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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on February 21, 2025

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A first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh and an experienced municipal councillor, Gupta is set to become Delhi’s fourth woman CM

For Preliminary Examination:  Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS II - Indian Polity & Governance

Context:

A first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh and an experienced municipal councillor, Gupta is set to become Delhi’s fourth woman CM after she was handed the top job following the BJP legislature party meeting. After the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday afternoon, she will become the only woman CM of a BJP-ruled state or Union Territory at present.

Read about:

What is the New Delhi Declaration?

National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023

Key takeaways:

• Article 239AA was incorporated into the Constitution through the 69th Amendment Act of 1991, granting Delhi a special status based on the recommendations of the S Balakrishnan Committee, which was formed in 1987 to examine the city's demand for statehood.
• Under this provision, the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi is governed by an administrator and a Legislative Assembly. The Assembly is empowered to legislate on matters listed in the State List and Concurrent List, as applicable to Union Territories. However, subjects such as police, public order, and land remain outside its jurisdiction.
• The Supreme Court has interpreted Article 239AA in two landmark cases, in July 2018 and May 2023, which addressed the extent of the Delhi government's powers.
• Alongside the constitutional amendment in 1991, Parliament also enacted the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act to define the governance framework for Delhi’s Assembly and administration.
• In its 2018 ruling, the Supreme Court highlighted that Article 239AA was intended to establish a representative government in Delhi, ensuring a directly elected Legislative Assembly with legislative authority over relevant matters, barring the three excluded subjects. The judgment also emphasized that the Lieutenant Governor must act based on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers unless he chooses to escalate a matter to the President for a final decision.
• Furthermore, the court described Article 239AA as aligning the executive powers of the Delhi government with the legislative authority of its Assembly. It clarified that the Council of Ministers in Delhi holds authority over all subjects in the Concurrent List and all but three subjects in the State List.
• However, if Parliament enacts a law on any subject from these lists, the Delhi government's actions must align with the parliamentary legislation

 Follow Up Question

1.In the context of India, which one of the following is the characteristic appropriate for bureaucracy? (UPSC 2020)

A. An agency for widening the scope of parliamentary democracy

B. An agency for strengthening the structure of federalism

C. An agency for facilitating political stability and economic growth