Rajiv Gandhi Institute For Contemporary Studies
January 31, 2025
Over the years, several constitutional amendments have aimed at strengthening democracy, social justice, education, and federalism. Milestones include lowering the voting age, recognizing local governance, ensuring educational rights, and empowering marginalized groups. However, some amendments have restricted fundamental rights and compromised democracy. Efforts to restore democratic values have included reversing emergency powers and safeguarding judicial review.
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January 31, 2025
Various violations of the Indian Constitution have occurred over the years, including executive interference in the judiciary, infringement of fundamental rights like equality, liberty, and life, and the undermining of democracy, secularism, social justice, and federalism. The Modi government’s manipulation of institutions draws unsettling comparisons to the dark days of the Emergency era.
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December 24, 2024
Violation of Constitutional Values The preamble of the Constitution of India states: In this study, we document how the values laid down in the preamble have been grossly violated most intensely in the period since 2014. Justice The Preamble to the Constitution of India reflects the fundamental values, philosophy and objectives of the Constitution. […]
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January 30, 2024
India’s core values—justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity—are facing serious challenges. Since 2014, there’s been a growing strain on democratic institutions, with the government expanding its power over the legislature and judiciary. Executive overreach, judicial interference, and weakened legislative processes are eroding democracy, deepening societal divisions, and threatening national unity.
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May 28, 2023
The document highlights key findings on India’s federal structure, focusing on inter-state coordination and dispute resolution mechanisms. It emphasizes the constitutional provisions for resolving disputes, particularly through Article 131, which grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction over legal disputes between states or between states and the Union. However, the effectiveness of these mechanisms is often […]
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May 28, 2023
The document explores how financial power is shared between the Centre and the States in India, highlighting key challenges such as uneven tax distribution, increasing central control over resources, and the shrinking financial autonomy of states. The Finance Commission plays a crucial role in deciding how taxes and grants are shared, but it often struggles […]
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May 28, 2023
The document delves into how legislative powers are shared between the Union and the States in India, focusing on the Union, State, and Concurrent Lists under the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule. While the system is designed to maintain a balance, the Centre has increasingly encroached on state authority, often diluting the essence of federalism. The judiciary, […]
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May 27, 2023
The document explores India’s quasi-federal structure, where power is divided between the Centre and the States but with a strong centralizing tendency. While the Constitution provides a framework for shared governance, it grants the Centre greater authority in key matters. It examines the division of legislative powers, the role of Governors, and Article 356, which […]
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February 27, 2023
This paper examines India’s inter-governmental fiscal relations within a federal framework, focusing on the Finance Commissions, Planning Commission, Centrally Sponsored Schemes, and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It explores the constitutional foundations, mechanisms of fiscal transfers, evolving central-state dynamics, and contemporary challenges. Key issues include GST-induced state revenue constraints, rising cesses, and weakening fiscal autonomy of states amid growing central control.
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October 26, 2021
To make a desired difference, implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016 must improve. This means speeding up administrative processes, ensuring better access to benefits, and investing in awareness campaigns. Most importantly, PWDs must be actively involved in shaping policies that affect them. The law is a solid foundation, but real […]
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May 29, 2021
Public services in India have long been plagued by delays, inefficiency, and red tape. The Right to Public Services (RTPS) Acts, passed by various states, aim to change that by ensuring timely and accountable service delivery. These laws set deadlines for issuing documents like birth certificates, ration cards, and driving licenses while imposing penalties on […]
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November 30, 2020
Despite legal protections, street vendors still face major challenges. Many remain invisible in official records, as government estimates fail to reflect their true numbers. Town Vending Committees, meant to support them, are often dysfunctional or exclude vendors from decision-making. Evictions and extortion persist, forcing vendors to pay bribes or lose their livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic […]
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August 8, 2020
The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 has been a game-changer for transparency and accountability in India. It has empowered citizens to access government records, demand answers, and expose corruption. However, its effectiveness is now under threat. Long delays in responses, increasing case backlogs, weakening of Information Commissions, and the 2019 amendments that reduced their […]
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July 31, 2020
The Right to Education (RTE) Act, implemented in 2010, was a landmark step towards ensuring free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years. Over the past decade, it has increased student enrollment, improved infrastructure, and raised awareness about the importance of education. However, significant challenges remain—high dropout rates, poor learning outcomes, lack […]
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June 28, 2020
For millions of rural families across India, MGNREGA isn’t just a policy—it’s survival. Since its launch in 2005, it has provided 100 days of guaranteed work to those in need, reducing poverty, migration, and financial insecurity. It has especially helped women, small farmers, and landless laborers find a reliable source of income. But while the […]
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February 25, 2020
The COVID-19 lockdown revealed major flaws in India’s food security system. While the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was designed to provide affordable food to millions, many people—especially migrant workers—were left struggling to access rations. Outdated data, lack of ration card portability, and supply chain disruptions meant that even government relief efforts failed to reach […]
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RGICS is the division of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation engaged in the study of contemporary issues. The views represented in the various papers/articles/videos on the RGICS website are those of the respective authors /speakers and do not represent the views of the Trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
