The Hindu Editorial Summary

Editorial Topic : Appointment of Bhartruhari Mahtab as Speaker pro tem of the 18th Lok Sabha

 GS-2 Mains Exam : Polity

Revision Notes

Who is Speaker pro tem?

• Constitutional Provision: Article 94 states that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha shall not vacate office until the first meeting of the new Lok Sabha after its dissolution.
• Current Situation: Om Birla, Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, continues until June 24, when the 18th Lok Sabha’s first meeting is scheduled.
• Appointment: Article 95(1) allows the President to appoint a member of the Lok Sabha to act as Speaker when the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker are vacant.
• Meaning: ‘Pro tem’ is a conventional term meaning ‘for the time being’ or ‘temporary’.
• Selection Process: Traditionally, one of the senior-most members of the Lok Sabha is selected and administered the oath by the President.
• Duties: The Speaker pro tem administers the oath to other MPs and presides over the election of the full-time Speaker.

Election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker

• Constitutional Provision: Article 93 states that the Lok Sabha shall elect a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker.
• Speaker Election: Held on a date fixed by the President, with all Speakers in independent India elected unopposed.
• Deputy Speaker Election: Held on a date fixed by the Speaker.

Role of the Speaker

• Constitutional Functions: Certifying Money Bills and deciding on disqualification under the Tenth Schedule for defection.
• Powers: Referral of Bills to Standing Committees and suspension of members for grave disorder (up to five days).
• Referral Decline: Bills referred to committees dropped from 71% (2009-14) to 16% (2019-24).
• Coalition Government Expectation: Important Bills to be referred to Standing Committees for scrutiny.
• Suspensions: Large-scale suspensions of Opposition MPs in the winter session of 2023 should be carried out with restraint.

Conventions

• British Practice: The Speaker resigns from their political party upon election and seeks re-election as ‘The Speaker seeking re-election’ to reflect impartiality.
• Indian Practice: No Speaker has resigned from their political party on being elected to office, despite the Tenth Schedule allowing it.
• Proposed Change: Resignation from political parties upon election as Speaker could demonstrate independence.
• Deputy Speaker Role: Steps in during the vacancy or absence of the Speaker.
• Opposition Convention: Since 1991, the post of Deputy Speaker has been offered to the Opposition, followed till the 16th Lok Sabha.

Conclusion

• Constitutional Travesty: No Deputy Speaker was elected in the 17th Lok Sabha.
• Healthy Convention: The practice of the post being held by the Opposition should return in the current Lok Sabha.

 

 

 

The Hindu Editorial Summary

Editorial Topic : Indian Railways: Can a Zero-Fatality Goal Be Achieved?

 GS-3 Mains Exam : Economy

Revision Notes

Accident and Current Safety Measures

• A recent accident involving the GFCJ container train colliding with the Kanchanjunga Express resulted in 11 deaths and 40 injuries.
• Indian Railways has improved its safety record through measures like closing unmanned crossings and track maintenance.
• Focusing only on past data for improvement is misleading. Modern systems can achieve a zero-fatality target.

Shifting Blame vs. Systemic Issues

• Statutory inquiries typically blame lower-level staff like crew and station masters for accidents.
• This ignores issues like information management and slow safety project execution.

Information Management Failures

• The Railway Board Chairperson prematurely blamed the container train crew without complete information.
• Inaccurate statements were made about the crew’s deaths, highlighting communication issues.

Slow Rollout of Kavach Signaling System

• Indian Railways chose the indigenous Kavach system over the established ETCS Level II.
• The project’s slow execution raises concerns about the focus on safety upgrades.
• Faster rollout is needed, especially in high-risk Automatic Signalling territories.

Staffing Issues and Technology Adoption

• While Indian Railways is overstaffed overall, safety-critical positions like loco pilots have vacancies.
• Filling these vacancies is crucial to reduce stress and overwork.
• AI-powered applications for safety analysis and alerts are underutilized.

Conclusion: Addressing Management Failures

• The inquiry should investigate if near misses were common in the accident section.
• Frequent near misses would indicate a serious management failure.