Kerala government forms committee to attain EC clearance for proposals that need immediate implementation

The state government is concerned that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) — which came into effect on Saturday, 16 March, following the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule — might halt the clearance of the proposals that need immediate intervention.

The committee was also constituted on Saturday.

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Objectives of the committee

The state government stated that the screening committee was constituted to get clearance from the CEO, considering the MCC, for the proposals submitted by it.

It also stated that the committee is expected to “streamline the process and to ensure time-bound disposal of all government proposals requiring prior clearance from the EC while the MCC is in force in the state”.

It is learnt that an instruction was already issued to all the departments, to submit the proposal/proposals to the convenor of the committee with a detailed note.

However, it has been mandated that no department should send proposals directly to the CEO’s office or EC without the recommendation of the screening committee.

The screening committee will examine the proposal/proposals in the light of the existing instructions/manual on MCC/compendium of instructions on MCC.

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Highlight urgency

Once a proposal is cleared by the screening committee it would be submitted to the CEO. Then it will be referred to the EC along with the full details and note on the urgency of the matter — why the proposal could not wait till the completion of the election process.

According to sources, the committee has been asked to meet every Monday at 11 am or whenever deemed necessary to examine each proposal.

While officials remain tight-lipped on the nature of proposals that will be sent to the EC for urgent clearance, some sources point to those that can leverage political gains.

“Take the case of CAA protests. The Opposition parties are using it as a stick to beat the government with as withdrawal of cases that are not serious is yet to take place. Though the government has an idea to withdraw such cases, it now needs EC’s clearance,” said the source.

The same is the case with welfare schemes and other programmes involving financial assistance, the source added.

What does MCC say?

Of the many instructions mentioned in the MCC, which is a set of guidelines meant for political parties and candidates before the election, the one that is directed to the ‘party in power’ mandates that, ministers and other authorities shall not sanction grants/payments out of discretionary funds from the time elections are announced by the Commission; and they shall not announce any financial grants in any form or promises thereof or lay foundation stones, etc of projects or schemes of any kind which may have the effect of influencing the voters in favour of the party in power.

(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)