पॉलिसी बज़्ज़

विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं में क्या घटित हो रहा है, इसको लेकर आपको हर 15 दिन के अंदर यह पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ अपडेट करता है |

 

नीतियों से सबंधित खबरें

  • केंद्रीय माध्यमिक शिक्षा बोर्ड (CBSE) द्वारा कक्षा 10 की अंतिम परीक्षायें रद्द कर दी गई हैं और कक्षा 12 की परीक्षायें स्थगित कर दी हैं, कुछ राज्य बोर्डों ने भी इसी तरह के फैसले लिए हैं | इंडियन सर्टिफिकेट ऑफ सेकेंडरी एजुकेशन (ICSE) ने भी परीक्षाओं को फिलहाल स्थगित कर दिया है |
  • भारत में मानसिक स्वास्थ्य और कल्याण को बढ़ावा देने के लिए MANAS नामक एक नया ऐप लॉन्च किया गया है |

करोनावायरस आधारित खबरें

  • पूरी दुनिया में COVID-19 मामलों की दूसरी सबसे बड़ी संख्या भारत में है |
  • केंद्र सरकार के अनुसार 12 करोड़ से अधिक वैक्सीन डोस अभी तक लगाए जा चुके हैं |
  • भारत में उत्पादित ‘कोवैक्सीन’ की उत्पादन क्षमता बढ़ाने के लिए केंद्र सरकार ने मिशन कोविड सुरक्षा की घोषणा की है |

अन्य

  • नेशनल क्लाइमेट वल्नेरेबिलिटी असेसमेंट रिपोर्ट के अनुसार असम, अरुणाचल प्रदेश, बिहार, छत्तीसगढ़, झारखंड, मिज़ोरम, ओडिशा, और पश्चिम बंगाल जलवायु परिवर्तन के लिए अत्याधिक संवेदनशील राज्य हैं | अधिक जानकारी यहाँ उपलब्ध है |

 

यह लेख पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण पर आधारित है जो 18 अप्रैल 2021 को प्रकाशित हुआ था |

Policy Buzz

Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news, published every fortnight.

Policy News

  • The Union government resumed the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. Over 800 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act will get an additional 5 kgs of wheat or rice and 1 kg of gram free during May and June 2021.

Coronavirus-focus News

  • India began the third phase of its coronavirus vaccination programme on 1 May 2021, under which all people aged above 18 years are eligible to get themselves vaccinated.
  • India received the first consignment of 150,000 Sputnik V doses in Hyderabad. More shipments of the Russian vaccine will arrive over the next few weeks.
  • World Health Organization has added American biotech company Moderna’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccine to its basket of vaccines for emergency use.
  • Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified about 30 industries whose nitrogen plants will be modified for the production of medical oxygen.

Other News

  • World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its annual ‘State of the Global Climate’ report for 2020. According to the report, 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record, despite a cooling La Niña event.

What Municipalities Do: Findings from a Study in Tumakuru Smart City, Karnataka

This blog is part of a series unpacking the ‘PAISA for Municipalities‘ research which analysed urban local body finances in Tumakuru Smart City of Karnataka. The first part offers why the study was conducted, the backdrop to the study, and the researchers involved. It can be found here.  

In my previous blog, I had described the framework of our approach to study functional assignments of local governments. I began by laying out a grid, which comprised the matters listed in the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution on the vertical axis (or the Eleventh Schedule in case the research is on functional assignments to rural local governments), and a range of categories and sub-functions on the horizontal axis.

Using this grid, my colleague, Tanvi Bhatikar began to read through the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act 1976, teasing out each provision and extracting from each, the stated out powers and responsibilities devolved upon the Municipal Corporations, its Standing Committees and its officials. The extracted provisions were entered into an excel sheet; a ready reckoner of disaggregated functions that enabled us to drill down into any functional area, or functional category of our choice to learn more about the scope and ambit of a Municipal Corporation’s responsibilities.

An abstract of our findings is available in this PDF

There were several aspects of the functional assignments to Municipal Corporations in Karnataka that caught our eye. First, was the sheer range of disaggregated functions – nearly 600 of them, spread over 20 functional areas.

Given this large number, our dilemmas in classifying functions into various categories, was not surprising. For example, 41 sub-functions either consist of bye-laws or speak of the power to make bye-laws with respect to various sectoral matters concerned.

We had a choice of either classifying these responsibilities under each of the sectors concerned, or separately categorising them under the overarching category of ‘Regulatory Matters’. We chose the second approach and included the sub-functions relating to the power to make bye-laws, into the category of ‘Regulatory Matters’. However, the decision could easily have gone the other way.

Second, even as the number of disaggregated activities relating to functional areas were large, they were focussed on a few functional areas. These were: Public Health and Sanitation, Water Supply, Roads and Bridges, and Planning for Economic and Social Development.

With respect to the remaining 14 functions listed in the Twelfth Schedule, there were just a few activities that were devolved. That is interesting, given that most states, including Karnataka, claim to have implemented the provisions of the 74th amendment fully in letter and spirit. (A disaggregation exercise based on our approach with respect to each state would reveal the actual extent of functional devolution of activities related to the 18 matters in the Twelfth Schedule, to urban local bodies.)

Third, we felt that the plethora of provisions in the law and the difficulty in classification of various activities listed under them, underscored the need to thoroughly overhaul the Municipal Corporations Act, and remove overlapping and obsolete provisions.

In order to make the law simple to interpret and implement, those provisions that go into great detail as to how a particular task is to be carried out should be carved and promulgated separately as rules rather than directly as provisions of the Act. Such details are best contained in delegated legislations like rules, rather than in the main legislation.

T.R. Raghunandan is an Advisor at Accountability Initiative. 

The 15th Finance Commission Report: What has Changed on Fund Transfers to States?

On 1 February 2020, the 15th Finance Commission (FC) of India tabled its interim report. But the world was already changing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a redesign of macroeconomic forecasting models around the globe. In India, as the pandemic took root in March 2020, Union and state governments soon struggled with the allocation of fiscal resources, since previous estimations of budgets were no longer valid. Weak revenue generation was a prime factor. By the time the FC submitted its final report in 2021, it too had to revise its economic outlook for the next five years. 

Knowing about the changes is important because the FC is a very important body for Centre-state fiscal relations. The Union government has traditionally had more resource-raising powers while the state governments have, over the decades, become responsible for a higher share of development and welfare-oriented expenditure. The 15th Finance Commission has thus had to tread a fine balance on the centralisation of transfers versus the fiscal autonomy of states to meet states’ needs in the face of an unprecedented pandemic.

In the first blog of a series on recommendations, I will discuss the overall trends in resource transfers and compositional change introduced by the 15th Finance Commission in aggregate transfers [1], which is linked to the sharing of taxes by the Centre with the states.

 

What is the Finance Commission?

But, before we get into some of the new recommendations, it is worthwhile to understand the role of the Finance Commission. 

The inadequacy of the states in resource raising powers vis-à-vis their expenditure responsibility was recognised by the Constitution of India, that laid out the principles of resource-sharing between the Centre and states. The particulars of the sharing pattern was vested in a Constitutional body – the Finance Commission [2]. (Finance Commissions are constituted every five years, and the most-recent one is the 15th Finance Commission.) 

Specifically, the Finance Commission was made responsible for addressing fiscal imbalances that arise between i) the Union and state governments (known as vertical imbalance), as well as those that arise ii) across states (known as horizontal imbalance).

Broadly, the Finance Commission advises the Union government on the following:

  1. The distribution of resources between the Centre and states from the divisible pool of taxes. 
  2. The principles of distributing grants-in-aid (GIA) to states, which are additional sums paid to states in need of assistance.
  3. The principles of transfers to local bodies of states, which include Gram Panchayats and Municipalities.

The resource-sharing architecture has undergone several changes. This evolution has partly been the result of a changed political reality. As India witnessed coalition governments at the Centre, state-level political parties slowly began to have more say in national policy. Also, economically, a growing mismatch between revenue resources and the quantum of expenditure between different levels of government also assisted in bringing about this change.

 

Trends in resource transfer to states

As a response to a widening vertical imbalance, the 14th Finance Commission (2015-16 to 2019-20) had recommended that states receive a share of 42 per cent of the divisible pool [3], increasing the previous Finance Commission’s recommendation by 10 percentage points (Report of the Fourteenth Finance Commission, 2015). (More on 14th Finance Commission recommendations can be found in this blog.)

This was a landmark decision at the time. The higher quantum of revenues dedicated to states changed the state resource envelope considerably. This was significant because tax devolution to states, in intergovernmental fiscal transfers (IGFT) parlance, is ‘untied’. This means that states are simply entitled to them without having to fulfil criteria set by the Centre. This creates more room for fiscal autonomy for states.

The 15th Finance Commission, however, has only marginally changed the share of taxes to states from 42 per cent to 41 per cent on account of the status of Jammu and Kashmir changing from a state to a Union Territory (Report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, 2021).

The Finance Commission – which is also Constitutionally mandated to determine the quantum flow of select GIA to states – has recommended an increase in conditional transfers. These are ‘tied’ funds. States are eligible to them only upon fulfilling certain criteria. All conditional grants are meant to ‘nudge’ states towards best practices in public finance management, with a view towards fiscal prudence. However, conditional grants are also Centrally-dictated; states themselves cannot access these resources unless they comply with the mandate determined by the Centre. The fiscal autonomy of these grants is, therefore, comparatively limited to untied funds.

The GIA, as a share of total transfers has increased to 19.65 per cent of aggregate transfers while tax devolution comprises 80.35 per cent. In comparison, the 14th Finance Commission had recommended a sharing pattern of 11.97 per cent for GIA and 88.03 per cent for tax devolution out of the total aggregate transfers recommended. Therefore, a higher share of aggregate transfers are now tied funds.

The average share of tax devolution as a percentage of GDP has also reduced from the 14th Finance Commission award period to the 15th Finance Commission award period. Total tax devolution to states in nominal terms has increased by 7 per cent from 39.5 lakh crore to 42.2 lakh crore. However, as a percentage of projected GDP (projections made by both FCs respectively), the share has gone down by one percentage point from 4.11 per cent to 3.15 per cent.

This reassessment has been done largely due to a weak revenue performance following the pandemic (more here). This indicates that, even though the actual value of tax devolution has increased, the growth in share of resources to states has not kept pace with the GDP.

Total tax devolution as a percentage of GDP in FY 2020-21 has also been revised from the Budget Estimates (BEs) of 2020-21 (refer to Graph 1). The reassessed share is 3 per cent for 2020-21. By the end of the 15th Finance Commission award period in FY 2025-26, it is estimated to go up to 3.3 per cent.

fincomindia

There are two things of note here. Firstly, the share of tax devolution is not even estimated to cross 2020-21 BEs even in the last year of the 15th Finance Commission award period. This indicates that the FC does not foresee a full-fledged recovery of revenues to pre-pandemic levels soon. Secondly, there is an increase in the share of conditional grants, but states can access these only when specific reforms are introduced. 

While the share of conditional grants was equivalent to only 17 per cent of the total FC transfers under the 14th Finance Commission period, it has now increased to nearly 57 per cent of approved transfers under the 15th Finance Commission (Jayanta Roy, Aditi Nayar, 2021). This has led to a “compositional alteration”.

The new Finance Commission report has addressed this “compositional alteration”. Even though the experience of states with unconditional transfers has generally been more productive, it notes, the transfers are met only if Central taxes are buoyant. In other words, if the economy starts to do well and GDP increases, taxes are also swiftly generated. Fixing a certain share of the increasing taxes to states guarantees resources to state governments. 

However, as per the 15th Finance Commission, taxes will not be as buoyant during the post-pandemic recovery period. At a time like this, “fixed absolute numbers” of conditional grants would be a comparatively more assured way of transferring financial resources to states (Report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, 2021). 

A comparison of the estimated tax share against the actual quantum of transfer over the award period of the 14th FC demonstrates the above point. From FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20, the actual transfer was less than 17 per cent (on average) of the estimated devolution. In FY 2019-20 the decline was as much as 37 per cent in the face of lower than estimated  generation of revenues and an economic slowdown at the time.

Meanwhile, states have been consistently arguing for more fiscal room (FirstPost, 2017). The new compositional change may further restrict the fiscal autonomy of states at a time they require it most. 

Thus, even though the 14th Finance Commission recommendations changed the landscape of fiscal federalism in India with its landmark recommendations that would have increased state fiscal autonomy, statesfincomindia have had to adjust to resources that were much lower than estimated. This will most likely remain the case in the post-pandemic recovery period as tax revenues pick up, albeit slowly. As a result, the divisible pool of taxes may itself shrink due to lower than expected share of tax devolution despite the optimistic GDP growth estimates made by the 15th Finance Commission. 

If states have less and less autonomy over their resources, then recovery from the pandemic, with very little fiscal room, will be very slow. Crucial spending on capital may suffer due to this, resulting in longer term disruptions to sub-national economic growth and higher inequality among states. 

The next blog will explore another important set of recommendations that determine funds with states – those linked to  the changes in the tax devolution formula.

 

Meghna is a Research Associate at Accountability Initiative.

 

[1]  Aggregate transfers refer to the total resource transfer to states. It comprises: 1) Total tax devolution to states from the shareable pool of taxes, and 2) Total FC grants to states. As per the recommendations of the current FC, these grants include i) the revenue deficit grant, ii) disaster relief grant, iii) grants to local bodies, iv) state specific grants, and v) sector specific grants.

[2] Articles 280 and 281 of the Constitution provide for the setting up of Finance Commissions. Constitution of India: https://legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/COI_1.pdf

[3] The divisible pool is that portion of gross tax revenue which is distributed between the Centre and the states. The divisible pool consists of all taxes, except surcharges and cesses levied for specific purpose, net of collection charges.

 

References

Report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. (2021). Report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. Retrieved from https://fincomindia.nic.in/ShowContent.aspx?uid1=3&uid2=0&uid3=0&uid4=0&uid5=0&uid6=0&uid7=0

Report of the Fourteenth Finance Commission. (2015). Report of the Fourteenth Finance Commission. Retrieve from
https://fincomindia.nic.in/writereaddata/html_en_files/oldcommission_html/fincom14/others/14thFCReport.pdf

Firstpost. (2017, November 29). Finance Commission to look into tied grants for states: A nudge strategy by govt after loan waivers or a U-turn? Retrieved from Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/business/finance-commission-to-look-into-tied-grants-for-states-a-nudge-strategy-by-govt-after-loan-waivers-or-a-u-turn-4233135.html

Jayanta Roy, Aditi Nayar. (2021, February 23). The Indian Express. Retrieved from The Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/fifteenth-finance-commission-has-increased-proportion-of-grants-conditional-on-reforms-by-states-7200026/

Study: COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour, Community Backlash among Major Concerns for Frontline Workers during Pandemic

For Frontline Workers (Anganwadi Workers, ASHAs, and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives), increased responsibilities and having to juggle different tasks were not their only priorities. Behind the scenes, they have often struggled with challenges in their communities, and personal and familial lives in the last year. 

We conducted a study in two districts of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan from November 2020-January 2021 in order to understand the experiences of Frontline Workers (FLWs) and their new challenges arising from the pandemic. (The report is available for download from here.)

 

FLWs reported facing backlash from community members

In our survey, 70 per cent of the respondents faced community-related challenges. The lack of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour by community members, and a lack of trust on FLWs were the most-widely reported hindrances.

Almost half of the FLWs surveyed also reported facing community backlash. This manifested through verbal abuse, refusal to allow FLWs into their homes, refusal to cooperate with COVID-19 protocols and, in more extreme instances, physical violence (refer to the Table below). 

Insights from qualitative interviews shed more light on the reprisals, which could be attributed to the prevalence of a fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus, frustration about multiple household surveys and testing, and some instances of returning migrants refusing to quarantine. 

Worryingly, 5 per cent of FLWs also reported facing violence, in part, arising from fears that FLWs could be ‘virus carriers’ and would spread the disease. But FLWs had little option and had to go into the communities. Given the increase in workload and the number of villages covered, FLWs often had to travel long distances late at night which also raised issues surrounding their safety .  

 

“Once, while doing door-to-door surveys, some men passed comments and said bad things about my work and my character. It was late in the evening so I was scared and reached out to the police for help. They handled it by talking to those men.”

– ASHA, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh

 

On the other hand, there were also instances of positive interactions between the FLWs and their communities. This was particularly true for FLWs who had been working with their communities for many years, and also for FLWs working in their own villages, where they had a  strong working relationship with the community. 

 

FLWs were affected with a  loss in household income during lockdown

With the strict nationwide lockdown introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, people all over India grappled with the shutting down of businesses, job losses, travel restrictions, and being unable to meet friends and family. FLWs were no exception. Sixty-nine per cent of the FLWs said that they faced at least one of these challenges during the lockdown. 

Multiple polls and surveys during the lockdown revealed that, despite both partners working,  the burden of household chores and childcare fell unevenly on women, more than men. This was also the case for the FLWs – 30 per cent reported that they faced the challenge of balancing their workload additionally with household duties. 

Another widely mentioned challenge was that of unemployment. India’s monthly unemployment rate increased to 23.5 per cent in April 2020, up from 8.7 per cent in March. Thirty-five per cent of FLWs in Rajasthan and 19 per cent in Himachal Pradesh reported that either family members faced unemployment or their household  experienced a loss of income during the lockdown. 

 

Most FLWs were anxious about falling sick and infecting families 

Alongside these household challenges, we enquired  about personal challenges faced by FLWs – 67 per cent responded facing such challenges, primarily the fear that they or their family members could fall sick. These fears were legitimate – FLWs were involved with surveillance of community members suspected of showing COVID-19  symptoms during and after the lockdown. Moreover, around 30 per cent also reported that their family members did not want them in the same household for fear of contracting the virus. 

Thus, FLWs faced multiple pressures in carrying out their jobs. 

 

This is the third blog of a series. The first blog can be found here, and the second blog is available here

This study was conducted through a research grant provided by Azim Premji University, as a part of their COVID-19 Research Funding Programme 2020.

 

Download Data Visualisation: Health and Nutrition Services during COVID-19

Also Read: ‘All of Us Were Always Ready to Help Each Other’

पॉलिसी बझ

कल्याणकारी धोरणात जे घडत आहे त्या प्रत्येक पंधरवड्यात प्रकाशित झालेल्या बातम्यांच्या निवडीसह अद्ययावत रहा.

धोरणा संबंधित बातम्या:

  • शालेय शिक्षणाचा अंमलबजावणीचा रोडमॅप (राष्ट्रीय शैक्षणिक धोरणाशी जोडलेला) ‘विद्यार्थी’ आणि शिक्षकांच्या ‘गुणवत्तेच्या शिक्षणाद्वारे (SARTHAQ) होलिस्टिक अ‍ॅडव्हान्समेंट ’जाहीर करण्यात आला आहे.
  • 10 वी ची अंतिम परीक्षा रद्द करण्यात आली असून, केंद्रीय माध्यमिक शिक्षण मंडळाने (सी.बी.एस.ई) 12 वी ची परीक्षा पुढे ढकलली असून काही राज्य मंडळाने ही असेच निर्णय घेतले. दरम्यान, भारतीय माध्यमिक शैक्षणिक प्रमाणपत्र (आय.सी.एस.ई) ने ही सध्याच्या परीक्षा पुढे ढकलल्या आहेत.
  • भारतात मानसिक आरोग्य आणि निरोगीपणासाठी ‘मानस’ नावाचे एक नवीन अ‍ॅप लाँच केले गेले आहे.

कोरोना संबंधित बातम्या:

  • भारत हा कोविड -19 प्रकरणे मधील पुष्टीकरणांची संख्यात जगात दुसर्‍या क्रमांकावर आहे.
  • केंद्र शासनाने असे म्हटले आहे की एकूण लसीकरणाचे डोस 12 कोटींच्या पुढे गेला आहे.
  • स्वदेशी निर्मित ‘कोवैक्सीन’ ची उत्पादन क्षमता वाढविण्याच्या उद्देशाने केंद्र सरकारने मिशन कोविड सुरक्षा घोषणा केली आहे.

इतर बातम्या :

  • नवीन राष्ट्रीय हवामान असुरक्षा मूल्यांकन अहवालात आसाम, अरुणाचल प्रदेश, बिहार, छत्तीसगड, झारखंड, मिझोरम, ओडिशा आणि पश्चिम बंगाल हे हवामान बदलास अत्यंत संवेदनशील असल्याचे दर्शविले आहे. अधिक माहिती येथे उपलब्ध आहे.

 

हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 18 अप्रैल 2021 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.

सूचना व संचार तकनीक (ICT) पर स्कूलों की निर्भरता

स्कूल शिक्षा के लिए राज्य सरकारों के बजट के साथ भारत सरकार भी शिक्षा योजना के माध्यम से फंड का आवंटन करती है | वित्त वर्ष 2018-19 में भारत सरकार ने प्राथमिक से उच्चतर स्तर तक सभी बच्चों के लिए समावेशी और गुणवत्ता युक्त शिक्षा सुनिश्चित करने के उद्देश्य से समग्र शिक्षा योजना की शुरूआत की |

एकाउंटेबिलिटी इनिशिटिव द्वारा जारी समग्र शिक्षा बजट ब्रीफ के अनुसार यह योजना शिक्षा मंत्रालय की सबसे बड़ी योजना है | वित्त वर्ष 2021-22 में समग्र शिक्षा के लिए 31,050 करोड़ रुपये आवंटित किए गए |

शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में आज भी भारत के समक्ष कई चुनौतियां हैं, और महामारी के दौरान स्कूल बंद होने के कारण नयी मुश्किलें भी पैदा हो गयीं | सरकार द्वारा इन मुश्किलों को दूर करने के लिए अलग-अलग कदम उठाये गए |

महामारी के कारण स्कूल बंद होने से डिजिटल शिक्षा पर ज़ोर बढ़ा | सरकार ने सूचना व संचार तकनीक (ICT) तथा टेलीविजन, रेडियो, मोबाइल फोन और ऑनलाइन पोर्टल जैसे प्लेटफार्मों के माध्यम से डिजिटल सामग्री साझा करके शिक्षण को जारी रखने का प्रयास किया | डिजिटल माध्यम से शिक्षा प्रदान करने के लिए एक सर्वव्यापी कार्यक्रम ‘PM eVIDYA’ भी लॉन्च किया गया |

महामारी ने ICT पर निर्भरता बढ़ा दी, और शिक्षकों से इसका व्यापक उपयोग करने की उम्मीद की जाने लगी | लेकिन, महामारी से पहले सरकारी स्कूलों में ICT के लिए ज़रूरी बुनियादी ढांचे की उपलब्धता अधिकांश राज्यों में नहीं थी | समग्र शिक्षा बजट ब्रीफ के अनुसार 18 राज्यों के आंकलन से पता चला कि शैक्षणिक वर्ष 2018-19 में कुल सरकारी और सरकारी सहायता प्राप्त स्कूलों में से केवल 28 प्रतिशत के पास कंप्यूटर और 12 प्रतिशत के पास इंटरनेट कनेक्शन था | इंटरनेट कनेक्शन वाले स्कूलों की संख्या अधिकांश राज्यों के लिए 30 प्रतिशत से कम थी |

ज़मीनी स्तर के प्रयासों को समझने के लिए इनसाइड डिस्ट्रिक्ट श्रंखला के अंतगर्त हमने शिक्षकों और अभिभावकों से भी बात की | बातचीत से पता चला कि बच्चों के पास ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के लिए स्मार्टफोन, इंटरनेट जैसी सुविधाएँ नहीं हैं | अगर स्मार्ट फ़ोन और इंटरनेट की सुविधा है भी तो ग्रामीण क्षेत्र में नेटवर्क की समस्या रहती है | जिस घर में एक फ़ोन है, वहां पर अभिभावक काम पर फ़ोन ले कर जाते हैं और बच्चों के पास ऑनलाइन पढाई करने के लिए कोई संसाधन नहीं होता |

महामारी की वजह से सभी गतिविधियाँ प्रभावित हुईं, नामांकन पर भी इसका असर पड़ा | लेकिन सरकार को इन परिस्थितियों के बावजूद यह प्रयास करना है कि बच्चों और शिक्षकों को एक दूसरे से जोड़े रखें |

सीमा मुस्कान एकाउंटेबिलिटी इनिशिटिव में सीनियर पैसा एसोसिएट के पद पर कार्यरत हैं |

 

और पढ़ें: कोरोना आपदा और बिहार में शिक्षा की स्थिति

What Municipalities Do: A Framework for Research

This blog is part of a series unpacking the ‘PAISA for Municipalities‘ research which analysed urban local body finances in Tumakuru Smart City of Karnataka. The first part offers why the study was conducted, the backdrop to the study, and the researchers involved. It can be found here.

Any study of functional assignments to local governments begins with going through the legal provisions concerned with a fine-tooth comb. This is a task not meant for the impatient. The Karnataka Municipalities Act is a detailed legislation containing more than 400 sections. This Act was enacted in 1976, 18 years prior to the enactment of the 74th Constitutional Amendment and was not replaced by a new Act when the latter came into force. We had to wade through a legacy of outdated and repetitive provisions, as the law had accumulated amendments along the way.

A simple thumb rule for undertaking functional assignment analysis in India, would be to start with the Constitutional provisions. Article 243W gives States the flexibility to endow Municipalities with powers and responsibilities which enable them to function as effective institutions of self-government. This is with respect to the preparation of plans for economic development and social justice; and the implementation of schemes entrusted to Municipalities. An illustrative list of the subjects to which these schemes could pertain is listed in the 12th Schedule of the Constitution. There are 18 subjects, as seen in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Matters listed in the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution

We began with using these 18 matters as a template to classify the functions listed in the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act. However, we realised that many sections in the law listed out overarching taxation and regulatory powers that spanned many subjects listed in the 12th Schedule. Therefore, we decided to add Taxation and Regulatory Matters as separate and distinct functions in themselves, whilst unbundling functions listed in the law.

Then came the task of identifying functional categories or patterns, which cut across different sectoral areas. We identified 10 such cross-cutting activity categories, which are relevant and applicable to each of these matters (Table 2).

 

Table 2. Categories and sub-functions of activities

 

A grid was created, with functional sectors along the rows and functional categories along the columns, and each section of the law was read to allocate it to a box in the grid. It was a painstaking task, which my colleague Tanvi undertook with diligence.

At several junctures, we had to apply discretion while classifying activities under the most appropriate function. For example, where doubts arose as to whether a particular regulatory activity (such as imposition of fines, inspections etc.) should be classified under the relevant matter listed in the 12th Schedule or whether it should be classified under the generic function of regulation, a subjective assessment was made to determine under which function the activity fit most appropriately.

There would always be grey areas in such an approach, but the result was still useful, because it allowed us to step back and look at the larger pattern of the assignment of functions to Municipalities in Karnataka.

I shall describe our findings in my next blog.

T.R. Raghunandan is an Advisor at Accountability Initiative. 

 

Also Listen To: Following the Money in Tumakuru Smart City

Policy Buzz

Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news, published every fortnight.

Policy News

  • The implementation roadmap for school education (linked to the National Education Policy) dubbed ‘Students’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement through Quality Education (SARTHAQ)’ has been released.
  • End-of-term exams for class 10th have been cancelled, and class 12th postponed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) along with some state boards taking similar decisions. Meanwhile, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) has postponed exams for now too.
  • A new app called MANAS has been launched to promote mental health and wellbeing in India.

Coronavirus-focus News

Other News

‘Children Have Forgotten the Basics’

The ‘Inside Districts’ series launched in April 2020 is a one-of-its-kind attempt to capture the experiences of district and Block-level officials, panchayat functionaries, beneficiaries, and frontline workers, on their challenges and best practices.

This interview was conducted with a Teacher in Satara, Maharashtra in Hindi on 3 March 2021, and has been translated.

Q: Have schools reopened now?

Teacher: The schools have reopened now. Precautions are being taken. It is compulsory for school staff, including teachers, to get an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 and submit the report to the school administration.

Masks and social distancing are essential for students in the classroom.

Q: Has there been an impact on the learning of students because of the closure of schools last year?

Teacher: The lockdown and subsequent closure of schools has impacted students. They are not able to sit and concentrate in the classroom. Children are having trouble in understanding what we are teaching. They are not getting the basic concepts.

Q: How are you going to measure what students have learned online during the lockdown?

Teacher: For this, we were sending test papers on WhatsApp every week. However, now that the schools have reopened, we realise that students are having trouble answering the test paper.

As of now, we have not received any instructions from the government regarding remedial classes.

More experiences can be found on the dedicated Inside Districts platform.