The recent security breach in Parliament and the government's response to it. It highlights the.....

The recent security breach in Parliament and the government's response to it. It highlights the government's disregard for deliberative democracy and its stymieing of any debate on the issue of unemployment.

• The security breach in Parliament last week was a theatrical attempt to highlight the issue of unemployment.

• The government has stymied any debate over the issue in Parliament and has suspended a high number of Opposition legislators.

• 78 Opposition Members of Parliament were suspended on Monday, bringing the total number of suspensions to 92.

• Since 2014, only Opposition members have been subject to suspension, even for less severe offences.

• The functioning of a democracy involves deliberation and discussion among elected legislators.

• Recent parliamentary sessions in India have seen attempts to suppress the opposition, pass bills without adequate discussion, and limit amendments.

• Standing and parliamentary committees have been under-utilized.

• The focus has been on theatrics and one-upmanship rather than legislative business.

• These actions have led to India being characterized as an "electoral autocracy" and "partially free" by research institutions.

• The use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to target dissenters has further eroded democracy.

• The recent actions by the government are a cause for serious concern and contribute to the backsliding of democracy in India.

It is important to understand the role of the Governor in the Indian political system. This article discusses the conflict between the Governor and the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, highlighting the issues of political interference and partisan role played by Governors.

• Conflict between the Governor and the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala has become intense.

• Raj Bhavan's relations with non-BJP governments have been strained in recent years.

• The conflict arises from political and ideological differences.

• Appointees in Raj Bhavan have used their positions to cause annoyance to elected governments.

• Differences over appointments to the Senate of Kerala University have led to frequent protests.

• Student activists accuse the Governor of appointing right-wing sympathizers to the Senate.

• The Governor has complained about political interference in universities.

• Activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) put up posters against the Governor-Chancellor at the University of Calicut.

• The Governor has accused the Chief Minister and the State police of being behind the poster campaign.

• SFI activists previously blocked the Governor's car, resulting in arrests.

• Recent court judgments highlight the need to prevent unelected Governors from undermining elected regimes.

• The Supreme Court set aside a reappointment in Kannur University due to unwarranted government interference.

• Chancellors are expected to act independently, which can lead to clashes with the government.

• Organized protests should be avoided, and Chief Ministers should instruct their supporters to refrain from belligerent street protests.

• Legislation could be introduced to remove Governors as chancellors or transfer their powers to another authority, but obtaining the Governors' assent may be challenging.

• A long-term solution could be a statutory prohibition on Governors serving as chancellors of State universities, as recommended by the M.M. Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations.

The decreasing number of audit reports on the Union government's accounts that are tabled in Parliament. It highlights the trend of decreasing audits and the potential implications of this trend. Reading this article will provide you with insights into the functioning of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and its role in ensuring accountability in the government.

• The number of audit reports on the Union government's accounts tabled in Parliament has been decreasing in recent years.

• On average, 22 reports were tabled each year between 2019 and 2023, compared to 40 reports between 2014 and 2018.

• The number of reports tabled peaked in 2015 at 53, but in four of the past six years, 20 or fewer reports were tabled.

• The figures were obtained by scraping over 400 audit reports on the Union government from the CAG website.

• Similar trends were observed in various departments, such as the Railways Department and the Civil Department.

• The latest report available for the Defence Department dates back to 2017, and it is suggested that these reports are not easily accessible to prevent foreign entities from accessing sensitive information.

• The CAG is a constitutional authority that heads the Indian Audit and Accounts Department.

• The staff strength of the IA&AD has declined from 48,253 in 2013-14 to 41,675 in 2021-22.

• The number of IA&AS officers employed has decreased from 789 in 2014-15 to 553 in 2021-22.

• The audit and accounting staff strength has reduced from over 26,000 in 2013-14 to 20,320 in 2021-22.

• The total employees as a share of sanctioned posts have remained mostly stagnant, ranging between 66% and 75%.

• The vacancy position is expected to decrease in the coming months due to recruitment efforts.

• The budget allocated to the IA&AD has declined as a share of the Union Budget's total expenditure, from 0.19% in FY17 to 0.13% in FY24.

• In absolute terms, the budget allocated to the IA&AD has increased from ₹3,780 crore in FY17 to ₹5,806 crore in FY24, a 53% increase.

• This increase is much lower than the 128% increase in the Union Budget's total expenditure during the same period.