(a) "There shall be Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of…

Part (a) The Governor–CM controversy turns on a simple constitutional distinction. Article 163(1) requires a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor, except where the Constitution requires him to act in his discretion. Article 163(2) does not itself create discretion; it only makes the Governor’s decision on whether a matter falls within his discretion final. The discretion arises from the 163(1) exception and specific constitutional provisions. Shamsher Singh v. State of Punjab (1974) held that the Governor generally acts on ministerial advice, and Nabam Rebia v. H.P. Rajaguru reinforced that he cannot withhold assent arbitrarily except in narrow discretionary cases. Recent Supreme Court observations have cautioned that the Governor’s conduct must remain non-partisan and within constitutional limits.

The debate is intense because the Governor is a constitutional head, yet often perceived as a political appointee. Sarkaria Commission recommended that the Governor should be an independent, non-political head and act on ministerial advice except in clearly defined discretionary situations. Punchhi Commission reinforced this, urging that the Governor should not be from the state or a political appointee, and should use discretion only in narrow constitutional cases. Recent controversies in West Bengal, Kerala and Maharashtra over bills, Assembly summoning and advice to the Chief Minister show whether the Governor acts as a constitutional head or political agent. Thus, under Article 163, the elected government is the real executive unless the Constitution expressly gives the Governor discretion.

Part (b) The Deputy Commissioner/District Collector has evolved from a revenue collector into a development administrator. Historically a revenue officer and magistrate, he now coordinates development, disaster response, public order and scheme implementation. This creates a conflict between magisterial and developmental roles, as the same officer must regulate, enforce and promote growth. The L.M. Singhvi Committee and the Second ARC both recommended reorienting district governance toward development, with clearer separation of regulatory and promotional functions. The D.K. Singh Committee has also called for redefining the Collector’s role and strengthening district-level coordination.

The Collector should remain the head of district administration and the District Disaster Management Authority, but routine regulatory work should be separated from developmental coordination. This would allow the Collector to focus on disaster management, SDG localization, district planning, and monitoring of schemes, while other officers handle revenue, law and order, and regulatory functions. A redefined Collector can act as a development coordinator, ensuring state policies reach the district without administrative overload. This realignment would improve accountability and speed of scheme delivery.

Part (c) Launched in 2017, Project Bharatmala is a road-centric programme to improve connectivity, reduce logistics costs and support growth. Unlike NHDP, which focused mainly on expanding the national highway network, Bharatmala has six components: economic corridors, inter-corridor connectivity, feeder routes, border/strategic roads, coastal/port connectivity roads, and green-field expressways. It is funded through NHAI bonds, EPC contracts, which are government-funded, and HAM models, which involve private participation.

Bharatmala has improved connectivity, especially in the North-East and Himalayan regions, by promoting all-weather roads and strategic links. However, execution has faced delays due to land acquisition, clearances, funding, and implementation bottlenecks; the 2022 deadline for several projects was extended. PM Gati Shakti Master Plan has been used to integrate Bharatmala Phase-II with other ministries’ plans, reducing overlaps and improving coordination.

These parts are linked: Governor-CM friction can delay state policy and land acquisition, weakening district execution. Bharatmala needs smooth state-district coordination, clear regulatory-promotional separation and cooperative federalism. The way forward is to treat the Governor as a non-partisan constitutional head, redefine the Collector as a development coordinator with separated regulatory functions, and execute Bharatmala through Gati Shakti coordination.