The State Legislature (Indian Polity and Governance) Part-II

Total Questions: 32

21. The Council of Ministers in a State is collectively responsible to : [68th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2022]

Correct Answer: (a) the Legislative Assembly
Solution:Article 164(1) of the Indian Constitution provides for the Council of Ministers in a state. According to this Article- the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, and The Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor. Under Article 164(2) the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State. Under Article 164(3) before a Minister enters his office, the Governor shall administer to him the oaths of office and of secrecy according to the forms set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.

22. The tenure of Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister is: [U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 2008]

Correct Answer: (b) 5 Years
Solution:The tenure of the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir was 6 years earlier. The leader of the majority party becomes the Chief Minister and bears the office till he has the majority. So, the tenure in a way is not fixed but it is deemed to be the tenure of the Legislative Assembly. Recently, according to the Jammu & Kashmir reorganisation Act 2019, the tenure of the legislative assembly has been fixed for 5 years.

23. Which Indian state had the first woman Chief Minister? [R.A.S./R.T.S.(Pre) 2003]

Correct Answer: (a) U.P.
Solution:Sucheta Kriplani was the first woman to become the Chief Minister any state of the Indian Republic. She became the Chief Minister of U.P. in 1963.
  • Contributions -
  • One of the 15 eminent women that were part of the drafting committee.
  • A founding member of the All India Mahila Congress (1940)
  • Participated in Quit India Movement and worked underground to evade arrest.
  • Worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi during the Partition riots and accompanied him to Noakhali in 1946.
  • Served as the 1st women Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
  • She is the 1st woman to hold that position in any Indian state.
  • Served as Lok Sabha MP until 1971.
  • Part of several delegations such as the Parliamentary Delegation to Turkey (1954), International Labour Organization (1961), United Nations General Assembly (1949), etc.

24. The 1st Woman Chief Minister of an Indian State was _____________. [U.P Lower Sub. (Spl) (Pre) 2004, M.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 1990]

Correct Answer: (b) Sucheta Kriplani
Solution:Sucheta Kriplani was the first woman to become the Chief Minister any state of the Indian Republic. She became the Chief Minister of U.P. in 1963.
  • Contributions -
  • One of the 15 eminent women that were part of the drafting committee.
  • A founding member of the All India Mahila Congress (1940)
  • Participated in Quit India Movement and worked underground to evade arrest.
  • Worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi during the Partition riots and accompanied him to Noakhali in 1946.
  • Served as the 1st women Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
  • She is the 1st woman to hold that position in any Indian state.
  • Served as Lok Sabha MP until 1971.
  • Part of several delegations such as the Parliamentary Delegation to Turkey (1954), International Labour Organization (1961), United Nations General Assembly (1949), etc.

25. Who was the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh? [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre.) 2022]

Correct Answer: (a) Ravishankar Shukla
Solution:Articles 153 to 167 in Part VI of the Constitution deal with the State executive. The state executive consists of the governor, the Chief Minister, the council of ministers and the advocate general. The first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh was Pt. Ravishankar Shukla. He served from November 1, 1956 to December 31, 1956. Dr. Mohan Yadav is serving as the 19th and Current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh since December 13, 2023.

26. Who among the following Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh has not held the office of the leader of the house in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly during his tenure? [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

Correct Answer: (b) Govind Narayan Singh
Solution:Govind Narayan Singh as a Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh has not held the office of the leader of the house in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly during his tenure. He served as Madhya Pradesh's fifth Chief Minister.
  • Constitution has not prescribed any specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister.
  • Therefore according to convention of parliamentary form of government, governor appoints the leader of the majority party in the state legislature as Chief Minister.
  • In case of lack of clear cut majority, governor usually appoints the memthe leader of the largest party or coalition in the assembly as the Chief Minister.
  • If the chief minister in office dies suddenly and there is no obvious successor, the governor has the discretion to appoint any person as Chief Minister, however, if the ruling party elected a new leader, the governor has no choice but to appoint that person as Chief Minister.
  • Governor can first appoint a person as CM and ask him/her to prove majority within reasonable period as Constitution does not require that a person must prove majority before appointment as CM.
  • If the CM does not become a member of either house within six months, he/she loses position as CM. The governor appoints the CM, but the governor cannot dismiss him/her until have a majority in the house.

27. The main force forming the principles of the procedure for the work of State Government is: [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

Correct Answer: (d) Secretariat
Solution:The State Secretariat is the apex wing of the state administration. It is the center of the political and administrative functions of the state. It is the main force forming the principles of precedure for work of the state government.

28. Consider the following statements: [I.A.S. (Pre) 2016]

1. The Chief Secretary in a State is appointed by the Governor of that State.

2. The Chief Secretary in a State has a fixed tenure.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

 

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:The Chief Secretary of State is chosen by the Chief Minister and appointed by the Governor of the State. Thus, statement (1) is correct. The Chief Secretary is the head of State's administrative machinery and the control administrative body of the State. There is no fixed tenure of the Chief Secretary of State. So, statement (2) is not correct.

The role of a Chief Secretary is multifaceted and critical to the smooth functioning of the state administration. Some key responsibilities include:
1. Policy Formulation: The Chief Secretary plays a crucial role in formulating state policies and strategic plans, making them a vital part of the decision-making process.
2. Administrative Coordination: They coordinate the activities of various departments within the state government, ensuring that the administration works in harmony to achieve its goals.
3. Liaison with Central Government: Acting as the chief representative of the state, the Chief Secretary maintains a steady communication line with the central government.
4. Crisis Management: in times of crises, the Chief Secretary is responsible for leading the administrative response and ensuring swift and effective action.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation: They monitor the implementation of policies and evaluate their outcomes, providing feedback for future policy improvements

29. In the administration of the State Secretariat every file have to be sent to the Cabinet through? [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2015]

Correct Answer: (d) Chief Secretary
Solution:In the administration of state Secretariat through, every file have to be sent to the Cabinet through Chief Secretary. The Chief Secretary is responsible for sending files to the cabinet.

The role of a Chief Secretary is multifaceted and critical to the smooth functioning of the state administration. Some key responsibilities include:
1. Policy Formulation: The Chief Secretary plays a crucial role in formulating state policies and strategic plans, making them a vital part of the decision-making process.
2. Administrative Coordination: They coordinate the activities of various departments within the state government, ensuring that the administration works in harmony to achieve its goals.
3. Liaison with Central Government: Acting as the chief representative of the state, the Chief Secretary maintains a steady communication line with the central government.
4. Crisis Management: in times of crises, the Chief Secretary is responsible for leading the administrative response and ensuring swift and effective action.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation: They monitor the implementation of policies and evaluate their outcomes, providing feedback for future policy improvements

30. After the Ayodhya incident in 1992, Vidhan Sabha in some States was dissolved. Out of the following, in which state the Vidhan Sabha was not dissolved? [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2005]

Correct Answer: (d) Bihar
Solution:After the Ayodhya incident in 1992, the Vidhan Sabha (State Legislature) Under the B.J.P. ruled states like U.P., M.P., Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan were dissolved, but the state of Bihar was not dissolved. Bihar came under President rule in 1995 after 1980.
  • The Legislative Assembly, commonly known as Vidhan Sabha, or the lower House of the State Legislature, is elected directly by people in the State, on the basis of the system of adult franchise, for a period of 5 years.
  • Article 170(1) provides that the Legislative Assembly of each State shall consist of not more than 500 and not less than 60 members.
  • For electing the members, the State is divided into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it shall, so far as practicable, same throughout the State. It is required with the object of maintaining uniformity in the scale of representation of the different constituencies.
  • The Constitution provides for the reservation of seats in the Legislative assemblies of the States for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes