Madhya Pradesh govt forms delimitation commission to review administrative boundaries
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said people face challenges to access basic services in large districts like Sagar, Ujjain, Indore and Dhar.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday that the state government has formed a new delimitation commission to re-examine the number of districts and divisions, and also their boundaries, news agency PTI reported.
Yadav in a statement said the government has decided to undertake the exercise to improve people's access to public services. “The districts have increased but there are many anomalies and discrepancies. Some people have to cover long distances to reach the district or divisional headquarters”, the CM said in a statement.
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The chief minister said rationalising district and divisional boundaries would lead to "betterment of people". He added that districts like Sagar, Ujjain, Indore and Dhar face several difficulties due to their large size.
Urging people to submit their suggestions to the commission, Yadav said the state government has already redefined the police station limits from the administrative point of view.
A retired officer of the additional chief secretary-level, Manoj Shrivastava, has been given responsibility of the commission, the CM said.
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What is Delimitation?
The process involves fixing the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies, including the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), based on data after every decennial census.
The Constitution of India mandates delimitation after each census. Article 82 mandates the readjustment of seats for the Lok Sabha, while Article 170 provides for the same exercise at the state level. The process is performed by a powerful body called the Delimitation Commission, appointed by the President of India at the central level.
State governments also appoint a Delimitation Commission to adjust the boundaries of districts and divisions to improve administrative efficiency. The high-powered commission is headed by an officer appointed by the state government. Its orders have a force of law and cannot be called into question before any court in India.
(With PTI inputs)