The Centre has notified the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act (Amendment), 2021. The act gives primacy to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) over the government in the city.
The provisions of the Act came into effect from April 27, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
According to the legislation, the “government” in Delhi means the “Lieutenant Governor”. It also provides that the opinion of the L-G “shall be obtained” before taking any executive action on decisions of the Council of Ministers of the Delhi government.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act 2021 (15 of 2021), the Central Government hereby appoints the 27th April 2021 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” the notification signed by additional secretary in the MHA, Govind Mohan, said.
Parliament had passed the bill last month. When the bill was passed by Parliament, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had termed it a “sad day for Indian democracy”.
It is pertinent to note that the notification comes at a time when the Centre and Delhi government are sparring against each other over issues related to Covid-19, including the supply of medical oxygen in hospitals.
