Government & Administration (India & World) (Part-I)

Total Questions: 50

1. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the commencement of the election process in India? [1995]

Correct Answer: (c) The recommendation for election is made by the Election Commission and the notification for election is issued by the President and Governors of the States concerned
Solution:The Election commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India. The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country. The recommendation for election is made by the Election Commission and the notification for election is issued by the President and Governors of the States concerned.

India's election system is quite a comprehensive one as it has huge number of constituencies at its helm to look upon and to provide data from it's electing machinery for the future establishment of newer constituencies.

2. Which one of the following will fit in the place marked 'X'? [1995]

List-I (Council of states)List-II (House of the People)
Not more than 250 members

Not more than 238

representatives of

States and Union

Territories

Not more than 552 members

Not more than 530

representative of states

plus not more than 2

nominated Anglo-Indians plus X

 

Correct Answer: (c) Not more than 20 representative of Union Territories
Solution:The maximum strength of the House envisaged by the Constitution of India is 552, which is made up by election of up to 530 members to represent the states; up to 20 members to represent the Union Territories and not more than two members of the Anglo-Indian Community to be nominated by the President of India, if, in his/her opinion, that community is not adequately represented in the House.

3. Who among the following have the right to vote in the elections to both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha? [1995]

Correct Answer: (d) Elected members of the Lower House of the State Legislature
Solution:As Indian follows Universal Adult Suffrage elected members of the Lower House of the State Legislature i. e., Las have the right to vote in the elections to both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The State Legislature besides making laws also has one electoral power in electing the President of India. Elected members of the Legislative Assembly along with the elected members of Parliament are involved in this process.

  • The constitutional framework governing the State Legislative Council is primarily detailed in Articles 169, 171, and 172 of the Indian Constitution. These articles outline the establishment, composition, and duration of the Council.
  • Article 169: It grants Parliament the authority to create or abolish a State Legislative Council by a simple majority, contingent upon a resolution passed by the state’s Legislative Assembly by a special majority. However, the resolution passed by the Legislative Assembly is not binding on Parliament.
  • Article 171: It outlines the composition of the State Legislative Council.
  • Article 172: It addresses the duration of the Council, indicating that its members serve for six years, with one-third of them retiring every two years.

4. Which one of the following States of India does not have a Legislative Council even though the Constitution? (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956 provides for it? [1995]

Correct Answer: (d) Madhya Pradesh
Solution:6 out of 28 states have bicameral legislatures, namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, with the remaining states having a unicameral one.
  • The constitutional framework governing the State Legislative Council is primarily detailed in Articles 169, 171, and 172 of the Indian Constitution. These articles outline the establishment, composition, and duration of the Council.
  • Article 169: It grants Parliament the authority to create or abolish a State Legislative Council by a simple majority, contingent upon a resolution passed by the state’s Legislative Assembly by a special majority. However, the resolution passed by the Legislative Assembly is not binding on Parliament.
  • Article 171: It outlines the composition of the State Legislative Council.
  • Article 172: It addresses the duration of the Council, indicating that its members serve for six years, with one-third of them retiring every two years.

5. Which of the following is the State in which the Lok Ayukta Act includes the Chief Minister in its ambit? [1995]

Correct Answer: (b) Gujarat and Maharashtra
Solution:In Gujarat and Maharashtra the Chief Ministers come under the ambit of Lok Ayukta Act.

Lokayukta act refers to those provisions which have been enshrined to put a check on the working of Ministers and their colleagues at the highest level with charge of corruption and other imbalances that are done at the decision making level.

Lokpal and Lokayukta are public institutions established in India to investigate and prosecute corruption among public officials.

• Recommendation of ARC: In the 1960s, the Administrative Reforms Commission of India suggested the creation of two specialized authorities, the Lokpal and Lokayukta, to address citizens' complaints and grievances pertaining to corruption.
• Role of Ombudsman: Lokpal and Lokayukta perform the function and role of an “Ombudsman”. They inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public bodies/organizations and for other related matters.
• National and state level: The Lokpal is a national-level institution, while the Lokayukta is a state-level institution. Both have the power to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, and both are headed by a panel of judges or retired judges.
• Jurisdiction: The Lokpal and Lokayukta handle complaints against ministers and top government officials. The Lokpal’s jurisdiction extends to Indian public servants both within and outside India.

6. Which of the followings political parties is/are national political parties? [1995]

1. Muslim League

2. Revolutionary Socialist Party

3. All India Forward Block

4. Peasants and Workers Party of India

Correct Answer: (d) None
Solution:All the parties mentioned are state level parties.
• According to the Election Commission, any of these three conditions need to be met if a party is to be called a “national party”.
• A party’s candidates in a minimum of four states must get at least 6 per cent of the total votes polled in each of those states in the last national election. In addition to this, it should have won four seats in the Lok Sabha.
• A party should win a minimum of 2 per cent of the total seats in the Lok Sabha. The party’s candidates should have been elected from not less than three states.
• A party recognised as a “state party” in at least four states.

7. The Dinesh Goswami Committee was concerned with [1995]

Correct Answer: (b) electoral reforms
Solution:

Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990) was concerned with electoral reforms. Its recommendations are:
• Need for amendment of Anti-defection law to restrict disqualification where elected member voluntarily gives up his membership.
• Changes in voter Fresh delimitation on the basis of 1981 census.
• Not more than 2 constituencies for one candidate.
• Reduce age of candidates from 25 to 21 for assembly seats.
• Discourage non-serious candidates - increasing the security deposit to Rs.5000 (Lok Sabha) and Rs. 2500 for Assembly elections.

8. If in an election to a State legislative assembly, the candidate who is declared elected loses his deposit, it means that: [1995]

Correct Answer: (d) a very large number of candidates contested the election
Solution:A defeated candidate who fails to secure more than one sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency will lose his security deposit. When a very large number of candidates contest the election, due to distribution of votes, the winning candidate may get less than 1/6 th of valid voters.

9. If the number of seats allocated to a state in the Lok Sabha is 42, then the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes in that state will be: [1995]

Correct Answer: (a) 21
Solution:Incomplete question. In this question no data is provided for percentage of SC population. That's why the number of reserved seats for SCs cannot be predicted.

Allocation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the Lok Sabha are made on the basis of proportion of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the State concerned to that of the total population, vide provision contained in Article 330 of the Constitution of India read with Section 3 of the R. P. Act, 1950. Article 332 Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assemblies of the States:

(1) Seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, except the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam, in the Legislative Assembly of every State.

(2) Seats shall be reserved also for the autonomous districts in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Assam.

(3) The number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly of any State under clause (1) shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats in the Assembly as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the State or of the Scheduled Tribes in the State or part of the State, as the case may be, in respect of which seats are so reserved, bears to the total population of the State.

10. Which one of the following is a part of the electoral college for the President but, not the forum for his impeachment? [1996]

Correct Answer: (d) State Legislative Assemblies
Solution:

• The President can be removed from office through a process of impeachment for “violation of the Constitution,” although the Constitution does not specify what constitutes such a violation.
• Impeachment proceedings can be initiated by either House of Parliament, with the charges being signed by one-fourth of the members of the House.
• The President is given 14 days’ notice before the proceedings begin and has the right to appear and be represented during the investigation. If a resolution is passed by a two-thirds majority of both Houses, the President is removed from office.
• An impeachment is a semi-judicial process in Parliament. Nominated members of either House of Parliament can participate in impeachment proceedings, even though they cannot vote in the presidential election.
• Members of state legislative assemblies and the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry, who can vote in the presidential election, do not participate in impeachment proceedings.
• To date, no President has ever been impeached.