Polity & Governance One Year Current Affairs Set 6 (UPSC 2020)

Table of Contents

Topics to discuss

Comptroller and Auditor General of India Lokpal
NITI Aayog
Law Commission of India Central Vigilance Commissioner
Competition Commission of India National Crime Records Bureau
Controller General of Accounts

Q) Who act as the guide, friend and philosopher of the Public Accounts Committtee of the Parliament?

Finance Minister
CAG
Speaker of the lok sabha
Prime Minister

WHY IN NEWS

CAG

Article 148 provides for an independent office of the CAG. He is the head of the
Indian Audit and Accounts Department.
CAG is appointed by the President of India.
She holds office for a period of six years or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
She can resign any time from her office by addressing the resignation letter to the president.
She can be removed by the president on same grounds and in the same manner as a judge of the Supreme Court. She is not eligible for further office, either under the Government of India or of any state, after she ceases to hold his
Administrative expenses of the office of CAG, including all salaries, allowances and pensions are charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India and not subject to vote.

Duties and Powers of CAG

CAG audits the accounts related to all expenditure from the following:
Consolidated Fund of India, Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India
Consolidated fund of each state and Consolidated fund of each union territory having a Legislative Assembly.
Contingency fund of each state and the public account of each state.
CAG acts as a guide, friend and philosopher of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament

Q) With reference to the appointment of Lokpal , who among the following present in the selection committee?

Prime Minister
Speaker of Lok sabha
Leader of opposition
Chairman of Rajya Sabha

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1, 2 and 4
1 and 3
1, 2 and 3
All of the above

WHY IN NEWS

Lokpal

Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 establishes Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for
States to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries
Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50% shall be judicial members and 50% shall be from SC/ST/OBCs, minorities and women

Appointment of Lokpal

Appointment process: It is a two-stage process.
A search committee which recommends a panel of names to selection committee
The selection committee comprises The Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India (or his nominee) and an eminent jurist (nominated by President based on the recommendation of other members of the panel).
President will appoint the recommended names

Jurisdication of Lokpal

Anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, or a Minister in the Union government, or a Member of Parliament, as well as officials of the Union government under Groups A, B, C and D.
The chairpersons, members, officers and directors of any board, corporation, society, trust or autonomous body either established by an Act of Parliament or wholly or partly funded by the Centre.
Any society or trust or body that receives foreign contribution above ₹10 lakh

Exception for Prime Minister

It does not allow a Lokpal inquiry if the allegation against the PM relates to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space.
Complaints against the PM are not to be probed unless the full Lokpal bench considers the initiation of inquiry and at least 2/3rds of the members approve it
Such an inquiry against the PM (if conducted) is to be held in camera and if the Lokpal comes to the conclusion that the complaint deserves to be dismissed, the records of the inquiry are not to be published or made available to anyone

Q) With reference to the Law Commission of India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

Law commission is a statutory body.
Law Commission is headed by the law secretary
First law commission was constituted in 1835 under the chairmanship of Lord Macaulay

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1 and 2 only
3 only
1 only
2 and 3 only

WHY IN NEWS

Law Commission of India

The Law Commission is a non-statutory body constituted by the GoI, every three years.
Its major function is to work for legal reform and works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Background

The first Law Commission was established during the British era in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833 and was presided over by Lord Macaulay.
However,thefirstLawCommission of IndependentIndiawasconstituted in 1955 WithMr. M.C.Setalvad, as its Chairman.
Law Commission has so far submitted 277 reports

Composition of Law commission

Law commission comprises of a full-time Chairperson (usually who is a retired Supreme Court judge or Chief Justice of a High Court);
four full-time Members (including Member- Secretary) Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs as ex- officio Member; Secretary, Legislative Department as ex officio Member; and not more than five part-time Members

WHY IN NEWS

Central Vigilance Commission

CVC is the main agency for preventing corruption in the Central Government.
It was established in 1964 by an executive resolution of the central Government on the recommendation of Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962-64). In 2003, it got conferred with statutory status
The CVC is a multimember body consisting of a Central Vigilance Commissioner and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners.
They are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal on the recommendation of a three-member committee consisting of a Prime Minister at its head, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Leader of Opposition in the Lok
They hold office for a term of four years or until the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.
CVCs are not eligible for further employment under the Central or State government.
President can remove CVC from the office under certain circumstances

WHY IN NEWS

National Crime Records Bureau

NCRB was set-up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the
It was setup based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task force (1985). It has been setup as an attached office of Ministry of Home Affairs.

Some trends

Increase in crimes against women from during 2016-17, topped by Uttar Pradesh.
Cybercrimes increased by 77% in 2017 from 2016.

WHY IN NEWS

Controller General of Accounts

CGA works under Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
It functions as Principal Advisor on Accounting matters to the Union Government
It is not a constitutional body, but it derives its mandate and exercises the powers of the President from Article 150 of the constitution.
Article 150 states that, the accounts of the Union and of the States shall be kept in such form as prescribed by the President on the advice of the Comptroller and Auditor- General.
CGA does the Cadre management of Group A (Indian Civil Accounts Service) and Group B Officers of the Central Civil Accounts Offices
It administers the process of payments, receipts and accounting in Central Ministries.
Prepares, consolidates and submits the monthly and annual accounts of the Central Government.

WHY IN NEWS

Competition Commission of India

It is a statutory body established under the Competition Act, 2002.
Objectives of the Commission is to prevent practices having adverse effect on competition and to promote and sustain competition in markets.
Competition Act, 2002, stipulates that the CCI would comprise a chairperson and not less than two and not more than six members.
Commission has regulatory and quasi-judicial powers. It has suo-moto power to enquire about an anti-competitive agreement.
It is required to give opinion to the Central Government on matters relating to
Competition Policies, but such opinion is not binding on the Central Government

WHY IN NEWS

NITI Aayog

Recently Government has reconstituted NITI Aayog, renaming Rajiv Kumar as its vice chairman and appointing Home Minister as ex-officio member.
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) was constituted in 2015 as a think tank and advisory body of the government, replacing Planning Commission

Organisational Framework of NITI Aayog

The full-time organizational framework will comprise of, In addition to the Prime Minister as the Chairperson: Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by the Prime Minister.
Members: Full-time.
Part-time members: Maximum of 2 from leading universities research organizations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. Part time members will be on a rotational basis.
Ex Officio members: Maximum of 4members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister

Role of NITI Aayog

The institution has to provide governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of
This includes matters of national and international importance on the economic front, dissemination of best practices from within the country as well as from other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support.
The institution has to be able to respond to the changing and more integrated world that India is part of