UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-2 to check your progress.
Examine the importance of constitutionalism in shaping India’s local governance framework.
QUESTION 2
Critically analyze the effectiveness and significance of the “None of the Above” (NOTA) option in Indian elections.
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 analyze.
— Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances the presentation of the answer.
— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required.
Way forward / conclusion
— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.
— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.
Self Evaluation
— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.
THOUGHT PROCESS
You may enrich your answers by some of the following points
QUESTION 1: Examine the significance of constitutionalism in shaping India’s local governance framework.
Introduction:
— The current structure of Local Self Government Institutions emerged in 1687, when the British formed a Municipal Corporation in Madras, followed by the formation of similar entities in Bombay and Calcutta (1726).
— The Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909 and the Montague Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 made Local Self Government a transferred topic, allowing more people to participate in the governing process.
— Decentralization of power began with Mayo’s Resolution (1870) for financial decentralisation, and Lord Ripon’s Resolution (1882) provided the groundwork for Local Self Government.
Body:
Panchayati Raj in India
73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
— The act included measures pertaining to Panchayati Raj in the Constitution.
— It implements Article 40 of the Constitution, which grants constitutional standing to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI).
— This act establishes a three-tier system in all states, with Panchayats at the village, intermediate, and district levels, according to Article 243B(1). Gramme Shaba (Article 243A) is a body made up of all registered voters from a hamlet.
— All members of all three levels of Panchayats, namely village, intermediate, and district, shall be elected directly by the people.
— The 73rd Constitutional Amendment did not apply to Scheduled regions and Tribal Areas (Article 244), so the PESA Act was enacted to extend the provisions of the 73rd Amendment Act to Schedule V regions with the necessary modifications to preserve their cultural and social character.
— This Act provides the self-rule for tribal population and Gram Sabha has been granted special powers like:
(i) Approve development plans
(ii) Manage minor water bodies
(iii) Ownership of Minor Forest Produce (MFP)
(iv) Control of mineral lease
(v) Regulation of selling of intoxicants
(vi) Prevention of land alienation
(vii) Beneficiary selection for various schemes
(viii) Consultation on land acquisition
74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
— All municipal members shall be elected directly by the people, whereas the state government may, by legislation, specify how municipal chairpersons will be elected.
— It calls for the formation of ward committees comprising one or more wards within a municipality with a population of three lakhs or more.
— The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act requires each state to form a District Planning Committee, which will aggregate the plans generated by the district’s Panchayats and Municipalities and prepare a draft plan for the entire district.
Conclusion:
— The government introduced The Constitution (One hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, to reserve 33% seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies. The quota will be applicable to the reserved seats for SCs and STs as well.
— Both The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992 and The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992 were passed by Parliament in December 1992, and took effect on April 24, 1993 and June 1, 1993.
(Source: The 73rd and 74th Amendments, which first introduced reservation for women in elected bodies by Khadija Khan, http://www.iipa.org.in)
Points to ponder
Reservations for women, SC, and STs
Difference between direct and indirect elections
State Election Commission
State Finance Commission
11th and 12th schedule
Related Previous Year Questions
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)
In absence of well-educated and organized local level government system, ‘Panchayats’ and ‘Samitis’ have remained mainly political institutions and not effective instruments of governance. Discuss critically. (2015)
QUESTION 2: Critically analyze the effectiveness and significance of the “None of the Above” (NOTA) option in Indian elections.
Introduction:
— In September 2013, the Supreme Court urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to implement the NOTA option for voters in order to guarantee the confidentiality of their vote.
— The Election Commission of India has introduced a distinct symbol for the “None of the Above” (NOTA) option to let voters exercise their NOTA choice.
— The primary goal of the ‘NOTA’ option is to allow electors who do not want to vote for any of the candidates to exercise their right not to vote without jeopardizing the confidentiality of their decision.
Body:
— In 2004, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) petitioned the Supreme Court for directives to the ECI on measures to protect voters’ ‘right to secrecy’ in exercising their franchise. They claimed that the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 breached the confidentiality aspect since the Presiding Officer (from the ECI) keeps a record of voters who choose not to vote, as well as the signatures or thumb imprints of each voter who exercises this option.
— The central government, however, contended that the right to vote is “pure and simple a statutory right” (since it is guaranteed by law, rather than the Constitution), and that only those who used their right to vote had a right to secrecy, not those who have not voted at all.
What happens if NOTA receives the highest number of votes in a constituency?
— Assistant Solicitor General PP Malhotra pointed out to the court, NOTA has no legal consequence attached to it — even if the highest number of votes in a seat are polled for NOTA, the second most successful candidate wins.
— The three-judge Bench, comprising Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, and Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Ranjan Gogoi, however, held that “Whether a voter decides to cast his vote or decides not to cast his vote, in both cases, secrecy has to be maintained.”
— Currently, the apex court is considering another petition for elections to be considered “null and void” if NOTA receives the highest number of votes in the constituency. Shiv Khera, author and the founder of the Country First Foundation, approached the court in April 2024 seeking directions to the ECI to “frame guidelines/rules regarding uniform implementation of the NOTA vote option with consequences for candidates who do not surpass NOTA.”
Conclusion:
— The extraordinary result in Indore is the most votes that the “None Of The Above” (NOTA) option has ever received in any constituency to date. The previous NOTA record-holder was Gopalganj, Bihar, in 2019, when 51,660 voters chose this option.
— If the votes for NOTA exceed the votes received by all other individual candidates, fresh elections will be held in these states and union territories.
(Source: Two lakh plus NOTA votes in Indore: Why NOTA was introduced, its consequences by Ajoy Sinha Karpuram, eci.gov.in)
Points to ponder
Election Commission of India
Role of Presiding officer
Related Previous Year Questions
In the light of recent controversy regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), what are the challenges before the Election Commission of India to ensure the trustworthiness of elections in India? (2018)
Discuss the role of the Election Commission of India in the light of the evolution of the Model Code of Conduct. (2022)
Previous Mains Answer Practice
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 53)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 52)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 52)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 53)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 53)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 54)
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