NITI AAYOG

• Planning has been in Indian psyche as our leaders

came under influence of the socialist clime of
erstwhile USSR.
• Planning commission served as the planning vehicle
for close to six decades with a focus on control and
command approach.
• Emphasis on ‘Bottom –Up’ approach to envisage
the vision of Maximum Governance, Minimum
Government, echoing the spirit of ‘Cooperative
Federalism’.
 NGT
• It is a specialised body set up under the National
Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and
expeditious disposal of cases relating to
environmental protection and conservation of
forests and other natural resources.

• With the establishment of the NGT, India became the

third country in the world to set up a specialised
environmental tribunal.
The Tribunal comprises of the Chairperson, the
Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall
hold office for term of five years and are not eligible for
reappointment.

The Chairperson is appointed by the Central

Government in consultation with Chief Justice of
India (CJI).
A Selection Committee shall be formed by central
government to appoint the Judicial Members and
Expert Members.

There are to be least 10 and maximum 20 full time

Judicial members and Expert Members in the tribunal.
 CBI
• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier
investigating police agency in India.

• It functions under the superintendence of the Deptt. of

Personnel, Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Public
Grievances, Government of India - which falls under the
prime minister’s office.

• However for investigations of offences under the

Prevention of Corruption Act, its superintendence vests
with the Central Vigilance Commission.
Till 2014, the CBI Director was appointed on the basis of
the DSPE Act, 1946

In 2014, the Lokpal Act provided a committee for

Appointment of CBI Director:
• Headed by Prime Minister
• Other members - Leader of Opposition/ Leader
of the single largest opposition party, Chief
Justice of India/ a Supreme Court Judge.
Home Ministry sends a list of eligible candidates to
DoPT. Then, the DoPT prepares the final list on basis
of seniority, integrity, and experience in the
investigation of anti-corruption cases, and sends it to
the committee.
 NHRC
• NHRC of India is an independent statutory body
established on 12 October, 1993 as per provisions of
Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, later amended
in 2006.

• It was established in conformity with the Paris

Principles, adopted for the promotion and protection
of human rights in Paris (October, 1991) and endorsed
by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 20
December, 1993.
• As per UN definition these rights are inherent to all human
beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity,
language, religion, or any other status.

• Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom

from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and
expression, the right to work and education, and many
more.

• These are entitled to everyone, without any discrimination.

Key Members: It is a multi-member body consisting of a
chairman and four members. A person who has been
the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme
Court is a chairman.

Appointment: The chairman and members are appointed

by the President on the recommendations of a six-
member committee consisting of the Prime Minister as its
head, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy
Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, leaders of the Opposition in
both the Houses of Parliament and the Union Home
Minister.
Tenure: The chairman and members hold office for a
term of three years or until they attain the age of 70
years, whichever is earlier.

Removal: They can be removed only on the charges of

proved misbehavior or incapacity, if proved by an
inquiry conducted by a Supreme Court Judge.
The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021
The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was
introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 20, 2021.

The Bill amends the Representation of the People Act,

1950 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to
implement certain electoral reforms.
The 1950 Act provides for allocation of seats and
delimitation of constituencies for elections,
qualifications of voters, and preparation of electoral
rolls.

The 1951 Act provides for the conduct of elections, and

offences and disputes related to elections.
Linking electoral roll data with Aadhaar
The 1950 Act provides that a person may apply to the
electoral registration officer for inclusion of their
name in the electoral roll of a constituency. After
verification, if the officer is satisfied that the applicant is
entitled to registration, he will direct the applicant’s name
to be included in the electoral roll.

The Bill adds that the electoral registration officer

may require a person to furnish their Aadhaar
number for establishing their identity. If their name
is already in the electoral roll, then the Aadhaar number
may be required for authentication of entries in the roll
Qualifying date for Enrolment in electoral roll:
Under the 1950 Act, the qualifying date for enrolment
in the electoral roll is January 1 of the year in which
such roll is being prepared or revised.

This implies that a person who turns 18 (i.e., eligible to

vote) after January 1 can enrol in the electoral roll only
when the roll is prepared/ revised the next year. The
Bill amends this to provide four qualifying dates
in a calendar year, which will be January 1, April 1,
July 1, and October 1.
Requisitioning of Premises for Election Purposes:
The 1951 Act permits the state government to
requisition premises needed or likely to be needed for
being used as polling stations, or for storing ballot
boxes after a poll has been conducted.

The Bill expands the purposes for which such premises

can be requisitioned. These include using the
premises for counting, storage of voting machines and
poll-related material, and accommodation of security
forces and polling personnel.
Gender-Neutral Provisions
• The 1950 Act permits certain persons who are ordinarily
resident in a constituency to register in electoral rolls.

• Such persons include those holding a service qualification,

such as members of the armed forces or central
government employees posted outside India.

• The wives of such persons are also deemed to be ordinarily

residing in the same constituency if they reside with
them.
The 1951 Act enables the wife of a person holding a
service qualification to vote either in person or by
postal ballot. The Bill replaces the term ‘wife’ with
‘spouse’ in both the Acts.
National Political Party of India
• It secures at least six percent of the valid votes polled
in any four or more states, at a general election to the
House of the People or, to the State Legislative
Assembly. AND
• In addition, it wins at least four seats in the House of
the People from any State or States.
• It wins at least two percent seats in the House of the
People (i.e., 11 seats in the existing House having 543
members), and these members are elected from at
least three different States.
 State Party
• It secures at least six percent of the valid votes polled
in the State at a general election, either to the House of
the People or to the Legislative Assembly of the State
concerned.
• In addition, it wins at least two seats in the Legislative
Assembly of the State concerned.
• It wins at least three percent (3%) of the total number
of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State, or at
least three seats in the Assembly, whichever is more.
 Election Symbols
As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and
Allotment) (Amendment) Order, 2017, party
symbols are either:

• Reserved: Eight national parties and 64 state parties

across the country have “reserved” symbols.
• Free: The Election Commission also has a pool of
nearly 200 “free” symbols that are allotted to the
thousands of unrecognised regional parties that pop
up before elections.
 Procedure

• As per the guidelines, to get a symbol allotted:

• A party/candidate has to provide a list of three
symbols from the EC’s free symbols list at the time of
filing nomination papers.
• Among them, one symbol is allotted to the
party/candidate on a first-come-first-serve basis.
• When a recognised political party splits, the Election
Commission takes the decision on assigning the
symbol
JAI HIND