States and State LegislaturesTelangana Government’s Response to COVID-19Akhil N.R.- May 1, 2020As of April 30, Telangana has 1,012 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (9thhighest in the country).  Of these, 367 have been cured, and 26 have died.  In this blog, we summarise some of the key decisions taken by the Government of Telangana for containing the spread of COVID-19 in the state and relief measures taken during the lockdown.Movement RestrictionsFor mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in the state, the Government of Telangana took the following measures for restricting the movement of people in the state.Closure of commercial establishments:On March 14, the government ordered for theclosureof cinema halls, amusement parks, swimming pools, gyms and museums until March 21 which was later extended toMarch 31.Lockdown:To further restrict the movement of people, the state and central governments announced lockdown in the state and country.  The lockdown included: (i) closing down state borders, (ii) suspension of public transport services, (iii) prohibiting congregation of more than five people.  The entities providing essential commodities and services were exempted from these restrictions.Starting from April 20, the central governmentallowedcertain activities in less-affected districts of the country.  However, on April 19, the state governmentdecidednot to allow any relaxation in Telangana until May 7.Health MeasuresTelangana Epidemic Diseases (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020:On March 21, the governmentissuedthe Telangana Epidemic Diseases (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020.  The regulations are valid for one year.  Key features of the regulations include:(i) All government and private hospitals should have dedicated COVID-19 corners,(ii) People who had travelled through the affected areas should be home quarantined for 14 days,(iii) Procedures to be followed in the containment zones among others.Private Hospitals:On March 22, for increasing the availability of healthcare facilities in the state, the governmentissuedan order prohibiting private hospitals from performing any elective surgeries.  The hospitals were also instructed to have separate counters for respiratory infections.Increasing the health workforce in the state:On March 30, the government issued notification for the recruitment of medical professionals on ashort term basis.Prohibition on spitting in public places:On April 6, the Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare departmentbannedspitting of paan, any chewable tobacco or non-tobacco product, and sputum in public places.Welfare measuresTo mitigate the hardships faced by the people, the government took various welfare measures. Some of them are summarized below:Relief assistance:On March 23, the governmentannouncedthe following measures:12 kg of rice will be provided for free to all food security cardholders.One-time support of Rs 1,500 will be provided to all food security card holding families for buying essential commodities such as groceries and vegetables.Factories:On March 24, the governmentdirectedthe management of factories to pay the wages to all workers during the lockdown period.Migrant Workers:On March 30, the governmentdecidedto provide 12 kg of rice or atta and one time of support of Rs 500 to all migrant workers residing in the state.Regulation of school fees:On April 21, the governmentorderedall private schools not to increase any fees during the academic year of 2020-21.  The schools will charge only tuition fees on a monthly basis.Deferment of collection of rent:On April 23, the governmentnotifiedthat house owners should defer the rent collection for three months.  Further, the owners should collect the deferred amount in instalments after three months.Administrative MeasuresDeferment of salaries:The governmentannounced75% deferment of salaries of all the state legislators,  chairperson of all corporations and elected representatives of all local bodies.  The government employees will have salary deferment from 10% to 60%.  Employees of thePolice Department, Medical and Health Department, andsanitation workersemployed in all Municipal Corporations and Municipalities are exempted from deferment of salary.Chief Minister's Special Incentives:The government granted special incentives to certain categories of employees as follows:Medical and Health Department:The employees of the Department of Medical and Health were given an additional 10% of their gross salary as an incentive forMarchandApril,Sanitation personnel:The sanitation employees of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were given 7,500 rupees and the sanitation personnel of other local bodies were provided 5,000 rupees as incentives forMarchandApril,Police:The police personnel were awarded an additional 10% of their gross salary as an incentive forApril.For more information on the spread of COVID-19 and the central and state government response to the pandemic, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»


States and State LegislaturesOdisha Government’s Response to COVID-19Akhil N.R.- April 29, 2020As of April 28, Odisha has 118 cases of COVID-19.  Of these, 37 have been cured, and 1 person has died.  In this blog, we summarise some of the key decisions taken by the Government of Odisha until April 28 for containing the spread of COVID-19 in the state.Before the lockdownOn March 24, the state government enforced state-wide lockdown.  Before enforcing it, the state government took several measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 besides declaring it as aState disasteron March 13.   Some of the key measures are summarised below.Health MeasuresThe Odisha COVID-19 Regulations, 2020:On March 18, the GovernmentissuedThe Odisha COVID-19 Regulations, 2020.  These regulations are valid for a year.  As per these regulations, both government and private hospitals must have dedicated COVID-19 isolation facilities.Foreign returnees: On March 16, the Governmentissuedan order for foreign returnees to: (i) mandatorily register on COVID portal within 24 hours of their arrival (ii) home quarantine themselves for 14 days.  An incentive of 15,000 rupees will be provided for registration and completing home quarantine.Prisons:On March 17, the Government releasedprecautionary measuresto be taken in prisons by authorities and inmates.  Newly admitted prisoners should be quarantined in different wards for a week. From March 18,e-Mulakatwas allowed in District headquarters jails.Private Health Care Facilities:On March 19, the Department of Health and Family Welfare issuedguidelines for Private Health Care Facilities.  The guidelines specify the hospitals to have a COVID-19 specific counter with separate entrance, regulating the entry of visitors, and infection control measures.Media:On March 21, the Department of Health and Family Welfareissuedguidelinesto the media not to publish any information or interview the infected persons, their relatives, doctors and support medical staff of them.Increasing the health workforce in the state:The Department of Health and Family Welfare issued an order on March 23 for the engagement of Staff Nurses and other Paramedics on ashort term basis.  The hired employees will be provided with additional incentives.Administrative MeasuresState crisis management committee:On March 4, a State crisis management committee wasformedto take policy decisions regarding cluster containment.Prohibiting strikes of employees:On March 21, the government issued anorderprohibiting any strikes by employees engaged in the supply of drinking water and sanitation in urban local bodies.  The order is valid for six months.Public and private establishments:On March 21, the governmentrequestedall public and private establishments not to terminate the employees or reduce their wages.Movement RestrictionsClosure of commercial establishments:On March 13, the Department of Health and Family Welfareorderedfor the closure of cinema halls, swimming pools, gyms and educational institutions except for holding examinations until March 31.Suspension of bus services:On March 23, the Department of Health and Family Welfare issued an ordersuspendingintra-state bus services from March 24 and City bus services in all urban local bodies from midnight of March 23.Lockdown in few districts:On March 21, the governmentannouncedlockdown in five revenue districts and eight towns of the state until March 29.  The lockdown involved (i) suspension of public transport services (ii) closure of all commercial establishments, offices, and factories (iii) banning the congregation of more than seven people at any public place.During the lockdownWith two cases in the state, on March 24, the governmentextendedthe lockdown to the entire state till March 29.  Establishments engaged in the supply of essential goods and services were excluded from this lockdown.This was followed by anation-wide lockdownenforced by the central government between March 25 and April 14, nowextended till May 3.   Before the extension announced by the central government, the state governmentextended the lockdownin the state till April 30.Starting from April 20, the central governmentallowedcertain activities in less-affected districts of the country.  Further, on April 24, the Ministry of Home Affairsallowedthe opening of certain categories of shops with a limited workforce.Welfare MeasuresThe Odisha government announced several welfare measures to address the difficulties being faced by people during the lockdown.  Key measures include:Temporary shelter for migrants:On March 28, the governmentorderedDistrict collectors and Municipal Commissioners to use closed down schools and hostel buildings as temporary shelters for the migrants.Provision of food in rural areas:On March 30, the governmentdecidedto provide hot cooked food for needy people in rural areas at affordable prices.  Two meals per day will be provided at Rs 60 for adults and Rs 45 for children per day.Compensation to family members:The Odisha government will be givingcompensationof fifty lakh rupees to the family members of the employees who may die due to COVID-19 and are not covered under insurance scheme of the central government.Administrative MeasuresOrdinances:As the State Assembly is not in session, the government promulgated two ordinances.The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020: On April 7, the government promulgated an ordinance to deal with COVID-19 spread.  The Ordinance amends Section 2 and 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.  The Act provides for the prevention of the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases.  The ordinance amends the act to increase the penalty for individuals committing the offences under the act.The Odisha Contingency Fund (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020: On April 9, the Odisha Government promulgated Odisha Contingency Fund (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.  The ordinance increases the corpus of the contingency fund from 400 crores to 2000 crores.  Thecontingency fundis generally used for meeting any unforeseen expenditure.Setting up control rooms:On March 26, the Home department set up around the clock control roomfor monitoring the issues regarding the implementation of lockdown and stranded Odias in various parts of the country.  On March 27 and 28,three control roomswere set up in Bhubaneswar and Delhi for the migrant labourers.Deferment of salaries:The governmentannounced70% deferment of salaries of all the elected representatives of the state and 50% deferment for the employees of All India Services such as IAS and IPS.Implementation of MGNREGS:On March 31, the Department of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Waterissuedan advisory for the implementation of MGNREGS.  Key measures include: (i) Job cards will be provided to people interested in doing unskilled works, (ii) Individual works up to 5 persons is allowed (iii) Hand wash and safe drinking water should be provided at the worksites.Essential Goods and ServicesOn March 25, the governmentauthorisedcertain authorities to issue passes for the free movement of essential goods.For facilitating the movement of goods, the governmentallowedthe opening of roadside dhabas, and vehicle repair shops situated on Highways.  These should be located outside of towns and cities.Health MeasuresAmendments to Odisha COVID-19 regulations, 2020On April 3, the governmentaddedfollowing provisions to the Odisha COVID-19 regulations, 2020: (i) additional duties and responsibilities of hospitals and local bodies such as infection control measures in hospitals among others. (ii) state government or empowered officers can declare any government or private hospital as COVID hospital.On April 9, wearing masks were madecompulsoryfor the people stepping out their houses and were included in the regulations.On April 16, the government included the ‘prohibition of spitting in any form in public places’ into the regulations.Short term engagements:On March 27, the government invitedsenior professionalshaving expertise in various sectors such as health care management, international logistics, and charities to work as Honorary Advisors to Government on a voluntary basis.  The government issued an order forengagement of microbiologistson a short term basis.Training of MBBS students-On March 28, the governmentdecidedto train the MBBS students of all medical colleges studying 7th, 8th and 9th semesters and deploy them if there is a rise in the number of cases in future.  Training of government establishments was taken up in the first phase. Private colleges were also requested to train doctors and students simultaneously.Additional resources:On April 6, the State Executive Departmentauthorizedthe Principal Secretary, Department of Health to requisition the services of anybody having expertise in public health care management.  When the need arises, the government can use the services of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nursing staff from government or private organisations to assist the state government.Support to personnel fighting the Pandemic:On April 22, the governmentannouncedcertain measures to support the personnel fighting COVID-19 in the state. They areThe Government will invoke theNational Security Act, 1980against the individuals causing violence to any member of the medical community such as doctors, nurses, and health workers.While on duty, if any government employee dies due to COVID-19, the family will get the salary until the retirement date of the deceased employee.The cremation of the individuals dying due to COVID-19 on duty will be honoured by the state as usually accorded to the martyrs.Handling the return of migrants from other parts of the country:On April 19, the Revenue and Disaster Management department issued an advisory toGram PanchayatsandUrban Local Bodiesfor handling the influx of migrants from other parts of the country, once the lockdown is over.  The advisory has the following steps.(i) All local bodies should have registration facilities.  People returning from other states should register through their relatives or family members.(ii) All persons arriving from various states will be quarantined for 14 days.(iii) An incentive of 2,000 rupees will be provided to the people for completing the quarantine period in the quarantine facilities.For more information on the spread of COVID-19 and the central and state government response to the pandemic, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»


States and State LegislaturesTamil Nadu Government’s Response to COVID-19Anoop Ramakrishnan- April 29, 2020On January 17, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfareacknowledgedthe emergence of COVID-19 pandemic that was spreading across China.  Tamil Nadureportedits first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 7, 2020.   As of April 28, the state has 1,937confirmed casesof COVID-19 (seventh highest in the country).  Of these, 1,101 have recovered (third highest rate of recovery in the country among states with 100 or more cases) and 24 have died.  The state government has taken several actions to contain the spread and impact of COVID-19.  In this blog, we look at the key measures taken by the Tamil Nadu government between January 19 and April 28, 2020.Initial phaseThe Tamil Nadu government came out with aseries of responsesbetween January 19 and February 1.  These included: (i) readying Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) at state and district levels, (ii) setting up of a 24/7 control room, (iii) thermal scanning of air travellers from China, (iv) creating isolation wards in the General Hospitals of four major cities, and (v) running appropriate awareness campaigns.Some of the other early measures are summarised below:Health measuresOn March 13, the Governor declared COVID-19 to be anotified diseasein the state of Tamil Nadu, under theTamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939.  Notifying a disease allows for incidences of the disease to be mandatorily reported to the government and in turn, helps authorities to respond with appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the disease.On March 15, the government prescribed theTamil Nadu COVID-19 Regulations, 2020.  These regulations detail the responsibilities of hospitals and individuals, and the powers of officials in relation to the diagnosis, treatment, and containment of COVID-19. These include (i) creation of isolation wards in hospitals, (ii) containment measures in an area once positive cases are detected, and (iii) mandatory 14-day home isolation for asymptomatic air travellers from COVID-19 affected countries.On March 15, the government also mandated a 14-day institutional isolation for all air travellers toprevent import of infectionsfrom other states.  The state also initiated setting up of testing camps and conducting disinfectation drives in the border districts.Travel and MovementOn March 15, the government notified aseries of instructionsthat restricted the movement of people in the state.  These include (i) shutting down of establishments, such as, educational institutions (up to Class 5), theatres, malls etc, and (ii) banning of inter-state travel for 15 days.On March 16, the government announced additionalrestrictionstill Mar 31, such as, closure of: (i) anganwadis and making alternate provision of dry ration for children at their homes, (ii) swimming pools, amusement parks, gyms, zoos, museums, bars, clubs etc, and (iii) all educational institutions, except the conduct of practical exams for class 10 and 12, and various entrance exams.State borders were sealed offfor road traffic, except for movement of essential commodities, from March 20 to March 31.Public transportation services, such as metro rail and inter-state private buses, were also suspended till March 31.The Prime Minister asked the country to observe aJanta Curfewfrom 7 am to 9 pm on March 22,. The state government furtherextended this curfewto 5 am on March 23.  Following this, the government immediately announced astate-wide lockdownfrom March 24 up to April 1.On April 5, the government issued anadvisoryfor the quarantine of migrant workers and the conduct of health camps for them.Welfare MeasuresOn March 15, the government announced financial assistance of a total ofRs 60 croreto various departments, such as, health, transport etc, to take precautionary measures to combat COVID-19.On March 24, the government announced the distribution ofcash support of Rs 1,000to all entitled family cardholders.  Further, they were also eligible for free supply of essential commodities such as rice, dal, sugar, etc, during the month of April, through the Public Distribution System (PDS).During the lockdownA state-wide lockdown was announced from March 24 to April 1, followed by anation-wide lockdownbetween March 25 and April 14.  On April 13, the state-wide lockdown wasextendedup to April 30. This was followed by theextensionof the nation-wide lockdown from April 15 to May 3. Under this, certain activities could be resumed after April 20.Some of the key measures undertaken during the lockdown period are:Travel and movementAmidst the lockdown, on March 25, the governmentnotifiedthat establishments providing essential goods and services, which were allowed to operate.  These included establishments such as  (i) police forces, (ii) treasury, (iii) public utilities, (iv) banks, (v) media, (vi) telecommunications, and (vii) shops dealing with food, groceries etc.  Further, on March 28, the government permitted a fewagriculture-related establishmentsto operate, such as, Mandis, fertiliser shops, and agencies involved in procurement of agriculture products.AnExpert Committeeformed by the state government to formulate guidelines for phased exit from lockdown after April 20, recommended the extension of the lockdown till May 3.  Certainselect activitieswere, however, permitted to resume operations from April 20 onwards. These include (i) MNREGA works related to irrigation and water conservation, (ii) rural construction projects on irrigation, dam safety, hospital buildings, roads and bridges, and (iii) state and central government offices at one-third capacity.In view of rising number of cases, on April 24, stringent curfew orders were passed in the districts of (i)Chengalpattu, (ii)Kancheepuram, and (iii)Thiruvallur. The curfew will be imposed between April 26 and April 29, from 6 am to 9 pm, and with more stringent restrictions than under the ongoing nation-wide lockdown, such as, (i) petrol bunks to operate only between 8 am and 12 noon, and (ii) supermarkets and shops to remain shut.Curfew orders were passed in5 more districts.  In Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, curfew is imposed between 6 am and 9 pm from April 26 to April 29.  In Salem and Tiruppur, curfew was imposed from April 26 to April 28.Welfare MeasuresOn March 30,   the government announced a cash assistance ofRs 1,500 per monthto be credited into the bank accounts of differently-abled persons.  It also announced thattransgenders without ration cards, were eligible to receive 12kg of rice, 1kg of dal, and 1 litre of cooking oil, from fair price shops (FPS).Further, a cash assistance of Rs 1,000 was announced for (i)all ration card holdersthrough FPS, (ii)registered auto drivers and construction workers, (iii) members ofTN Cine Welfare Board,  and (iv)match factory workers.On April 2, the government announced aconcession packageto manufacturers of COVID-19 related medical equipment, who will commence production before July 31, 2020. The package applied to both MSMEs and large manufacturers of equipment, such as, ventilators, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits and medicines.  Some of the concessions include: (i) 30% capital subsidy, upto Rs 20 crore, (ii) 100% stamp duty waiver, (iii) 6% interest subvention for capital loans for two quarters, (iv) commencement of manufacturing without prior approval, and (v) provision of necessary land on priority basis for short-term/long-term leases, etc.Rs 50 lakh grant wasannouncedto the families of frontline workers in the event of their unfortunate demise.  If infected by COVID-19, they are eligible for Rs 2 lakh assistance towards treatment costs.  In certain cases, if eligible, their kin would also receive a government job offer.On April 7, the government announced thatMLALAD fundscould be utilised for COVID-19 prevention and containment activities. A total of Rs 1.25 crore can be utilised towards prevention, containment, treatment, and purchase of medical equipment, PPEs etc.Health MeasuresOn April 2, the government released a list ofdesignated COVID-19 hospitalsin the state. Instructions were issued to refer all COVID-19 positive cases exclusively to these designated hospitals. However, willing citizens were alsopermittedto approach private hospitals, at their own cost. Private hospitals were further instructed to establish dedicatedfever clinicsto cope with the increasing load of flu and fever cases.Amidst a rise in the number of cases, on April 4, the government issued instructions to: (i) avoid all kinds of religious gatherings, (ii) hospitals to not show religious bias in treating patients, and (iii) doctors to coordinate with the government and check in on the mental health of quarantined patients via video conferencing facilities such as Skype.On April 5, the government issuedcluster containment measuresto stop the transmission, morbidity, and mortality associated with the further spread of COVID-19. This was in response to the large number of imported infections from the attendees of the Nizamuddin conference in Delhi.Various guidelines were issued towards (i)treatment protocolof COVID-19 positive patients, (ii) appropriate management ofsuspect casesof COVID-19, (iii)dead body management, (iv) criteria for classification ofhotspots, and (v) protocol for use ofRapid Antibody Testsin hotspot areas.Resource Management:On March 27, the Chief Ministerannouncedan additional COVID-19 related recruitment of doctors and lab technicians. The recruited members were to join within three days of the notification. On April 25, an additional 1,323nurseswere also recruited.A two-month extension was announced to the tenures of medical professionals retiring onMarch 31andApril 30.The government also instructed District Authorities to ensure theprotectionof doctors and other hospital staff who are being forcefully evicted from their houses by landlords. As a measure to develop immunity against COVID-19, the government, on April 25, alsorecommendedproviding Zinc and Vitamin tablets, and herbal powder to all personnel on frontline duty in containment areas.Other MeasuresAdministrative:Eleven committeeshave been formed to coordinate implementation of various welfare programmes. In all districts, Crisis Management Committees have been formed under the district collector.Education: The conduct ofsemester examinationsin universities and colleges is postponed to the beginning of the next academic year, as and when the institutions reopen. Private colleges and schools were alsoinstructedto not compel students/parents to pay pending dues for 2019-20 or advance fees for 2020-21.Industry:On April 22, the government released a list of industries classified ascontinuous process industries. These are companies where the production lines are functioning 24/7. The list includes (i) refineries, (ii) large steel plants, (iii) large cement plants, (iv) sugar mills, (v) large paper mills, (vi) tyre manufacturers etc.Technology:The government launched aWhatsapp Chat Botfor providing latest information and guidance related to COVID-19 in both Tamil & English.For more information on the spread of COVID-19 and the central and state government response to the pandemic, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»


PolicyCentral Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic (Apr 20-27, 2020)Anya Bharat Ram- April 27, 2020As of April 27, 2020, there are 27,892 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India.  Since April 20, 10,627 new cases have been registered.  Out of the confirmed cases so far, 6,185 patients have been cured/discharged and 872 have died.  As the spread of COVID-19 has increased across India, the central government has continued to announce several policy decisions to contain the spread, and support citizens and businesses who are being affected by the pandemic.  In this blog post, we summarise some of the key measures taken by the central government in this regard between April 20 and April 27, 2020.Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; PRS.LockdownRelaxation of lockdown for shops in specific areasOn April 25, the Ministry of Home Affairs passed anorderallowing the opening of: (i) all shops in rural areas, except those in shopping malls, and (ii) all standalone shops, neighbourhood shops, and shops in residential complexes in urban areas.  Shops in markets, market complexes, or shopping malls in urban areas are not allowed to function.  Only shops registered under the Shops and Establishments Act of the respective state or union territory will be allowed to open.  Further, no shops can open in rural or urban areas that have been declared as containment zones.  The order also specifies that the sale of liquor continues to be prohibited.Functioning of Central Administrative Tribunals to remain suspendedThefunctioning of Central Administrative Tribunals will remain suspended until May 3, 2020.  Once functioning begins, certain days already declared as holidays may be reassigned as working days.  This decision was made keeping in mind that most of the Central Administrative Tribunals are located in COVID-19 hotspots.Financial measuresRBI announces Rs 50,000 crore special liquidity facility for Mutual FundsThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to open aspecial liquidity facility for mutual funds(SLF-MF) worth Rs 50,000 crore.  This will ease liquidity pressures on mutual funds.  Under the SLF-MF, RBI will conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate.  The SLF-MF will be available for immediate use, and banks can submit their bids to avail funding.  The scheme is available from April 27 to May 11, 2020, or until the allocated amount is utilised, whichever is earlier.  RBI will review the timeline and amount of the scheme, depending upon market conditions.  Funds availed under the SLF-MF can be used by banks exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of mutual funds.  This can be done through: (i) extending loans, and (ii) undertaking outright purchase of and/or repos against collateral of investment grade corporate bonds, commercial papers, debentures, and certificates of deposits held by mutual funds.RBI extends benefits of Interest Subvention and Prompt Repayment Incentive schemes for short term crop loansThe Reserve Bank of India has advised banksto extend the benefits of Interest Subvention of 2% and Prompt Repayment Incentive of 3%for short term crop loans up to three lakh rupees.  Farmers whose accounts have become due or will become due between March 1, 2020 and May 1, 2020 will be eligible.Protection of healthcare workersThe Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 was promulgatedTheEpidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020was promulgated on April 22, 2020.  The Ordinance amends the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.  The Act provides for the prevention of the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases.  The Ordinance amends the Act to include protections for healthcare personnel combatting epidemic diseases and expands the powers of the central government to prevent the spread of such diseases.  Key features of the Ordinance include:Definitions:The Ordinance defines healthcare service personnel as a person who is at risk of contracting the epidemic disease while carrying out duties related to the epidemic.  They include: (i) public and clinical healthcare providers such as doctors and nurses, (ii) any person empowered under the Act to take measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease, and (iii) other persons designated as such by the state government.An ‘act of violence’ includes any of the following acts committed against a healthcare service personnel: (i) harassment impacting living or working conditions, (ii) harm, injury, hurt, or danger to life, (iii) obstruction in discharge of his duties, and (iv) loss or damage to the property or documents of the healthcare service personnel.  Property is defined to include a: (i) clinical establishment, (ii) quarantine facility, (iii) mobile medical unit, and (iv) other property in which a healthcare service personnel has direct interest, in relation to the epidemic.Protection for healthcare personnel and damage to property:The Ordinance specifies that no person can: (i) commit or abet the commission of an act of violence against a healthcare service personnel, or (ii) abet or cause damage or loss to any property during an epidemic.  Contravention of this provision is punishable with imprisonment between three months and five years, and a fine between Rs 50,000 and two lakh rupees.  This offence may be compounded by the victim with the permission of the Court.  If an act of violence against a healthcare service personnel causes grievous harm, the person committing the offence will be punishable with imprisonment between six months and seven years, and a fine between one lakh rupees and five lakh rupees.  These offences are cognizable and non-bailable.For more details on the Ordinance, please seehere.Financial aidProgress under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan PackageAccording to the Ministry of Finance, between March 26 and April 22, 2020, approximately 33 crore poor people have been givenfinancial assistance worth Rs 31,235 crorethrough bank transfers to assist them during the lockdown.  Beneficiaries of the bank transfers include widows, women account holders under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, senior citizens, and farmers.  In addition to direct bank transfers, other forms of assistance have also been initiated.These include:40 lakh metric tonnes of food grains have been provided to 36 states and union territories.2.7 crore free gas cylinders have been delivered to beneficiaries.Rs 3,497 crore has been disbursed to 2.2 crore building and construction workers from the Building and Construction Workers’ Funds managed by state governments.For more information on the spread of COVID-19 and the central and state government response to the pandemic, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»


States and State LegislaturesRajasthan Government’s Response to COVID-19 (till April 26)Anoop Ramakrishnan- April 26, 2020As of April 26, Rajasthan has 2,083confirmed casesof COVID-19 (fifth highest in the country), of which 493 have recovered and 33 have died.  On March 18, the Rajasthan government had declared astate-wide curfewtill March 31, to check the spread of the disease.  A nation-wide lockdown has also been in placesince March 25and is currently,extended up to May 3.  The state has announced several policy decisions to prevent the spread of the virus and provide relief for those affected by it.  This blog summarises the key policy measures taken by the Government of Rajasthan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Early measures for containmentBetween late January and early February, Rajasthan Government’s measures were aimed towardsidentification, screening and testing, andconstant monitoringof passenger arrivals from China.  Instructions were also issued to district health officials for variousprevention, treatment, & controlrelated activities, such as (i) mandatory 28-day home isolation for all travellers from China, (ii) running awareness campaigns, and (iii) ensuring adequate supplies of Personal Protection Equipments (PPEs).  Some of the other measures, taken prior to the state-wide lockdown, are summarised below:Administrative measuresThe government announced the formation of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), at themedical college-leveland atdistrict-levelon March 3 and 5, respectively.The District Collector was appointed as theNodal Officerfor all COVID-19 containment activities.Control Roomswere to be opened at all Sub-divisional offices.  The concerned officers were also directed to strengthen information dissemination mechanisms and tackle the menace of fake news.Directives were issued on March 11 to rural health workers/officials to report forduty on Gazetted holidays.  Further, government departments wereshut downbetween March 22 and March 31.  Only essential departments such as Health Services were allowed to function on a rotation basis at 50% capacity and special / emergency leaves were permitted.Travel and MovementAir travellers were to undergo14-day home isolationand were also required to provide an undertaking for the same.  Besides, those violating the mandated isolation/quarantine were liable to bepunished under Section. 188of the Indian Penal Code.  Penalties are imposed under this section on persons for the willful violation of orders that have been duly passed by a public servant.All institutions and establishments, such as (i)educational institutions, theatres, and gyms, (ii)anganwadis, (iii)bars, discos, libraries, restaurantsetc, (iv)museums and tourist places, were directed to be shut down till March 31.The dailyJan Sunwaiat the Chief Minister’s residence was cancelled until further notice.  Various government offices were directed toshut downand exams of schools and colleges were postponed.On March 24, the government issued astate-wide banon the movement of private vehicles till March 31.Health MeasuresAdvisories regarding prevention and control measures were issued to: (i)District Collectors, regarding sample collection and transportation, hotels, and preparedness of hospitals, (ii)Police department, to stop using breath analysers, (iii)Private hospitals, regarding preparedness and monitoring activities, and (iv)Temple trusts, to disinfect their premises with chemicals.The government issued Standard Operating Procedures for conductingmock drillsin emergency response handling of COVID-19 cases.  Training and capacity building measures were also initiated for (i)Railways, Army personnel etcand (ii)ASHA workers, through video conferencing.A modelmicro-plan for containing local transmissionof COVID was released.  Key features of the plan include: (i) identification and mapping of affected areas, (ii) activities for prevention control, surveillance, and contact tracing, (iii) human resource management, including roles and responsibilities, (iv) various infrastructural and logistical support, such as hospitals, labs etc, and (v) communication and data management.Resource Management: Private hospitals and medical colleges were instructed toreserve 25 % of bedsfor COVID-19 patients.  They were also instructed toutilise facultyfrom the departments of Preventive and Social Medicine to conduct health education and awareness activities.Over 6000 Students ofnursing schoolswere employed in assisting the health department to conduct screening activities being conducted at public places, railways stations, bus stands etc.Further, the government issued guidelines to ensure therational use of PPEs.Welfare MeasuresThe government announced financial assistance, in the form ofencouragement grants, to health professionals engaged in treating COVID-19 patients.Steps were also taken by the government to ensurespeedy disbursal of pensionsfor February and March.The government also initiated the replacement of the biometric authentication with anOTP process for distribution of rationvia the Public Distribution System (PDS).During the lockdownState-wide curfew announced on March 18 has been followed by a nation-wide lockdown between March 25 and May 3. However, certainrelaxationshave been recommended by the state government from April 21 onwards.  Some of the key measures undertaken during the lockdown period are:Administrative MeasuresAdvisory groups and task forces were set up on – (i)COVID-19 prevention, (ii)Health and Economy, and (iii)Higher education.  These groups will provide advice on the way forward for (i) prevention and containment activities, (ii) post-lockdown strategies and strategies to revive the economy, and (iii) to address the challenges facing the higher education sector respectively.Servicesof retiring medical and paramedical professionals retiring between March and August have been extended till September 2020.Essential Goods and ServicesADrug Supply Control Roomwas set up at the Rajasthan Pharmacy Council.  This is to ensure uninterrupted supply of medicines during the lockdown and will also assist in facilitating home delivery of medicines.The government permittedFair Price Shopsto sell products such as masalas, sanitisers, and hygiene products, in addition to food grains.Village service cooperativeswere declared as secondary markets to facilitate farmers to sell their produce near their own fields/villages during the lockdown.AWhatsapp helplinewas also set up for complaints regarding hoarding, black marketing, and overpricing.Travel and MovementOnce lockdown was in place, the government issued instructions to identify, screen, and categorisepeople from other stateswho have travelled to Rajasthan.  They were to be categorised into: (i) people displaying symptoms to be put in isolation wards, (ii) people over 60 years of age with symptoms and co-morbidities to be put in quarantine centres, and (iii) asymptomatic people to be home quarantined.On March 28, the government announced theavailability of busesto transport people during the lockdown.  Further,stranded students in Kotawere allowed to return to their respective states.On April 2, aportaland ahelplinewere launched to help stranded foreign tourists and NRIs.On April 11, ane-pass facilitywas launched for movement of people and vehicles.Health MeasuresTo identify COVID-19 patients, district officials were instructed to monitorpeople with ARI/URI/Pneumoniaor other breathing difficulties coming into hospital OPDs.  Pharmacists were also instructedto not issue medicinesfor cold/cough without prescriptions.A mobile app –Raj COVID Info– was developed by the government for tracking of quarantined people.  Quarantined persons are required to send their selfie clicks at regular intervals, failing which a notification would be sent by the app.  The app also provides a lot of information on COVID-19, such as the number of cases, and press releases by the government.Due to the lockdown, people had restricted access to hospitals and treatment.  Thus, instructions were issued to utilise Mobile Medical Vans fortreatment/screeningand also asmobile OPDs.On April 20, adetailed action planfor prevention and control of COVID-19 was released.  The report recommended: (i) preparation of a containment plan, (ii) formation of RRTs, (iii) testing protocols, (iv) setting up of control room and helpline, (v) designated quarantine centres and COVID-19 hospitals, (vi) roles and responsibilities, and (vii) other logistics.Welfare MeasuresThe government issued instructions to make medicines available free of cost to senior citizens and other patients with chronic illnesses through the Chief Minister’sFree Medicine Scheme.Rs 60 crore was allotted toPanchayati Raj Institutionsto purchase PPEs and for other prevention activities.A one-timecash transfer of Rs 1000to over 15 lakh construction workers was announced.  Similar cash transfer of Rs 1000 was announced forpoor people who were deprived of livelihoodduring the lockdown, particularly those people with no social security benefits.  Eligible families would be selected through the Aadhaar database.  Further, an additionalcash transfer of Rs 1500to needy eligible families from different categories was announced.The state also announced an aid of Rs 50 lakh to the families offrontline workerswho lose their lives due to COVID-19.To maintain social distancing, the government will conduct adoor-to-door distributionof ration to select beneficiaries in rural areas of the state.  The government also announced the distribution offree wheatfor April, May, and June, under the National Food Security Act, 2013.  Ration will also be distributed to strandedmigrant families from Pakistan, living in the state.The government announcedfree tractor & farming equipment on rentin tie-up with farming equipment manufacturers to assist economically weak small & marginal farmers.Other MeasuresEducation:Project SMILEwas launched to connect students and teachers online during the lockdown.  Study material would be sent through specially formed Whatsapp groups.  For each subject, 30-40 minute content videos have been prepared by the Education Department.Industry:On April 18,new guidelineswere issued for industries and enterprises to resume operations from April 20 onwards.  Industries located in rural areas or export units / SEZs in municipal areas where accommodation facilities for workers are present, are allowed to function.  Factories have been permitted toincrease the working hoursfrom 8 hours to 12 hours per day, to reduce the requirement of workers in factories.  This exemption has been allowed for the next three months for factories operating at 60% to 65% of manpower capacity.For more information on the spread of COVID-19 and the central and state government response to the pandemic, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»


States and State LegislaturesDelhi Government’s Response to COVID-19 (till April 23, 2020)Akhil N.R.- April 24, 2020As of April 23, Delhi has 2,248 cases of COVID-19.  After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Delhi has the highest number of cases in the country.  On March 22, when the number of cases rose to 29, the Delhi governmentannouncedlockdown in the state until March 31, to contain the spread of COVID-19. This has been followed by anation-wide lockdownby the central government between March 25 and May 3.  In this blog, we summarise some of the key measures taken by the state government in response to COVID-19 so far.Before the lockdownOn March 8, with three cases of COVID-19 in the state, the Department of Health and Family Welfare decided to carry out anawareness driveat various crowded places during Holi.  Along with it, the government also took several other steps for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in the state.  Some of these measures are summarised below.Health MeasuresDisinfecting the vehicles:On March 11 and 12, the government ordered to disinfectminibuses,school busesandschool cabsdaily.The Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020:On March 12, with six cases of COVID-19, the Delhi government notifiedThe Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020.  These regulations are valid for a year.  Key provisions include:(i)  All government and private hospitals should have dedicated flu corners.(ii) home quarantine for people who have travelled through the affected areas, and(iii) Certain persons authorised under the Regulations, with the approval of the State Task Force, can take necessary measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, such as: (i) sealing a geographical area, (ii) restricting the movement of vehicles and people, and (iii) initiating active and passive surveillance of COVID-19 cases.Movement RestrictionsEducational institutions: On March 12, the government ordered theclosureof all educational institutions up to March 31.  The students writing examinations were allowed to attend them along with the staff.   However, on March 19, the governmentorderedthe postponement of exams until March 31.Public gatherings:On March 13, the government issued an orderprohibitingthe gatherings of over 200 people such as seminars, conferences, and Indian Premier League cricket matches.   This was further restricted to50 peopleon March 16, and to20 peopleon March 19 when the number of cases rose to 12.Between March 12 and March 16, the government ordered the closure ofcinema halls,public swimming pools,gyms, and night clubs until March 31.   On March 19 and 20,sports complexesandshopping mallswere also ordered to be shut down.Restaurants and private establishments:On March 19, allrestaurantswere ordered to discontinue sitting arrangements until March 31.  Private establishments wereorderedto allow their employees to work from home till March 31.Delhi-Kathmandu bus service:On March 20, the governmentsuspendedthe Delhi-Kathmandu bus service, officially known as the Maitri Bus Sewa.During the lockdownOn March 22, when the number of cases rose to 29, the Delhi governmentannouncedthe lockdown in the state until March 31.  The lockdown involved: (i) suspending the public transport services, (ii) sealing borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, (iii) suspending all domestic and international flights arriving in Delhi, and (iv) banning the congregation of more than five persons at any public place.  This was followed by anation-wide lockdownenforced by the central government between March 25 and April 14, nowextended till May 3.Starting from April 20, the central governmentallowedcertain activities in less-affected districts of the country.  However, the Delhi government, on April 19,announcedthat there will not be any relaxation in the lockdown in Delhi, until another comprehensive assessment which will be made on April 27.Welfare MeasuresThe Delhi government announced several welfare measures to address the difficulties being faced by people during the lockdown.  Key measures include:Night shelters:The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board isprovidingfree meals to the homeless people staying in the night shelters.  On March 25, ahunger helplinewas set up which directs the needy people to the nearest night shelter for food.Hunger Relief Centers: On March 26, the governmentdirectedthe District Magistrates to set up at least two hunger relief centres in every municipal ward for providing 500 meals twice (lunch and dinner) every day at each centre.Financial assistance:The government isprovidingone-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to drivers of vehicles such as autos, taxis, and e-rickshaws.Compensation to family members:The Delhi government will be givingcompensationof one crore rupees to the family members of the employees who may die due to COVID-19.Health MeasuresAdditional manpower:On March 24, the governmentorderedthe hospitals and institutions under the Department of Health and Family Welfare to engage up to 25% additional manpower in outsourced services such as sanitation, security, and nursing assistants.Wearing masks made compulsory:On April 8, the government made itcompulsoryfor all people to wear masks in public places, offices, gatherings, meetings, and personal vehicles.Identification of paid quarantine facilities:On April 13, the governmentorderedall district magistrates to identify paid quarantine facilities in their respective districts for housing the people who would like to use private facilities on payment basis.Creation of a multi-sectoral dedicated team:On April 13, the governmentorderedfor the creation of the Corona Foot Warriors and Containment Team at every booth.  The government aims to enhance ground level intervention through them.Setting up Helpline:On April 17, the Department of Health and Family Welfareset up adedicated 24x7 Whatsapp number for receiving complaints and requests from the people related to COVID-19.Measures related to MediaThe government took the following steps to control the spread of fake news related to COVID-19:On April 1, the governmentorderedthe Director, Directorate of Information and Publicity to regularly monitor the fake news across print and electronic media.  He was appointed as thenodal officerof Delhi’s fact check unit on April 3.On April 20, the Department of Health and Family Welfare ordered all government hospitals to create amedia cellfor monitoring the fake news about the functioning of hospitals on social and news media.For more information on the spread of COVID-19 and the central and state government response to the pandemic, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»


PolicyImpact of COVID-19 on the Power SectorSaket Surya- April 23, 2020The central government has enforced anation-wide lockdownbetween March 25 and May 3 as part of its measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.  During the lockdown, several restrictions have been placed on the movement of individuals and economic activities have come to a halt barring the activities related to essential goods and services. Therestrictions are being relaxed in less affected areasin a limited manner since April 20.  In this blog, we look at how the lockdown has impacted the demand and supply of electricity and what possible repercussions its prolonged effect may have on the power sector.Power supply saw a decrease of 25% during the lockdown (year-on-year)As electricity cannot be stored in large amount, the power generation and supply for a given day are planned based on the forecast for demand.  The months of January and February in 2020 had seen an increase of 3% and 7% in power supply, respectively as compared to 2019 (year-on-year).  In comparison, the power supply saw a decrease of 3% between March 1 and March 24.  During the lockdown between March 24 and April 19, the total power supply saw a decrease of about 25% (year-on-year).Figure 1: % change in power supply position between March 1 and April 19 (Y-o-Y from 2019 to 2020)Sources: Daily Reports; POSOCO; PRS.If we look at the consumption pattern by consumer category, in 2018-19,41% of total electricity consumptionwas for industrial purposes, followed by 25% for domestic and 18% for agricultural purposes.  As the lockdown has severely reduced the industrial and commercial activities in the country, these segments would have seen a considerable decline in demand for electricity. However, note that the domestic demand may have seen an uptick as people are staying indoors.Figure 2: Power consumption by consumer segment in 2018-19Sources: Central Electricity Authority; PRS.Electricity demand may continue to be subdued over the next few months. At this point, it is unclear that when lockdown restrictions are eased, how soon will economic activities return to pre COVID-19 levels. India’s growth projections also highlight a slowdown in the economy in 2020 which will further impact the demand for electricity.  On April 16, the International Monetary Fund hasslashed its projectionfor India’s GDP growth in 2020 from 5.8% to 1.9%.A nominal increase in energy and peak deficit levelsAs power sector related operations have beenclassified as essential services, the plant operations and availability of fuel (primarily coal) have not been significantly constrained. This can be observed with the energy deficit and peak deficit levels during the lockdown period which have remained at a nominal level.  Energy deficit indicates the shortfall in energy supply against the demand during the day.  Theaverage energy deficitbetween March 25 and April 19 has been 0.42% while the corresponding figure was 0.33% between March 1 and March 24. Similarly, the average peak deficit between March 25 and April 19 has been 0.56% as compared to 0.41% between March 1 and March 24.  Peak deficit indicates the shortfall in supply against demand during highest consumption period in a day.Figure 3: Energy deficit and peak deficit between March 1, 2020 and April 19, 2020 (in %)Sources: Daily Reports; POSOCO; PRS.Coal stock with power plants increasesCoal is the primary source of power generation in the country (~71% in March 2020).  During the lockdown period, the coal stock with coal power plants has seen an increase.  As of April 19, total coal-stock with the power plants in the country (in days) hasrisen to 29 daysas compared to24 days on March 24. This indicates that the supply of coal has not been constrained during the lockdown, at least to the extent of meeting the requirements of power plants.Energy mix changes during the lockdown, power generation from coal impactedDuring the lockdown, power generation has been adjusted to compensate for reduced consumption, Most of this reduction in consumption has been adjusted by reduced coal power generation. As can be seen in Table 1, coal power generation reduced from an average of 2,511 MU between March 1 and March 24 to 1,873 MU between March 25 and April 19 (about 25%).  As a result, the contribution of coal in total power generation reduced from an average of 72.5% to 65.6% between these two periods.Table 1: Energy Mix during March 1-April 19, 2020Sources: Daily Reports; POSOCO; PRS.This shift may be happening due to various reasons including: (i) renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and small hydro) haveMUST RUN status, i.e., the power generated by them has to be given the highest priority by distribution companies, and (ii) running cost of renewable power plants is lower as compared to thermal power plants.This suggests that if growth in electricity demand were to remain weak, the adverse impact on the coal power plants could be more as compared to other power generation sources.  This will also translate into weak demand for coal in the country as almost87% of the domestic coal production is used by the power sector.  Note that the plant load factor (PLF) of the thermal power plants has seen a considerable decline over the years, decreasingfrom 77.5% in 2009-10 to 56.4% in 2019-20. Low PLF implies that coal plants have been lying idle.  Coal power plants require significant fixed costs, and they incur such costs even when the plant is lying idle. The declining capacity utilisation augmented by a weaker demand will undermine the financial viability of these plants further.Figure 4: Power generation from coal between March 1, 2020 and April 19, 2020 (in MU)Sources: Daily Reports; POSOCO; PRS.Finances of the power sector to be severely impactedPower distribution companies (discoms) buy power from generation companies and supply it to consumers.  In India, most of the discoms are state-owned utilities.  One of the key concerns in the Indian power sector has been the poor financial health of its discoms.  The discoms have had high levels of debt and have been running losses. The debt problem was partly addressedunder the UDAY schemeas state governments took over 75% of the debt of state-run discoms (around 2.1 lakh crore in two years 2015-16 and 2016-17).  However,discoms have continued to register lossesowing to underpricing of electricity tariff for some consumer segments, and other forms of technical and commercial losses.  Outstanding dues of discoms towards power generation companieshave also been increasing, indicating financial stress in some discoms. At the end of February 2020, the total outstanding dues of discoms to generation companies stood at Rs 92,602 crore.Due to the lockdown and its further impact in the near term, the financial situation of discoms is likely to be aggravated. This will also impact other entities in the value chain including generation companies and their fuel suppliers. This may lead to reduced availability of working capital for these entities and an increase in the risk of NPAs in the sector.  Note that, as of February 2020, thepower sector has the largest sharein the deployment of domestic bank credit among industries (Rs 5.4 lakh crore, 19.3% of total).Following are some of the factors which have impacted the financial situation during the lockdown:Reduced cross-subsidy:In most states, the electricity tariff for domestic and agriculture consumers is lower than the actual cost of supply. Along with the subsidy by the state governments, this gap in revenue is partly compensated by charging industrial and commercial consumers at a higher rate.  Hence, industrial and commercial segmentscross-subsidisethe power consumption by domestic and agricultural consumers.The lockdown has led to a halt on commercial and industrial activities while people are staying indoors.  This has led to a situation where the demand from the consumer segments who cross-subsidise has decreased while the demand from consumer segments who are cross-subsidised has increased.  Due to this, the gap between revenue realised by discoms and cost of supply will widen, leading to further losses for discoms.  States may choose to bridge this gap by providing a higher subsidy.Moratorium to consumers: To mitigate the financial hardship of citizens due to COVID-19, some states such asRajasthan,Uttar Pradesh, andGoa, among others, have provided consumers with a moratorium for payment of electricity bills. At the same time, the discoms are required to continue supplying electricity. This will mean that the return for the supply made in March and April will be delayed, leading to lesser cash in hand for discoms.Some state governments such asBiharalso announced a reduction in tariff for domestic and agricultural consumers. Although, the reduction in tariff will be compensated to discoms by government subsidy.Constraints with government finances: The revenue collection of states has been severely impacted as economic activities have come to a halt. Further, the state governments are directing their resources for funding relief measures such as food distribution, direct cash transfers, and healthcare. This may adversely affect or delay the subsidy transfer to discoms.The UDAY scheme also requires states toprogressively fund greater share in losses of discomsfrom their budgetary resources (10% in 2018-19, 25% in 2019-20, and 50% in 2020-21).  As losses of discoms may widen due to the above-mentioned factors, the state government’s financial burden is likely to increase.Capacity addition may be adversely impactedAs per theNational Electricity Plan,  India’s total capacity addition target is around 176 GW for 2017-2022.  This comprises of 118 GW from renewable sources, 6.8 GW from hydro sources, and 6.4 GW from coal (apart from 47.8 GW of coal-based power projects already in various stages of production as of January 2018).India has set a goal of installing175 GW of Renewable Power Capacity by 2022as part of its climate change commitments (86 GW has been installed as of January 2020).  In January 2020, theParliamentary Standing Committee on Energy observedthat India could only install 82% and 55% of its annual renewable energy capacity addition targets in 2017-18 and 2018-19. As of January 2020,67% of the targethas been achieved for 2019-20.Due to the impact of COVID-19, the capacity addition targets for various sources is likely to be adversely impacted in the short run as:construction activities were stoppedduring the lockdown and will take some time to return to normal,disruption in the global supply chain may lead to difficulties with the availability of key components leading todelay in execution of projects,for instance, for solar power plants, solar PV modules are mainly imported from China, andreduced revenue for companies due to weak demand will leave companies with less capacity left for capital expenditure.Key reforms likely to be delayedFollowing are some of the important reforms anticipated in 2020-21 which may get delayed due to the developing situation:The real-time market for electricity:The real-time market for electricity was to be operationalised from April 1, 2020. However, the lockdown has led to delay in completion of testing and trial runs. The revised date for implementation isnow June 1, 2020.UDAY 2.0/ADITYA:A new scheme for the financial turnaround of discomswas likely to come this year. The scheme would have provided for the installation of smart meters and incentives for rationalisation of the tariff, among other things. It remains to be seen what this scheme would be like since the situation with government finances is also going to worsen due to anticipated economic slowdown.Auction of coal blocks for commercial mining:The Coal Ministry has been consideringauction of coal mines for commercial miningthis year.100% FDI has been allowedin the coal mining activity for commercial sale of coal to attract foreign players. However, the global economic slowdown may mean that the auctions may not generate enough interest from foreign as well as domestic players.For a detailed analysis of the Indian Power Sector, please seehere.  For details on the number of daily COVID-19 cases in the country and across states, please seehere.  For details on the major COVID-19 related notifications released by the centre and the states, please seehere.ParliamentFirst no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha discussed todayNiranjana Menon- August 8, 2023Discussion on the first no-confidence motion of the 17thLok Sabha began today.  No-confidence motions and confidence motions are trust votes, used to test or demonstrate the support of Lok Sabha for the government in power.  Article 75(3) of the Constitution states that the government is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.  This means that the government must always enjoy the support of a majority of the members of Lok Sabha.  Trust votes are used to examine this support.  The government resigns if a majority of members support a no-confidence motion, or reject a confidence motion.So far, 28 no-confidence motions (including the one being discussed today) and 11 confidence motions have beendiscussed.  Over the years, the number of such motions has reduced.  The mid-1960s and mid-1970s saw more no-confidence motions, whereas the 1990s saw more confidence motions.Figure1: Trust votes in ParliamentNote: *Term shorter than 5 years; **6-year term.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.The no-confidence motion being discussed today wasmovedon July 26, 2023.  A motion of no-confidence is moved with the support of at least 50 members.   The Speaker has the discretion to allot time for discussion of the motion.  TheRules of Procedurestate that the motion must be discussed within 10 days of being introduced.  This year, the no-confidence motion wasdiscussed13 calendar days after introduction.  Since the introduction of the no-confidence motion on July 26, 12 Bills have been introduced and 18 Bills have been passed by Lok Sabha.  In the past, on four occasions, the discussion on no-confidence motions began seven days after their introduction.  On these occasions, Bills and other important issues were debated before the discussion on the no-confidence motion began.Figure2: Members rise in support of the motion of no-confidence in Lok SabhaSource: Sansad TV, Lok Sabha, July 26, 2023; PRS.Figure3: Number of days from introduction to discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: Number of days implies calendar days.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.On average, no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been discussed for 13 hours over three days.  Discussions have lasted longer than 20 hours on four instances, most recently in 2003.  Today’s no-confidence motion was allotted 12 hours discussion time by theBusiness Advisory Committee.Following the discussion, the motion is put to vote.  26 out of 27 no-confidence motions (excluding the one being discussed today) have been voted upon and rejected.  This means that no government has ever had to resign following a vote of no-confidence.   On one occasion, in 1979, the discussion on a no-confidence motion against the Morarji Desai government remained inconclusive.  He resigned before the motion was put to vote.  50% of all no-confidence motions (14 out of 28) were discussed between 1965 and 1975.  Of these, 12 were against governments headed by Indira Gandhi.Figure4: Duration of discussion on no-confidence motionsNote: This graph excludes the no confidence motion moved on July 26, 2023.Source: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.In comparison, confidence motions have a more varied history.  The first motion, brought in 1979 to demonstrate confidence in Charan Singh’s government, was not discussed at all.  The Prime Minister resigned before the discussion could take place.  Since then, 11 confidence motions have been discussed in Lok Sabha, with nine occurring in the 1990s.  During this period, several coalition governments were formed, and Prime Ministers sought to prove their majority throughconfidence motions.   These motions have been discussed, on average, for 12 hours over two days.Figure5: Duration of discussion of confidence motionsSource: Statistical Handbook 2021, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PRS.Of the 11 confidence motions discussed in Lok Sabha, seven were accepted.  On three instances, governments had to resign as they could not prove that they had the support of the majority.  On one instance in 1996, the motion was not put to vote.  Following an eleven-hour discussion on this confidence motion, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced his intention to resign on the floor of the House.  He resigned 16 days into his term.Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1999, and faced another confidence motion.   This time, it was put to vote.   The motion was defeated by a margin of one vote.  This has been the closest result on a trust vote in the history of Lok Sabha.  The next closest result was when a motion of no-confidence against P V Narasimha Rao’s government was defeated by 14 votes in 1993.  In most cases, results have been in favour of the government by a large margin.«12345678910»