NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Act comes into force, giving primacy to L-G over elected government

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, which gives primacy to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) over the elected government in the city, has come into force. The provisions of the Act came into effect from 27 April, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). According to the legislation, the “government” in Delhi means the “Lieutenant Governor” and the city government will now have to seek the opinion of the L-G before taking any executive action. “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. The legislation came into force at a time when Delhi recorded 5,906 new COVID-19 cases and 381 deaths in a span of 24 hours. According to reports , the city’s hospitals have been grappling with insufficient supply of oxygen, causing the deaths of many patients. Additionally, citizens have also been struggling to get access to hospital beds and medicines. Parliament had passed the bill last month - Lok Sabha on 22 March and Rajya Sabha on 24 March. When the bill was passed by Parliament, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had termed it a “sad day for Indian democracy”. With inputs from PTI