Indian Polity and Governance

Recent Changes in Governance Policies

1. Digital India Initiative: Focuses on transforming India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
2. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan: Aimed at making India self-reliant through reforms in manufacturing, agriculture, and labor laws.
3. Goods and Services Tax (GST): Introduced a unified tax structure to simplify the indirect taxation system.
4. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Focuses on

Recent Landmark Judgments

1. Kesavananda Bharati Case (1973): Established the Basic Structure Doctrine, preventing Parliament from altering the Constitution’s fundamental framework.
2. Right to Privacy (Puttaswamy Case, 2017): Declared privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21.
3. Triple Talaq Case (Shayara Bano, 2017): Declared instant triple talaq unconstitutional, leading to legislative reforms.
4. Section 377 Case (Navtej Johar, 2018): Dec

Recent Constitutional Amendments

1. 103rd Amendment: Introduced a 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in educational institutions and government jobs.
2. 104th Amendment: Extended the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by another 10 years.
3. 105th Amendment: Restored the states' power to identify Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs).

Constitutional Provisions

1. Article 15(1): Prohibits discrimination against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
2. Article 29(1): Protects the right of minorities to conserve their distinct language, script, or culture.
3. Article 30(1): Grants minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
4. Article 25: Guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, pract

Constitutional Framework

1. Article 244: Deals with the administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas under Fifth and Sixth Schedules.
2. Article 244A: Provides for the creation of an autonomous state within Assam, incorporating Tribal Areas.

Scheduled Areas under the Fifth Schedule

1. Applicable to states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
2. Governed by the Governor's special responsibility to administer these

Constitutional Framework

1. Article 343: Declares Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union.
2. English was permitted for official purposes for a transitional period of 15 years from 1947 to 1965, extendable by legislation.
3. The President can authorize the use of Hindi in addition to English for official purposes.

Directive Principles for the Use of Language

1. Article 344: Establishes a Commission to recommend the progr

Overview of Emergency Provisions

1. The emergency provisions in Part XVIII of the Constitution empower the central government to manage extraordinary situations.
2. They include three types: National Emergency (Article 352), State Emergency (Article 356), and Financial Emergency (Article 360).
3. While designed to protect national security and governance, these provisions also have the potential for misuse.

Effects of Emergency Provisions

1. Under a National Emergency

Overview

1. Emergency provisions in the Indian Constitution are detailed in Part XVIII (Articles 352 to 360).
2. These provisions empower the central government to tackle exceptional situations.
3. There are three types of emergencies under Articles 352, 356, and 360: National Emergency, State Emergency, and Financial Emergency, respectively.

1.

1. The Emergency Provisions in the Indian Constitution are covered under Part XVIII (Articles 352 to 360).
2. These provisions enable the central government to meet exceptional circumstances affecting the nation.
3. There are three types of emergencies: National Emergency, State Emergency (President's Rule), and Financial Emergency.

1.

1. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas are statutory bodies established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
2. The primary purpose of these bodies is to address complaints of corruption against public functionaries.
3. The Lokpal functions at the central level, while Lokayuktas operate at the state level.
4. The idea of a Lokpal was first suggested by the Administrative Reforms Commission in 1966.
5. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was pass