Governance and Administration: Which Government Authority Do I Approach ?

 In the this part of “Which Government Authority do I Approach?” we demystify the institutional framework of issues related to the “Governance and Administration” Category in our report cards.

 Here is a table of the parameters, followed by a more detailed explanation. 

	Concerned Level of Government
	Central	State	Local
Law & Order		√
Getting Work Done in Govt Offices	NA
e-governance		√
Inflation/Price Rise	√
Poverty Reduction	√	√
Disaster Management	√	√	√

 Law and Order falls under the ‘State List’ of the Constitution’s 7^th Schedule. State governments are thus responsible for maintaining public order, specifically the police forces. In Union Territories, the Central Government is responsible for deploying police forces. This has often been at the forefront of the public discourse, especially in Delhi. Although Delhi is no longer a Union territory, its police force remains accountable to the Union Home Ministry, which was a contentious matter in the aftermath of the gang rape incident on December 16, 2013. The issue was once again publicised during the brief leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, who protested against the alleged non-cooperation of the police with Somnath Bharti, who was then Delhi’s law minister.

 Getting Work Done in Government Offices: This concern will remain specific to the government office that you are dealing with. Since it concerns execution, it is advisable to identify the specificMinistry or Department that is responsible, and whether it is at the Union or State level. Our previous blog may help.

 e-governance: While the Union Ministry of Communication and IT has drawn up a national e-governance plan, states remain at the helm of its implementation, through agencies such as State Data Centres (SDCs), State Wide Area Networks (SWAN), and State e-governance Service Delivery Gateways (SSDGs).

 Inflation and Price Rise,though listed in the Concurrent list of the Constitution’s 7^th schedule, falls largely under the Central Government’s mandate in actuality. This is in accordance with the nature of India’s federal system, wherein finance, defence and foreign affairs remains under the centre’s control.

Many debates have taken place on measures to curb inflation and price rise in Parliament over the last few years.

 Poverty Reduction is a broad category that incudes several social sector schemes, which may aim to provide housing, employment, or social security to individuals. The Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), which is the Central Government’s flagship scheme in providing housing to the underprivileged is partially funded, and fully implemented and monitored by State Governments. Similarly, State and Local Governments implement employment and benefit schemes initiated by the Central Government. Local Governments may also undertake efforts toward poverty alleviation, as per the 12^th Schedule of the Constitution, which pertains to the responsibilities of rural and urban local bodies. Chandigarh’s municipal corporation has an ‘Urban Poverty Alleviation & Livelihood Cell,’ which identifies the urban poor and formulates schemes for their upliftment.

 Disaster Management interventions can be undertaken by all levels of government depending on the nature of the disaster. In 2005, the Central Government enacted the Disaster Management Act, which established the

 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)for policy formulation, and guidelines that states should follow for effective disaster management. State Governments and Districts are also mandated to establish a State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), and a District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) under this Act. In Pune, the municipal corporation functions as the regional disaster management centre.[1]

 Saanya Gulati is Outreach and Research Manager at I for India Foundation. This is the third of a four-part series on ‘Which Government Authority Do I Approach?,’ which deconstructs the governance framework for each of I for India’s Report Card categories.

 [1]Pune Municipal Corporation to Monitor Disaster Management Activities, Times of India