POLICY ROUNDUP 2013

#Gender Justice
I reject the notion that my virtue is located in my vagina, just as I reject the
notion that mens brains are in their genitals.
- Testimony of a rape victim in Verma Committee report.
The more things change the more they remain the same.
- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.
The nightmare of December 16, 2012 changed considerably the discourse around
sexual abuse and rape and the place of women in our society. 2013 was a
watershed year in gender rights and awakening.
The girl, who was gang raped in a bus and left to die, inspired protests in Delhi and
elsewhere.
The Government, under public pressure, formed two committees:
The JS Verma commission: to suggest changes in criminal law to deal with sexual
violence against women.
and Usha Mehra Commission: to identify lapses in police and administrative
action on the night of Dec. 16 and more generally, in similar cases.

The J S Verma Committe report:

Conclusions
The existing laws are good enough to guarantee the safety of women. Its the
implementaion that counts.
Speedy justice is important for the law to be impactful.
Practically every serious breach of the rule of law

can be traced to the failure of performance by the

persons responsible for its implementation.

 Subordinate judiciary and lower courts need to be responsible. The High

Courts should sensitize the lower courts in cases of gender violence.

Police reforms should be urgently implemented.
Law enforcement agencies must be insulated from

any political or other extraneous influence, which

impedes their performance.
Transparency is important for the people to believe in the system and

participate in it.
If a victim is injured, she should be rushed to the nearest hospital-

government or private. Also, it is the responsibility of all doctors to provide

immediate care.
The Govt. of NCT of Delhi does not have any control of its police force.

This ambiguity must be resolved.

It is clear that denial of political rights to women

will cast a shadow on democratic right to a free

and fair election.
The nation has to account for all its missing

children.
The brutalities of the armed forces faced by

residents in the border areas have led to a deep

disenchantment, and the lack of mainstreaming of
such persons into civil society. Serious allegations
of persistent sexual assault on the women in such
areas and conflict areas are causing more
alienation.
Recommendations
All limbs of the State - the executive, the legislature as

well as the judiciary - must respect womens rights

and must treat them in a non-discriminatory

manner.
As a primary recommendation, all marriages in

India (irrespective of the personal laws under

which such marriages are solemnised) should
mandatorily be registered in the presence of a
magistrate, which magistrate will ensure that the
marriage has been solemnised without any
demand for dowry having been made and that the
marriage has taken place with the full and free
consent of both partners.
The manner in which the rights of women can be

recognised can only be manifested when they have

full access to justice and when the rule of law can
be upheld in their favour.
Since the possibility of sexual assault on men, as well as

homosexual,transgender and transsexual rape, is a reality.Any change in law

must reflect this.
Any officer, who fails to register a case of rape
reported to him, or attempts to abort its
investigation, should be punished.
A special procedure for protecting persons with

disabilities from rape, and requisite procedures for

access to justice for such persons is also an urgent
need.
A potocol based medical examination for victims of sexual abused.

Police Reforms:
The insensitivity of the police to deal with rape

victims is well known.

 The police respect a patriarchal form of society, and have been unable to

deal with extraordinary cases of

Humiliation and hardship caused by the khap panchayats, as is evident from
various judgments of the Supreme Court.
The police are involved in trafficking of

children (including female children) and in drug

trade.
To inspire public confidence, it is necessary

that there must not only be prompt

implementation of the judgment of the Supreme
Court in Prakash Singh, but also police officers
with reputations of outstanding ability and
character must be placed at the higher levels of the
police force.
Every Police commissioner and Director General of police of this country

must be selected in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court in

Prakash
Singhs case. Those in higher posts can lead by example.
To augment the police force, there is a need to

develop community policing by involving the

local gentry.
Street lighting everywhere would provide more

safety since dark areas are more prone to facilitate

crimes.
Street vending should be encouraged to make the

bus stops and footpaths safe for communities and

pedestrians, in addition to providing street food
for the common man.
The creation of a new constitutional authority akin to the Comptroller and

Auditor General for education, nondiscrimination,in respect of women and

children.

Reforms in respect of the political establishment:

Reforms are needed in the Representation of
People Act, 1951 to deal with criminalisation of
politics.
Declaration made by candidates during filing of nomination papers, of cases

pending against them should be checked and verified.

---------------------------------------------------------------------In response to the committee report, The govt. passed the Criminal law
(amendment) act.
It enhanced punishment in cases of rape, introduced death penalty in certain cases,
and expanded the ambit of law in some types of offences- like Voyeurism,
Stalking, Acid Attacks, etc.
Some important issues like removal of AFSPA, custodial rapes, marital rapes, child
trafficking etc. covered under the Verma committee report were conveniently
papered over.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

#SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Mother, sweet Mother, take me back, Into the bosom from whence I came!
Take me away from the cruel rack, Take me out of the parching flame!
- Bastard Born by Voltairine de Cleyre
The Parliament also passed the Sexual harassment at the workplace (Prevention
and Redressal) act in March 2013.
background:
The act is an extension of a judgement passed by SC in 1997. The resulting
guidelines came to be known as Vishakha guidelines.
Also the Indian govt. has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms
of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Salient features of the act:

The employer in a workplace has certain duties:
(a) providing a safe working environment;
(b) constituting an Internal Complaints Committee and conspicuously displaying
the order constituting the Committee;
(c) undertaking workshops and training programmes at regular intervals for
sensitizing employees;
(d) providing assistance during an inquiry; and
(e) initiating action against the perpetrator.
The ICC would have a senior woman employee, two employees of the org and a
woman NGO worker understanding gender issues.
Similarly, the DM is required to constitute a Local Complaints committee headed
by an eminent woman as the chairperson.
50% of the members of both committees should be women.
The ICC/LCC would look into the complaint and either attempt conciliation or
suggest penalties. Also, In case of a malicious complain it can punish the
complainant.
---------------------------------------------------------------#MANUAL SCAVENGING
What beauteous forms lie concealed beneath the veil of dirt.
- Ghalib
Prohibition of employment as manual scavengers and their rehabilitation bill
Salient provisions:
Insanitary latrines are prohibited. Local authorities would survey and

dismantle them and build sanitary latrines in their place.

No person or agency would construct insanitary latrines and engage any

person in acts of manual scavenging.

 The municipalities in urban areas would conduct a survey of manual

scavengers. The municipality would have the responsibility to rehabilitate

them.
In rural areas, the same would be done by the panchayats.

Responsibility to fixed on local bodies and the District magistrate.

Vigilance Committees: would be appointed by the state government to

advise the district authorities on implementation of the act, monitor the

rehabilitation of manual scavengers and oversee investigation against
offences.

Similarly the state governments would appoint state monitoring committees

to coordinate the agencies responsible for implementation and submit

periodic reports to the centre. At the national level, there would be a central
monitoring committee.
The national Commission of Safai Karmcharis would enquire into

complaints and would be able to take suo motu cognizance of case of non
implementation of the act.
Will it work?
In 1993, a similar act was passed Employment of manual scavengers and
construction of dry latrines (prohibition) act.
The 1993 act remained poorly implemented and its awareness was low.
DMs and police officers didnt even know that such an act existed and what
they were supposed to do under it.
Meanwhile, The Indian railways remains the single largest employer of
manual scavengers.
Positives:

This act is an improvement because the 1993 act only talked about
prohibition of scavenging but this act focuses on rehabilitation of scavengers
as well.
Negatives:
The act does not say what sanitary latrines mean. It does not talk about
technology and using mechanical means to dispose human waste.
The railways can continue to employ manual scavengers provided they give
them safety gears.
Implementation remains a concern because the responsibility of each
authority is fuzzy.

#PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Two progressive social legislations which are circulating around the Parliament
waiting to be passed:

What do you think you are, for Christ's sake, crazy or something? Well, you're not!
You're not! You're no crazier than the average a*#$*%# out walking around on the
streets and that's it!
- McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoos nest
Mental health Care bill :
(Has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha.)
Right to mental health care is the right of all persons. It should be affordable
and non-discriminatory.
A mentally ill patient has the right to decide the mode of treatment.
Suicide for mentally ill should not be a criminal offence

Community health centres under District mental health programme for

mentally ill people.(mentioned in the 12th plan)
All admissions to clinics beyond a period would be reviewed by a mental
health review commission. (Quasi Judicial body).
Free care for homeless, destitute and poor people suffering from mental
illness.
Right to confidentiality
Right to protection against cruel and inhuman treatment practices. The bill
restricts psychosurgery and bans the electric convulsive therapy without
anaesthesia.
Central and state mental health authorities to regulate mental care
institutions and train personnel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill

Disabilities=All kinds of disabilities- physical or mental.
Every person with disability is entitled to vote and he/she cannot be
denied this right.
The EC should make sure that all polling booths are accessible to
them or they should be offered the postal ballot facility.
Mentally unsound women have the right to fertility.
Private sector would be incentivized to provide reservation with persons
with disabilities.
---------------------------------------------------------

#JUDICIAL REFORMS:
What do all men in power want? More power.
- The Oracle in Matrix

Judicial Appointment Commission Bill:

All through the year the JAC bill fuelled controversies. In December it was
introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
Background:
How are judges appointed now?
1. The judges of the SC are appointed by the President. The seniormost judge
of the SC becomes the CJI and the rest are appointed by the President after
consulting* the CJI and other judges as deemed fit.
*The consultation is more or less binding.
2. Similarly, the CJ of a high court is appointed by the President after
consultations with the CJI and the Governor of the state. Other judges are
appointed after consulting the CJ of the high court.
This whole process is called as the collegium system.
So, whats wrong?
Judges appointing fellow judges= nepotism and favouritism and herd
mentality. Many such cases of corruption and favoritism have come up,
especially in high courts.
An activist, independent judiciary with no accountability to the Executive
and the Legislature= recipe for disaster.
One of the qualifications of the judge of a SC as mentioned in the
Constitution is that (the candidate) should be a distinguished jurist in the
opinion of the President. But this route of appointment is rarely taken
because the collegium of judges dont want a law professor or researcher to
be in their company, no matter how good he/she may be.In America, many
famous judges have come to the SC through this route.
What the JAC bill proposes?
The Bill seeks to enable equal participation of Judiciary and Executive, ensure that
the appointments to the higher judiciary are more participatory, transparent and
objective.

A Judicial Appointments Commission would appoint the judges. It would

be headed by the Chief justice of India and shall comprise of two other
senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Minister for Law and
Justice, and two eminent persons to be nominated by the collegium.*

*The collegium comprises the Prime Minister, the CJI and Leader of
Opposition of the Lok Sabha. The eminent members will retain membership
for a three year period and are not eligible for re nomination.
The Secretary in the Dept. of Justice would be its convener.
Functions of the JAC:

Appointment, transfers and maintaining the quality of the candidates.

It would recommend :

Appointment of CJI and other judges of the SC.

Appointment of Chief Justice and other judges of the High Courts, in

consultation with the Governor and CM of the state concerned.

Transfer of Chief Justice or other judge of a high court to another high

court.

The JAC would ensure that the recommended person is of ability, integrity
and standing in the legal profession.
NB: The appointment would be done by the President even in this model.
Only the method is being made a formal and transparent one.
Reference to the JAC, in case of vacancies, would be done by the Union
Govt.
------------------------------------------------------------------#Security/ S&T issues:
The Agricultural Biosecurity Bill, 2013
Where grows?where grows it not? If vain our toil,
We ought to blame the culture, not the soil.
-Alexander Pope, Essay on Man
It was introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2013. It aims to combat bioterrorism
by regulating the entry of pests and weed into the country.
Bioterrorism = terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of

biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, or toxins, and may be in a
naturally occurring or a human-modified form.
(from Wikipedia)
why is it important?
Our agricultural production as well as public health can be threatened if an
invasive bio agent enters into the country from outside our borders.
International agreements and trade pacts demand certain sanitary standards in
food/agri products. So our standards have to be in sync with the international
norms.
What the bill proposes?
1. setting up an authority- The Agriculture Biosecurity authority of India, HQ at
faridabad.
2. it would be under the jurisdiction of and fully financed by the Central Govt.
3. headed by a Director General, appointed by the central government, and
comprise experts in plant and animal pests and diseases, and representatives of
various ministries and organisations.
4. All the existing institutions dealing with pest control and bio security would be
brought under it.
5. The BAI would:
(i) regulate the import and export of plants, animals and related products;
(ii) prevent the introduction of quarantine pests from outside India; and
(iii) implementing post-entry quarantine measures. It can issue directions to
importers and exporters of such products for the discharge of its functions.
6. The Authority may notify any pest to be a quarantine pest. It can also notify an
area to be a controlled area if it suspects or determines that the area is infested or
infected with a quarantine pest.
7. The Authority may recommend that the central government declare a biosecurity

emergency in an area in case of an outbreak, distribution, or spreading of a pest or

organism, which has the potential to cause a significant loss to biosecurity.
8. The Authority shall act as the national organisation to discharge obligations
under various international conventions such as the International Plant Protection
Convention.
9. The BAI could impose penalties on persons/groups which indulge in violating
guidelines.
Concerns over the bill:
Some states have come on board saying that it gives complete powers to the BAI
and the centre to override the states, particularly for a protected area or in case of
biosecurity emergency.
--------------------------------------------------------------Another bill over similar issues which has been introduced is
The Biotechnology regulatory Authority of India bill:
1. The Bill sets up an independent authority, the Biotechnology Regulatory
Authority of India (BRAI), to regulate organisms and products of modern
biotechnology. (like GMOs).
2. BRAI will regulate the research, transport, import, containment, environmental
release, manufacture, and use of biotechnology products.
3. A Biotechnology Regulatory Appellate Tribunal will hear civil cases that involve
a substantial question relating to modern biotechnology and hear appeals on the
decisions and orders of BRAI.
The Tribunal will consist of one judicial member and five technical members.
technical members = eminent scientists or government officials with experience in
the field.
4. Regulatory approval by BRAI will be granted through a multi-level process of
assessment undertaken by scientific experts.

Concerns over the bill:

Many.
As you can see the substantial question relating to modern biotechnology could be
any question that the govt. sees fit. Like the introduction of Bt Cotton and Bt
brinjal seeds or whether to mark GM products or not.
The scientific community is divided over GM issues. So the selection of technical
members, who would include govt. officials, would certainly raise questions.
---------------------------------------------------------------

#Land / Urban Development:

The Real Estate ( Regulation and development) Bill, 2013:
The main aim of the bill is to regulate the Real estate sector. Many people are
duped through false advertisements of upcoming flats, housing projects etc.
1. The Bill seeks to establish Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) at the
state level for the regulation and development of the real estate sector.
2. A central Advisory council would advise the centre on the implementation of the
bill.

3. Real Estate Appellate Tribunal = A tribunal, consisting of a chairperson and two

members, shall be established to settle disputes related to the provisions in the Act.
It shall have the powers of a civil court.
4. The RE agents have to register themselves with the RERA of theie state.They
must
(a) make information about the project available to the allottee.
(b) compensate the allottee on any damages incurred as a result of false
advertising. ( So no more false adverts with morph images promising the moon)
(c) not accept more than 10% of the total cost of the building without entering into
a written agreement with the allottee.
The guy buying the RE piece would have a right to seek valid info on projects.
-----------------------------------------------------------National Right to Homestead bill, 2013:
How bewildering is the desolation!
Sight of the wild reminds me of home.
-- Ghalib
Homestead = a dwelling house and its sorrounding land or any such estate where
one lives.(Chambers dictionary)
Key Features:
Ensures right to hold homestead of not less than 10 cents for every shelterless poor
family in rural areas.
poor family in rural areas= Landless/homeless rural families who do not pay
income tax and whose incomes < 84,000 p.a.
Right to homestead to be inherited but cannot be transferred to a new owner.
Title of homestead would be granted to an adult woman member of the family.

A national homestead guarantee fund would be established. Contribution: centre

75% and states 25%.
Allotment of lands, allotment of homesteads, determination of eligibility, social
audit etc. would be done by state govts.
-------------------------------------------------------------The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
This land is your land, this land is my land
This land is made for you and me.
- Woodie Guthrie
The bill replaces the colonial land acquisition act of 1894.
Key features of the bill:

Before acquiring a piece of land, a social impact assessment would be done

= finding out how many people would be displaced, whether they could get
another piece of land nearby, whether the acquisition would affect the local
informal economy etc. The Social impact assessment would be done by the
state, along with an Environmental impact assessment.
All acquisitions require rehabilitation and resettlement to be provided to the
people affected by the acquisition.
Compensation for the owners of the acquired land shall be four times the
market value in case of rural areas and twice in case of urban areas.
In case of acquisition of land for use by private companies or public private
partnerships, consent of 80 per cent of the displaced people will be required.
It would be the responsibility of the private company to provide provisions
of rehabilitation and resettlement.
The provisions of this Bill shall not apply to acquisitions under 16 existing
legislations including the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, the Atomic
Energy Act, 1962, the Railways Act, 1989, etc.
The govt. can still aquire land for atomic power plants,dams, SEZs
etc. In short, it can still forcefully acquire land (Koodankulam,
Jaitapur etc) if it serves some public purpose.

Dispute authority: A Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement

Authority to be established
Lease option: The Bill allows industry to take land on lease, instead of
buying. But the decision rests with the state rather than the landowner.

Why is industry upset?

With SIA and EIA and then 80% consent requirements, the whole process
of land acquisition would be slowed down.
Four times market value in rural areas would make land very expensive.
The cost of projects would go up manyfolds.
Why are farmers upset?
PSUs and govt. would still play with the old rules. 16 previous acts for land
acquisition would remain in force.
In some states or in some areas within a state, where land is much in
demand, farmers could get much more than 5 times the market value.
Irrigated farmland out of acquisition ambit for non-farm uses. But state can
decide to what extent farmland should be protected. The farmer does not
have any say in the matter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Street vendors (Protection of livelihood and regulation of street
vending) Bill:
The idea is to give legal protection to street vendors and to try to regularize
the massive informal economy built around street hawkers, fast food stalls
etc.
Key Features:
1. A survey of vendors would be done and vendors would be given licenses
by the Town vending Committee.
2. Anybody above 14 years of age can get registered as a street vendor.
3. As long as a vendor follows the terms of license, he cannot be forcibly
removed , neither his property confiscated by the police.
This is a huge plus because vendors frequently run in trouble with police
or local babus who demand bribes.
4. The Town vending committee would demarcate certain areas as exclusive
vending zones.

#TARGETED VIOLENCE
Prevention of Communal and targeted violence (Access to justice and
reparation) Bill:
Has been cleared by the cabinet.
There have been many versions of the bill. Here, I have tried to combine the broad
ideas of all versions but kept mostly to the latest NAC version.
The idea behind the legislation:
Almost all riots in post independence India show a common pattern:
A fighting/ rivalry/personal spat in an already tense neighborhood takes vicious
turn and becomes a full blown riot.
Almost all political parties and religious or casteist organisations try to take
political advantage of the smouldering atmosphere.
Police forces and dist. Administration usually either do not act, or act too late, or
act in a discriminatory way.
Committees are set up and cases drag on. Almost in all cases, perpetrators escape
and even become political stars while people are marginalized in relief camps.
What the bill aims at?
To make the Union and state government behave in a responsible and non
discriminatory manner to prevent and control targeted violence against
religious minorities
SCs and STs
linguistic minorities
to fix responsibility on public administration and punish them in case or dereliction
in duty.
to secure equal access to justice

to provide protection to vulnerable communities after the violence, and to provide

compensation
and rehabilitation to them.
Mechanism:
the bill establishes a National Authority for Communal Harmony, Justice and
Reparation .
Composition:
a Chairperson, a Vice-Chair-person and five other Members.
at all times, there shall be 1. one Member belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes;
2. four women , whether Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson or Member;
at all times, one woman, whether Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson or Member, shall
belong to a religious or linguistic minority.
at all times, not more than two Members, including the Chairperson and ViceChairperson, shall be retired public servants.
There would be a secretary general = an officer of the rank of secretary in GoI.
The appointments would be done by a selection committee, consisting of:
The Prime Minister - Chairperson
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Minister in-charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Government of India
Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission
Functions :
it would receive info on buildup of tension in sensitive areas, visit relief camps,etc.
and prepare schemes for releif and rehabilitation of victims.
It would have the powers of a civil court i.e it can request parties to submit
representations and conduct inquiries. For inquiries, it can take the help of any
investigation agency recommended by the Centre and the States concerned.

would monitor and review the performance of civil authorities.

would prepare an annual report to be submitted in the parliament.
Similarly, there would be State Authorities for Communal Harmony, justice
and reparation.
Responsibility of State and district administration:
A victim of targeted violence, whether she belongs to a minority or not, would
have a right to rehabilitation and compensation.
It would be the duty of the state government and the District admin to provide
relief and to ensure immediate safety of victims and internally displaced people
(IDPs).
The State govt. has to set up relief camps for IDPs and ensure their security and
provide minimum facilities.
A State Assessment Committee and district assessment committees would be
formed by the state to
estimate loss of life and property
ensure compensation to the victims
prepare reports on cause of violence and measures
taken.
--------------------------------------------------------------------#MISCELLANEOUS
Policy/Schemes/ programmes / ideas that did the rounds in 2013:
#Innovation:
Innovation Universities:
the govt has introduced a bill - Universities for research and innovation bill- to
set up Central Universities for research and innovation.

These universities would be given central funds and provided academic, research
and financial autonomy.
Also, under UGC's scheme on innovation universities, existing universities which
introduce innovative programs would be given extra funds.
-----------------------------------------------------------Health:
Rashtriya baal Swasthya karyakram:
seeks to provide Comprehensive healthcare to children under 18 years of age.
early detection of diseases and medical intervention.
Child health screening centres in each block along with mobile health units.

Bachelor of Rural healthcare course:

There is a massive shortage in health professional in rural areas. MBBS degree
holders who have spent lakhs on education do not want to work in a village with
low govt. pay and no facilities.
So, the Health ministry proposed a three year course on bachelor of Science
(Community healthcare) course. District health colleges would provide the degree
and the passouts would be posted in rural health clinics as community health
workers.
Standing committee concerns:
Two separate kinds of degrees would create disparity in quality of rural and urban
healthcare.
Most District colleges are ill equipped to provide any quality degree.
The focus should be on increasing the no. of colleges and increasing the no. of
seats and courses.

National urban health mission(NUHM): was launched on the lines of the

national Rural health mission. It seeks to take care of the primary health care needs
of the urban poor.
there would be an urban community health centre for every 5-6 primary health
centres for big cities.
Auxiliary midwives and ASHA workers for 200-500 households.
Universal reproductive health care.
----------------------------------------------------------Sports:
Mukul Mudgal committee :
was appointed by the Sports ministry to draft the National Sports Development
Bill.
The Bill proposes :

To establish a national Olympic committee which would:

Function as per the Olympic charter,
bid for sports events,
conduct the regular national games and
create a transparent redressal mechanism for complaints by athletes.

To bring all sports federations who wish to use the 'India tag under the RTI.
There would be an accreditation system for all sports federations.

To set up an Athletes commission- to work for the improvement in

standards, and to provide logistic support to athletes and sport bodies.

A Sports election commission to conduct free and fair elections to sports

bodies and to bodies set up under this act.

An Ethics commission will enforce a code of ethics in sports. The Central

government will frame rules against doping, sexual harassment of athletes
etc.

For grievance redressal- an appelate sports tribunal.

One version of the bill was earlier rejected by the Cabinet as many ministers have
been holding posts in sports bodies for decades.
Disambiguation: Mukul Mudgal is heading another committee tasked to update
the Indian Cinematograph act. This committee is looking into into film certification
methods, film censorship etc.
------------------------------------------------------------Water:
National Water Framework Bill:
A committee under Y K Alagh was formed to prepare the draft.
Water is a state subject. But since it is a precious and a disappearing natural
resource, its use should be according to nationally accepted guidelines treating it as
a community resource.
Key Features the draft prepared by the Alagh committee:
The efficient mangement of water resources would follow the national water policy
(2012).
A river basin should be the basic hydrological unit to plan and manage water
resources.
Every individual has a right to a minimum quantity of potable water >= 25 Litres
per capita per day. It is up to the state govt to specify the levels guaranteed.
Each state shall establish an independent statutory Water Regulatory authority for
fair distribution and pricing of water resources.

For water of inter state rivers, water distribution between states would be through
specific legislations. In may 2013, National Policy guidelines for
sharing/distribution of river waters between states and Union territories was
released. The guidelines are recommendatory in nature.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

#Centre-State Revenue Sharing:

The Raghuram Rajan committee for evolving a composite development index for
states:
The committee was asked to form a method to holistically identify backwardness
of states so that planning could be done accordingly and funds could be devolved
in a more rational manner.
The committee came up with a multidimensional index to measure backwardness.
It recommended that all states be allocated 0.3% of overall funds and extra
allocations would be given depending on extra needs and on the performance of
the states.
Based on this method, the least developed states come out to be:
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, MP, Meghalaya,
Odisha, Rajasthan and UP.
And the most developed states are, in ascending order:
Haryana, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa. Goa being
the most developed.

By
Mukesh Yadav

Sources:
The Hindu, The new Indian express;
Magazines/Journals: Outlook, Frontline, Economic and Political Weekly;
Websites: GoI-Press Information Bureau, PRS legislative research.
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