon rains begin to recede fromNorth India at the beginning ofOctober.South India typically receives more rainfall, and (iv) Post-monsoon season,lasting from October to December. In north-western India, October andNovemberareusuallycloudless.

The Himalayan states, being more temperate, experience two additionalseasons:autumnandspring.Traditionally,Indiansnotesixseasons,eachabout


twomonths long. These are the spring, summer,monsoon, early autumn, lateautumn and winter. These are based on the astronomical division of the 12monthsintosixparts.TheancientHinducalendaralsoreflectstheseseasonsinitsarrangementofmonths.

India’s climate is affected by two seasonalwinds—the north-eastmonsoonand the south-west monsoon. The north-east monsoon commonly known aswintermonsoonblowsfromlandtoseawhereassouth-westmonsoonknownassummermonsoon blows from sea to land after crossing the Indian ocean, theArabianseaandtheBayofBengal.Thesouth-westmonsoonbringsmostoftherainfallduringtheyearinthecountry.

FloraIndia is rich in flora.Availabledataplace India in the tenthposition in the

worldandfourthinAsiainplantdiversity.Fromabout70percentgeographicalareasurveyedsofar,over46,000speciesofplantshavebeendescribedby theBotanicalSurveyof India (BSI),Kolkata.Thevascular flora,which forms theconspicuousvegetationcover,comprises15,000species.

Withawiderangeofclimaticconditionsfromthe torrid to thearctic, Indiahasarichandvariedvegetation,whichonlyafewcountriesofcomparablesizepossess. India can be divided into eight distinct floristic regions, namely, thewesternHimalayas, the easternHimalayas,Assam, the Indusplain, theGangaplain,theDeccan,theMalabarandtheAndamans.

The western Himalayan region extends from Kashmir to Kumaon. Itstemperate zone is rich in forests of chir, pine, other conifers andbroad-leavedtemperate trees. Higher up, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver firoccur. The alpine zone extends from the upper limit of the temperate zone ofabout4,750metresorevenhigher.Thecharacteristictreesofthiszonearehigh-levelsilverfir,silverbirchandjunipers.TheeasternHimalayanregionextendsfrom Sikkim eastwards and embraces Darjeeling, Kurseong and the adjacenttracts.The temperatezonehas forestsofoaks, laurels,maples, rhododendrons,alderandbirch.Manyconifers,junipersanddwarfwillowsalsogrowhere.TheAssamregioncomprisestheBrahmaputraandtheSurmavalleyswithevergreenforests, occasional thick clumps of bamboos and tall grasses. The Indus plainregioncomprisestheplainsofPunjab,westernRajasthanandnorthernGujarat.Itisdry,hotandsupportsnaturalvegetation.TheGangaplainregioncoverstheareawhich is alluvial plain and is under cultivation forwheat, sugarcane andrice. Only small areas support forests of widely differing types. The Deccanregion comprises the entire table land of the Indian Peninsula and supports


vegetationofvariouskindsfromshrubjunglestomixeddeciduousforests.TheMalabarregioncovers theexcessivelyhumidbeltofmountaincountryparallelto thewestcoastof thePeninsula.Besidesbeing rich in forestvegetation, thisregionproducesimportantcommercialcrops,suchascoconut,betelnut,pepper,coffee, tea, rubberandcashewnut.TheAndamanregionabounds inevergreen,mangrove, beach and diluvial forests. The Himalayan region extending fromKashmir toArunachal Pradesh throughSikkim,Meghalaya andNagaland andthe Deccan Peninsula is rich in endemic flora, with a large number of plantswhicharenotfoundelsewhere.

The flora of the country is being studied by BSI and its nine circle/fieldoffices locatedallover thecountryalongwithcertainuniversitiesandresearchinstitutions.

Ethno-botanicalstudydealswith theutilizationofplantsandplantproductsby ethnic races. A scientific study of such plants has been done by BSI. Anumber of detailed ethno-botanical explorations have been conducted indifferent tribal areas of the country. More than 800 plant species ofethnobotanicalinteresthavebeencollectedandidentifiedatdifferentcentres.

Owing to destruction of forests for agricultural, industrial and urbandevelopment,several Indianplantsarefacing threatofextinction.About1,336plant species are considered vulnerable and endangered. About 20 species ofhigherplantsarecategorizedaspossiblyextinct,asthesehavenotbeensightedduring the last six to ten decades. BSI brings out an inventory of endangeredplantsintheformofapublicationtitled‘RedDataBook.’

FaunalResourcesIndia is very rich in terms of biological diversity due to its unique

biogeographical location, diversified climate conditions and enormousecodiversityandgeodiversity.India’simmensebiologicaldiversityencompassesecosystems,populations, species and theirgeneticmake-up.Thisdiversity canbeattributedtothevastvarietyinphysiographyandclimaticsituationsresultingin a diversity of ecological habitats ranging from tropical, sub-tropical,temperate, alpine to desert. According to world biogeographic classification,Indiarepresentstwoofthemajorrealms(thePalearcticandIndo-Malayan)andthree biomes (Tropical Humid Forests, Tropical Dry/Deciduous Forests andWarm Deserts/Semi-Deserts). The Wildlife Institute of India has proposed amodifiedclassificationwhichdividesthecountryintotenbiogeographicregions:Trans- Himalayan, Himalayan, Indian Desert, Semi-Arid, Western Ghats,DeccanPeninsula,GangeticPlain,North-East India, IslandsandCoasts. In the


lightofBiodiversityConvention,Indiaholdsauniquepositionwiththepriorityofconservationofnaturalresourcesandsustainabledevelopment.Infact,withinonlyabout2percentofworld’stotallandsurface,Indiaisknowntohaveover7.50percentofthespeciesofanimalsthattheworldholdsandthispercentageaccountsnearlyfor92,037speciessofarknown,ofwhichinsectsaloneinclude61,375species.It isestimatedthatabouttwotimesthatnumberofspeciesstillremaintobediscoveredinIndiaalone.

DemographicBackgroundCensus

The Census of India 2001, was historic and epochmaking, being the firstcensusofthetwenty-firstcenturyandthethirdmillennium.Itrevealsbenchmarkdata on the state of abundant human resources available in the country, theirdemography, culture and economic structure at a juncture, which marks acentennialandmillenialtransition.

Census2011was the15th censusof itskindsince1872. Itwasheld in twophases: House listing and Housing Census (April to September, 2010) andPopulationEnumeration (February9 to28,2011withRevisional roundduring1st to 5thMarch, 2011). ReferenceDatewas 0.00 hour ofMarch 1, 2011. Insnowboundareas,thePopulationEnumerationwasconductedfromSeptember11to30,2010.TheFinalPopulationdatawasreleasedonApril30,2013.

PopulationThepopulationofIndiaasonMarch1,2011stoodat1,210.9million(623.2

millionmalesand587.6million females). Indiaaccounts forameagre2.4percent of the world surface area of 135.79million sq. km. Yet, it supports andsustainsawhoppingpercentoftheworldpopulation.

Thepopulation,whichattheturnofthetwentiethcenturywasaround238.4million, increased to reach 1,210.9 million by 2011. As recorded at eachdecennial census from 1901 the population has grown steadily except for adecreaseduring1911-21.

PopulationDensityOne of the important indices of population concentration is the density of

population. It is defined as the number of persons per sq. km.ThepopulationdensityofIndiain2011was382persq.km-decadalgrowth17.72percent.

Thedensityofpopulationincreasedinallstatesandunionterritoriesbetween1991and2011.Amongmajor states,Bihar is themost thicklypopulated state


withapopulationdensityof1,106personspersq.kmfollowedbyWestBengal1,028andKerala860.

SexRatioSex ratio, defined as the number of females per thousand males is an

importantsocial indicator tomeasure theextentofprevailingequalitybetweenmales and females in a society at a given point of time. The sex ratio in thecountry has always remained unfavourable to females. It was 972 at thebeginning of the twenthieth century and thereafter showed continuous declineuntil1941.Thesex ratio from1901-2011has registereda10point increaseatcensus 2011 over 2001; however, child sex ratio has declined to 919 perthousandmale.

LiteracyForthepurposeofcensus2011,apersonagedsevenandabove,whocanboth

read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate. Aperson,whocanonlyreadbutcannotwrite,isnotliterate.Inthecensusespriorto1991,childrenbelowfiveyearsofagewerenecessarilytreatedasilliterates.

Theresultsof2011censusrevealthattherehasbeenanincreaseinliteracyinthecountry.Theliteracyrateinthecountryis73.0percent,80.9formalesand64.6forfemales.

Keralaretaineditspositionbybeingontopwitha94percent literacyrate,closelyfollowedbyLakshadweep(91.9percent).Biharwitha literacyrateof61.8percentrankslast inthecountry.Keralaalsooccupiesthetopspotinthecountrybothinmaleliteracywith96.1percentandfemaleliteracywith92.1percent.Onthecontrary,Biharhasrecordedthelowestliteracyratesbothincaseofmales(71.2percent)andfemales(51.5percent).

Note:Fordetails,theCensusReport2011maybereferredto.


2 NationalSymbols

NationalFlagTHENational Flag shall be a tricolour panelmade up of three rectangular

panelsorsub-panelsofequalwidth.Thecolourof the toppanelshallbeIndiasaffron(kesari)andthatofthebottompanelIndiagreen.Themiddlepanelshallbewhite,bearingatitscentrethedesignofAshokaChakrainnavybluecolourwith24 equally spaced spokes.TheAshokaChakra shall preferablybe screenprinted or otherwise printed or stenciled or suitably embroidered and shall becompletelyvisibleonbothsidesoftheFlaginthecentreofthewhitepanel.TheNationalFlagshallberectangularinshape.Theratioofthelengthtotheheight(width)oftheFlagshallbe3:2.ThedesignoftheNationalFlagwasadoptedbytheConstitutentAssemblyofIndiaonJuly22,1947.

Apartfromnon-statutoryinstructionsissuedbythegovernmentfromtimetotime,displayoftheNationalFlagisgovernedbytheprovisionsoftheEmblemsandNames (Preventionof ImproperUse)Act, 1950 (No.12of1950) and thePreventionofInsultstoNationalHonourAct,1971(No.69of1971).TheFlagCodeofIndia,2002isanattempt tobringtogetherallsuchlaws,conventions,practicesandinstructionsfortheguidanceofallconcerned.

TheFlagCodeofIndia,2002effectivefromJanuary26,2002supersededthe‘FlagCode-India’as itexisted then.Asper theprovisionsof theFlagCodeofIndia, 2002, there is no restriction on the display of the National Flag bymembersofgeneralpublic, privateorganizations, educational institutions, etc.,except to the extent provided in the Emblems and Names (Prevention ofImproperUse)Act,1950andthePreventionofInsultstoNationalHonourAct,1971andanyotherlawenactedonthesubject.


NationalFlag

StateEmblemTheStateEmblemofIndiaisanadaptationoftheLionCapitalofAsokaat

Sarnath.Intheoriginal,theLionCapitalhasfourlionsmountedbacktoback,ona circular abacus. The frieze of the abacus is adornedwith sculptures in highreliefofanelephant,agallopinghorse,abullandalionseparatedbyinterveningDharmaChakras.Theabacusrestsonabellshapedlotus.

Theprofileof theLionCapital showing three lionsmountedon theabacuswithaDharmaChakrainthecentre,abullontherightandagallopinghorseonthe left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left wasadoptedastheStateEmblemofIndiaonJanuary26,1950.Thebell-shapedlotuswasomitted.Themotto“SatyamevaJayate”-TruthaloneTriumphs—written inDevanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital is part of the StateEmblemofIndia.

IntheStateEmblemliestheofficialsealoftheGovernmentofIndia.Itsuseis regulated by the StateEmblemof India (Prohibition of ImproperUse)Act,2005andTheStateEmblemofIndia(RegulationofUse)Rules,2007[readwithStateEmblemofIndia(RegulationofUse)AmendmentRules,2010].


NationalEmblem

NationalAnthemThesongJana-gana-mana,composedoriginally inBanglabyRabindranath

Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as theNationalAnthemof IndiaonJanuary24,1950. ItwasfirstsungonDecember27,1911attheCalcuttaSessionoftheIndianNationalCongress.Thecompletesong consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of theNationalAnthem:

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka,jayahe


Bharata-bhagya-vidhataPanjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha

Dravida-Utkala-BangaVindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga

uchchala-jaladhi-tarangaTavasubhanamejage,tave

subhaasisamage,Gahetavajaya-gatha.

Jana-gana-mangala-dayakajayaheBharata-bhagya-vidhata.Jayahe,jayahe,jayahe,Jayajayajaya,jayahe!

TheplayingtimeofthefullversionoftheNationalAnthemisapproximately

52seconds.AshortversionconsistingofthefirstandlastlinesoftheNationalAnthem (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certainoccasions.ThefollowingisTagore’sEnglishrenderingoftheanthem:

Thouarttherulerofthemindsofallpeople,DispenserofIndia’sdestiny.

ThynamerousestheheartsofPunjab,Sind,GujaratandMaratha,

OftheDravidaandOrissaandBengal;ItechoesinthehillsoftheVindhyasandHimalayas,minglesinthemusicofJamunaandGangesandis

chantedbythewavesoftheIndianSea.Theyprayforthyblessingsandsingthypraise.Thesavingofallpeoplewaitsinthyhand,

ThoudispenserofIndia’sdestiny.Victory,victory,victorytothee.

NationalSongThe song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra

Chatterji,wasasourceofinspirationtothepeopleintheirstruggleforfreedom.IthasanequalstatuswithJana-gana-mana.Thefirstpoliticaloccasionwhenitwassungwasthe1896sessionoftheIndianNationalCongress.Thefollowingisthetextofitsfirststanza:

VandeMataram!Sujalam,suphalam,malayajashitalam,

Shasyashyamalam,Mataram!Shubhrajyotsnapulakitayaminim,

Phullakusumitadrumadalashobhinim,Suhasinimsumadhurabhashinim,


Sukhadamvaradam,Mataram!VandeMataram,VandeMataram!

TheEnglishtranslationofthestanzarenderedbySriAurobindoinprose1is:

Ibowtothee,Mother,

richly-watered,richly-fruited,coolwiththewindsofthesouth,darkwiththecropsoftheharvests,

TheMother!Hernightsrejoicinginthegloryofthemoonlight,

herlandsclothedbeautifullywithhertreesinfloweringbloom,sweetoflaughter,sweetofspeech,

theMother,giverofboons,giverofbliss.

NationalCalendarTheNationalCalendarbasedontheSakaEra,withChaitraasitsfirstmonth

andanormalyearof365dayswasadoptedfromMarch22,1957alongwiththeGregoriancalendarforthefollowingofficialpurposes:(i)GazetteofIndia,(ii)newsbroadcastbyAllIndiaRadio,(iii)calendarsissuedbytheGovernmentofIndiaand(iv)Governmentcommunicationsaddressedtothepublic.

DatesoftheNationalCalendarhaveapermanentcorrespondencewithdatesof the Gregorian Calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on March 22 normally and onMarch21inleapyear.Website:www.mha.gov.in


3 Polity

INDIA, a union of states, is a Sovereign Socialist Secular DemocraticRepublicwithaparliamentarysystemofgovernment.TheRepublicisgovernedin terms of the Constitution, whichwas adopted by ConstituentAssembly onNovember26,1949andcameintoforceonJanuary26,1950.

The Constitution which envisages parliamentary form of government isfederal in structure with unitary features. The President of India is theconstitutionalheadofexecutiveof theunion.Article74(1)of theConstitutionprovidesthatthereshallbeaCouncilofMinisterswiththePrimeMinisterasitsheadtoaidandadvisethePresidentwhoshallinexerciseofhisfunctions,actinaccordancewithsuchadvice.TherealexecutivepowerthusvestsintheCouncilofMinisterswith the PrimeMinister as its head. TheCouncil ofMinisters iscollectively responsible to theHouse of the People (Lok Sabha). Similarly, instates, theGovernoris theheadofexecutive,but it is theCouncilofMinisterswith the ChiefMinister as its head in whom real executive power vests. TheCouncil of Ministers of a state is collectively responsible to the LegislativeAssemblyofthestate.

TheConstitutiondistributes legislativepowerbetweenParliamentandStateLegislatures and provides for vesting of residual powers in Parliament. ThepowertoamendtheConstitutionalsovestsinParliament.TheConstitutionhasprovision for independence of Judiciary, Comptroller and Auditor-General,PublicServiceCommissionsandChiefElectionCommission.India_2020_DPD:EpublishedonDPDmobileapp

UnionanditsTerritoryIndia comprises28 states andnineunion territories.The states are:Andhra

Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat,Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab,Rajasthan,Sikkim,TamilNadu,Telangana,Tripura,Uttarakhand,UttarPradeshand West Bengal. Union territories are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands,


Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir,NationalCapitalTerritoryofDelhi,Ladakh,LakshadweepandPuducherry.

TheJammuandKashmirReorganisationAct,2019wasenacted(MHA,SONo. 3979 (E) dated November 2, 2019) to provide for reorganisation of theerstwhilestateofJammuandKashmirintothetwounionterritories-onetobeeponymously called Jammu and Kashmir, and the other Ladakh. October 31,2019wasnotifiedastheappointeddayforallpurposesoftheAct.AbillfortheActwas introduced in theRajyaSabha,on5August2019andwaspassedonthat day. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on 6 August 2019. It received thePresident’sassenton9August2019.TheintroductionofthebillwasprecededbyapresidentialorderunderArticle370oftheIndianconstitutionthatrevokedJammu and Kashmir’s special status, and mandating, inter alia, that all theprovisions of the Indian Constitution would be applicable to Jammu andKashmir.

Accordingly, the “State Legislature including Legislative Council of theState” has been abolished and shall from now onwards be construed as“LegislativeAssemblyoftheUnionTerritoryofJammuandKashmir”.All theprovisions of the constitution as amended from time to time have becomeapplicabletotheexistingJammuandKashmirwitheffectfromAugust5,2019,andanynotificationissuedororder,ruleorappointmentmadeduringtheperiodbetweentheAugust5,2019andOctober31are“requiredtobeprotected,asifsuchactionshavebeen taken inaccordancewith law”.Thereare references inthestatelawsthathavebeenappliedtotheexpressions‘permanentresidents’or‘hereditarystatesubjects’arenowomitted.

Shri Girish Chandra Murmu is the first-ever lieutenant governor (L-G) ofJ&K, while Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, is the new L-G of Ladakh.India_2020_DPD:EpublishedonDPDmobileapp

CitizenshipTheConstitutionof Indiaprovides for a single citizenship for thewholeof

India.EverypersonwhowasatthecommencementoftheConstitution(January26,1950)domiciledintheterritoryofIndiaand:(a)whowasborninIndia;or(b)eitherofwhoseparentswereborn in India;or (c)whohasbeenordinarilyresident in India for not less than five years became a citizen of India. TheCitizenshipAct,1955,dealswithmatters relating toacquisition,determinationand termination of Indian citizenship after the commencement of theConstitution.


Citizenship(Amendment)ActThe Citizenship Act was amended by the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill,

2019whichwaspassedbytheParliamentonDecember11,2019andreceivedthePresident’sassentonDecember12,2019.TheamendedActmakesforeignillegalmigrants of six religious communities i.e.,Hindu, Sikh,Buddhist, Jain,Parsi and Christian from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible forIndiancitizenship.ItisapplicabletothosewhohavetakenshelterinIndiaduetopersecutionongroundsofreligionorfearofsuchpersecutionintheircountriesand have entered into India on or before December 31, 2014.On acquiringcitizenship,suchmigrantsshallbedeemedtobeIndiancitizensfromthedateoftheir entry into India and all legal proceedings regarding their status as illegalmigrantsor theircitizenshipwillbeclosed.TheThirdSchedule to theActhasbeenamended tomakeapplicantsbelonging to the said communities from thethree countries eligible for citizenship by naturalisation, if they can establishtheir residency in India for five years instead of the previous requirement ofelevenyears.

Theprovisionsof theAct, however, donot apply to tribal areasofAssam,Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule to theConstitutionandtheareaswhere‘TheInnerLinePermit’isapplicableincludingthe states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.[https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195666;https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195783;http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/214646.pdf]

FundamentalRightsTheConstitutionoffersallcitizens,individuallyandcollectively,somebasic

freedoms. These are guaranteed in the Constitution in the form of six broadcategories of Fundamental Rights which are justifiable. Articles 12 to 35contained in Part III of theConstitution dealwith FundamentalRights. Theseare: (i) Right to equality including equality before law, prohibition ofdiscrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth andequality of opportunity in matters of employment; (ii) Right to freedom ofspeech and expression, assembly, association or union, movement, residence,and right to practice any profession or occupation (some of these rights aresubject tosecurityof thestate, friendly relationswith foreigncountries,publicorder,decencyormorality);(iii)Rightagainstexploitation,prohibitingallformsofforcedlabour,childlabourandtrafficinhumanbeings;(iv)Righttofreedomofconscienceandfreeprofession,practiceandpropagationofreligion;(v)Right


ofanysectionofcitizenstoconservetheirculture,languageorscriptandrightofminoritiestoestablishandadministereducationalinstitutionsoftheirchoice;and (vi) Right to constitutional remedies for enforcement of FundamentalRights.

FundamentalDutiesBythe42ndAmendmentoftheConstitution,adoptedin1976,Fundamental

Duties of the citizens have also been enumerated.Article 51 ‘A’ contained inPartIVAoftheConstitutiondealswithFundamentalDuties.Theseenjoinuponacitizenamongotherthings,toabidebytheConstitution,tocherishandfollownobleideals,whichinspiredIndia’sstruggleforfreedom,todefendthecountryandrendernationalservicewhencalledupontodosoandtopromoteharmonyandspiritofcommonbrotherhoodtranscendingreligious,linguisticandregionalorsectionaldiversities.

DirectivePrinciplesofStatePolicyThe Constitution lays down certain Directive Principles of State Policy,

whichthoughnotjustifiable,are‘fundamentalingovernanceofthecountry’andit is thedutyof thestate toapply theseprinciples inmaking laws.ThesehavebeencontainedinPartIVfromArticles36to51oftheConstitution.Theselaydownthatthestateshallstrivetopromotethewelfareofpeoplebysecuringandprotecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice—social,economicandpolitical—shall form thebasis inall institutionsofnational life.Thestateshalldirectitspolicyinsuchamannersoastosecuretherightofallmenandwomentoanadequatemeansoflivelihood,equalpayforequalworkandwithin limitsof itseconomiccapacityanddevelopment, tomakeeffectiveprovisionforsecuringtherighttowork,educationandtopublicassistanceintheevent of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement or other cases ofundeservedwant.The state shall also endeavour to secure toworkers a livingwage,humaneconditionsofwork,adecentstandardoflifeandfullinvolvementofworkersinmanagementofindustries.

Intheeconomicsphere,thestateistodirectitspolicyinsuchamannerastosecuredistributionofownershipandcontrolofmaterialresourcesofcommunitytosubservethecommongoodandtoensurethatoperationofeconomicsystemdoesnotresultinconcentrationofwealthandmeansofproductiontocommondetriment.

Someoftheotherimportantdirectivesrelatetoprovisionofopportunitiesandfacilities for children to develop in a healthy manner, free and compulsory


education for all children upto the age of 14; promotion of education andeconomic interests of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other weakersections; organisation of village panchayats; separation of judiciary fromexecutive;promulgationofauniformcivilcodeforwholecountry;protectionofnational monuments; promotion of justice on the basis of equal opportunity;provision of free legal aid; protection and improvement of environment andsafeguarding of forests and wildlife of the country; and promotion ofinternationalpeaceandsecurity, justandhonourablerelationsbetweennations,respect for international law, treaty obligations and settlement of internationaldisputesbyarbitration.

TheUnionExecutiveThe Union executive consists of the President, the Vice-President and the

CouncilofMinisterswiththePrimeMinisterastheheadtoaidandadvisethePresident.

PresidentThe President is elected by members of an electoral college consisting of

electedmembers of bothHouses of Parliament andLegislativeAssemblies ofthestatesinaccordancewiththesystemofproportionalrepresentationbymeansofsingletransferablevote.Tosecureuniformityamongstatesinterseaswellasparitybetweenthestates,asawhole,andtheUnion,suitableweightageisgiventoeachvote.ThePresidentmustbeacitizenofIndia,notlessthan35yearsofageandqualifiedforelectionasamemberoftheLokSabha.Histermofofficeisfiveyearsandheiseligibleforre-election.HisremovalfromofficeistobeinaccordancewithprocedureprescribedinArticle61oftheConstitution.Hemay,bywritingunderhishandaddressedtotheVice-President,resignhisoffice.

TheexecutivepoweroftheUnionisvestedinthePresidentandisexercisedbyhimeitherdirectlyorthroughofficerssubordinatetohiminaccordancewiththe Constitution. The supreme command of defence forces of the Union alsovests inhim.ThePresidentsummons,prorogues,addresses,sendsmessages toParliament and dissolves theLokSabha; promulgatesOrdinances at any time,exceptwhenbothHousesofParliamentareinsession;makesrecommendationsfor introducing financial and money bills and gives assent to bills; grantspardons, reprieves, respites or remission of punishment or suspends, remits orcommutessentencesincertaincases.Whenthereisafailureoftheconstitutionalmachineryinastate,hecanassumetohimselfalloranyofthefunctionsoftheGovernmentofthatstate.ThePresidentcanproclaimemergencyinthecountry


ifheissatisfiedthatagraveemergencyexistswherebysecurityofIndiaoranypartofitsterritoryisthreatenedwhetherbywarorexternalaggressionorarmedrebellion.

Vice-PresidentTheVice-President iselectedbymembersofanelectoralcollegeconsisting

of members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system ofproportional representationbymeansofsingle transferablevote.Hemustbeacitizen of India, not less than 35 years of age and eligible for election as amemberoftheRajyaSabha.Histermofofficeisfiveyearsandheiseligibleforre-election. His removal from office is to be in accordance with procedureprescribedinArticle67(b).

The Vice-President is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and acts asPresidentwhen the latter is unable to discharge his functions due to absence,illnessoranyothercauseortilltheelectionofanewPresident(tobeheldwithinsix months when a vacancy is caused by death, resignation or removal orotherwiseofPresident).Whilesoacting,heceasestoperformthefunctionoftheChairmanoftheRajyaSabha.

CouncilofMinistersThere is a Council ofMinisters, headed by the PrimeMinister, to aid and

advisethePresidentinexerciseofhisfunctions.ThePrimeMinisterisappointedby the President who also appoints other ministers on the advice of PrimeMinister.TheCounciliscollectivelyresponsibletotheLokSabha.ItisthedutyofthePrimeMinister tocommunicatetothePresidentalldecisionsofCouncilofMinistersrelatingtoadministrationofaffairsoftheUnionandproposalsforlegislationandinformationrelatingtothem.

TheCouncilofMinisterscomprisesministerswhoaremembersofCabinet,Ministers of State (independent charge), Ministers of State and DeputyMinisters.

LegislatureLegislatureoftheUnionwhichiscalledParliament,consistsofthePresident

and twoHouses,knownasCouncilofStates (RajyaSabha),andHouseof thePeople(LokSabha).EachHousehastomeetwithinsixmonthsofitsprevioussitting.AjointsittingoftwoHousescanbeheldincertaincases.

LokSabhaanditsSpeaker(s)


RajyaSabhaTheConstitutionprovidesthattheRajyaSabhashallconsistof12members

to be nominated by the President from amongst persons having specialknowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature,science, art and social service; and not more than 238 representatives of thestates and of the union territories. Details of Rajya Sabha members given inAppendices.

Elections to the Rajya Sabha are indirect; members representing states areelected by the elected members of Legislative Assemblies of the states inaccordancewiththesystemofproportionalrepresentationbymeansofthesingletransferablevote, and those representingunion territories are chosen in such amannerasParliamentmaybylawprescribe.TheRajyaSabhaisnotsubjecttodissolution;one-thirdofitsmembersretireeverysecondyear.


Website:www.rajyasabha.in

LokSabhaThe Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of people chosen by direct

election on the basis of adult suffrage. The maximum strength of the HouseenvisagedbytheConstitutionisnow552(530memberstorepresentthestates,20memberstorepresenttheunionterritoriesandnotmorethantwomembersoftheAnglo-IndiancommunitytobenominatedbythePresident,if,inhisopinion,thatcommunity isnotadequately represented in theHouse).The totalelectivemembershipoftheLokSabhaisdistributedamongthestatesinsuchawaythattheratiobetweenthenumberofseatsallottedtoeachstateandthepopulationofthe state is, as far as practicable, the same for all states. The Lok Sabha atpresent consists of 543members. Of these, 530members are directly electedfromthestatesand13fromunionterritories.Followingthe84thamendmenttothe Constitution in 2001, the total number of existing seats as allocated tovarious states in the Lok Sabha on the basis of the 1971 census shall remainunalteredtillthefirstcensustobetakenaftertheyear2026.

ThetermoftheLokSabha,unlessdissolvedearlierisfiveyearsfromthedateappointedforitsfirstmeeting.However,whileaProclamationofEmergencyisinoperation,thisperiodmaybeextendedbyParliamentbylawforaperiodnotexceedingoneyearatatimeandnotextendinginanycase,beyondaperiodofsix months after the Proclamation is or has ceased to operate. Sixteen LokSabhas have been constituted so far. The term of each Lok Sabha and itsSpeaker(s) isgivenin table in thischapter.Thenamesofmembersof the17thLokSabha,theirconstituenciesandpartyaffiliationsaregiveninAppendices.Website:www.loksabha.in

QualificationforMembershipofParliamentInordertobechosenamemberofParliament,apersonmustbeacitizenof

Indiaandnotlessthan30yearsofageinthecaseofRajyaSabhaandnotlessthan25yearsofageinthecaseofLokSabha.AdditionalqualificationsmaybeprescribedbyParliamentbylaw.

FunctionsandPowersofParliamentTheParliament inIndiahas thecardinalfunctionsof legislation,overseeing

of administration, passing of the budget, ventilation of public grievances anddiscussing various subjects like development plans, national policies andinternational relations. The distribution of powers between the Union and thestates, followed in the Constitution, emphasizes in many ways the general


predominanceofParliament in the legislative field.TheParliament can,undercertaincircumstances,assumelegislativepowerwithrespecttoasubjectfallingwithin the sphere exclusively reserved for the states. It can impeach thePresidentandremovethejudgesofSupremeCourtandHighCourts,theChiefElectionCommissionerandtheComptrollerandAuditorGeneralinaccordancewiththeprocedurelaiddownintheConstitution.

AlllegislationrequiresconsentofboththeHousesofParliament.Inthecaseof money bills, however, the ‘will’ of the Lok Sabha prevails. DelegatedlegislationisalsosubjecttoreviewandcontrolbyParliament.Besidesthepowertolegislate,theConstitutionvestsinParliamentthepowertoinitiateamendmentoftheConstitution.

ParliamentaryCommitteesThefunctionsofParliamentarevaried innature.The timeat itsdisposal is

limited.Itcannotmakeverydetailedscrutinyofalllegislativeandothermattersthat come up before it. A good deal of Parliamentary business is, therefore,transacted in the committees. Both Houses of Parliament have a similarcommittee structure, with few exceptions. Their appointment, terms of office,functionsandprocedureofconductingbusinessarealsomoreorlesssimilarandareregulatedasper rulesmadeby the twoHousesunderArticle118(1)of theConstitution.

Broadly,ParliamentaryCommitteesareof twokinds—StandingCommitteesand Ad Hoc Committees. The former are elected or appointed every year orperiodically and theirwork goes on,more or less, on a continuous basis. Thelatterareappointedonanadhocbasisasneedarisesandtheyceasetoexistassoonastheycompletethetaskassignedtothem.StandingCommittees:Among theStandingCommittees, the threeFinancial

Committees—Committees on Estimates, Public Accounts and PublicUndertakings—constituteadistinctgroupastheykeepanunremittingvigiloverGovernmentexpenditureandperformance.Whilemembersof theRajyaSabhaare associatedwithCommittees on PublicAccounts and PublicUndertakings,themembersoftheCommitteeonEstimatesaredrawnfromtheLokSabha.

The Estimates Committee reports on what economies, improvements inorganization, efficiency or administrative reform consistent with policyunderlyingtheestimatesmaybeeffected.Italsoexamineswhetherthemoneyiswelllaidoutwithinlimitsofthepolicyimpliedintheestimatesandsuggeststheform in which estimates shall be presented to the Parliament. The PublicAccounts Committee scrutinizes appropriation and finance accounts of


GovernmentandreportsoftheComptrollerandAuditor-General.Itensuresthatpublic money is spent in accordance with the Parliament’s decision and callsattention to cases of waste, extravagance, loss or nugatory expenditure. TheCommittee on Public Undertakings examines reports of the Comptroller andAuditor-General,ifany.Italsoexamineswhetherpublicundertakingsarebeingrun efficiently andmanaged in accordancewith soundbusiness principles andprudentcommercialpractices.

Besides these three financial committees, the Rules Committee of the LokSabharecommendedsetting-upof17DepartmentRelatedStandingCommittees(DRSCs).Accordingly, 17DepartmentRelated StandingCommitteeswere setup on April 8, 1993. In July, 2004, rules were amended to provide for theconstitutionofsevenmoresuchcommittees,thusraisingthenumberofDRSCsfrom 17 to 24. The functions of these committees are: (a) to consider thedemands for grants of variousministries/departments of Government of IndiaandmakereportstotheHouses;(b)toexaminesuchbillsasarereferredtothecommitteebytheChairman,RajyaSabhaortheSpeaker,LokSabha,andmakereports thereon; (c) to consider annual reports of ministries/departments andmake reports thereon; and (d) to consider policy documents presented to theHouses, if referred to the committee by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha or theSpeaker,LokSabha,andmakereportsthereon.

Other Standing Committees in each House, divided in terms of theirfunctions, are (i)Committees to Inquire: (a)Committee onPetitions examinespetitions on bills and onmatters of general public interest and also entertainsrepresentations on matters concerning subjects in the Union List; and (b)CommitteeofPrivilegesexaminesanyquestionofprivilegereferredtoitbytheHouseorSpeaker/Chairman; (ii)Committees toScrutinize : (a)Committee onGovernment Assurances keeps track of all the assurances, promises,undertakings,etc.,givenbyMinistersintheHouseandpursuesthemtilltheyareimplemented;(b)CommitteeonSubordinateLegislationscrutinizesandreportstotheHousewhetherthepowertomakeregulations,rules,sub-rules,bye-laws,etc.,conferredbytheConstitutionorStatutesisbeingproperlyexercisedbythedelegatedauthorities;and(c)CommitteeonPapersLaidontheTableexaminesall papers laid on the table of the House by ministers, other than statutorynotifications and orderswhich comewithin the purview of theCommittee onSubordinate Legislation, to see whether there has been compliance with theprovisionsoftheConstitution,Act,ruleorregulationunderwhichthepaperhasbeenlaid;(iii)Committeesrelatingtotheday-to-daybusinessoftheHouse:(a)Business Advisory Committee recommends allocation of time for items of


GovernmentandotherbusinesstobebroughtbeforetheHouses;(b)Committeeon Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions of the Lok Sabha classifies andallocatestimetobillsintroducedbyprivatemembers,recommendsallocationoftimefordiscussiononprivatemembers’resolutionsandexaminesConstitutionamendmentbillsbeforetheirintroductionbyprivatemembersintheLokSabha.The Rajya Sabha does not have such committee. It is the Business AdvisoryCommitteeof thatHousewhich recommends allocationof time fordiscussiononstageorstagesofprivatemembers’billsandresolutions;(c)RulesCommitteeconsiders matters of procedure and conduct of business in the House andrecommends amendments or additions to the rules; and (d) Committee onAbsenceofMembersfromtheSittingsoftheHouseoftheLokSabhaconsidersallapplicationsfrommembersfor leaveorabsencefromsittingsof theHouse.ThereisnosuchcommitteeintheRajyaSabha.Applicationsfrommembersforleave or absence are considered by the House itself; (iv) Committee on theWelfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, on which members fromboth Houses serve, considers all matters relating to the welfare of scheduledcastes and scheduled tribes which come within the purview of the UnionGovernmentandkeepsawatchwhetherconstitutional safeguards in respectofthese classes are properly implemented; (v) Committees concerned with theprovision of facilities tomembers: (a)General Purposes Committee considersand advises Speaker/Chairman on matters concerning affairs of the House,whichdonot appropriately fallwithin thepurviewof anyotherParliamentaryCommittee;and(b)HouseCommitteedealswithresidentialaccommodationandotheramenitiesformembers;(vi)JointCommitteeonSalariesandAllowancesofMembersofParliament,constitutedundertheSalary,AllowancesandPensionofMembers of Parliament Act, 1954, apart from framing rules for regulatingpayment of salary, allowances and pension to Members of Parliament, alsoframes rules in respect of amenities like medical, housing, telephone, postal,constituency and secretarial facility; (vii)JointCommittee onOffices ofProfitexamines the composition and character of committees and other bodiesappointed by the Central and state governments and union territoriesadministrationsandrecommendswhatofficesoughttooroughtnottodisqualifyaperson frombeingchosenas amemberof eitherHouseofParliament; (viii)The Library Committee consisting of members from both Houses, considersmatters concerning the Library of Parliament; (ix) On April 29, 1997, aCommitteeonEmpowermentofWomenwithmembersfromboththeHouseswasconstituted,tosecure,status,dignityandequalityforwomeninallfields;(x)OnMarch4,1997, theEthicsCommitteeof theRajyaSabhawasconstituted.TheEthicsCommitteeoftheLokSabhawasconstitutedonMay16,2000.


AdhocCommittees: Such committeesmay be broadly classified under twoheads:(a)committeeswhichareconstitutedfromtimetotime,eitherbythetwoHouseson amotion adopted in that behalf orbySpeaker/Chairman to inquireinto and report on specific subjects, (e.g.,Committeeson foodmanagement inParliament House Complex, Committee on installation of portraits/statues ofNational leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex,Committee on Security in Parliament Complex, Committee on MPLADS,CommitteeonRailwayconvention,etc.)and(b)SelectorJointCommitteesonBills which are appointed to consider and report on a particular bill. Thesecommittees are distinguishable from the otherad hoc committees asmuch astheyareconcernedwithbillsandtheproceduretobefollowedbythemaslaiddownintheRulesofProcedureandDirectionsbytheSpeaker/Chairman.

LeadersofOppositioninParliamentThe Leaders of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha are

accordedstatutoryrecognition.Salaryandothersuitable facilitiesareextendedtothemthroughaseparatelegislationbroughtintoforceonNovember1,1977.

GovernmentBusinessinParliamentThe Minister of Parliamentary Affairs is entrusted with coordinating,

planning and arranging government business in bothHouses ofParliament. Indischargeofthisfunction,heisassistedbytwoministersofstate.Theministeralsokeepscloseandconstantcontactwiththepresidingofficers,theleadersaswellaschiefwhipsofvariouspartiesandgroupsinbothHousesofParliament.

ConsultativeCommitteesFunctioning of Consultative Committees of Members of Parliament for

various ministries is one of the functions allocated to the Ministry ofParliamentaryAffairs under theGovernment of India (Allocation ofBusiness)Rules,1961.TheminimummembershipofaConsultativeCommitteeistenandthe maximum membership is thirty. The Consultative Committee standsdissolved upon dissolution of every Lok Sabha and are re-constituted uponconstitutionofeachLokSabha.35ConsultativeCommitteesattachedtovariousministries were constituted for 16th Lok Sabha and 96 meetings were heldbetweenJune2016toMay2017.

YouthParliamentCompetitionInordertodevelopdemocraticethosintheyoungergenerationtheMinistry

conducts Youth Parliament Competitions in various categories of schools and


colleges/universities.The‘YouthParliamentScheme’wasfirstintroducedintheschools inDelhi in1966-67.KendriyaVidyalayas located inandaroundDelhiwere incorporated into the ongoing scheme in 1978. Subsequently, a separateschemeofYouthParliament forKendriyaVidyalayasat thenational levelwaslaunched in 1988. In 1997-98, two new Youth Parliament Schemes at thenational level, one for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and the other foruniversities/collegeswerelaunched.

AllIndiaWhips’ConferenceThe Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, organises All India Whips’

Conference from time to time with the purpose of establishing suitable linksamong thewhips of various political parties at the centre and the states/unionterritorieswho are concernedwith the practicalworking of the legislatures todiscussmattersof common interest and toevolvehigh standards to strengthenthe institution of parliamentary democracy. Seventeen All India Whips’Conferenceshavebeenorganizedsofarsince1952.

SpecialMentionsThe Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs takes follow-up action on matters

raisedunderRule377oftheRulesofProcedureandConductofBusinessinLokSabhaandbywayofSpecialMentionsinRajyaSabha.After‘QuestionHour’inLokSabhamembersraisemattersofurgentpublicimportanceat12.00noon.InRajyaSabhamembers raisesmattersofurgentpublic importanceat11.00am.Though it is not mandatory, ministers often react to the points made by themembers. In the absence of concernedminister, theMinister of ParliamentaryAffairs assures the House or the member that their sentiments would beconveyedtotheconcernedministers.

ImplementationofAssurancesThe Ministry culls out from the printed daily proceedings, assurances,

promises, undertakings, etc., given by ministers in both the Houses ofParliament, and forward them to the concerned ministries/departments forimplementation. Thereafter, periodic review of the stage of implementation isdone by the Ministry and the ministries are also reminded to expedite thefulfillment of assurances.On receipt of the ImplementationReports(IRs) fromthe ministries, after due scrutiny, statements showing action taken by theGovernment in implementation of the assurances are periodically laid on theTable of the respectiveHouse byMinister/Minister of State for ParliamentaryAffairs.After the implementation reports are laid, themembers aswell as the


ministriesconcernedareinformedaboutthelayingofthereports.

GoodwillDelegationTheparliamentariansofacountryplayasignificant role indetermining the

policyof thecountryandstrengtheningofrelationswithothercountries.Moreparticularly, it is indeeduseful andnecessary for a democratic anddevelopingcountry like India to select some members of Parliament and distinguishedpersonalitiesandutilizetheirservicesinprojectingourpolicies,programmeandachievementindifferentfieldswiththeircounterpartsandotheropinionmakersinothercountriesandsecuretheirsupportinfavourofIndia.

With these objectives, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs sponsorsGovernmentGoodwillDelegationofMembersofParliamenttoothercountriesand receives similar delegations of parliamentarians under the exchangeprogrammefromothercountriesthroughtheMinistryofExternalAffairs.

WelfareofMembersofParliamentThe Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs looks after the welfare of ailing

MembersofParliamentadmittedfortreatmentinhospitalsinDelhiandrendersanyassistancerequiredbythem.IntheunfortunateeventofpassingawayofaMemberofParliamentinDelhi,theMinistryofParliamentaryAffairsrendersallnecessary assistance to the bereaved family members in taking the mortalremainsofthedeceasedmemberforlastritestoaplacechosenbythefamily.

ComptrollerandAuditorGeneralThe Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is appointed by the

President. The procedure and the grounds for his removal from office are thesameasforaSupremeCourtjudge.Heisnoteligibleforfurtherofficeundertheunionorastategovernmentafterheceasestoholdhisoffice.

TheaccountsoftheUnionandofthestatesshallbekeptinsuchformasthePresidentmay, on the advice of the CAG, prescribe. The reports of the Indiarelating to the accounts of the union shall be submitted to the President,whoshallcausethemtobelaidbeforeeachHouseofParliament.ThereportsoftheCAG of India relating to the accounts of a state shall be submitted to theGovernorofthestate,whoshallcausethemtobelaidbeforethelegislatureofthestate.

Theduties,powersandconditionsofserviceoftheCAGhavebeenspecifiedby the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions ofService)Act,1971.

Website:www.cag.gov.in

Attorney-GeneralTheAttorney-General for India is appointedby thePresidentof India.Any

person qualified to be a judge of theSupremeCourt can be appointed for thepost.ThedutiesoftheAttorney-GeneralistogiveadvicetotheGovernmentofIndia upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legalcharacter, as may from time to time be referred or assigned to him by thePresident, and to discharge the functions conferred on him by or under theConstitutionoranyotherlawforthetimebeinginforce.IntheperformanceofhisdutiestheAttorney-Generalshallhavetherightofaudienceinallcourts intheterritoryofIndia.TheAttorney-Generalshallholdofficeduringthepleasureof the President, and shall receive such remuneration as the President maydetermine.

SolicitorGeneralofIndiaTheSolicitorGeneralofIndiaisthegovernment’schieflegaladvisor,andits

primarylawyerintheSupremeCourtofIndia.TheSolicitorGeneralofIndiaisthe secondary law officer of the country, assists the Attorney-General, and ishimself assisted by several Additional Solicitors General of India. Like theAttorney-General for India, theSolicitorGeneral and theAdditionalSolicitorsGeneral advise the government and appear on behalf of theUnion of India intermsoftheLawOfficers(TermsandConditions)Rules,1972.

However, unlike the post of Attorney-General for India, which is aConstitutionalpostunderArticle76, thepostsof theSolicitorGeneraland theAdditionalSolicitorsGeneralaremerelystatutory.AppointmentsCommitteeoftheCabinetappointstheSolicitorGeneral.

AdministrativeSet-upTheGovernmentofIndia(AllocationofBusiness)Rules,1961aremadeby

thePresidentofIndiaunderClause(3)ofArticle77oftheConstitutionfortheallocationofbusinessoftheGovernmentofIndia.Theministries/departmentsoftheGovernmentarecreatedbythePresidentontheadviceofthePrimeMinisterunder these rules. The business of the government is transacted in theministries/departments,secretariatsandofficesasperthedistributionofsubjectsspecifiedintheserules.Eachoftheministry(ies)isassignedtoaministerbythePresident on the advice of the Prime Minister. Each department is generallyunder the charge of a secretary to assist the minister on policy matters and

generaladministration.

CabinetSecretariatThe Cabinet Secretariat functions directly under the Prime Minister. The

administrativeheadoftheSecretariatistheCabinetSecretarywhoisalsotheex-officioChairmanoftheCivilServicesBoard.ThebusinessallocatedtoCabinetSecretariat is (i) secretarial assistance to theCabinet andCabinetCommittees;and(ii)rulesofbusiness.

The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of theGovernmentofIndia(TransactionofBusiness)Rules,1961andtheGovernmentofIndia(AllocationofBusiness)Rules,1961,facilitatingsmoothtransactionofbusiness inministries/departmentsof thegovernmentbyensuringadherence tothese rules. It assists in decision-making by ensuring inter-ministerialcoordination, ironing out differences amongst ministries/departments andevolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing and ad hocCommittees of Secretaries. TheCabinet Secretariat ensures that the President,theVice-Presidentandministersarekeptinformedofthemajoractivitiesofallministries/departments by means of monthly summary of their activities.Managementofmajorcrisissituationsinthecountryandcoordinatingactivitiesof various ministries in such a situation is also one of the functions of theCabinet Secretariat. The Secretaries keep the Cabinet Secretary informed ofdevelopmentsfromtimetotime.TheTransactionofBusinessRulesalsorequirethemtokeeptheCabinetSecretaryinformedspeciallyifthereareanydeparturesfromtheserules.Website:www.cabsec.gov.in

Ministries/DepartmentsoftheGovernmentThegovernmentconsistsofanumberofministries/departments,theirnumber

and character varying from time to time based on factors such as volume ofwork,prioritiesattachedtocertainsubjects,etc.

ListoftheMinistries/Departments1

1. MinistryofAgricultureandFarmersWelfare(KrishievamKisanKalyanMantralaya)i. DepartmentofAgriculture,Co-operationandFarmersWelfare(Krishi,SahkaritaevamKisanKalyanVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofAgriculturalResearchandEducation

(KrishiAnusandhanaurShikshaVibhag)iii. DepartmentofAnimalHusbandry,DairyingandFisheries

(Pashupalan,DairyaurMatsyapalanVibhag)2. MinistryofAyurveda,YogaandNaturopathy,Unani,Siddhaand

Homoeopathy(AYUSH)(Ayurveda,YogaaurPrakratikChikitsa,Unani,SiddhaaurHomoeopathy)(AyushMantralaya)

3. MinistryofChemicalsandFertilizers(RasayanaurUrvarakMantralaya)i. DepartmentofChemicalsandPetro-Chemicals(RasayanaurPetro-RasayanVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofFertilizers(UrvarakVibhag)iii. DepartmentofPharmaceuticals(AushadhVibhag)

4. MinistryofCivilAviation(NagarVimananMantralaya)5. MinistryofCoal(KoyalaMantralaya)6. MinistryofCommerceandIndustry(VanijyaaurUdyogMantralaya)

i. DepartmentofCommerce(VanijyaVibhag)ii. DepartmentforPromotionofIndustryandInternalTrade(Udyog

SamvardhanaurAntarikVyaparVibhag)7. MinistryofCommunications(SancharMantralaya)

i. DepartmentofTelecommunications(DoorsancharVibhag)ii. DepartmentofPosts(DakVibhag)

8. MinistryofConsumerAffairs,FoodandPublicDistribution(UpbhoktaMamle,KhadyaaurSarvajanikVitaranMantralaya)i. DepartmentofConsumerAffairs(UpbhoktaMamleVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofFoodandPublicDistribution(KhadyaaurSarvajanikVitaranVibhag)

9. MinistryofCorporateAffairs(CorporateKaryaMantralaya)10. MinistryofCulture(SanskritiMantralaya)11. MinistryofDefence(RakshaMantralaya)

i. DepartmentofDefence(RakshaVibhag)ii. DepartmentofDefenceProduction

(RakshaUtpadanVibhag)iii. DepartmentofDefenceResearchandDevelopment

(RakshaAnusandhantathaVikasVibhag)iv. DepartmentofEx-ServicemenWelfare

(PoorvaSenaniKalyanVibhag)12. MinistryofDevelopmentofNorth-EasternRegion(UttarPoorvi

KshetraVikasMantralaya)

13. MinistryofEarthSciences(PrithviVigyanMantralaya)14. MinistryofElectronicsandInformationTechnology(Electronikiaur

SoochanaPraudyogikiMantralaya)15. MinistryofEnvironment,ForestandClimateChange(Paryavaran,Van

aurJalvayuParivartanMantralaya)16. MinistryofExternalAffairs(VideshMantralaya)17. MinistryofFinance(VittaMantralaya)

i. DepartmentofEconomicAffairs(ArthikKaryaVibhag)ii. DepartmentofExpenditure(VyayaVibhag)iii. DepartmentofRevenue(RajaswaVibhag)iv. DepartmentofInvestmentandPublicAssetManagement(DIPAM)

(NiveshaurLokParisampattiPrabandhanVibhag)(DIPAM)v. DepartmentofFinancialServices(VittiyaSewayenVibhag)

18. MinistryofFisheries,AnimalHusbandryandDairying(Matsapalan,PashupalanaurDairyMantralaya)

19. MinistryofFoodProcessingIndustries(KhadyaPrasanskaranUdyogMantralaya)

20. MinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare(SwasthyaaurParivarKalyanMantralaya)i. DepartmentofHealthandFamilyWelfare(SwasthyaaurParivarKalyanVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofHealthResearch(SwasthyaAnusandhanVibhag)21. MinistryofHeavyIndustriesandPublicEnterprises

(BhariUdyogaurLokUdyamMantralaya)i. DepartmentofHeavyIndustries(BhariUdyogVibhag)ii. DepartmentofPublicEnterprises(LokUdyamVibhag)

22. MinistryofHomeAffairs(GrihMantralaya)i. DepartmentofInternalSecurity(AantarikSurakshaVibhag)ii. DepartmentofStates(RajyaVibhag)iii. DepartmentofOfficialLanguage(RajBhashaVibhag)iv. DepartmentofHome(GrihVibhag)v. DepartmentofJammu,KashmirandLadakhAffairs(Jammu,KashmirtathaLadakhVibhag)

vi. DepartmentofBorderManagement(SeemaPrabandhanVibhag)

23. MinistryofHousingandUrbanAffairs(AwasanaurShahariKaryaMantralaya)

24. MinistryofHumanResourceDevelopment(ManavSansadhanVikasMantralaya)

i. DepartmentofSchoolEducationandLiteracy(SchoolShikshaaurSakshartaVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofHigherEducation(UchchatarShikshaVibhag)

25. MinistryofInformationandBroadcasting(SoochanaaurPrasaranMantralaya)

26. MinistryofJalShakti(JalShaktiMantralaya)i. DepartmentofWaterResources,RiverDevelopmentandGangaRejuvenation(JalSansadhan,NadiVikasaurGangaSanrakshanVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofDrinkingWaterandSanitation(PeyaJalaurSwachchhataVibhag)

27. MinistryofLabourandEmployment(ShramaurRozgarMantralaya)28. MinistryofLawandJustice

(VidhiaurNyayaMantralaya)i. DepartmentofLegalAffairs(VidhiKaryaVibhag)ii. LegislativeDepartment(VidhayeeVibhag)iii. DepartmentofJustice(NyayaVibhag)

29. MinistryofMicro,SmallandMediumEnterprises(Sukshm,LaghuaurMadhyamUdyamMantralaya)

30. MinistryofMines(KhanMantralaya)31. MinistryofMinorityAffairs

(AlpasankhyakKaryaMantralaya)32. MinistryofNewandRenewableEnergy

(NaveenaurNavikarniyaOorjaMantralaya)33. MinistryofPanchayatiRaj(PanchayatiRajMantralaya)34. MinistryofParliamentaryAffairs(SansadiyaKaryaMantralaya)35. MinistryofPersonnel,PublicGrievancesandPensions

(Karmik,LokShikayattathaPensionMantralaya)i. DepartmentofPersonnelandTraining(KarmikaurPrashikshanVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofAdministrativeReformsandPublicGrievances(PrashasnikSudharaurLokShikayatVibhag)

iii. DepartmentofPensionsandPensioners’Welfare(PensionaurPensionBhogiKalyanVibhag)

36. MinistryofPetroleumandNaturalGas(PetroleumaurPrakritikGasMantralaya)

37. MinistryofPlanning(YojanaMantralya)

38. MinistryofPower(VidyutMantralaya)39. MinistryofRailways(RailMantralaya)40. MinistryofRoadTransportandHighways

(SarakParivahanaurRajMargMantralaya)41. MinistryofRuralDevelopment(GraminVikasMantralaya)

i. DepartmentofRuralDevelopment(GraminVikasVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofLandResources(BhumiSansadhanVibhag)

42. MinistryofScienceandTechnology(VigyanaurPraudyogikiMantralaya)i. DepartmentofScienceandTechnology(VigyanaurPraudyogikiVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofScientificandIndustrialResearch(VigyanaurAudyogikAnusandhanVibhag)

iii. DepartmentofBio-Technology(BiotechnologyVibhag)43. MinistryofShipping(PotParivahanMantralaya)44. MinistryofSkillDevelopmentandEntrepreneurship

(KaushalVikasaurUdyamitaMantralaya)45. MinistryofSocialJusticeandEmpowerment

(SamajikNyayaaurAdhikaritaMantralaya)i. DepartmentofSocialJusticeandEmpowerment(SamajikNyayaaurAdhikaritaVibhag)

ii. DepartmentofEmpowermentofPersonswithDisabilities(DivyangjanSashaktikaranVibhag)

46. MinistryofStatisticsandProgrammeImplementation(SankhyikiaurKaryakramKiryanvayanMantralaya)

47. MinistryofSteel(IspatMantralaya)48. MinistryofTextiles(VastraMantralaya)49. MinistryofTourism(ParyatanMantralaya)50. MinistryofTribalAffairs(JanjatiyaKaryaMantralaya)51. MinistryofWomenandChildDevelopment(MahilaaurBalVikas

Mantralaya)52. MinistryofYouthAffairsandSports(YuvaKaryakramaurKhel

Mantralaya)i. DepartmentofYouthAffairs(YuvaKaryakaramVibhag)ii. DepartmentofSports(KhelVibhag)

IndependentDepartments

53. DepartmentofAtomicEnergy(ParmanuOorjaVibhag)54. DepartmentofSpace(AntarikshVibhag)

Apex/IndependentOffice

55. CabinetSecretariat(MantrimandalSachivalaya)56. President’sSecretariat(RashtrapatiSachivalaya)57. PrimeMinister’sOffice(PradhanMantriKaryalaya)58. NITIAayog(NationalInstitutionforTransformingIndia)

NationalAuthorityforChemicalWeaponsConventionThe Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production,

Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons (NACWC) is a multi lateralinternational treaty which outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use ofchemicalweapons and their precursors.TheCWCcame into forcewith effectfrom1997.ByMarch2016,192stateshaveratifiedoraccededtothetreaty.TheOrganisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); anintergovernmental organization based inTheHague,Netherlands is the ‘treatyorganisation’fortheCWC.TheOPCWbaggingtheNobelPeacePrizeof2013isinrecognitionoftheConventionasaveryeffectiveDisarmamentTreaty.

TheNationalAuthority forChemicalWeaponsConvention (NACWC)wassetupasanofficeoftheCabinetSecretariat,GovernmentofIndiatofulfill,onbehalfoftheGovernmentofIndia,theobligationsundertheChemicalWeaponsConvention (CWC) and to act as the national focal point for effective liaisonwith the Organisation for the Prohibition of ChemicalWeapons (OPCW) andother state parties on matters relating to the Convention. In 2000, ChemicalWeaponsConventionActwaspassedbytheParliamentwhichcameintoforcein2005.Indiaisoneofthefournon-electedMembersoftheExecutiveCommittee(consisting of 41 members from all over the world) of the OPCW. India hasrepresentationintheAdvisoryBodyonAdministrativeandFinance(ABAF),theConfidentialityCommission,NetworkCommitteeonAssistanceandProtection,Scientific Advisory Body (SAB) and the newly created Advisory Body onEducationandOutreach (ABEO)of theOPCW. India isanactivecollaboratorwithOPCWandallotherstatepartiesinimplementationoftheprovisionsoftheConvention.

PublicGrievancesThe Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG) was set up in the Cabinet

Secretariatin1988toentertaingrievancesfromthepublicaftertheyfail togetsatisfactoryredressfromtheministry/departmentconcernedwithinareasonabletime. It is thus,anofficeof the last resort for redressofgrievances relating tosectorsinitspurview.GrievancecanbelodgedwithDPGthroughpost,emailorby lodging the complaint online on the portal. The cases received offline areentered in the system and, thereafter, all cases are handled using PGRAMSapplication.

Each grievance is first scrutinized to see if it relates to a sector in DPG’spurview. Those concerning the sectors outside the purview of DPG areforwardedtotheDepartmentofAdministrativeReformsandPublicGrievancesfor appropriate disposal, under intimation to the complainants. The remaininggrievancesarethenassessedtoascertainwhethertheissueinvolvedisgraveandwhether the concerned ministry/department has been given an opportunity toredress the grievance. The grievances of grave nature which are either longpending or where the redress is not forthcoming from concerned serviceorganisation/ministry are taken up for detailed examination. These cases arefolloweduptoa logicalandreasonableconclusion.Othercasesare transferredtotheconcernedministryforappropriateaction.

WhenDPG seeks comments, the department or organization is expected toexamine the matter and give a reply within thirty days. After receipt ofcomments,DPGmay,ifconsiderednecessary,seekfurtherinformationtoensurethatthegrievanceisdealtwithinafairandobjectivemannerbythedepartmentororganizationandconfirmationofsatisfactoryredressofthegrievanceisalsosoughtfromthecomplainantbeforeclosure.

DPG has been progressively computerizing its operations since the earlyyears. The Public Grievance Redress andMonitoring System (PGRAMS), anexclusiveautomationprogrammeforDPGwasadoptedin1999.ThePGRAMSisintegratedwithCentralizedPublicGrievanceRedressandMonitoringSystem,‘CPGRAMS’,theoperatingsystemforPublicGrievancesPortalcoveringalltheministries/departments of Government of India. With a view to improvingfurthertheredresssystem,anumberofmeasureslikelaunchofHindiversionofPGRAMStowidenitscoverage, incorporationoffeatures likee-mail/SMSforbetter communication with the complainants, press advertisements to increaseawarenessaboutDPGinpublic,etc.wereimplemented.

NationalDisasterManagementAuthority

Emergence of an organization is always through an evolutionary process.National DisasterManagement Authority (NDMA) has also gone through thesame stages. The Government of India, in recognition of the importance ofDisasterManagementasanationalpriority,setupahigh-poweredcommitteein1999 and a National Committee after the Gujarat earthquake, for makingrecommendations on the preparation of disaster management plans andsuggesting effective mitigation mechanisms. The Tenth Five-Year Plandocument also had, for the first time, a detailed chapter on DisasterManagement. The Twelfth FinanceCommissionwas alsomandated to reviewthefinancialarrangementsfordisastermanagement.

In 2005, the government enacted the Disaster Management Act, whichenvisaged the creation of National DisasterManagement Authority, under theMinistry of Home Affairs, headed by the Prime Minister, and State DisasterManagement Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers, toseparhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disastermanagementinthecountry.

NDMA, as the apexbody, ismandated to lay down the policies, plans andguidelines for disastermanagement to ensure timely and effective response todisasters. Towards this, it has the responsibilities which include:- lay downpolicies on disaster management; approve the National Plan; lay downguidelines tobefollowedby thestateauthorities indrawingup theStatePlan;laydownguidelinestobefollowedbythedifferentministriesordepartmentsofthe Government of India for the purpose of integrating the measures forpreventionofdisasterorthemitigationofitseffectsintheirdevelopmentplansandprojects;providesuchsupporttoothercountriesaffectedbymajordisastersasmaybedeterminedbythecentralgovernment; takesuchothermeasuresforthe prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or preparedness and capacitybuilding for dealting with threatening disaster situation or disasters as it mayconsidernecessary; laydownbroadpoliciesandguidelines for the functioningoftheNationalInstituteofDisasterManagement.Website:www.ndma.gov.in

AdministrativeReformsandPublicGrievancesTheDepartmentofAdministrativeReformsandPublicGrievances(DARPG)

is the nodal agency of theGovernment of India for administrative reforms aswellasredressalofpublicgrievancesrelatingtothestatesingeneralandthosepertaining to central government agencies in particular. The Departmentendeavours todocumentanddisseminatesuccessfulgoodgovernancepractices

bywayof audio-visualmedia andpublications. It alsoundertakes activities inthe field of international exchange and cooperation to promote public servicereforms.Website:www.darpg.gov.in

PrimeMinister’sAwardforExcellenceinPublicAdministrationGovernment of India instituted ‘PrimeMinister’s Award for Excellence in

PublicAdministration’toacknowledge,recognizeandrewardtheextraordinaryand innovativework done by officers of the central and state governments. Itrewardstheoutstandingandexemplaryperformanceofcivilservants.Sinceitsbeginning in 2007 till 2015, 67 awards were conferred in three categories,individual, group, organization. The structure of the Scheme was changed in2015-16 to focus on excellence in implementation of identified priorityprogramme.AnewcategoryofawardsoneeachforAdditionalSecretary/JointSecretary level officers andDirector/DeputySecretary, serving inGovernmentof India was also introduced in 2018 to recognize their contribution towardsbringing about transformational improvements in processes/systems throughsimplification,processre-engineering,etc.

CivilServicesDayTheGovernmentof IndiacelebratesApril,21everyyearas ‘CivilServices

Day’forthecivilservantstorededicatethemselvestothecauseofcitizensandrenewtheircommitmenttopublicserviceandexcellenceinwork.Thefirstsuchfunction was held in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on April 21, 2006. On theoccasion,thePrimeMinisterconferred“PrimeMinister’sAwardforExcellenceinPublicAdministration”.ThisdatecoincideswiththedatewhenthefirstHomeMinisterofIndependentIndiaSardarVallabhbhaiPateladdressingthefirstbatchof IndianAdministrative Services officers atMetcalfHouse,NewDelhi. It isorganisedbyDARPGannuallyinNewDelhi.

NationalConferenceone-GovernanceDARPGalongwiththeMinistryofElectronicsandinformationTechnology,

in association with one of the state governments, organizes the NationalConferenceone-Governanceeveryyearsince1997.Thisprovidesaplatformforthe senior officers of the government including IT secretaries of stategovernments. IT managers of the central government and resource persons,experts,intellectualsfromtheindustryandacademicinstitutions,etc.,todiscuss,exchangeviewsandexperiencesrelatingtovariouse-Governanceinitiatives.Sofar21NationalConferencesone-Governancehavebeenheld.IntheConference

theNationalAwardsone-Governancearegiven in followingcategorieswhichinclude: Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering, Outstandingperformanceincitizencentricservicedelivery;Innovationsinexistingprojectsof government departments other than PSUs; Best District level initiativethrough ICT in North East state; Hill states + UTs (excluding Delhi), otherstates;Use of spatial technology andGIS in e-Governance; InnovativeUseofICT in e-Governance Projects/initiatives by Start-ups; registered withGovernment;etc.

Each category is given agold and a silver award.Thegold awardwinningprojectanditsteamisgivenacashawarduptoamaximumof₹2lakh,subjecttoaceilingof₹75,000/-perindividualandsilverwinningprojectanditsteamisgiven a cash awardup to amaximumof₹ 1 lakh subject to a ceilingof₹50,000/-perindividual.

Nationale-GovernanceServiceDeliveryAssessmentNational e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) aims at

assessingthestates,UTsandcentralministriesonthedepthandefficiencyofe-Governanceservicedelivery.Thisframeworkisenvisagedtobeusedtoassessand benchmark the adoption of such services across the country. The UnitedNationsDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairs(UNDESA)bringsouttheUN e-Government Survey every two years which provides an analysis ofprogressinusinge-Government.Indiastoodat118in2014whichimprovedto107in2016and96in2018,outof193membercountries.

e-OfficeProjecte-OfficeisoneoftheimportantMissionModeProjectsforimplementingthe

DigitalIndiaPlan.TheDAR&PGistheadministrativeministryforensuringe-officeimplementation.e-Officeaimstoincreasetheusageofworkflowandrulebasedfile routing,quickresearchandretrievalof filesandofficeorder,digitalsignatures,formsandreportingcomponents.

RedressalPublicGrievancesDARPG is responsible for issuing policy guideliness and coordination and

monitoring of issues regarding redress of public grievances for the centralgovernment. In accordance with the federal principle of governance, thegrievances relating to states are forwarded to concerned state government forappropriateaction.Amobileappwas launched in2015whichwasforandroidbasedmobilethroughwhichpeoplecouldlodgeandtracktheirpublicgrievance.Thishasbeenfurtherdevelopedtomakeitmoreuserfriendlyandhasnowbeen

integrated with the Unified Mobile Application for New-Age Governance(UMANG).

Further, to monitor public grievances on real time and periodically reviewprogressofsystemicreforms,anonlinedashboardhasbeendeveloped.Systemicreforms and their monitoring metrics, catering to grievance issues arehighlighted on the dashboard. This enables Cabinet Secretariat, DARPG andconcernedministries departments tomonitor implementation of these reforms.FromtimetotimetheversionofCPGRAMisbeingupdatedtakingintoaccounttheproblemsfacedbythecitizensandthesystemitself.Atpresenttheversion6of CPGRAMS is in operation from 2018 which provides for one timeregistration.Italsoenablesthecitizentoseeallthgrievanceslodgedbyhimandtheirstatusonasinglescreen.

The Department also coordinates the Citizen Charter and Information andFacilitation Counters (IFCs) initiative of the government of India. With theobjectiveofimprovingpublicservicedeliveryandmakinggovernmentscitizen-centric, an assessment improvement framework called “Sevottam” has beendeveloped Support is provided to ministries departments and also to stategovernmentstointroducetheSevottamframeworkforbetterservicedelivery.

DocumentationandDisseminationTheDocumentationandDisseminationDivisionoftheDepartmentprimarily

carriesouttheactivitiesofdocumentationanddisseminationofgoodgovernancepractices of centre, state/union territory governments with a view to shareexperiencewitheachotherandreplicateelsewhere.Financial Assistance for professional documentation of good governanceinitiatives:-Theobjectiveoftheschemeistoprovidefinancialassistanceupto₹3.00 lakh to support professional documentation and dissemination of goodgovernance initiativesby thestate/UTgovernments.So fareighty-twoprojectshave been sanctioned. As per the revised scheme of providing financialassistance to the state governments/UT administrations the professionaldocumentation report will now be in e-book form instead of paperdocumentationandashortdocumentaryfilmshallalsobemadebythestate/UTgovt.withthefinancialassistanceof₹3.00lakh.Production of Documentary Films on Best Practices:- The Department isengaged in producing documentary films on best practices across the country.These films are useful for administration and dissemination of success storieswhich facilitate replication of the same elsewhere. Seventy eight suchdocumentary films have already been produced. These documentary films are

availableonthewebsiteoftheDepartmentaswellasonYouTube.RegionalConference:-Regionalconferencesareorganisedonspecificthemesinassociationwithvariousstate/unionterritorygovernmentswithaviewtobringnational and state level organizations along with other stakeholders includingNGOs, intelligentsia,media, etc. on the sameplatform to share experiences intheformulationandimplementationofgoodgovernancepractices.BookonBestPractices:-ThisDivisionpublishesabookcontainingarticlesonselect award winning good governance practices. These articles are on theinitiatives that have been conferred Prime Minister’s Award or National e-GovernanceAwards.Thiscompilationisimmenselyusefulfortheadministratorsas the dissemination of success stories facilitates replication of the sameelsewhere also. The Division has already published a series of books on thesubject.Minimum Government-Maximum Governance:- Department of AdministrativeReforms and Public Grievances is bringing out a periodical journal“ManagementinGovernment”(MIG)since1969andnowrenamed“MinimumGovernment-Maximum Governance” based on the best practices which wereconferredPrimeMinister’sAwardforExcellence inPublicAdministrationandNational e-GovernanceAwardsand launched first e-Book in2015.Thee-Book“MinimumGovernment-MaximumGovernance” is availableon thewebsiteoftheDepartmentathttp://darpg.gov.in/journal-MGMG.

InternationalExchangeandCooperationTheDepartment works as the nodal point in respect ofmatters relating to

international cooperation in the field of public administration and governance,which includes organizing programmes as part of projects/bilateral measurestaken up in accordance with the Memorandum of Understandings(MoUs)/agreements signed between India and other countries (bilateral ormultilateral). The purpose of the international cooperation component is toenable the sharingof information,best practices andpersonnel acrossnationalgovernment.Asapartof its internationalcollaborativeefforts, theDepartmentof Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) explored thepossibility of sharing and exchanging administrative experiences, theDepartment signed bilateral MOUs with Britain, France, Malaysia, Portugal,Singapore and China and trilateralMoUwith SouthAfrica and Brazil (underIBSA).This involves exchange of visits and undertaking programmes/projectsand activities particularly in the area of pubic administration and delivery ofservices, soas to improveupon thecurrent systemofgovernanceand instill a

greater sense of responsiveness, accountability, transparency, and achievingpublic service excellence in the context of public service delivery goodgovernance,publicservicereform,andcapacitybuildingandskillsupgradation.

CooperationwithCommonwealthAssociationforPublicAdministrationandManagement

TheCommonwealthAssociationforPublicAdministrationandManagement(CAPAM),withitsheadquartersatOttawa,Canada,isanorganizationdedicatedto strengthening public management and consolidating democracy and goodgovernanceintheCommonwealth.Itwasf

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