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Kuniya Institute of IAS Examination

Mains – 17th Nov 23

Adjournment motion

Why in news?

  • Recently, MPs from prominent opposition party moved adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha, citing the need for urgent discussions on the ethnic violence in Manipur.

What are the various motions raised in Indian Parliament?

  • In both the houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, there are ways for Members of Parliament to draw the attention of the house to any relevant issue.
  • There are four main procedures under which there could be a discussion in the Lok Sabha:
    • a debate without voting under Rule 193,
    • a motion (with a vote) under Rule 184,
    • an adjournment motion, or
    • a no-confidence motion.

What is short-duration discussion under rule 193?

  • About
    • Short Duration Discussions takes place in Lok Sabha under Rule 193 of its rules and in Rajya Sabha under Rule 176 of its rules.
    • It is a parliamentary device that allows MPs to raise urgent matters of public importance in the House for a specified duration.
    • Usually, issues that are time-sensitive, of national importance, and require immediate attention are considered for this type of discussion.
  • Procedure
    • The MP will need to give notice to the Speaker specifying the matter to be raised and the reasons for doing so.
    • The MP raises the matter and this is followed by other MPs discussing the issue. The Member who raises the discussion has no right of reply.
    • The Minister-in-charge responds at the end of the discussion.
  • Not Followed by a Motion:
    • Discussions under this rule do not involve the introduction of a formal motion before the House.
    • Hence, no voting takes place after a discussion on the matters considered under this rule.
  • Speaker has the authority
    • The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has the authority to decide whether a particular issue qualifies for a Short Duration Discussion under Rule 193.

What is Rule 184, a motion with a vote?

  • About
    • The procedure for taking up an issue under this Rule is similar to that of Rule 193, with one exception.
    • The issue is raised in the form of a motion. After the Minister’s reply, the House votes on the motion.
    • Rule 184 allows MPs to move a motion in the Lok Sabha that involves voting on a specific issue.
    • When a motion is brought under Rule 184, it is considered a matter of significant importance and is debated and decided upon by the members through a voting process.
    • The Speaker can allow for such a matter to be raised at his own discretion.
  • Features
    • Notice Requirement: An MP who wishes to move a motion under Rule 184 must give prior notice to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
    • Content of the Motion: The motion should clearly state the issue or matter that the MP wants to bring to the attention of the House for a decision.
    • Voting Process: After the motion is presented and debated, a voting process is held.
      • Members of the Lok Sabha vote either in favour of the motion or against it.
      • Passage of a motion would require the government to follow Parliament’s decision on the issue.

What is an adjournment motion?

  • A motion for an adjournment of the business of the House is moved for discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance, with the Speaker’s consent.
    • The Rajya Sabha Rule Book does not provide for an adjournment motion.
    • Over the years, Rajya Sabha MPs have used Rule 267 to suspend the pre-decided agenda of the House to raise urgent matters.
  • Notice of an adjournment motion is required to be given before 10 am on the day on which the motion is proposed.
  • If the adjournment motion is accepted, the House adjourns after voting.
  • The adoption of an adjournment motion is seen as a censure of the government, although there is no compulsion on the government to resign.

What is No Confidence Motion?

  • A motion of no confidence can be moved against the Council of Ministers.
  • Notice for such a motion has to be given before 10 am on the day of sitting.
  • A no confidence motion is moved by an MP if according to him/her the government’s activities have not been satisfactory and resignation of the government is demanded.
  • The Speaker will ask MPs who support the motion to rise at their seats, and will fix a time for a motion if at least 50 MPs do so.
  • At the end of such a debate the motion is put to vote. If the motion is adopted, the government has to resign.

 

 

State Food Safety Index (SFSI)

Why in News?

  • Four years after the FSSAI published a state-wise index – State Food Safety Index (SFSI), to spur food safety improvement, 19 out of 20 large states recorded a drop in their 2023 scores from 2019.
  • After adjusting for a new parameter included in the 2023 index, 15 out of 20 states recorded lower 2023 scores compared to 2019.

What is the State Food Safety Index (SFSI)?

  • The mandate of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is to ensure public health at large. Ensuring food safety is the task of each state’s apex food safety authority.
  • To encourage States/UTs to improve and work towards food safety in their jurisdiction, the FSSAI releases the SFSI annually for each financial year on 7th June on the occasion of World Food Safety Day.
  • The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.
  • The 1st SFSI was released on 7th June, 2019 based on the information submitted by States/UTs.

Parameters of the SFSI

  • SFSI scores, which have been assigned annually to states since 2019, are given out of a total of 100 points that are calculated on the basis of five parameters with different weightages.
    • These parameters are ‘Human Resources and Institutional Data’, ‘Compliance’, ‘Food Testing Infrastructure’, ‘Training and Capacity Building’, and ‘Consumer Empowerment’.
  • In the 2023 index, a new parameter called ‘Improvement in SFSI Rank’ was added, which assesses improvement in each state’s rank from the year before.

Highlights of the SFSI 2023

  • The steepest fall in scores over five years was seen in Maharashtra, which scored 45 out of 100 in 2023 compared to 74 out of 100 in 2019.
  • This is followed by Bihar, which scored 20.5 in 2023 compared to 46 in 2019, and Gujarat, which scored 48.5 in 2023 compared to 73 in 2019.

The SFSI 2023 – Comparing with the 1ST SFSI

  • ‘Food Testing Infrastructure’ parameter:
    • This parameter measures availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained personnel in each state for testing food samples.
    • The worst drop has been observed in this parameter, which was given the 4th highest weightage of 17% in 2023 (20% in previous years).
    • Maharashtra’s score for this parameter dropped to 4 points out of 17 in 2023 from 17 points out of 20 in 2019.
    • Both Gujarat and Kerala were the best performers in 2023 with 13.5 points out of 17 while Andhra Pradesh performed the worst.
  • The ‘Compliance’ parameter:
    • This has been given the highest weightage of 28% in 2023 (30% in previous years), measures licensing and registration of food businesses, inspections conducted, special drives and camps organised, etc.
    • In 2023, Jharkhand received 4 points out of 28, the lowest score for compliance, whereas Punjab and Himachal Pradesh received 18 points each, the highest score.
  • The ‘Consumer Empowerment’ parameter:
    • This has been given the second highest weightage of 19% in 2023 (20% in previous years).
    • It measures a state’s performance in various consumer empowering initiatives of FSSAI including participation in Food Fortification, Eat Right Campus, BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), etc.
    • Bihar’s score in this parameter dropped to 1 point out of 19 in 2023 from 7 points out of 20 in 2019.
    • The top performer for this parameter in 2023 was Tamil Nadu with 17 points out of 19, followed by Kerala and Madhya Pradesh with 16 points each.
  • The ‘Human Resources and Institutional Data’ parameter:
    • This has been given the third highest weightage of 18% in 2023 (20% in previous years).
    • It measures availability of human resources including number of Food Safety Officers, Designated Officers, and facility of adjudications and appellate tribunals in each state.
    • Top performers in 2019 like Tamil Nadu and UP, with each receiving 17 points out of 20, got merely 10.5 and 9.5 points respectively in 2023.
  • The ‘Training and Capacity Building’ parameter: This is the only parameter which recorded significant improvement, which was given the least weightage of 8% in 2023 (10% in previous years).
  • The ‘Improvement in SFSI Rank’ parameter: It carried a weightage of 10% in 2023, 14 out of 20 large states received 0 points.