TOPIC : GS 2 Structure, Organization and Functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; Pressure Groups and Formal/Informal Associations and their Role in the Polity
No fundamental right to strike
What is the news?
- The Minister of Defence introduced the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021, in the Lok Sabha to provide for the maintenance of essential defence services
- It as “to secure the security of nation and the life and property of the public at large” and prevent staff of the government owned ordinance factories from going on strike.
- The Bill seeks to empower the government to declare services mentioned in it as “essential defence services” and prohibit strikes and lockouts in any industrial establishment or unit engaged in such services.
- The Minister, assured the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) employees that their service conditions will not be affected.
Rules and rights
- This is not for the first time that strikes by government employees are being made explicitly illegal by the government.
Case law
- The Madhya Pradesh (and Chhattisgarh) Civil Services Rules, 1965, prohibit demonstrations and strikes by government servants and direct the competent authorities to treat the durations as unauthorized absence.
- It defined as rule includes “total or partial cessation of work”, a pendown strike, a traffic jam, or any such activity resulting in cessation or retardation of work.
Constitutional Provision
- Article 33 of the Constitution, Parliament, by law, can restrict or abrogate the rights of the members of the armed forces or the forces charged with the maintenance of public order
- It is as to ensure the proper discharge of their duties and maintenance of discipline among them.
- In armed forces and the police, even the fundamental right to form an association can be restricted under Article 19(4) in the interest of public order and other considerations.
- The Supreme Court in Delhi Police v. Union of India (1986) upheld the restrictions to form association by the members of the nongazetted police force
- Parliament can by law regulate the working of such associations by imposing conditions and restrictions on their functions, the court held
Way Forward
- There is no fundamental right to strike under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
- Strikes cannot be justified on any equitable ground.
- Strike as a weapon is mostly misused which results in chaos.
- Though the employees of OFB have threatened to go on strike, Parliament, which has the right to restrict even the fundamental rights of the armed forces, is well within its right to expressly prohibit resorting to strike.
Mains Question
How the recent bill envisage essential workers should not resort to strike ?
Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/no-fundamental-right-to-strike/article35732405.ece
PRELIMS PUNCHERS
- e-RUPI
It has been developed by the National Payments Corporation of India. The Features includes Person and purpose specific cashless digital payment solution. It is a cashless and contactless instrument for digital payment medium . It is a QR code or SMS string-based e-voucher, which is delivered to the mobile of beneficiaries. The voucher in case of payments to medical treatment, education etc. It is one-time use voucher.
InfrasoftTech provides an e-RUPI technology stack to banks by helping them in implementing the technology right from integration with the existing systems to deployment as per their target beneficiaries.
Currently, it is working with two of the 11 live banks as per NPCI. It is shortly adding more client banks with e-RUPI features.
- Dasht-e Kavir
It also known as Kavir-e Namak and the Great Salt Desert, is a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian Plateau. It is world’s 24th largest desert. The area of this desert stretches from the Alborz mountain range in the north-west to the Dasht-e Lut in the south-east. It is partitioned among the Iranian provinces of Khorasan, Semnan, Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd.
The desert soil is covered with sand and pebbles; there are marshes, seasonal lakes and seasonal river beds. The hot temperatures cause extreme vaporization, which leaves the marshes and mud grounds with large crusts of salt. Heavy storms frequently occur and they can cause sand hills reaching up to 40 m in height. Some parts of Dasht-e Kavir have a more steppe-like appearance. The Persian ground jay is a bird species living in some parts of the desert plateaus, along with Hairy bustards, larks and sandgrouse. Camel and sheep breeding and agriculture are the sources of living to the few people living on its soil. Human settlement is restricted to some oases, where wind-blocking housing constructions are raised to deal with the harsh weather conditions.
- The Halam community
They are various tribes native to the state of Tripura and Assam, Mizoram in India. The name Halam was coined by the Tipra Maharaja. As per their oral tradition they called themselves “Riam”, which literally means “Human being”. The Halam eat through a combination of foraging and farming. They collect edible leaves, roots, stems and tubers from the rain forest and catch fish from the nearby rivers. In recent times, they have become familiar with horticulture .They farm bananas, jackfruit, betel nuts, papaya and grains. They keep livestock such as goats, cows and pigs.
The Halam have no written language. Because of this, there is no record of their history and traditions. They use the Latin alphabet for documentation and writings. The history of their tribe must be transmitted orally. During the British Raj, the Halam of Tripura were transported to the Sylhet region to work in tea plantations. They can still be found in Sylhet and Habiganj,where they continue this livelihood. They make up a mere population of only 5000. Use of the Kokborok language is rapidly decreasing with the Bengali language being more common nowadays. They are divided into 12 clans
- 4. Maguri Motapung Beel
It is also known as Maguri Motapung Bill, Maguri Bill and Maguri Beel a wetland and lake located near to Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Motapung Village of Tinsukia district in Assam. Maguri Motapung Beel serve as natural home to wildlife and provide a source of livelihood to the local communities.
Maguri Motapung Beel is a natural habitat to many varieties of birds. The lake is an important habitat for over 110 resident and migratory bird species, including eight listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, such as the Swamp grass babbler, the ferruginous duck, the white-winged wood duck and the falcated duck. A rare Mandarin duck was spotted in 2021 in the wetland Maguri Motapung Beel for the first time in 118 years.
PRELIMS QUESTIONS
- Consider the following statement with regard to e-RUPI
- It has been developed by the Reserve Bank of India
- It is working with three of the 11 live banks as per RBI
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only (b) 2 only
(c).Both (d). None of above
Answer : D
It has been developed by the National Payments Corporation of India. The Features includes Person and purpose specific cashless digital payment solution. It is a cashless and contactless instrument for digital payment medium . It is a QR code or SMS string-based e-voucher, which is delivered to the mobile of beneficiaries. The voucher in case of payments to medical treatment, education etc. It is one-time use voucher.
InfrasoftTech provides an e-RUPI technology stack to banks by helping them in implementing the technology right from integration with the existing systems to deployment as per their target beneficiaries. Currently, it is working with two of the 11 live banks as per NPCI. It is shortly adding more client banks with e-RUPI features.
Qn 2. Consider the following statement with regard to The Halam community
1.Their oral tradition they called themselves “Riam
- They are various tribes native to the state of Meghalaya and Assam
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only (b) 2 only
(c).Both (d). None of above
Answer : A
They are various tribes native to the state of Tripura and Assam, Mizoram in India. The name Halam was coined by the Tipra Maharaja. As per their oral tradition they called themselves “Riam”, which literally means “Human being”. The Halam eat through a combination of foraging and farming. They collect edible leaves, roots, stems and tubers from the rain forest and catch fish from the nearby rivers. In recent times, they have become familiar with horticulture .They farm bananas, jackfruit, betel nuts, papaya and grains. They keep livestock such as goats, cows and pigs.
The Halam have no written language. Because of this, there is no record of their history and traditions. They use the Latin alphabet for documentation and writings. The history of their tribe must be transmitted orally. During the British Raj, the Halam of Tripura were transported to the Sylhet region to work in tea plantations. They can still be found in Sylhet and Habiganj,where they continue this livelihood. They make up a mere population of only 5000. Use of the Kokborok language is rapidly decreasing with the Bengali language being more common nowadays. They are divided into 12 clans