17 Jun 2024: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

B. GS 2 Related

Category:Polity

1. On the size of council of ministers

Syllabus: Structure, Organization and Functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government

Mains: Constitutional Limit on the number of Ministers 

Composition of the Council of Ministers (COM):

• • Headed by Prime Minister: The Union Council of Ministers is headed by the Prime Minister.
  • Constitutional Provision: Article 74 mandates a COM to aid and advise the President.
  • Members: Must be members of either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, or must become members within six months.
  • Ranks: Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State (MoS) with independent charge, MoS, and Deputy Ministers.

• Roles:

• • Cabinet Ministers: Handle large portfolios.
  • MoS with Independent Charge: Report directly to the Prime Minister.
  • MoS: Assist Cabinet Ministers.

Historical Trends and Constitutional Limits:

• Early Composition:

• • Post-Independence: 15 Ministers under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • Post-1952 Elections: Around 30 Ministers.
  • 1990s: United Front governments with 21 and 34 Ministers under Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral respectively.
  • 1999: Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s COM had 74 Ministers.
• Increasing Size: The size of the COM grew unwieldy, particularly in larger states.
  • Example: Uttar Pradesh had 79 Ministers under Chief Minister Mayawati in 2002.
• Recommendation: The National Commission recommended a ceiling of 10% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha/Legislative Assembly.
• Legislation: The 91st Constitutional Amendment (2003) limited the total number of Ministers to 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha/State Legislative Assembly.
  • Minimum Requirement: No minimum at the Central level; smaller States must have at least 12 Ministers.
  • Union Territories: NCT of Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir have a limit of 10% of their Assembly strength.

Issues and Controversies:

• • Parliamentary Secretaries: Appointments used to circumvent COM limits.
    • Historical Use: First created in 1951, not regular in Central governments after 1990.
    • State Use: Various states continued appointing Parliamentary Secretaries, leading to legal challenges.
  • Judicial Interventions: High Courts and the Supreme Court have quashed appointments and laws enabling Parliamentary Secretaries.

• Examples:

• • Supreme Court (2017): Declared Assam’s law for PS appointments unconstitutional.
  • Himachal Pradesh High Court (2024): Restrained six PS from functioning as Ministers.

Considerations for Union Territories:

• Population Discrepancies:

• • Smaller States: Sikkim, Goa, and northeastern states have a minimum of twelve Ministers despite smaller populations.
  • Union Territories: Delhi and J&K have limits based on the 10% rule despite larger populations.
• Administrative Responsibilities: Delhi and J&K governments have limited control over public order and police.
• Reevaluation: Considering the population sizes, the 10% limit for Union Territories’ COM may need reconsideration.

Nut Graf: The Council of Ministers in India, governed by constitutional limits, has seen fluctuating sizes, leading to legal measures like the 91st Amendment to restrict its expansion. Controversies persist with states appointing Parliamentary Secretaries to circumvent these limits, prompting judicial intervention.

E. Editorials

Category:Social Issues

1. India needs to close the gender gap in education and politics

Syllabus: Role of Women and Women’s Organization

Mains: Women’s Empowerment

Introduction: Global Gender Gap Report Highlights

• The global gender gap stands at 68.5% closed in 2024, a marginal increase from 68.4% in 2023.
• At this pace, full gender parity will take 134 years, far beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target.
• Iceland ranks number 1, having closed 93.5% of its gender gap, and is the only economy to have closed over 90%.

India’s Performance:

• India has slipped to rank 129 out of 146 countries in 2024, down from 127 in 2023 and 135 in 2022.
• India has closed 64.1% of its gender gap, presenting a significant opportunity for policy-makers to improve.
• The slight regression is attributed to small declines in education and political empowerment.

Areas Needing Improvement:

• Education and Political Empowerment:

• • • Education: The gender gap in literacy is 17.2 percentage points, with India ranked 124th.
    • Political Empowerment: Women’s representation in Parliament is low, with only 13.6% of members being women. The number of women MPs has decreased from 78 in 2019 to 74 in 2024.

• Economic Participation:

• • Despite slight improvements in economic participation, India needs to increase its labour force participation rate (currently at 45.9%) to match its 2012 score of 46%.
  • Measures required include preventing girls from dropping out of higher education, providing job skills, ensuring workplace safety, and supporting women in maintaining jobs after marriage.

Call to Action:

• The Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023, aiming to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women, is yet to come into effect.
• WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi urges governments to create conditions for businesses and civil society to collaborate in making gender parity an economic imperative.

Nut Graf: India’s gender gap has widened, dropping to 129th in global rankings, with notable declines in education and political empowerment. Bridging gaps in education, political representation, and economic participation is crucial to achieving gender parity and economic growth.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. The Right to Life and Personal Liberty is assured by the Indian Constitution under:

(a) Article 14

(b) ⁠Article 19

(c) Article 21

(d) ⁠Articles 23 and 24

Q2.  ‘Global Gender Gap’ Report is released by the:

(a) World Economic Forum

(b) World Bank

(c) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

(d) ⁠International Monetary Fund

Q3.Consider the following statements with respect to PoSH Act:

1. It is a legislation enacted by the Government of India to address the issue of sexual harassment faced by women in the workplace.
2. Vishakha guidelines formed the basis for the PoSH Act.Which of these statements is/are incorrect?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only

   (c) Both 1 and 2

   (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q4.Consider the following statements with respect to the Council of Ministers (COM):

1. The Constitution classifies the members of the COM into different ranks. 
2. Ministers of State (MoS) with independent charge directly report to the Prime Minister for their respective ministries.
3. Cabinet Ministers are higher in rank and handle large portfolios while MoS assist the Cabinet Ministers and work under them. 

How many of these statements is/are correct?

(a) One only

(b) ⁠Two only 

(c) All three 

(d) ⁠None of the above

Q5.Which among the following is Indian Air Force’s first multinational air exercise?

(a) Exercise Red Flag 2024

(b) Exercise Tarang Shakti 2024

(c) Malabar Exercise 2024

(d) ⁠Exercise Ayutthaya 2024