Assignment Code: BPAC-103/TMA/2022-23

Course Code: BPAC-103

Assignment Name: Administrative System at Union Level

Year: 2022-2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Assignment A

Answer the following questions in about 500 words each.

Q1) Discuss the administrative system of Gupta period. 20 marks

Ans) It was found that the Gupta dynasty's way of running things was similar to that of the Mauryan Empire. When the Guptas were in charge, there was peace in India's government. During this time, the Empire was divided into different parts for running the government, such as Rajya, Rashtra, Desha, and Mandala. This shows how important decentralisation of administrative power is. People have said that the time of the Guptas was India's golden age.

Central Administration: The Guptas had a good monarchy. To keep things running smoothly, the Empire's most powerful individual was the emperor. The Mantri Parishad, a ministerial council, advised the emperor. Mantri Mukhya, the state's Prime Minister, was a key member of the council, which convened frequently. The Mahasandhi Vigrahaka, Amatya, Mahabaladhikrita, and Mahadandnayaka oversaw additional portfolios including law and order.

Administration at the Provincial Level: The Guptas were the ones who set up a system of regional and local government. The Empire was broken up into sections called "Bhukth." Each Bhukti was in charge of a "Uparika," who was in charge of the whole empire. In the past, the Bhuktis were divided into areas called Vishayas, and a Vishayapati was in charge of each Vishaya. Most people thought that the Vishayapatis were members of the royal family. The members of the House of Representatives helped them do their jobs.

Administration at the Local Level: The city was run by a group called the Parishad, and Nagara-Rakshaka was the leader of that group. The Nagara-Rakshaka, which was under his command, was in charge of an extra officer named Purapala Uparika. A person named Avasthika was the Superintendent of Dharamsalas for a short time. Gramika was the real leader of the village. In addition to the headman and Kartri, there were also people who were called Dutas or messengers. Gramika got help from the group of people in her village. During the Gupta period, the welfare of the villagers was taken care of by local government bodies like Panchayats.

Revenue Administration: Tax systems were run by people like Viniyuktaka, Rajuka, Uparika, Dashparadhika, and others. The most important thing was land income, which was the most important source of income. It was usually set to one-sixth of the total amount of food made. The Gupta kings helped build irrigation systems, which made it possible to grow more food.

Administration of the Judiciary: Compared to earlier times, the size of the judiciary grew a lot when the Guptas were in charge. During this time, a number of legal works were written, and for the first time, the difference between civil law and criminal law was made clear.

Military Administration: The army of the Gupta rulers was very large. During this time, it was common to keep an army around all the time, as well as to use cavalry and horse archery. The inscriptions talk about the Senapati, Mahasenapati, Baladhikrita, Mahabaladhikrita, Dandanayaka, Sandhivigrahika, and Mahasandhivigrahika. At the time the inscriptions were made, these were the most important military officers in charge of military administration. There were four parts to the military: the intelligence division, the cavalry division, the elephant division, and the navy.

Trade and Business: The Empire did business with many different countries, including China, Ceylon, a number of European countries, and the East Indian islands. This gave the Empire more economic and military power, which led to the Empire taking over more states and expanding its territory.

Q2) Describe about the organization and functions of Union Public Service Commission and Election Commission. 20 marks

Ans) Organization and functions of Union Public Service Commission and Election Commission as follows:

Union Public Service Commission

The Public Service Commission was set up by the Government of India Act of 1919. A Central Public Service Commission was set up in 1926, with a lot of help from the Lee Commission. In 1937, the Simon Commission told them to change the name to the Federal Public Service Commission. India got its independence in 1947, but the Commission kept doing its work the same way until 1950.

The Commission was renamed the Union Public Service Commission of India when the Constitution of India went into effect in 1950. According to Article 315 of the Constitution, there are three kinds of Public Service Commissions. The UPSC works for the Union, the SPSC works for a single state, and the Joint PSC works for two or more states.

Composition: UPSC members include a chairperson. The President of India decides the number of members, however the Constitution of India doesn't mention. Usually, six to ten persons. The UPSC had four members and a chairperson in 1950. The UPSC has ten members and a chair. The President selects the Commission Chair and other members under Article 316. At least half of the Commission's members must have worked for the Indian or state government for at least ten years when appointed by the President.

Functions: Matters relating to methods of recruitment to civil services and civil posts. Principles to be followed in making appointments to civil services and in making promotions and transfers. It also lays down principles to be adhered to ascertain the suitability of candidates for such appointments, promotions, and transfers.

The power to extend the functions of the Commission vests in the Parliament. An Act of the Parliament can bring the services of any local or autonomous body under the purview of the Commission.

Election Commission

Regular elections are the most important part of a democracy. Free and fair elections must be held on a regular basis in a democratic system, and this is a key part of the Constitution. People in India think of the Election Commission as the guardian of elections. Article 324 of the Constitution of India says that an independent Election Commission must be set up so that free and fair elections can be held in the country. From 1989 on, every political party had to register with the Commission.

Composition: According to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Rules, 1992, the CEC, who are usually retired IAS officers, will get the same salaries and allowances as the judges of the Supreme Court of India. The Commission's secretariat is in New Delhi, where the offices of the CEC, ECs, Deputy ECs, Director Generals, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, and Under Secretaries are located. The CEC of India can be fired according to the same rules that apply to judges of India's Supreme Court. The President of India can get rid of the ECs if the CEC tells him or her to do so.

Functions: The EC supervises, directs, controls, and conducts free and fair elections in the country. It prepares the electoral rolls of each constituency of Lok Sabha, as also of the State Vidhan Sabha . The electoral rolls are revised and updated after every decadal census and also before every election. Commission has the power to designate political party insignia and no two different political parties are allowed to use the same insignia. In an attempt to decriminalize politics, the EC has approached the Supreme Court to put a lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections.

Assignment B

Answer the following questions in about 250 words each.

Q3) Highlight the changes that took place in Indian Administration post-Independence. 10 marks

Ans) The 1950 Constitution took effect. The old Constitution, in place while Britain was in authority, had different purposes and nature. The new Constitution established a Parliamentary Democracy. Union and state governments formed federal government. Union and state public service commissions selected the top applicants. Directive Principles of State Policy and citizen rights and duties were established. These and other laws increased public administration duties.

Development and Welfare: When India was no longer ruled by a colonial power, the Constitution of India was written for the country. The first part was the Preamble. The Preamble wants to make sure that all citizens have social, economic, and political justice, freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship, and equal status and opportunities. It also wants to encourage fraternity among all citizens, which will protect the dignity of each person and the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The State should try to make sure that there aren't too many differences in income and that there aren't any differences in status, facilities, and opportunities for its citizens.

Popular Participation in Administration: At the end of the 1950s, Panchayati raj was the most important way for rural people to take part in the administration of rural development. The first step of this public involvement was community development. The Right Information Bill was passed by Parliament on May 11, 2005, and it went into effect on October 12, 2005.

Electronic Governance: ICT is being used more and more to make government services better. E-governance is the use of technology to run government systems in this way. E-governance projects take different forms, but they all use IT tools and applications, like computers and the internet, as well as information systems like GIS, MIS, and others. In May 2006, the GoI launched the National E-Government Plan (NEGP). Digital India has also been started to make India a society and economy based on digital technology.

Q4) Briefly discuss the unitary features of the Indian Constitution. 10 marks

Ans) Unitary Features of Indian Constitution

Absence of word ‘Federation’ in the Constitution: The word "federation" isn't in our Constitution, which is a clear sign that it wasn't used. The people who made India's constitution may have done this on purpose to keep India's spirit as a whole. In India's Constitution, the country is called a "Union of States."

Single Constitution for the Union and States: The Constitution gives the Union and the state governments their power. Each state does not have its own set of laws. This makes sure that everyone follows the law the same way.

Single Citizenship: Indian Constitution does not provide for dual citizenship. Every citizen of India is Indian by birth. There is only one nationality.

Centre’s Supremacy: In a federation, each government should be free from the other, and neither government should be able to interfere with the freedom of the other. In our federation, the Center is more powerful than the states. Because of its strong political, economic, and financial position, the Centre can make progress in the province. This is not in line with the spirit of the federation. The "distribution of powers" is the most important part of federalism. It is not just the "distribution of powers," but also the constitutional guarantee of state autonomy that makes the "distribution of powers" so important. In India, a strong centre with a lot of power can always show that it is more important than the states.

Provisions regarding Emergency: The emergency powers are set out in Articles 352, 356, and 360. They are given to the President of India and can be used when either of three things happen: a threat to the nation's sovereignty, a breakdown of constitutional machinery in a state, or financial instability or bankruptcy in any government. These powers have such a wide range of effects that they change the Indian state into a single, unified one.

Q5) Examine the relationship between secretariat and executive. 10 marks

Ans) There are both directorates and field agencies that are in charge of putting government policies into action. The people who work in these offices are experts in their fields. Based on how the government works, the executive agencies have been set up in different ways to meet the needs of the job.

Generalists from the All-India Services work in the secretarial offices. The relationship between the secretarial offices and the executive branch must be one of cooperation and coordination. They are not supposed to work as separate and independent entities when doing government work.

The ministry and executive departments can work together as one big group. The Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways are two examples. Another is the Posts and Telegraphs Board and the Ministry of Communications. This pattern works best for businesses and organisations that do business-related work.

At the same time, the head of the executive department is a senior official in the ministry. In this way, he or she is responsible for both making policies and carrying them out. The Director-General of Food is the Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture. This person helps plan and carry out food-related programmes.

The office of the ministry is now part of the executive department. The same office is used for both ministerial and executive tasks. The benefit is that a draught policy proposal only needs to be looked at once by the relevant official. This saves money, time, and effort.

Even though the ministry and the executive department still have their own offices, they share a file bureau in the executive office.

Assignment C

Answer the following questions in about 100 words each.

Q6) Write a note on Government of India Act, 1935. 6 marks

Ans) The Government of India Act of 1935 set up a court system to make sure that the federal principle was followed. The Federal Court of India was its name. This court was the highest court in India until 1950, when the Supreme Court of India was set up by the new Constitution.

The Constitution of India has a number of rules about how the judiciary is set up, what it does, and what powers it has. It made the legal system in the whole country the same. It sets up a judicial system with three levels: the Supreme Court of India, which is the highest court in the country; the High Court, which is the highest court in each State and Union Territory; and a lower court in each State and Union Territory. But the Constitution has specific rules about the Supreme Court and High Courts of India. It also gives the States control over the lower courts.

Q7) What do you mean by Public Interest Litigation (PIL)? 6 marks

Ans) The Supreme Court of India got involved, and as a result, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was created in India. The main focus of PIL is on the solutions asked for under Article 32/ 7/ 2268 of the Constitution of India. There are a lot of things that contributed to the rise of PIL in India. These include the rights of people who are socially and economically disadvantaged, the rights of taxpayers, violations of the public interest, the rights of prisoners, workers, retirees, consumers, victims of pollution, and others that showed the courts were willing to try new things and guaranteed the right to free legal aid. The Supreme Court of India came up with the idea of Public Interest Litigation (PIL). By making the rule of locus standi less strict, the Supreme Court has been a key player in making this new "tool" official.

Q8) Discuss the role and functions of Cabinet Committees. 6marks

Ans) The cabinet uses the committee system to make it easier to make decisions in certain areas. The business rules say that the cabinet must have standing committees so that important political and economic decisions can be made quickly and so that administrative tasks can be coordinated. These committees are put together based on what needs to be done and are sometimes created on the spot. The committees of the cabinet will work on clearly defined areas that need in-depth study and can take some of the work off the shoulders of the cabinet. These committees make sure that there is flexibility because they give ministers from different departments a place to meet and talk about problems and work. The flexibility lets people talk about specific issues in order to come to an agreement.

Q9) Give a note on the Indian Forest Service. 6 marks

Ans) The All-India Services Act of 1951 led to the creation of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) in 1966. Its goal was to protect, preserve, and restore forest resources. The UPSC gives written tests and interviews to people who want to join. Even though it is part of the AIS, it is not a general public service. It's a very specific kind of service. It is run by the DoP & AR, which is responsible for making rules about things like personnel. After being chosen, the new hires go through a three-month foundational course with other successful candidates from the AIS and CS. After the foundation course, probationers go to their own academy, the Indian Forest Institute in Dehradun, for a two-year training course. At the end of that time, they have to pass an exam before they are officially posted. Officers get enough training to be able to serve in even the most difficult parts of the country.

Q10) Elaborate upon the concept of Administrative Tribunal. 6 marks

Ans) Administrative Tribunals are the quasi-judicial bodies that settle disagreements about how public employees are hired and what their working conditions are. An Administrative Tribunal is neither just a court nor a government office. Instead, it is a mix of the two. Article 323A says that Parliament can set up Administrative Tribunals to hear disputes and complaints about how Central and State government employees are hired and what their working conditions are like. Such courts need to be set up at both the federal and state levels, and each state or group of states needs its own court. In order to follow the rules in Article 323A, Parliament passed the Administrative Tribunal Act in 1985. This law covers everything that is mentioned in clause (1) of Article 323A.