How different things work
After his successful anti-corruption campaign, Anna Hazare declared he
will wage a similar one for the citizens' right to recall elected
representatives.
HOW THINGS WORK
Right to Recall
After his successful anti-corruption campaign, Anna Hazare declared he will wage a similar one for the citizens' right to recall elected representatives. Such a concept is implicit in the General Clause Act 1897, a central law which provides guidance on statutory matters. According to it, the power to make an appointment also includes the power to suspend or dismiss the person appointed.
Merit: The Act proposes that the right to recall may be invoked, if 25 to 50 per cent of voters in a constituency register their dissatisfaction with the performance of their representative, either a member of Parliament or a member of the Legislative Assembly. The right to recall provides a means for citizens to retain control over elected representatives who do not act in the best interests of their constituents, or are unresponsive or incompetent.
Demerit: It undermines the principle of giving elected officials a chance to govern throughout their tenure of office. Also, checking the authenticity of the signatures of constituents exercising the right to recall may pose huge logistical problems.
Global precedents: Recall elections - or recall referendums - have been held in the United States, Canada, the Philippines and Switzerland.
JUST WONDERING
Miles to go
The National Highways Development Project launched by the National Democratic Alliance government more than a decade ago envisaged replacing India's decrepit road infrastructure with a network of world-class highways in a phased manner by 2015. But the journey so far has been anything but smooth - and punctuated by delays. The first phase linking Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, known as the Golden Quadrilateral, which required sixlaning of 5,846 km of national highways, is still incomplete six years after its official deadline. Work on 18 km of roads still remains. The second phase, consisting of the North-South corridor connecting Srinagar and Kanyakumari and the East-West corridor linking Silchar and Porbandar, too, has overshot its 2011 deadline, all because of an incomplete patch of around 100 km. The new deadline for completion is 2013. Just when the remaining three phases of the project will be finished is anybody's guess.
QUIRKY
Spy pigeons
Officials tasked with looking after security at India's borders with Pakistan have a new threat to home in on: pigeons used to send information from across. Training pigeons is a hobby for many in both Pakistan and India. According to reports, there has been a surge in the demand for homing birds in Pakistani villages bordering India, with each bird being bought for as much as Rs 500. Officials fear these winged couriers could be used by smugglers or spies to ferry information without being intercepted either by sentries or technology.
SNOOT CORNER
Come, Indulge
The beer festival, Oktoberfest, the largest beverage festival in the world, is held annually in Munich, Germany, in September-October. Begun in 1810, it is celebrated for 17 days. The opening ceremony starts with a 12-gun salute at midday. The incumbent Mayor of Munich taps the first keg of beer. The large quantities of beer available inevitably leads to overindulgence, and those who pass out are fondly called the 'Bierleichen', or 'Beer Corpses'.
Compiled by Anamika Butalia
Right to Recall
Merit: The Act proposes that the right to recall may be invoked, if 25 to 50 per cent of voters in a constituency register their dissatisfaction with the performance of their representative, either a member of Parliament or a member of the Legislative Assembly. The right to recall provides a means for citizens to retain control over elected representatives who do not act in the best interests of their constituents, or are unresponsive or incompetent.
Demerit: It undermines the principle of giving elected officials a chance to govern throughout their tenure of office. Also, checking the authenticity of the signatures of constituents exercising the right to recall may pose huge logistical problems.
Global precedents: Recall elections - or recall referendums - have been held in the United States, Canada, the Philippines and Switzerland.
Miles to go
The National Highways Development Project launched by the National Democratic Alliance government more than a decade ago envisaged replacing India's decrepit road infrastructure with a network of world-class highways in a phased manner by 2015. But the journey so far has been anything but smooth - and punctuated by delays. The first phase linking Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, known as the Golden Quadrilateral, which required sixlaning of 5,846 km of national highways, is still incomplete six years after its official deadline. Work on 18 km of roads still remains. The second phase, consisting of the North-South corridor connecting Srinagar and Kanyakumari and the East-West corridor linking Silchar and Porbandar, too, has overshot its 2011 deadline, all because of an incomplete patch of around 100 km. The new deadline for completion is 2013. Just when the remaining three phases of the project will be finished is anybody's guess.
QUIRKY
Spy pigeons
Officials tasked with looking after security at India's borders with Pakistan have a new threat to home in on: pigeons used to send information from across. Training pigeons is a hobby for many in both Pakistan and India. According to reports, there has been a surge in the demand for homing birds in Pakistani villages bordering India, with each bird being bought for as much as Rs 500. Officials fear these winged couriers could be used by smugglers or spies to ferry information without being intercepted either by sentries or technology.
SNOOT CORNER
Come, Indulge
The beer festival, Oktoberfest, the largest beverage festival in the world, is held annually in Munich, Germany, in September-October. Begun in 1810, it is celebrated for 17 days. The opening ceremony starts with a 12-gun salute at midday. The incumbent Mayor of Munich taps the first keg of beer. The large quantities of beer available inevitably leads to overindulgence, and those who pass out are fondly called the 'Bierleichen', or 'Beer Corpses'.
Compiled by Anamika Butalia
