[UPPSC-UP Special Syllabus Decoded] Special State Selection Criteria, Official Language, Consolidated Fund and Contingency fund, Political Parties and State Election Commission of UP.

1. Special State Selection Criteria

Trend: Analytical questions on “Why UP demands Special Category Status (SCS)” vs. “NITI Aayog’s aspirational approach.”

A. Criteria for Special Category Status (SCS)

• Gadgil-Mukherjee Formula (Historical Context):
  • Hilly and difficult terrain.
  • Low population density or sizable tribal population.
  • Strategic location along borders.
  • Economic and infrastructural backwardness.
  • Non-viable nature of state finances.
• Current Status: The 14th Finance Commission effectively dismantled the concept of SCS for general states, restricting it to North-Eastern and Hill states, replacing it with higher tax devolution (42%).

B. Uttar Pradesh’s Case for Special Status

• Arguments for SCS:
  • Bimaru Legacy: Historical neglect of Purvanchal and Bundelkhand.
  • Population Pressure: UP hosts ~20% of India’s population but receives disproportionate resources relative to its needs.
  • International Border: Porous border with Nepal (Strategic concern).
• Counter-Arguments:
  • Revenue Surplus: UP has recently moved towards a revenue-surplus budget.
  • Resource Potential: High fertile land and human capital (Demographic Dividend).

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• 16th Finance Commission (June 2025): UP officially submitted a memorandum demanding “Special Packages” instead of SCS, focusing on performance-based incentives for population control and GSDP growth.
• Bundelkhand Special Package: Continued demand for a dedicated non-lapsable fund for the drought-prone region in the 2025-26 Union Budget.

2. Official Language of Uttar Pradesh

Trend: Focus on the “legal status of Urdu” and the recent push for “regional dialects.”

A. Statutory Framework

• UP Official Language Act, 1951:
  • Adopted Hindi in Devanagari script as the language for all official purposes.
  • Section 3: Mandatory use of Hindi in bills, acts, and ordinances.
• The 1989 Amendment (Urdu):
  • Inserted Section 3 to declare Urdu as the second official language for 7 specific purposes (e.g., accepting applications, registration of documents, gazette publication).

B. Promotion of Dialects

• Linguistic Diversity:
  • Western UP: Khari Boli, Braj Bhasha.
  • Central UP: Avadhi.
  • Eastern UP: Bhojpuri.
  • Bundelkhand: Bundeli.
• Institutions: UP Hindi Sansthan, UP Urdu Akademi, and the newly proposed Bhojpuri Academy.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Vidhan Parishad Reform (Feb 2025): In a historic move, the UP Legislative Council allowed members to speak in 5 local dialects (Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Khari Boli) to promote cultural pride.
• Dictionary Project: The UP Bhasha Sansthan launched a project in late 2024 to create digital dictionaries for Bundeli and Tharu languages to prevent extinction.

3. Consolidated Fund and Contingency Fund of UP

Trend: Questions on “Fiscal Deficit targets” and “Capital Expenditure” trends.

A. Consolidated Fund of Uttar Pradesh (Article 266)

• Composition: All revenues received (Tax + Non-Tax), loans raised, and recoveries of loans.
• Expenditure Types:
  • Charged Expenditure: Salary of Governor, Speaker, High Court Judges, Debt service (Non-votable).
  • Voted Expenditure: Demands for Grants voted by the Assembly.
• Budget 2025-26 Snapshot:
  • Total Size: Approx ₹7.36 Lakh Crore (Largest in state history).
  • Capital Expenditure (Capex): Focus on creating assets (Expressways, Metros).

B. Contingency Fund of Uttar Pradesh (Article 267)

• Purpose: To meet unforeseen expenditure (disasters, urgent court orders) pending authorization by the Legislature.
• Disposal: Under the control of the Governor (operated by the Finance Secretary).
• Recent Changes: The corpus has been significantly increased to handle large-scale emergencies without waiting for session approvals.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Fund Limit Hike: The UP Government increased the Contingency Fund corpus limit via ordinance (2020/updated 2024) to ₹1,200 Crore (from ₹600 Cr) to manage Covid-like exigencies and Kumbh preparations.
• Fiscal Discipline: UP maintained its Fiscal Deficit within the 3.5% GSDP limit set by the FRBM Act for 2024-25, despite heavy infrastructure spending.

4. Political Parties in Uttar Pradesh

Trend: Criteria for “State Party Recognition” and the changing political landscape.

A. Criteria for Recognition (State Party)

• Vote Share: 6% of valid votes in Assembly Election + 2 MLAs OR 6% votes in Lok Sabha Election + 1 MP.
• Seat Share: 3% of total Assembly seats (minimum 3 seats).
• Vote Share Only: 8% of total valid votes in Assembly or Lok Sabha (without winning any seat).

B. Major Parties in UP

• National Parties: BJP, Congress, BSP, AAP (Recently recognized).
• State Parties: Samajwadi Party (SP), Apna Dal (Soneylal).
• Registered Unrecognized Parties (RUPPs): Role of smaller caste-based parties (SBSP, NISHAD Party) in coalition politics.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• RLD Status: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) regained momentum in 2024-25 elections, solidifying its status as a key State Party in Western UP.
• RUPP Crackdown: In late 2024, the ECI delisted several Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) in UP for financial non-compliance, cleaning up the political funding ecosystem.

5. State Election Commission (SEC) of UP

Trend: Role in “Panchayat Elections” and “Urban Local Body Reforms.”

A. Constitutional Status

• Article 243K: Superintendence, direction, and control of Panchayat Elections.
• Article 243ZA: Conduct of Municipal (Urban Local Body) Elections.
• Appointment: The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Governor.
• Removal: Can only be removed in the same manner as a High Court Judge (Security of Tenure).

B. Functions & Challenges

• Electoral Rolls: Preparing separate voter lists for local bodies (distinct from ECI’s Lok Sabha/Vidhan Sabha lists).
• Delimitation: Redrawing ward boundaries based on the latest population data.
• Reservation: Ensuring rotation of reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC and Women (33%).

C. Recent Developments

• OBC Reservation Triple Test: The SEC played a crucial role in conducting the “Triple Test” survey to validate OBC reservation in Urban Local Body elections (post-Supreme Court guidelines).

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Digital Voter List (2025): For the upcoming Panchayat elections, the UP SEC launched a fully digitized portal for voter registration and correction to eliminate duplicate voters.
• Common Electoral Roll: Discussions accelerated in 2025 between ECI and UP SEC to merge the Assembly and Panchayat voter lists to save costs and reduce confusion.