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Thursday, August 04, 2005

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Democracy, Government, Political Parties

The government and administration in Punjab are organized on the same lines as in other states of India. The legislative wing of the State is the House of People or the Vidhan Sabha.  Punjab has an unicameral legislature, having abolished the upper house, the Vidhan Parishad in the ‘60s.  The chief minister and members of his cabinet are members of the legislature and they are at the top of the executive wing of the government and are accountable to the legislature.  As elsewhere, the MLAs, or Members of the Legislative Assembly, wield considerable influence over policy-making and implementation, more so because they are members of District level Planning and Grievance Committees set up by the government in each district.

Local Government

The system of local government consists of Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Notified Area Committees in urban areas. Their main source of revenue is octroi and their main administrative functions are conservancy, local health laws, and approving building plans in their local jurisdiction.  In rural areas, there is the usual set up of village panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads though, in practice, they do not wield administrative or legal powers of any consequence.  Unlike in states such as Karnataka or Maharashtra, local government cannot be said to be highly developed in Punjab.

Judiciary

The judiciary and the executive are separated in Punjab as in other states in the country. However, the state shares a common High Court with the state of Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Chief Minister

Captain Amarinder Singh is the Chief Minister is Punjab state. Capt. Amarinder Singh is the son of His Highness Late Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala. He was born on 11th March, 1942 at Patiala. He commissioned in the Indian Army in June 1963 and resigned in early 1965. He rejoined Army immediately because hostilities broke out with Pakistan and took part in the actual operations in war against Pakistan and again resigned after the war was over in early 1966.

Permanent Address

New Motibagh Palace, Patiala- 147001
and 45, Sector 2, Chandigarh, 
Phone : +91-172-740325,740769 (O ) 

Administrative Structure

The Administration is headed by the chief secretary assisted by secretaries in charge of various departments, secretaries, in turn, are assisted by heads of departments most of which maintain branch offices at the district headquarter.

The state is divided into three revenue divisions and 17 districts. Each district is divided into sub-divisions and tehsils (for revenue purposes). The law and order administration follows the same pattern with three police divisions and police districts.

The level of administration below the district for revenue purposes is the circle, headed by a kanungo and, at the lowest level, a village or a few villages in charge of a patwari. For development administration, the basic unit is the block, while, in the case of the police, as elsewhere in the country, the basic unit is the police station or thana.

At the District Level

The Deputy Commissioner (called the collector or district magistrate in other states) is undoubtedly the kingpin of the administration. He combines the responsibility of coordinating the work of all government departments, revenue collection and maintenance of law and order. Next in importance of hierarchy is the senior superintendent of police in charge of the district. All departmental heads in the district are controlled and supervised directly and indirectly by the "DC sahib", whose powers are not derived so much from the formal authority he exercises (which is considerable) but from the fact that the state government reposes great confidence and immense informal authority in him.

From the point of view of entrepreneurs locating their industrial units in Punjab, the Deputy Commissioner is a Very Important Person. His views on location, acquisition of land, its price, matters relating to pollution control, and even industrial relations, problems are virtually the last word. As mentioned earlier, each district has a Grievance Committee, usually headed by a minister or the deputy commissioner. Issues relating to the functioning of industrial units and their impact on local society can and do figure in the meetings of these committees. It would be wise to be aware of its existence, membership and functioning.

Tips for People Who are New to Punjab

All offices of the Punjab government and most of its undertakings work a five-day week. The working hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a lunch break from 1.30 p.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to every Saturday and Sunday, Government offices are closed on all national holidays like Independence Day, Republic Day and also on local holidays. It is advisable to familiarize oneself with the list of local holidays, best done by getting a copy of the Punjab government’s official calendar, available with the government Public Relations Department. It is useful to note that when two or three weekdays are official holidays, little work may get transacted, because many government officials, particularly at junior ranks, take an additional day or two off, to make the entire week a vacation.

The names, addresses , residential and official telephone numbers of all important government offices and officials are listed in an official telephone directory issued by the government Public Relations Department.

Although all important policies and policy changes are announced by the government through the press, it is useful to consult the official gazette, which also contains details of policies and rules framed by the government, from time to time.

The state government has set up a number of committees in which businessmen are associated for their views on policies and implementation. These cover a vast range of subjects such as fixation of minimum wages of labour, incentives for industry and so on. Information regarding specific industries is available from the Industries Department or from the resident commissioner of the Punjab Government in New Delhi.

Major National Political Parties in Punjab

Other Political Parties of Punjab State

References:

http://punjabgovt.nic.in

http://en.wikipedia.org/

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