Questions
- Frequent elections lead to ‘disruption’ of normal public life and impact the functioning of essential services. In this context critically analyse the feasibility of simultaneous election in India. (Answer in 250 words) (15)
- Identify the key elements of Mission Karmayogi. Briefly explain how it can lead to holistic development of the human resources and state's capacity. (Answer in 150 words) (10)
Model Solutions
1. Frequent elections lead to ‘disruption’ of normal public life and impact the functioning of essential services. In this context critically analyse the feasibility of simultaneous election in India. (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Simultaneous elections involve synchronisation of Lok Sabha and Legislative assembly elections where voting occurs on the same day. They were a norm until 1967 after which premature dissolution of houses led to desynchronised elections.
Main body
Simultaneous elections are provided in the constitution under articles 83, 85, 172 and 174 and have been proposed by the
- Election Commission,
- Law Commission and
- Niti Aayog.
They are feasible -
- Recurring expenditure by political parties will become a one-time expenditure.
- Simultaneous elections help ruling parties to focus on governance instead of being constantly in election mode.
- Deployment of security forces and other staff like teachers for proper conduct will also be a one time exercise every 5 years thus increasing productivity.
- Frequent imposition of Model Code of Conduct causes policy paralysis.
- It will boost voter turnout.
- Repeated elections means more populist measures thus more fiscal deficit.
- Social fabric is affected due to recurring elections as voting and rallies are done on the basis of caste, religion etc.
Not feasible
- Operational feasibility: Simultaneous elections would mean arbitrarily curtailing/extending the term of existing legislatures to bring their elections in sync with the rest of the country. It will undermine democracy and federalism.
- National issues are different from states and simultaneous elections can affect judgement.
- Regional issues will be neglected as voting will be done on national issues and thus affect federalism.
- Homogenization of the country.
- Huge amendment exercise- extension of terms of houses, amendments to representation of peoples act etc.
- Frequent elections ensure government accountability. It will become a once in 5 year accountability period.
Conclusion
- Overall financial analysis and the role of MCC suggests that simultaneous elections are the way forward but this has to be done with all regional governments on board to ensure trust in the process. Ensuring proper filing of poll expenditure and bringing political parties under RTI are other reforms which can have a complementary effect.
or - Instead of once in five years, conduct elections twice a year - categorise States based on proximity to the next general election, and have one round of State Assembly polls with the next Lok Sabha election, and another round for the remaining States 2.5 years later. (suggested by law commission)
2. Identify the key elements of Mission Karmayogi. Briefly explain how it can lead to holistic development of the human resources and state's capacity. (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Mission Karmayogi is aimed at building a future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, aligned to the vision of the Amrit Kaal.
Main Body
Its key elements are
-
Tech-Aided: The capacity building will be delivered through iGOT Karmayogi digital platform, with content drawn from global best practices.
- The platform will act as a launchpad for the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB).
-
Coverage: The scheme will cover 46 lakh central government employees, at all levels, and involve an outlay of Rs. 510 crores over a five-year period.
-
Shift from Rules to Roles: The programme will support a transition from “rules-based to roles-based” Human Resource Management (HRM) so that work allocations can be done by matching an official’s competencies to the requirements of the post.
- Apart from domain knowledge training, the scheme will focus on “functional and behavioural competencies” as well and also includes a monitoring framework for performance evaluations.
-
Integrated Initiative: Eventually, service matters such as confirmation after probation period, deployment, work assignments and notification of vacancies will all be integrated into the proposed framework.
-
Uniform Training Standard: It will harmonise training standards across the country, so that there is a common understanding of India's aspirations and development goals.
It can lead to holistic development of the human resources and state's capacity in following ways
- Development of domain knowledge besides administrative capacity in the bureaucracy.
- Officers will be evaluated on the basis of the courses they take throughout their career to enhance their skill.
- It will encourage and partner with the best-in-class learning content creators including public training institutions, universities, start-tips and individual experts.
Conclusion
- The ultimate aim of Mission Karmayogi is to ensure “Ease of Living” for the common man, “Ease of Doing Business” and Citizen-Centricity that is reducing the gap between the government and the citizens. This can only be achieved by regular and constructive involvement by the government and civil servants.
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