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»
States and State LegislaturesDelhi Government’s Response to COVID-19 (till April 23, 2020)Akhil N.R.- April 24, 2020