Amidst Stalemate Between Delhi LG And Kejriwal, LG Gets Fresh Powers From President Murmu

President Murmu has given fresh powers to Delhi LG Saxena amidst the stalemate with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Image used for representational purposes only

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President Droupadi Murmu has delegated two new powers to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. The powers have been granted under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 in order to formulate the rules only in the Union territory areas of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi where it is needed.

Two separate notifications released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on January 16 declared that it is instructed that the Delhi LG would exercise the authority and carry out the duties of the apt government or state government under these regulations till further order.

According to the notifications, the President also granted equivalent power to the administrators and Lieutenant Governors of five other Union Territories — the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep.

One of the notifications read: "In pursuance of clause (1) of article 239 of the Constitution, the President hereby directs that the administrator or Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep shall, subject to the control of the President and until further order, exercise the powers and discharge the functions of the appropriate Government or State Government under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (35 of 2020), to formulate the rules only in the areas where the Union territory of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep are required to formulate rules either as appropriate Government or State Government."

Power Granted Under Industrial Relations Code, 2020

Under Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the appropriate government may exempt any new industrial establishment or class of establishments from the provisions of the Code in the public interest.

Power Granted Under Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020

The notification read: "In pursuance of clause (1) of article 239 of the Constitution, the President hereby directs that the administrator or Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep shall, subject to the control of the President and until further order, exercise the powers and discharge the functions of the appropriate Government or State Government under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (37 of 2020), to formulate the rules only in the areas where the Union territory of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep are required to formulate rules either as appropriate Government or State Government."

In light of his impasse with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the two additional powers to the Delhi LG is noteworthy. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and Vinai Kumar Saxena, the lieutenant governor, had a recent face-off. This happened before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's mayor and deputy mayor elections on January 23. (MCD). The LG is purportedly issuing directives on "practically everything" and bypassing the elected government, according to AAP.

(With inputs from ANI)