Problems in Conduct of Public Elections
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
The Government of India is preparing to implement change in the political landscape by
rolling out a reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
This initiative, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, is closely tied to the
delimitation exercise that will follow the upcoming Census.
The aim is to ensure that one-third of the seats are reserved for women in the 2029 Lok
Sabha elections.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was passed in September 2023.
It mandates that one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be reserved
for women.
This reservation will only come into effect after a delimitation exercise based on the
Census data.
The Census is set to provide critical demographic information required for this process.
Govt – Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
Consumption of petroleum products, especially diesel and cooking gas in Andaman &
Nicobar (A&N) Islands, has jumped in recent years, aided by Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala
Yojana.
It is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) launched
in May 2016.
Objective: To make clean cooking fuel such as LPG available to the rural and deprived
households which were otherwise using traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal,
cow-dung cakes, etc.
Public Awareness & General Administration
50 Years of National Emergency
50 years ago, on 12th June 1975, the Allahabad High Court invalidated Indira Gandhi’s
1971 election in Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Shri Raj Narain Case, 1975 leading to the
declaration of a national emergency (NE) on 25th June 1975 that continued till March
1977.
About National Emergency
National Emergency is proclaimed by the President under Article 352 when the security
of India or a part of it is threatened by War, External Aggression (external emergency),
or Armed Rebellion (internal emergency).
The 38th Amendment Act, 1975 allowed the President to issue Emergency proclamations
on grounds of war, external aggression, armed rebellion, or imminent danger thereof,
while the 44th Amendment Act, 1978 replaced “internal disturbance” with “armed
rebellion”.
National Emergency can extend to the whole of the country or only a part of it. 42nd
Amendment Act, 1976 enabled the President to limit the operation of NE to a specific
part of India.
As per the 44th Amendment Act, 1978, a National Emergency must be approved by both
Housed within one month by a special majority (originally two months).
As per the 44th Amendment Act, 1978, a National Emergency must be approved by both
Houses within one month by a special majority (originally two months).
● If the Lok Sabha is dissolved at the time of declaration, the Rajya Sabha’s approval remains valid, but the reconstituted Lok Sabha must approve it within 30 days of its first sitting.
It continues for 6 months, and can be extended to indefinite period with approval of
Parliament for every 6 months (44th Amendment Act 1978).
It can be revoked anytime by the president without requirement of approval by Parliament.
● The Lok Sabha can pass a resolution to disapprove the continuation of a National Emergency. If one-tenth of its total members submit a written notice to the Speaker (if in session) or to the President (if not in session), a special sitting must be held within 14 days. The resolution must be passed by a simple majority.
The 38th Amendment Act, 1975 made the Emergency declaration immune to judicial
review. This was later reversed by the 44th Amendment Act, 1978.
● In the Minerva Mills case, 1980, the Supreme Court held that a Proclamation of National Emergency can be challenged if it is mala fide, based on irrelevant or extraneous facts, or is absurd or perverse.
