UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 : Questions on electoral reforms and urban local bodies (Week 88)

QUESTION 2

Critically analyse the effectiveness of past electoral reforms and suggest additional measures to address these persistent issues such as the influence of black money and criminalisation of politics.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Despite the constitutional mandate of the 74th Amendment Act, urban local bodies in India continue to face challenges in autonomy and resource management. Critically analyse the factors contributing to this situation and suggest measures to strengthen urban local governance.

Introduction:

— Urban local bodies (ULBs), also known as Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, or Nagar Panchayats, are the foundation of urban governance in our cities. They are the initial point of contact for citizens and are in charge of providing critical services such as trash management, sanitation, and urban planning.

— During the colonial era, the British developed city-level entities such as improvement trusts to address sanitary issues. The first municipal body was formed in Madras in 1687, followed by Bombay and Calcutta. In 1882, Lord Ripon (commonly referred to as the founder of local self-government in India) proposed the resolution for local self-government, establishing the groundwork for a democratically elected municipal administration to run cities.

— By 1935, the Government of India Acts recognised the importance of local self-government, and they were classified as province or state subjects.

Body:

Challenges in autonomy and resource management

— Municipalities are stretched thin, handling everything from rubbish collection to city planning. ULBs have insufficient resources and manpower to solve a wide range of difficult urban issues. The main obstacles to ULB effectiveness are inadequate financial resources, limiting political autonomy, and insufficient state capability.

— ULBs struggle with their finances. Property taxes are a key source of revenue for municipalities, with the remainder coming from the state government. While ULBs can raise funds through bonds or other instruments (such as the Ahmedabad Municipal Bonds issued in 1994), a lack of administrative and technical knowledge remains a challenge.

— ULBs have an elected head and an executive head chosen by the state government. The model delegated more executive authority to municipal commissioners than mayors. This frequently results in administrative overlaps, which apparently cause decision-making delays, particularly during times of crisis.

— Furthermore, ULBs’ low state capacity limits their ability to provide service. According to a study conducted by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, there is one planner for every 75,000 urban residents, a low proportion when compared to other local governments around the world. There are just 5,000 qualified town planners, and Indian towns would need at least 3 lakh planners by 2031. The ULBs struggle with urban management due to a lack of manpower and competence.

Measures to strengthen urban local governance

— Greater financial autonomy could allow ULBs to earn revenue while reducing reliance on state government financing.

— Innovative financial strategies with many sources of income enable ULBs to be more adaptable and innovative in addressing their challenges.

— ULBs may aim to strengthen their technical expertise and state capacity by hiring experts and professionals for better service delivery.

Conclusion:

— The Part IX-A of the Indian constitution details the compositions, roles and responsibilities of these ULBs and grants them powers to manage a range of services, from urban planning and land use to public health and waste management.

— The 12th Schedule of the constitution specifies 18 functions that are devolved to these ULBs. The amendment also mandated elections every five years, with municipal councillors elected from local constituencies (wards).

(Source: Significance of empowering local bodies for effective urban governance in India)

Points to Ponder

Read more about urban local bodies

Read about panchayats

Read important articles of Constitution related to municipal corporations

Related Previous Year Questions

Analyse the role of local bodies in providing good governance at the local level and bring out the pros and cons of merging rural local bodies with urban local bodies. (2024)

Assess the importance of the Panchayat system in India as a part of local government. Apart from government grants, what sources can the Panchayats look out for financing development projects? (2018)

QUESTION 2: Critically analyse the effectiveness of past electoral reforms and suggest additional measures to address these persistent issues such as the influence of black money and criminalisation of politics.

Introduction:

— The election reforms aim to maintain the voting system’s integrity and openness by fostering an atmosphere devoid of manipulation, money, and muscle power, while still adhering to democratic norms and principles of fairness and justice.

— In the 1950s, institutions such as the Election Commission of India (ECI) encountered difficulty implementing election regulations due to illiteracy, corruption, caste-based politics, booth capture, and a lack of technological technology.

Body:

Electoral reforms since independence

— According to the ECI’s book, Leap of Faith, the Model Code of Conduct was first introduced during the 1960 Kerala Assembly elections when the government attempted to develop a “code of conduct” for the political parties. Since then, it has undergone several revisions, with major updates made in 1979, 1982, 1991, and 2013.

— Several committees have been crucial in recommending improvements to address issues with the electoral process. Key reports were those of the Tarkunde Committee (1975), the Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990), and the Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998).

— These committees proposed important improvements to ensure free and fair elections. Some of them have already been adopted, such as requiring candidates to disclose their financial, educational, and criminal records, decreasing the voting age from 21 to 18, implementing electronic voting machines (EVMs), and enhancing security.

— Despite these reforms, the past Chief Election Commissioners cited four significant issues that continue to impede India’s free and fair elections. These are the four Ms: muscular power, monetary power, misinformation, and Model Code of Conduct infractions.

— In July 1993, the P.V. Narasimha Rao government established the Vohra Committee, which is chaired by former Home Secretary N.N. Vohra. The committee investigated the criminalisation of politics and the relationships between Indian officials, politicians, and criminals. The investigation detailed how this network operated a parallel government and demonstrated the favouritism criminals received from politicians of all parties, as well as protection from government officials.

— To examine the issue of excessive election spending, the Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) was established. The committee advocated state funding for elections, claiming that there was “full justification — constitutional, legal, and in the public interest” for the proposal to level the playing field, particularly for parties with minimal financial means.

— The Second Administrative Reforms Commission’s report, Ethics in Governance (2008), also advocated partial state support to reduce “illegitimate and unnecessary funding” in election expenses.

Conclusion:

— Internal democracy within parties, as well as clear candidate selection criteria, are vital.

— Furthermore, open debates involving political parties and candidates may be organised in the same way that they are in nations such as the United States.

(Source: Can electoral reforms strengthen India’s democratic process?)

Points to Ponder

Read about electoral bonds

Read about T.N. Seshan’s reforms

Read about Model Code of Conduct

Related Previous Year Questions

Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees, with particular reference to the ‘‘One Nation–One Election’’ principle. (2024)

To enhance the quality of democracy in India the Election Commission of India has proposed electoral reforms in 2016. What are the suggested reforms and how far are they significant to make democracy successful? (2017)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 86)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 87)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 86)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 87)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 88)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 87)

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