Polity And Governance

Answer : Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body (under Article-324) vested with the responsibilities of superintendence, direction and control of conduct of elections. It consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

A free, fair and unbiased electoral process along with greater citizen participation is fundamental to safeguarding the values of a democracy. Unfortunately, Indian electoral system is grappling with certain issues which have eroded the trust of many people in the country ....

Answer : Citizens’ Charter (CC) is an instrument which seeks to make an organization transparent, accountable and citizen friendly. It is a public statement that defines the entitlements of citizens to a specific service, the standards of the service, the conditions to be met by users, and the remedies available to the latter in case of non-compliance of standards.

Components of CC: Vision and Mission Statement of the Organization

• This gives the outcomes desired and the broad strategy to ....

Answer : National Commission for Scheduled Castes (SCs) is a constitutional body in the sense that it is directly established by Article 338 of the Constitution. It is an advisory and recommendatory body to look upon the holistic upliftment of the schedule castes.

Investigating and monitoring all matters relating to the constitutional and other legal safeguards for the SCs and to evaluate their working, inquiring into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of ....

Answer : Emergency provisions are contained in Part XVIII of the Constitution, from Articles 352 to 360. These provisions enable the Central government to meet any abnormal situation effectively. The rationality behind the incorporation of these provisions in the Constitution is to safeguard the sovereignty, unity, integrity and security of the country, the democratic political system, and the Constitution.

Financial Emergency

Article 360 empowers the President to proclaim a Financial Emergency if he is satisfied that a situation has ....

Answer : The Parliament is too unwieldy a body to deliberate effectively the issues that come up before it. The functions of the Parliament are varied, complex and voluminous. Moreover, it has neither the adequate time nor necessary expertise to make a detailed scrutiny of all legislative measures and other matters. Therefore, it is assisted by a number of committees in the discharge of its duties.

Accordingly, a parliamentary committee means a committee that:

• Is appointed or elected by ....

Answer : The Constitution of India (Article 148) provides for an independent office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department. He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at both the levels—the Centre and the state. His duty is to uphold the Constitution of India and laws of Parliament in the field of financial administration.

Appointment ....

Answer : India has performed poorly in terms of minimising environmental degradation and ranks 177 among 180 countries in Environmental Performance Index (EPI).

Factors that led to Environment Degradation

• Lack of effective coordination among various ministries/institutions to implement and integrate environmental laws due to conflicting interests, for example, developmental activities versus environmental concerns.
• Direct impacts of agricultural development on the environment arise from farming activities which contribute to soil erosion, land salinisation and loss of nutrients.
• The manufacturing technology adopted by ....

Answer : The Union government started Digital India programme which is a comprehensive approach to leverage the technology for the developmental purpose. It aimed at creating digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and making people digitally literate.

Along with expanding the range of services delivered online with services like digital locker and e-hospitals in addition to missions under National E-governance plans. The program also aims at leveraging technology to impart skills and make people digitally literate with focus on ....

Answer : The Supreme Court in recent case of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) vs Union of India held that in a democratic form of government the real power must subsist in the elected arm of the State.

The issue arose due to the conflicting interpretation of Article 239AA of the Constitution of India by the Union government and the Govt. of NCT of Delhi on the nature of aid and advice tendered to ....

Answer : A tribunal is a quasi-judicial body established in India by an Act of Parliament or State Legislature under Article 323A or 323B to resolve disputes that are brought before it. While Article 323A deals with administrative tribunals, Article 323B deals with tribunals for other matters.

Advantages of Tribunals

• Flexibility: Administrative adjudication has brought about flexibility and adaptability in the judiciary as they are not restrained by rigid rules of procedure and can remain in tune with the ....

Answer : The Constitution of India provides for a parliamentary form of government, both at the Centre and in the states while in USA, a presidential form of government is present.

• The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district.

Main Features of American Constitution

• Presidential Democracy: President is the head of state and head of government.
• Federal System: It is a federal state that emerged from an initial agreement between a numbers ....
  

Answer : Article 280 of the Constitution of India provides for a Finance Commission as a quasi judicial body. It is constituted by the President of India every fifth year or at such earlier time as he considers necessary.

The Finance Commission consists of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the President. They hold office for such period as specified by the President in his order. They are eligible for reappointment.

The Constitution authorizes the ....

Answer : The Panchayat system in India signifies the system of rural local self government. It has been established in all the states of India by the Acts of the state legislatures to build democracy at the grass root level. It is entrusted with rural development. It was constitutionalised through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992.

Panchayat system ensures the opportunity for people’s participation and involvement in the formulation and implementation of rural development programmes. The main ....

Answer : The vulnerable groups that face discrimination include- Women, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Children, Aged, Disabled, Poor migrants, People living with HIV/AIDS and Sexual Minorities and Religious Minorities, etc. Sometimes each group faces multiple barriers due to their multiple identities.

These vulnerable section needs protection and special mechanism for safeguarding their interests. For their accelerated socio economic development and protections, India has several commissions such as National Commission for SCs, National Commission for STs, National ....

Answer : The local self-government system in India is the 3rd tier of government which directly serves people at cutting edge. Despite having Constitutional status and independent existence, there are question over its effectiveness. But, to critically analyse the statement, we need to observe both: its failures and achievements.

Evidence of Ineffective Tool of Governance:

• Haphazard city and villages with mismanaged local roads, dirty public places, garbage everywhere and dingy slums are stark reminders of how local self-government has ....

Answer : NJAC Act 2014:

• The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 11, 2014.
• The Bill was introduced in conjunction with the Constitutional (121st Amendment) Bill, 2014, which establishes the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
• The Bill provided for the procedure to be followed by the NJAC for recommending persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court (SC), and Chief Justice and other Judges of ....

Answer : Elections are an essential tool to ensure democracy. Apart from electing legislators and executive in our parliamentary democracy it also functions as accountability mechanism for executives and politicians. Furthermore it ensures people’s participation in governance indirectly and legitimises the policy and actions.

Benefits of Simultaneous Elections:

• It will decrease the time required for elections
• It will decrease the cost of elections
• More focus could be given to development away from election politics
• There will be a limited Model Code of ....

Answer : Pressure group is a group of people who are organized actively for promoting and defending their common interest. They are different from political parties. They never contest elections. But, they are concerned with specific programmes and issues.

How pressure groups influence Indian political process:

Pressure groups influence the Indian political process through:

(a) Legitimate methods

(b) Illegal methods

1. Legitimate methods: Through maintaining contacts with their legislators, correspondence, petitioning, public debating, publicity and propagandizing, pressure groups bring favourable changes in ....

Answer : In Indian parliamentary system the executive is accountable to the legislature or Lok Sabha. The financial accountability of the executive is ensured by many mechanisms including committee system. Public Accounts Committee is one of the most important committee in this context. Other committees are Estimate Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings, etc.

Role of Public Accounts Committee in establishing accountability of government or executive to the people:

• There are 22 members in it (15 L.S and 7 RS) ....

Answer : Although India was single nation from 1947 onwards but there was no single market. 101th Constitutional Act, 2016 is a transformational taxation reform for Indian economy after LPG of 1990s. To take a stand on whether it will be efficacious enough to remove cascading effect of taxes and providing common market or not, requires understanding of its salient features first.

Salient features

• The Act amends the Constitution to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It amends ....

Answer : The Supreme Court in August 2016 ruled that privacy is a Fundamental Right, protected as an intrinsic part of the Right to Life and Personal Liberty and as part of the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Salient Points of the latest Privacy Judgment

• Privacy is a constitutionally protected Right emerging primarily from the guarantee of life and liberty in Article 21 of the Constitution.
• It includes the preservation of personal intimacies, sanctity of family life, marriage, procreation, the ....

Answer : Indian Constitution adopted bicameral legislature based parliamentary democracy. To resolve any impasse between the two houses of bicameral legislature, there is a provision of joint session in Article 108 of the Indian Constitution.

As per Article 108 of Constitution, a Joint session of Parliament can be summoned in the following situations:

If after a Bill has been passed by one House and transmitted to the other House—

1. the Bill is rejected by the other House; or
2. the Houses ....

Answer : The Election Commission of India, established in the year 1950, is a permanent independent constitutional body vested with the powers of superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all Parliamentary and State elections and elections to the office of the President and Vice President in accordance to the Article 324 of the Constitution of India.

In 2016, the Commission suggested various electoral reforms. Some of the suggested reforms ....

Answer : In the Constituent Assembly Debates, Sardar Patel said that civil service must be above party politics. Neutrality in civil services was considered to be essential for its effectiveness. Civil Servants should be neutral to political parties, and implement programmes and policy of the government of the day in letter and spirit, being guided by the law and rule only. Sadly, the civil service’s neutrality and autonomy are not under threat from political parties only; large ....

Answer : The 69th Constitutional amendment designated Delhi as National Capital territory of Delhi and provided legislative assembly. However it was not conferred with full statehood and is administered by Union government through Lieutenant governor.

Essentials of 69th Constitutional Amandment Act (CAA)

1. To streamline administrative setup of the growing metropolis that also happened to be the nation’s capital.
2. To avoid the possibility of constant clash between centre and state given the common geography with overlapping jurisdictions.
3. Presence of high profile diplomatic ....

Answer : Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a “temporary provision” which grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir. According to this article except for defense, foreign affairs, finance and communications, Parliament need the state government concurrence for applying other laws.

Article 370 bears marginal note “temporary provision” which clearly states that the provisions with respect to the state of J&K are only temporary and not permanent. It also empowers president to abrogate article 370 on ....

Answer : India adopted the system of parliamentary democracy where elections are fought between various parties to win and form government. Indian party system is witnessing following changes which has also resulted in various contradictions and paradoxes.

(i) Multi-party System: From single party dominance India is witnessing multiparty system where hundreds of parties have been recognized by election commission of India.

However, despite multiple parties, most of the central and state elections have been a direct contest between ....

Answer : According to Article 149 of the constitution the CAG shall audit the accounts of the union and state governments. However, in last some years the CAG has also started to audit the policy implementation aspects like questioning the method of auction in 2G spectrum and coal mine allocations, checking beneficiaries of schemes like farm loan waiver scheme etc. This has raised the issue with respect to jurisdiction of CAG.

Many critics have raised concern over this ....

Answer : The Preamble provides that India is a sovereign socialist, secular, democratic Republic. These define the structure of India. The objectives to republic are as follows:

(i) Sovereign

• Sovereignty means independence and autonomy a country has in determining its internal and external policies. It was one of the most important reason for which freedom struggle against colonial rule was fought.
• However, presently due to globalization and liberalization concerns over its sanctity has been raised. For example, issues over intellectual ....

Answer : The judgment of I.R. Coelho reaffirmed the doctrine of basic structure. The Supreme Court held that 9th schedule of Indian constitution is not immune from judicial review if any law under 9th schedule violates fundamental rights of citizen.

Thus, if parliament passes a law under 9th schedule which violates either fundamental rights or even any element of the basic structure of constitution, that law can be dismissed by supreme court. In this content the importance of ....

Answer : The Government of India Act 1935 is many times termed as mini constitution because India after Independence retained many of its features under independent constitution. It is termed as “federal” because it provides for following federal features:-

1. All India federation: It was to comprise of British India provinces and princely states.
2. Division of federal subjects between centre and provinces.
3. Bicameral legislature: The proposed federal legislature was to comprise of council of states (Upper House) and federal Assembly ....

Answer : A Quasi-Judicial body is an entity such as an arbitrator or tribunal board, generally of a public administrative agency. Which has powers and procedures resembling those of court of law or judge and which is obliged to objectively determine facts and draw conclusions from them so as to provide the basics of an official action.

Important Quasi-judicial Bodies in India:

A. Constitutional Bodies:

(i) Tribunals under Article 323A and 323B.

• Art 323A provides for central administrative tribunal and Article ....

Answer : Non-state actors refers to “A wide range of non-governmental development actors like civil society in all its diversity, economic and social partners. Here participation is open to all kind of actors such as the private sector, community based organizations, women’s group, human rights associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), religious organizations and so on.

Non-state actors have been widely recognized as an essential third sector. Its strength can have a positive influence on the state and the market. ....

Answer : Good governance aims at providing an enabling environment in which all citizen can develop to their full potential. Also good governance aims at providing public services effectively efficiently and equitably to the citizens. Here, participation from people plays an important role to ensure fulfillment of good governance’s objective by seeking information giving suggestions, demanding better services holding service providers and other government against accountable and active participation in decision making.

People’s participation can influence policy and ....

Answer : Economic reforms introduced in 1991 budget, leading to economic liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG), led to far reaching impacts on socio-economic sphere. From socialism to a mainly market oriented regime, India has witnessed large scale changes in its governmental system.

Response of Indian governmental system to LPG:

Public Sector Reforms

• De-licensing, de-regulation, reduction in role of public sector enterprise and shift towards privatization.
• Disinvestment & strategic sale led to improvement or doing-away of various sick psus.
• Miniratna, Navratna, Maharatna tags ....

Answer : The current bureaucratic structure in India is a colonial relic. The laws governing policing, administration and the public delivery mechanism is still governed by the laws of the British era (for example Indian Police Act, 1861).

This has caused several problems and has led to hampering the socio-economic development in India in the following ways:

1. Red tapism: The complexity in the procedures involved in implementing a policy creates delay it creates a sense of risk in ....

Answer : To fight with the problems emanating from practices of different laws, rules, rites in certain matters like marriage, adoption, inheritance etc. and bring justice in practical sense, codification and implementation of the Uniform Civil Code becomes indispensable. In Pursuant to these inherent conflicts and divergent practices prevailing as a result of diverse nature of Indian society, the UCC was added as one of the directions to the states under the Directive Principles of State Policy ....

Answer : The drawbacks in the existing federal structure are power tilting in favor of the center leading to the dominance of the center in the financial sphere and a consequent dependence of the states upon the central grants. Thus, the state government, in order to meet their ever growing and sometimes overambitious aspirations, as can be witnessed by the demand of special packages by the Bihar government, demands special financial packages often unviable thus putting irresponsible ....

Answer : Literacy levels amongst the representatives of the local governance system are found to be very low. This often leads to lack of conceptual clarity with regards’ to the objectives this system has been founded. The representative, owing to illiteracy, often does not understand what duties they are supposed to discharge, what their responsibility is and whom they are accountable to. Clearly what this leads to is mismanagement of funds coming to the tune of crores ....

Answer : Khap panchayats are active in various states of the country, especially Haryana, are notorious for their outlandish edicts like declaring married couples siblings, ostracizing families and such other atrocious acts.The reason behind all these atrocious verdicts is to save the so-called honour and culture of the society.

The Supreme Court has declared ‘Khap panchayats’ to be illegal, which often decree or encourage honour killings or other institutionalized atrocities against boys and girls of different castes and ....

Answer : Article 123 of the Constitution grants the President certain law making powers to promulgate Ordinances when either of the two Houses of Parliament is not in session and hence it is not possible to enact laws in the Parliament.Just as the President of India is constitutionally mandated to issue Ordinances under Article 123, the Governor of a state can issue Ordinances under Article 213, when the state legislative assembly (or either of the two Houses ....

Answer : Ordinance was promulgated in Oct, 2015 to introduce several significant changes to the Arbitration & Conciliation Act 1996 (‘the A&C Act’), aiming at expediting the arbitration process and minimizing court intervention in arbitration. This act would facilitate expeditious settlement of civil disputes including those pertaining to family and consumer affairs. Now, these disputes can be settled out of court using this fast and efficient Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism. These ordinances will fast track resolution ....

Answer : Every year, numerous cases are reported in the national capital of India, Delhi related to burn injuries as well as 30% to 40% increased cases of wheezing, respiratory diseases, exacerbation of bronchial asthma and bronchitis patients have been reported during and post-Diwali. Therefore, the government took up this issue seriously and enacted various legislations, including the Supreme Court giving out certain judgments and orders to curb this increasing level of combined pollution.

In the landmark case ....

Answer : Recently the government has brought some changes in the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in a bid to strengthen scrutiny of financial transaction involving NGOs. This was done after cancelling the registration of around 1400 NGOs citing non-compliant reasons, anti-developmental activities, politically motivated actions etc. Greenpeace India and Ford Foundations are the two NGOs government is strictly vigilante about.

One of the most important change being government’s plan to equate “economic security” for NGOs under the ....

Answer : Indian higher education sector is grappling with multiple problems. Being a consumer of knowledge indicates lesser research works and we are- not producers of knowledge. Access and quality are the other two key issues plaguing this sector of Indian learning system. In addition to this higher education system needs to incorporate best practices, greater institutional autonomy and availability of sufficient funds in combination with most advanced evaluation system both for students as well as for ....

Answer : The Satyam Scandal of 2009 shook the foundations of Indian corporate sector, whose tremors were also felt across global corporate arena. The fraud had eroded the stakeholders trust in the regulators, companies as well as the markets alike. Huge outcry by all the sections of stakeholders lead to unfolding of unprecedented reforms related to audit committees, shareholder rights, and whistleblower policy, in corporate governance in India. The scam highlighted various loopholes in the corporate governance ....

Answer : The government has tabled a bill to amend the Whistleblowers Protection Act of 2011 in the Lok Sabha, but if the bill is passed, there may not be many whistleblowers to protect in the future. The bill includes a long list of forbidding don’ts which the activists say are likely to dissuade anyone from blowing the lid off corruption in the government or bureaucracy. The proposed amendments to Whistleblowers act, 2011 aims to bring in ....

Answer : Recently some of the actions taken by the government appeared to be encroaching upon the autonomy of the institutions. Some such actions were proposed Indian Institute of Management bill, the controversy associated with the appointment at the post of director to the Film and television Institute of India, attempt to bring NJAC to appoint members to higher judiciary thereby government accused of interfering in the court’s appointment process (however the provision got struck down by ....

Answer : Judicial Activism is use of judicial power, where in India’s, Supreme Court, interprets the laws and constitution for welfare of large section of society. Founding fathers of our constitution explicitly provided the rights of judiciial review to the judiciary to review laws under Article 13, if any law violates Fundamental Right is subject to null and void paved way for judicial activism in India in the name of judicial review under Article 32 and 226 ....

Answer : Federalism constitutes a complex governmental mechanism for the governance of the country. In a way federal set up seeks to balance between the powers of center and state administrating in the country as a whole and in unit respectively. Indian constitution clearly states that India as a non destructible union making strong center with federal features of governance in India.

Founding fathers of Indian constitution decided to have a nation with strong center because India is ....

Answer : Articles 105 and 194 of our Constitution have granted some privileges to the Parliament and Assemblies respectively in order to perform their duties towards the people.

Freedom of speech in Parliament (under the provision of constitution and regulating procedure of Parliament)

No member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceeding in any court

Other power, privileges and immunities may be defined by parliament by law

The founding fathers believed that without such privileges, the members of the legislatures ....

Answer : Freedom of speech is the most basic of all freedoms guaranteed to citizens of India, without which there won’t be any free political discussion, freely express ones idea or thought through different medium of expression like art, painting, literature and any other visual and audio medium. This freedom of speech not only guarantees oneself to express his views and opinions, it also guarantees individual not to express. Supreme Court of India under its role of ....

Answer : The power to pardon is one of the powers which have been conferred on the executive. Article 72 confers this power on the President and Article 161 does the same on the Governor. The pardoning power of Executive is very significant as it corrects the errors of judiciary. It eliminates the effect of conviction without addressing the defendant’s guilt or innocence. The process of granting pardon is simpler but because of the lethargy of the ....

Answer : Discusssion on Size of Cabinet: India’s first PM headed with a cabinet of total 17 ministers and previous Manmohan Singh government had a ministry size 70. So there is no concrete evidence that more ministries would lead for good governance of nation.

In India the size of cabinet is not driven on the basis of work and governance of nation, it is more driven by the coalition politics and allocation of portfolios to their supporting political ....

Answer : Recently government announced that it is planning to increase FDI limit in news media from the current FDI limit of 26%, where Government already announced 100% FDI in non news media broadcasting. This announcement of government has raised a debate over news broadcasting personalities and experts. Here, in the following discussion, evaluation of merits and demerits of increase in FDI limit on news media is examined.

Merits of Increased FDI in News Media

• If there is increase ....

Answer : Rail Tariff Authority (RTA) was initially proposed in the 2012-13 Budget for transparency in fare decision. The proposed RTA would advise the government fixing of fares and freight. At present, determinations of rail tariff were done by Railway Board and it is not in a transparent manner make users unaware about the reasons and criteria behind the tariff structure in Indian Railways.

The proposed RTA would not only consider requirement of railways but also engage with ....

Answer : Human Rights Commission is an autonomous Public body responsible for protection and promotion of Human Rights related to life, liberty, equality and dignity as enshrined in constitution. It is a quasi-judicial body, has the power to direct the government agencies and personnel if there is any violation of human rights to individual or society as whole.

Even after 67 years of independence there still exists violation of human rights in various cross-section of Indian society. Human ....

Answer : The Cadre based Service common form of personnel organization in government, in India it is because of colonial legacy with its administrative set-up from low level services of general administrator to higher authority along with technical cadres (engineers and doctors).

Such cadre based civil services organization make not only guaranteed professional career to administrators but also provide proper channel for climbing up in the ladder for higher position. These top level administrators with fixed period of ....

Answer : Since independence government has initiated several identification programmes for citizens like ration card, voter ID, PAN card and passport. In order to streamline the identity of citizens and duplication government has introduced unique ID for residents under Aadhaar scheme in 2006 and National Population Register (NPR) under Citizenship Act, 1955 got amended in 2004 and made compulsory for every citizen of India to register under NPR. Since, NPR and Aadhaar introduced there is nationwide debate ....

Answer : Anti defection law was added to the constitution via Xth schedule through 52nd constitutional amendment act, 1985. Parliament can be effective only if individual MPs have a significant role as law makers, and if they can be held accountable for their actions by the electorates. In the last few years, we have seen the role of individual Members of Parliament diminish on account of the Anti-Defection Law.For example, when the issue of FDI in retail ....

Answer : Section 66A (a) refers to the sending of any information through a communication service that is ‘grossly offensive’ or has ‘menacing character’.

Section 66A curbs freedom of speech and expression and violates Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The expressions used in the Section are “vague” and “ambiguous” and that 66A is subject to “wanton abuse” in view of the subjective powers conferred on the police to interpret the law.

The Supreme Court has said ....

Answer : Article 371A facilitated negotiated sovereignty of the Nagas on matters pertaining to their religious and social practices, customary laws and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice, ownership and transfer of land and resources, as the Nagaland Legislative Assembly can make any law of Parliament inapplicable by passing a resolution. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, asked the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) to withdraw the Nagaland Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulation, 2012 (NPNGR) that ....

Answer : According to the Constitution, the role of the Supreme Court is guardian of Constitution & that of a federal court. Under article 32 any person can file a writ petition in case of violation of fundamental rights. S.C. can review any law passed by Parliament and declare it ultra-vires.

The current limitation on amendments comes from Kesavananda Bharati vs. The State of Kerala,where the Supreme Court ruled that amendments of the constitution must respect the “basic ....

Answer : There is no denying that India needs smaller states. Some states are simply too unwieldy-due to large populations spread over huge areas-to be effective administratively. The question is how to reorganize these states in an effective and least partisan manner? It is not possible to avoid political considerations in the process as by its very nature the creation of new states is a political act. But at the very minimum concerns about administrative and financial ....

Answer : There is no denying that India needs smaller states. Some states are simply too unwieldy-due to large populations spread over huge areas-to be effective administratively. The question is how to reorganize these states in an effective and least partisan manner? It is not possible to avoid political considerations in the process as by its very nature the creation of new states is a political act. But at the very minimum concerns about administrative and financial ....

Answer : The recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission redefine the existing structure of fiscal federalism in the country, setting the stage for a different political dynamism by vesting greater powers with the third tier of government, the local bodies, both urban and rural. The commission has recommended that local self-government bodies be given a direct share in Union tax revenues, bypassing the state governments, and that the cut for urban local bodies be raised in tune ....

Answer : The overlapping of products has been a bone of contention and have resulted as a “turf war” between two regulatory bodies like SEBI and IRDAas was seen in the case of ULIP (unit linked insurance plan). It strengthened the need of looking into diversification of financial products, unification of regulation and supervision of financial firms such as mutual funds, insurance companies, and a diverse array of firms which are not banks or payment providers, so ....

Answer : A pressure group can be described as an organised group that does not put up candidates for election, but seeks to influence government policy or legislation. They can also be described as ‘interest groups’, ‘lobby groups’ or ‘protest groups’. Some people avoid using the term ‘pressure group’ as it can inadvertently be interpreted as meaning the groups use actual pressure to achieve their aims, which does not necessarily happen.

The aim of all pressure groups is ....

Answer : The Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) do not fall within the subjects allocated to the Union Government in List I of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. However, they are funded by the Union Government to achieve certain national objectives. Actual expenditure under the CSS is incurred only when payment is made either to a beneficiary of the scheme or to the supplier of goods and services. However, due to the lack of a proper information ....

Answer : Electronic cash transfer system aims at transferring cash into bank accounts of beneficiaries. The benefits are:

Firstly, the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme is aimed at cutting the bloated subsidy bill of government. India’s budget deficit was 5.8 per cent of gross domestic product in the financial year ending 31st March, 2012.

Secondly, unlike other welfare schemes launched so far by the Centre, DBT helps in timely and quick transfer to intended beneficiaries.

Thirdly, the transfer of direct ....

Answer : “Citizen’s Charter is a written, voluntary declaration by service providers that highlights the standards of service delivery that they must subscribe to, availability of choice for consumers, avenues for grievance redressal and other related information”.

Charter’s formulations are deficient on the following grounds:

1. In a majority of cases, the Charters were not formulated through a consultative process;
2. By and large, service providers were not “familiar with the philosophy, goals and main features of the Charter;
3. Adequate publicity ....

Answer : Lokpal and Corruption: Lokpal is a statutory mechanism intended to curb corrupt practices. While there is no question on efficacy of such an ombudsman, there is wide apprehension about corruption being wiped out. The reason behind such a statement is that “corruption is a moral misdeed”.

Corruption and Immorality: There are arguments to suggest that corruption may be an act of desperation in some cases. But by and large greed and misappropriated desires are the ....

Answer : Article 21 of the constitution explicitly guarantees right to life and personal liberty by saying that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Supreme Court of India has expanded the horizons of this right to include right to life with human dignity which includes basic necessities of life like food, shelter, nutrition etc. Right to health, Right to education, Right to privacy and Right ....

Answer : Preamble of RTI act says that RTI is not a newly conferred right but a part of Fundamental Right to freedom of expression under article 19(1) of the constitution. It says that informed citizenry is necessary in a democracy to contain corruption and to hold governments and their instrumentalities accountable to the governed. However, it expresses concern that this may conflict with the public interests of efficient operations of the governments, preservation of the confidentiality ....

Answer : A five-member committee headed by Dr V Mohini Giri in its final draft of National Policy on Senior Citizens 2011 to the Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recommended setting up of a National Council for Senior Citizens.The Council will be chaired by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment and its members are the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, the oldest members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, ....

Answer : Value of MLA Vote =

Total population of the State

Total number of elected members’ ×1000

Value of MP Vote =

Total value of all MLAs' votes

Total number of MPs

The value of MLA's vote changes from state to state but the value of MP's vote remains ....

Answer : Fundamental duties were inserted in the constitution with the 42nd amendment act 1796 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee. It was inserted into the constitution to make the Fundamental Rights more meaningful. The religious texts of the country also lay down duties in the form of commands. Failure to perform each duty is considered as sin for which there is punishment in another world. A close scrutiny of the clauses of Article 51A ....

Answer : The Judicial powers of the president are provided in the Article 72 of the constitution. As per the Article 72, the president is empowered to grant pardon, reprieve, respite, remit, suspend and commute a sentence of convicted persons. The exercise of power is not a privilege, rather depends upon facts and circumstances of each case and necessity of the justification for exercising that power has to be judged from case to case. Article 72 of ....

Answer : Department-related Standing Committees: Parliamentary Standing Committees of the Houses (to be called the Standing Committees) are related to Ministries/Departments. Each of the Standing Committees shall be related to the Ministries/Departments as specified in the Third Schedule of constitution.

Each of the Standing Committees constituted under Rule 268 of lok Sabha consists of not more than 31 members, 10 members nominated by the Chairman from amongst the members of the Council, and 21 members nominated by the ....

Answer : Arab Spring is the name given to the pro-democracy movement in the Western and North African nations. The economic causes were: youth unemployment, high levels of poverty, impact of global financial crisis, widening gulf between rich and poor, and likewise.

Political causes: autocratic regime and tribocracy, increasing intervention of major powers to acquire the strategic resources, the civil unrests, high level of corruption, and likewise.

Hindrances: the existing fault lines like Shia-Sunni tension, tribal conflicts, no creditable ....

Answer : As part of its e-governance initiative, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has introduced the system of online submission of applications for the competitive examinations it conducts. Although this facility is in addition to the option of submitting paper applications. ....

Answer : The 106th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2006 and 111th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2009 specify provisions regarding empowering Cooperative Societies by preventing unnecessary interference by states.

The salient features of the Bills are:-

• The Bills propose to insert a new part IX B (the Cooperative Societies) in the Constitution and adding Articles 243ZH through 243ZT providing for incorporation, regulation and winding up of co-operative societies.
• The Bills propose inserting article 43B in Part-IV of the Constitution which says that ....

Answer : Under Article 102 of the Constitution a person is disqualified to be a Member of Parliament:-

• If he holds any office of profit under the government other than an office declared by the Parliament by law not to disqualify its holder;
• If he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court;
• Is an undischarged insolvent;
• Has ceased to be a citizen of India;
• Is disqualified by any law made by Parliament; and
• Isdisqualified on the ground of ....

Answer : The Rajya Sabha is empowered under the Article 249, to declare by a resolution, supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting that the Parliament should make laws with respect to any matter given in the State list. This kind of resolution remains in force for a specified period, not exceeding one year. According to Article 312, the Rajya Sabha, declares by resolution, supported by two-thirds of the members present and ....

Answer : The general election held in the month of April '09 has broken many judgments about the voting pattern in India that were by default considered as acceptable truths.

With the new and detailed psychological studies done by Center for Developmental Studies (CDS) has brought to light the fact, with a renewed sense of proofs that though hinterlands of India is uneducated but surely it is literate in the matters of democracy. Of late, it has made ....

Answer : "Corruption is cancer that eventually destroys its own existence". In this context India is badly plagued by this disease. Society in a way has started to appraise success on the parameters of the materialistic gains. So, in the present times corruption has become an accepted fact that is not looked in a disparaging way. Resultantly, rampant growth of spillage in the context of government programmes has become a norm. The Corporate sector has always been ....

Answer : The Apex recruitment agency of Union Government, UPSC has been successful in its functioning of assigned duties for the past 50 years. With its independenceand autonomous powers it has effectively functioned in the areas of recruitment to services and posts of Union government, advising on recruitment policy and disciplinary action, advising on suitability, transfer, promotion etc.,

There exists some limitation on the functioning of UPSC;

It cannot recruit staff for Scientific and research organizations like CSIR, IARI, ....

Answer : The form of government introduced by our constitution at the Union and the State is the Parliamentary government. According to this, policy making is done by legislature, implementation is taken care by executive and judiciary is responsible for reviewing and also acts as guardian of constitution.

The concept of Judicial Activism is relatively new and judiciary is very active in all respect. Judicial activism means judiciary is taking active part where ever legislature is failing. The ....

Answer : The Indian federation has been established as ‘union of states’ by the Indian constitution. The spirit of cooperative federalism runs as the central thread in the aspects dealing with federal polity. The federal polity is affected by not just constitutional articles but also many other aspects. The rise of extra- constitutional factors like Planning Commission as the central planning body, National Integration Council, Zonal Council, National Development Council and along with this there is rise ....

Answer : The 42nd Amendment Act introduced Article 51A, in the Constitution and incorporated a set of Fundamental Duties of citizens in a separate part added to chapter IV. This prescribed for the first time, ten Fundamental Duties, to be followed by the Indian citizens. They are as follows.

• To abide by the constitution and respect the National Flag and the National Anthem.
• To cherish and follow the noble ideas which inspired our national struggle for freedom.
• To uphold ....

Answer : India opted for federal structure of the government, after independence. This federalism has bought about political unity but emotional unity is yet to be achieved. India is a country of multidimensional culture with distinct socio-cultural aspect. In every region there is atmosphere of imbalances in economic growth of all part or regions. The intense regional inequalities are reflected by the differences in per capita incomes of various states.

People in different states are realizing their backwardness ....

Answer : Under Article 315 of the Indian Constitution Union Public Service Commission to be constituted for the recruitment of the civil services at the union level.

The number of members of the Union Public Service Commission is determined by the President. Nearly half of the members of the Commission have administrative experience, while the other half should come from liberal professions like law, academics etc.

The functions of the UPSC are:

• To conduct examinations for appointment to the ....

Answer : Need for constitutional review has always been a topic of raging debate across the country. The founding fathers of the Indian constitution who granted more rights to the people without balancing them with their duties, perhaps did not force the emergence of present political environment, wherein the political players of various segments in the country are more interested in fulfilling their individual aspirations than the aspirations of the people.

In some respects, the constitution, though it ....

Answer : Till 1967, in India there was a single party rule. Even in States also there was a domination of Congress party. But, the scenario changed after 1967. Other parties started coming to power in the states.

There will be different party in the centre and in the states. Regional parties started entering Indian political system. From 1980’s we can see the coalition government in the centre.

Congress last its domination and regional parties started participating in the ....

Answer : Generally Constitution is a legally-satisfied document, consisting of the basic governing principles of the state. The powers and duties of the state organisation are described in the Constitution. That means the source of all people and organisations’ powers, duties and rights is the constitution. If the constitution is federal, then it suggests a clear division between the centre and the states. No state law can be above the centre's law. The constitution is made under ....

Answer : The Directive Principles of the state policy and the Fundamental Rights are not mutually excluded from each other; rather they are complementary to each other. Still there are certain differences between the DPSPs and the Fundamental Rights. They are:

1. By providing the Fundamental Rights to the citizens, the democratic political system has been established, whereas by the implementation of the DPSPs the economic welfare of the state is established.
2. Fundamental Rights are subjected to court of ....

Answer : The people living in a certain state naturally have a negative feeling for the people of the other state. Along with this people of every state have their own universal consciousness and they have a fellow feeling for the other people of the same state. When we talk about regionalism we mean these feelings. Thus, regionalism is that feeling which accepts that the benefits of one’s own state are supreme and the benefits of the ....

Answer : There are certain exceptions when the President of India is not bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. In such cases, the President can work using his own discretionary powers. These exceptional situations are mentioned below:

1. According to Article 74 and Article 111, President can seek reconsideration of an issue from the Council of Ministers.
2. The President on his own decision can ask for information about the workings of the government from ....

Answer : Pro-tem speaker is mainly an operating and temporary speaker. To conduct the works in the centre or in state legislatives, pro-tem speaker is appointed for a limited time period. Generally in such a condition when the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies have been elected, but the vote for the speaker and deputy speaker has not taken place, the pro-tem speaker is chosen. Pro-tem speaker is chosen with the agreement of the members of the Lok ....

Answer : In certain conditions Parliament can legislate on State subjects. There are discussed below:

1. According to Article 249 of the Constitution, if the Rajya Sabha passes any of the subjects of the state list with 2/3 majority of the present and eligible voters of the House, declaring the subjects to have national importance, on that subject Parliament acquires the power to legislate i.e. to make laws. This can be implemented for one year. If Rajya Sabha ....

Answer : Under Article 21 of the constitution, that deals with the protection of life and personal liberty. This fundamental right comes within the purview of the right of freedom. It guarantees that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. This right is available to the citizens as well as non-citizens.

In the famous Gopalan case, the Supreme Court opined that ‘personal liberty’ was held to mean ....

Answer : A nation-wide debate is going on over the controversy of disqualification of MP’s and MLA’s on the ground of holding office of profit. It began with the disqualification of Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan from Rajya Sabha on March 17, 2006 with retrospective effect from July 14, 2004. Very soon the controversy took a constitutional crisis and different state governments rushed to save their pillars of power.

There are separate provisions of disqualification for the Members ....

Answer : A Bill other than Money Bill and Financial Bill may be introduced in either house of the Parliament Article 107(i), and required passage in both the Houses before it can be presented for President’s assent. A Bill may be introduced either by a minister or by a private member. A Money Bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha and only on the recommendation of the President; there is no provision of joint sitting ....

Answer : The president is empowered to establish an Inter-state Council, if at any time if appears to him that public interest would be served by it – Article 263. The functions envisaged by the constitution for such a council are: to inquire into and advise upon disputes which may have arisen between states, investigate and discuss subjects of common interest between the union and states or between two or more states.

The president’s power to establish an ....

Answer : The Writ Jurisdiction of High Court is provided under Article 226 of the Constitution. The constitutional writs such as Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Quo Warranto or Certiorari are tools for enforcement of Fundamental Rights and for any other purpose.

• “Any other purpose” [under Article 226(1)] includes any ordinary legal right of a citizen. So High Court can issue writs to any person, authority and government for enforcement of an ordinary right of a citizen. This power ....

Answer : India being a federation powers are distributed between the Centre and the States. Like other powers financial powers are also distributed between them.

The sources of income of the Union Government are those mentioned in the Union List and some of these sources includes income tax other the agricultural income, customs and excise duties. On the other hand State draws its income from the sources mentioned in the State List which includes land revenue, taxes on ....

Answer : One of the essential features of our constitution is division of powers between different institutions, namely the three main wings of the State; the Parliament and the State Legislatures, the Executive and the Judiciary. The legislative powers of the Union and the States have been defined in the constitution, 7th schedule.

Moreover, our constitution has guaranteed certain fundamental rights in Part III of the constitution and has expressly provided that any law or executive action which ....

Answer : In 1993 Panchayat Raj system came into existence. Under Article 40 to organise village panchayats as the root level institutions is a Directive Principle (DPSP). The governance of the country improved with the implementation of the Panchayat Raj System. It provides to constitute Gram Sabhas at village level and have started to work as units of democratic set up of our country.

By the provision of 73rd and 74th amendment Act, they hold elections for electing ....

Answer : The Indian Constitution embodies the positive concept of secularism i.e., placing all religions in the same status and accessible to the equal support from the state, through the provisions contained in Articles 25-28 in Part III of the Constitution.

• Article 25 says that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. Article 26 says that every religious denomination or any of its section.
• Article 27 ensures ....

Answer : All the constitutional authorities, such as the Union and the States and other local on statutory authorities may impose restrictions upon such freedoms, provided such restrictions are reasonable and are relatable to any of the grounds of public interests as specified in clause (2)-6 of Art. 19. Though every citizen shall have the right to move freely throughout the territory of India or to reside and settle in any part of the country, this right ....

Answer : Both the protection and improvement of environment and development are in tandem in India and that development work should not in any way done at the cost of environment.

India is among the few countries of the world which is very sincere in environmental issues. India has participated in all international convention and summit since Stockholm Declaration (1972).

After Stockholm Dec. (1972), India's step towards environmental protection

In 1972-Indian Parliament passed 'Water Pollution Act'; in 1976-'Jhoom Farming Prevention ....

Answer : When the dates to elections to a particular state or states are announced and an ordinance concerning it is issued, it becomes the paramount duty of Election Commission to monitor all the activities. The Election Commission issues a code of conduct to be observed by all parties and people at the time of elections.

When this process is on, dealing with all the matters concerning elections comes under the purview of the Election Commission and that ....

Answer : By Preamble is meant a preliminary or introductory statement in speech or writing. The preamble of a statute which generally follows the long title and precedes the purview is a perfunctory explanation or statement in general terms stating the reason or occasion for making the statute and the object or policy which it is designed to achieve. The Preamble like the long title is a part of statute and is an admissible aid to its ....

Answer : It is a duty of the Union to ensure that the government of every state is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution (Article 355). So, the President is empowered to make a proclamation, when he is satisfied that the Government of a state can’t be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, either on the report of the Governor of the state or otherwise [Article 356(1)]. Such proclamation ....

Answer : The constitution maintains the independence of the Public Service Commission in several ways:

1. The Chairman or a member of the Commission can be removed from office in the same manner as the judges of the Supreme Court.
2. The conditions of Service of a member of the Public Service Commission shall not be varied to his disadvantage during his tenure;
3. The expenses of the Commission are charged on the Consolidated Fund or India or of the state
4. Certain disabilities ....

Answer : Article 110 defines a Money Bill as a bill which contains only provisions regarding taxes, borrowings, custody of the Consolidated and Contingency Funds, appropriation, declaring of any expenditure as charged on the Consolidated Fund, receipt and custody of money on the Consolidated Fund audit of the accounts of the union (or of a state) or any other incidental matters.

The following is the procedure for the passing of Money Bills in Parliament:

A Money Bill can be ....

Answer : An instrument which the Constitution has evolved for the purpose of distributing financial resources between centre and states is the Finance Commission. According to Article 280 of the Constitution it is to be constituted by the President once every five years consisting of a chairman and four other members appointed by the President.

Within one year from 25th April 1993, i.e. the date on which the constitution 73rd Amendment came into force and afterwards every 5 ....

Answer : The role of IT is changing from support functions to that of an ‘efficiency driver’. Information is made instantly available, which improves the functional efficiency and cut down the expenditure of the department. The manual system of working system is a long process involving documentation, Back office support system, a large bureaucracy and staff.

e-Governance has made a big change in India. With the computerised land records, now farmers can get the land record certificate for ....

Answer : Article 72 of the Constitution gives the President the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remission of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence in all case where the law provides for a death sentence. The President has exclusive power to grant pardon in case where the sentence is a death sentence.

While considering the process of the power of pardon, there are four facts about ....

Answer : The governor is a constitutional head of the state. Though in most matters he has to act on the advice of the council of ministers, he can exercise discretion in some cases. The Constitution does not specify these matters but the matters in which he can act without the advice of the council of ministers are : selection of Chief Minister if no political party has a clear-cut majority or does not have an acknowledged ....

Answer : The legislative authority of the union is vested in the Parliament of India. The Parliament consists of the President and the two Houses, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People).

The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha is empowered to pass a vote of censure against the ministry. Whenever such a motion is passed, the ministry has to resign.

Both the houses exercise ....

Answer : Many political thinkers and observers believe that without social and economic prerequisites, the smooth functioning of parliamentary democracy in India cannot be achieved. They suggest that before a society or state decides to be governed democratically, it is essential for it to have a minimum level of social and economic development. Many others, however, believe that democracy itself provides a better and successful means for attainment of social and economic development. The framers of Indian ....

Answer : The Forty-Fourth Amendment (1978) sought to remove some of the irritants of the 42nd Amendment. It made changes in the Emergency provisions to ensure that these powers were not misused by the executive in future. It restored to the courts the power to decide whether an office was an ‘office of profit’ or not (a power of which they were deprived by the 42nd Amendment); it provided constitutional protection to publication of proceedings of Parliament ....

Answer : The constitution outlines the fundamental duties of the Indian citizens, which were incorporated in the constitution by the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976. The major fundamental duties have been specified in Article 51A and include the following:

1. To abide by the constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
2. To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom.
3. To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and ....

Answer : Rajya Sabha is the upper House of the Parliament. The relevance and importance of Rajya Sabha in the Indian parliamentary system may be outlined in the following points:

1. In all kinds of bills, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have equal powers. Article 108 states that deadlocks are resolved by joint meetings of the two Houses.
2. The Rajya Sabha is not only a House of second thoughts but also a guardian of the rights of the ....

Answer : The central idea of civil society is as a mediating agency between individuals and the state; civil society is associated with a set of institutions that mediate between the individual and the state. Civil society and state are integral parts of a process of realising formal democracy. The relation between state and civil society is posited as harmonious and complementary. The objective of formal democracy is realised by state and civil society as part of ....

Answer : Constitution of India provides for a Parliamentary form of government. While doing so it follows the British model of government. In fact, the type of government that functioned in India before 1947 was very much similar to the British model of parliamentary government. Therefore, the members of the Constituent Assembly decided to adopt this form of government for independent India. The Constitution of India provides for the constitution of parliamentary government both at the centre ....

Answer : Our constitution specifically provides different forms of oath for different functionaries of our political system. This has been done in keeping with the different designations, their functions, and the nature of power they enjoy and the dignity of the post.

For the oath of office for a minister for the union he vows to bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution. Here he acts as the constitutional functionary. When he takes the oath for secrecy ....

Answer : In order to maintain the supremacy of the constitution, there must be an independent and impartial authority to adjudicate on the disputes between the centre and the states or between the states. Supreme Court of India rests at the apex of the judiciary system in India. It is the final interpreter and Guardian of the constitution. It is also the highest and final interpreter of the general law of the country. It plays the role ....

Answer : The nature of Amendments in Constitution of India has incorporate the features of two political systems i.e. Parliamentary Sovereignty of the British type & Constitutional Supremacy of US. Indian has a flexible system. The federal principle brings rigid procedure. Thus, the Indian constitution is a fine balance of the rigid-flexible type.

For amending Indian Constitution there exist three sets of procedure like Certain sections can be amended by a Simple Majority (Article 3), Certain cases regarding ....

Answer : Art. 31(C) envisages that certain directive principles can hold sway over the fundamental rights and are binding upon the state. It says not withstanding anything contained in Article 13 no law giving effect to the policy of the state towards securing certain directives shall be deemed to be void on the ground that it is inconsistent with or takes away or abridges any of the rights conferred.

Now directives which the Parliament considers imperative to be ....

Answer : Delimitation is the redrawing of the boundaries of parliamentary/assembly constituencies to remove the disparities in the size of various electoral constituencies throughout the country. Delimitation Bill 2002 seeks to set up a delimitation commission.

Such delimitation is chiefly based on the population size. The Delimitation Bill has sought the other criteria like the development indicator, the size of the constituencies and its geographical location and population density.

The boundaries of the present constituencies have not been distorted ....

Answer : It is a 22 member committee which belongs to the Lok Sabha, to avoid any prejudice or bias. The speaker, by convention, appoints a member of opposition to chair the committee from the selected 15 members of Lok Sabha. The main role of this committee is

• To examine the accounts showing the appropriation granted by the Parliament to meet the expenditure of the government of India.
• To examine the Annual Finance Accounts of the government of India ....

Answer : The provisions related to the election of the President are provided in Article 54 and 55 and the President Elections Act 1952, amended in 1974. The President is elected by an electoral college which consists of the elected members of the state legislature (the MLA) and those of the Parliament through proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. Members of legislature councils in states have no right to vote. Also the members of ....

Answer : Chapter II of Part XI of the constitution is concerned with the “Administrative Relations” between centre and states. In this administrative field also the union has been given a dominant position.

Recent events have brought to light a number of contentious issues which effects centre state relations. The approach paper of the tenth plan and events in Tamil Nadu have reopened the Pandora’s Box. The misuse of articles 355 or 356, role of governor and partiality ....

Answer : Our founding Fathers had adopted a parliamentary system of governance based on the pattern of the British parliamentary system. In India, it has been operating for more than 50 years now. But our socio-political set up has been increasingly witnessing a deterioration that the parliamentary system with all its advantage has failed to check.

Our country is an amalgamation of heterogeneous elements relating to various socio-cultural denominations such as religion, language, caste etc. However, many divisive ....

Answer : Part IV of the Constitution (Article 36-51) contains the Directive Principle of State Policy. These Directives are in nature, directions for the legislative and executive wings of government that are to be observed while formulating laws and policies. Most of them aim at the establishment of economic and social democracy that has been pledged for in the preamble. Article 36 and 37 define the term ‘state’ and lay down that the provisions in the part ....

Answer : All legislative proposals are initiated in the Parliament in the form of Bills. A Bill is a draft of legislative proposals. It can be initiated by the government or by any private member in either House of Parliament. All Bills which are not Constitution Amendment Bills and Money Bills are ordinary Bills, i.e. draft proposals for ordinary legislation.

An ordinary Bill can be introduced in either House of Parliament. The constitution provides that an ordinary Bill ....

Answer : The most important power of the president is perhaps to promulgate ordinances under Art 123. The promulgation of an ordinance is not necessarily connected with an ‘emergency’ but issued by the president in case he is convinced that it is not possible to have the Parliament enact on same subject immediately and the circumstance render it necessary for him to take “immediate action” [Art 123(1)]. However such an ordinance must receive parliamentary approval within six ....

Answer : The cabinet secretary is the successor of the secretariat of the Executive Council of viceroy. The efficiency of the cabinet depends to a large extent on the cabinet secretariat whose duty is to prepare in a meaningful way the agenda of the cabinet meeting, to provide information and material necessary for its deliberations, and to draw up records of the discussions and decisions both of the cabinet and its committee. It keeps the president, the ....

Answer : There are many provisions in the constitution that are directly or indirectly related to the protection and development of children.

1. Article 15- prohibits discrimination by the state on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. However this does not prevent the state from making any special provision for women and children.
2. Article 24- prohibition of employment of children in Hazardous jobs: No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed ....

Answer : The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government announced on February 15, 2000 the National Population Policy with the long term objectives of achieving population stabilization by 2045, at a level consistent with the requirement of sustainable economic growth, social development and environmental protection. Significantly the cabinet approval for the policy came after it was decided to extend the freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats for 25 more years from 2001 to 2026 on the ....

Answer : Union executive is part of Parliament, and later controls the former through in several ways like through financial control, administrative control, legislative control, collective and individual responsibility, representative control, control through inform control by suggestions.

• Financial Control: The Government is required to pass budget and financial bill in both the Houses. Parliament does not allow the Government to expense unnecessarily. The Government cannot withdraw any amount of money from consolidates the fund without parliamentary authority.
• Administrative Control: ....

Answer : Supreme Court has come out of ‘basic features’ of the constitution since its observation beginning with Golak Nath case and culminating with Keshwannada. Since then Supreme Court has been repeating the doctrine of basic features which is immune from the power of amendment conferred by Article 368, which according to the court, was subject to implied limitations.

The question, what is the limit of Parliament regarding the amendment of the constitution under Article 368 was finally ....

Answer : The Indian Constitution is the longest in the world constitutions and also contains selected provisions of the world constitutions. Indian constitutions were drafted, keeping in view all available constitutions of the world. At the time of its adoption and after half a century now there is a radical change in the situation of the national and international, political, economical and social scenario.

The world has not stand where it was at that time. Now situations and ....

Answer : Indian Constitution divides the power of governance between union and state which is more or less based on federal structure of the government. This division of power is more inclined towards union government seeing the tradition of the Indian political history.

Today, states in one or other context demand for greater autonomy. The centre is strong in Indian political system. The centre has been given monopoly on almost all the subjects except few, on which states ....

Answer : In Parliamentary Democracy, elections play a fundamental role for the functioning of political system. There are many deficiencies and drawbacks that are self-evident in our elections.

For only a free and fair election can give the country, a suitable government, it is necessary to made some electoral reforms so that a free and fair elections, really can be held.

The criminalization of politics is the major factor to be removed and so the politicians must be kept ....

Answer : The Estimates Committee is one of the three financial committees. The members of this are drawn solely from Lok Sabha.

This committee works as the “continuous economy committee”. It examines the annual budget estimates in detail, in order to suggest some remedial economic measures, administrative reforms etc. This committee is required to functions like:

1. Suggest any alternative policies to bring economy in country’s financial functioning.
2. To examine whether the money spent was appropriate or not, and also ....

Answer : Indian political system is not fully federal in character rather it is quasi-federal. A part from a few constitutional factors like financial power, emergency power etc. given by constitution to the union, which makes centre powers dominates over the state, some other extra-constitutional factors also exist there.

• Rise of regional parties in different parts of Indian territory have always tried to draw more and more benefits from the centre, instead of understanding and accepting proportionality.
• Central government ....

Answer : The concept of Public Interest Litigation in India was propounded by the Supreme Court in an important Judgement in the Judge’s transfer’s case. Since then, it has become one of the important weapons in the hands of higher judiciary to enforce the legal and constitutional obligation of executive and legislature towards the interest of the public at large.

The concept of PIL has emanated from the power of judicial review enjoyed by the higher courts in ....

Answer : This bill was passed by the U.P. State Legislature in January, 2000 but the Governor of U.P. reserved the bill for the consideration of the president under Article 201 of the constitution.

Main Provision of these Bills is:

1. It made mandatory for the consideration of any “Public Religions Building” – The permission of state Government through district office.
2. Mainly it was aimed to restrict terrorist activities in the 1100 km long U.P. – Nepal Border.
3. If Public order, morality, ....

Answer : India's modern independent political history is of recent development and is full caste, religion and region based. This is not ideal politics, for socio-economic development.

Lok Sabha being the popular house of parliament is directly elected through universal franchise, has become a platforms of political games.

In such a situation, Rajya Sabha being a permanent body, comprising of senior citizen having good academic and knowledgeable background are supposed to be less politicised unlike Lok Sabha.

It has a ....

Answer : Indian constitution under Article 15 pledges to prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion race, caste sex or place of birth or any of them.

However, this prohibition of discrimination is qualified by 'Special Provision'- (I) for women and children under clause 3 and (II) for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the scheduled caste and the scheduled tribes under clause 4.

However, exceptions are being provided by constitution for ....

Answer : Constitution of India is well known for its volumian were as a socio-economic document, which tells not only about fundamentals rights to the citizen, but it also guide direct, and specify the way of socio-economic change and development to the state and government thyco the mean of directive people of state policy. DPSP is scattered Hytho the Articles 36-51 in the part 10th of constitution. DPSP widely informed about the protection of women class, weaker ....

Answer : The Union Government constituted a three-tier National Security Council in November, 1998 with six members including the Prime Minister of India. The Prime Minister, as the chairman of this council will have support of Defence Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, as other member of this council.

The three tier composition include National Security Policy Group, a International Committee and a National Security Advisory Board as its components.

The council ....

Answer : In the Regime of Indira Gandhi, the unjusticiable Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) has seen its importance due to over sharing of Fundamental Rights with 29th Amendment of constitution.

29th Amendment in the Article 13(A+B) adding new clause 13 (c) which speaks about nothing in the fundamental right which violet the protection made thyco the article 39 (b) (c) can be recommended.

So, this amendment of 24th gives a special power over the fundamental rights. In ....

Answer : The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) oldest finance committee, consists of 22 members.

It examines mainly the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by the house for the expenditure of the Government of India in order to ascertain whether the money has been spent as authorised by the parliament and for the purpose for which it was granted.

If any money has been spent on any service during a financial year in excess of the amount granted ....

Answer : Speaker of the Lok Sabha and in his absence any such person as may be determined by rules of procedure prescribed, shall preside over the joint-session of the two ....

Answer : There is no provision for the impeachment of the Governor of State. He holds his office during the pleasure of the ....

Answer : By an electoral college consisting of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, through a system of proportional representation and means of single transferable vote, by secrete ballot is ....

Answer : Right to property was the part of fundamental rights before 44th Amendment 1976. Now it is legal right under article 300 ....

Answer : Less than six ....

Answer : The enumeration of the Directive Principles of state policy under part IV of the Constitution Covering Articles 36 to 51 forms a unique features of the Indian Constitution.

They are a unique blend of socialistic, Liberal Democratic and Gandhi an Principles.

As the Constitutional Provisions reveal the Fundamental Rights enumerated under part III in a court of Law, while the Directive Principles under Part IV are not Justiciable.

But however through successive amendments and greater emphasis being laid ....

Answer : In the Parliamentary form of Government in India, there are generally three types of elections through which the members of legislature are elected.

General Elections: It is held when the legislature completes its term of five years. All the members of legislature are elected through this election. As it is widely spread it, costs a huge amount and a serious notice is taken all over the nation.

Mid-term Election: If the Government falls due to Lok of ....

Answer : Election of the President: Article 54-The president is elected by an electoral college. It consists members of:

(i)The elected members of both the House of Parliament

(ii)The elected members of legislative assemblies of states including Delhi and Pondicherry But nominated members are not included.

Article 55- The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote by secret ballot. At Article 55 describes manner of the president's election. It ....

Answer : Article - 3 in the Constitution deals with the formation of new states. Under this Provision Parliament can initiate formation of new states but with the Prior recommendation of the Parliament. If the bills affects the area, boundaries or change of name of the state, it is to be referred to the concerned state legislature by the president for eliciting its views. However the views so given by the state is not boundful on President. ....

Answer : The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 has added a new Part IX Consisting of 16 Article and the eleventh Schedule to the Constitution. The 73rd Amendment Act envisages the Gram Sabha as the foundation of the Panchayat Raj System to perform functions and Powers entrusted to it by the state legislatures. The amendment provide for a three tier Panchayat Raj System at village, intermediate and district levels.

The Act provides that the Panchayat bodies will have ....

Answer : Indian Constitution grants for Bicameral Parliamentary System in the Centre. The States can also have second house if they so desire, which is known as legislative council. In India only five states have bicameral state legislature viz. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.

However Significance of second house is much debatable topic, it can be justified on following grounds.

1. This house consist of senior and qualified personalities on concerned field. So their presence ....

Answer : The preamble is the soul of constitution. It dadases India as the sovereign, social, secular, democratic, Republic nation. Socialism means, in context to India, equal distribution of wealth and resources, Secularism in positive meaning embodies principles and provisions for the development of all religions. India's a democracy with no perpetual hereditary king to let it be a republic state. Preamble embodies provisions of justice, liberty. Equality and fraternity. Through various articles they are dealt with ....

Answer : Social justice means an equal and fair opportunity for everyone to live in just conditions of the society. It envisages rights regarding social, economic and political matters for the all over development of a person to live a healthy social life.

Only legal justice saves a person from arbitrariness of course, but it is not enough for positive and creative role in welfare of human being. For these ends. Even courts strive to provide social justice ....

Answer : Under part III of the constitution, Article 29 provides for the right to conserve language, script or culture to the linguistic minority as a fundamental right. In the same apart, Article 30 provides right of establishment and administration of educational institutions of their choice. Apart from these fundamental rights, Article 350 requires the president to appoint a specialized officer for protection of interest of the linguistic minorities& report to the president recommendations required for that. ....

Answer : In India there are three All India services at present Indian Administration service (IAS), Indian Police service (IPS) and Indian Forest service (IFS). Having concerned with the efficiency and ability of these services, It is agued that all India judicial service should be created on the some outings.

In Indian, the supreme court is the highest judicial body states have the High Courts at the highest judicial position, working with courts subordinate to it. If an ....

Answer : Regionalism is favoring a particular region due to personal likeness or allotment with it. Due to regionalism, a person forgets the unity or the nation and starts to plead for his favorite region. This feeling of regionalism disturbs the balance among various parts of the nation. In India it has grown due to the following factors.

• The historical factors: The history has divided India into two perfect parts and theme differenced as the "Aryans" and the: ....

Answer : The constitutional procedure regarding financial matters ensures the supremacy of Lok Sabha. The constitution provides that no taxshall be decideor collected except by authority of parliament. Parliamentary authority here means that it will be discussed by both theHouses of Parliament.

The Annual financial statement popularly known at the; Budget' Containing estimate of all receipts and expenditures are laid down before each House by the President. It is discussed in both Houses, however, Rajya Shaba has no ....

Answer : Rule 193 signifies that contempt motions are different from non-confident motion. Rule 193 signifies that the speaker or the chairperson can allow a short time for discussion on a matter of importance. ....

Answer : It is a foreign policy doctrine propounded by Mr. J. K. Giyral, India's former Prime Minister. It emphasizes relations of India with neighboring countries in trade and political co-operation. It respects sovereignty, equality and privacy of matters for every motion. ....

Answer : It includes all important aspects of polices. Of every party. With emphasis on socialistic pattern, eradication of poverty and unemployment, development of agriculture and villages, prevention of misuse of Article 365 etc. ....

Answer : Four fundamental duties prescribed in the constitution of India are:

1. To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
2. To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.
3. To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.
4. To safeguard public property and to abjure violence. ....

Answer : Article-24 provides that children below the age of fourteen years shall not be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment. ....

Answer : Article-356 relates to failure of constitutional machinery in states. It empowers the president. To assume the functions of the governmental of state to himself. It is popularly called "Presidential Rule in the ....

Answer : Meaning of Rule of Law: The term ‘Rule of Law’ is taken from England. It means that no man is above the law and that every person is subject to the jurisdiction of ordinary courts of law, irrespective of his rank and position. ‘Rule of Law’ requires that no person should be subjected to harsh, uncivilised or arbitrary treatment.

Rule of Law under Indian Constitution: The constitution of India guarantees equality before the law, as an ....

Answer : Functions and responsible responsibilities of the president, the Ministers, the Legislators and the members of the judiciary are specific and different from each other.

Our constitution requires any person to take an oath or affirmation before entering into office or taking over the responsibility. Oath or affirmation binds the person to do his duties well and to be faithful to it. Different authorities need to perform different functions or responsibilities and so, the forms of oath ....

Answer : Judicial Activism means taking matters into consideration by the judiciary to order the executives or bureaucrats to perform their duties, constitutional and public. This power and process of judicial Activism has been emanated from judicial Review.

It can reduce corruption by forcing the implementation of public duties without delay and for the enforcement of public rights. This can be attracted for any constitutional provision to be enforced and to follow the manners of policy in proper ....

Answer : Measures!

• Human Rights Acts should be implemented with strict provisions. As the Human Rights are matters of world concern, related protocols and agreements, declarations and treaties should be given effect by all countries as legal provisions.
• Separate, effective, efficient and independent authority or system should be constituted to examine in the cases of Human Rights violations and their measures at international, national, regional and local levels.
• People, Governments, administration and officers should be made aware of Human Rights, ....

Answer : Significance of Supreme Court judgement on the Income Tax Returns of political parties:

• The judgement compelling political parties to file their income tax return in time would have effect of checking the flow of black money for power, money and muscles politics.
• It will also curb uncontrolled use of money through party funds for election propaganda.
• Industrialists and businessmen, distributing black money to political parties for influencing their decision will also be controlled by such ....

Answer : The ministers have to made “Demands for Grants” in the Lok Sabha. Generally, each minister asks for these demands separately. It is put to discussion. It is open to members to disapprove a policy, or members can suggest some economical measures, or they can draw attention of the ministry to any specific local grievances.

The members can do so by moving a subsidiary motion. This subsidiary motions to the main motion for grants are called “cut ....

Answer : Meaning: Delegated or subordinate legislation means rules of law made under the authority of an Act of Parliament.

Although law making is the function of legislature, it may, by a statute, delegate its power to other bodies or persons. The statute which delegates such power is known as Enabling Act. By Enabling Act the legislature, lays down be broad guidelines and detailed rules are enacted by the delegated authority.

Delegated legislation is permitted by the Indian Constitution. ....

Answer : Article-266 of the Constitution of India makes a provision to create. “The consolidate fund of India”.

The consolidated fund of India is made of the money received by the Government of India from

• revenues;
• issue of treasury bill;
• repayment of loans and advances made by it.

The part of state from taxes and duties are paid to them before depositing the revenue in this fund.

Money can be appropriated from this fund only in accordance with law and for only those ....

Answer : This committee on Election Reforms recommended constitution of a multi-member Election Commission, preparatin of voters, identity cards and prevention of criminalisation of ....

Answer : Under Article-262, Parliament is empowered to adjudicate any disputes regarding use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in any inter-state river ....

Answer : Mandamus cannot be issued against a private individual or organisation; judges of the court when working in the capacity of the judge, the governor of a state or the president of ....

Answer : Comptroller and Auditor General's salaries etc. are charged on the consolidated fund of India and cannot be varied to his disadvantage. He can be removed only by a special procedure. He is not eligible for any other office after ....

Answer : A Money Bill is related to any one or more of the provisions of Article-110. A Financial Bill may relate to any other provisions also. All Money Bills are Financial Bills, but not ....

Answer : For protection of Human Rights, the commission recommends measures:

• to make laws, implement treaties.
• to aware people about Human Rights.
• to investigate violation of Human Rights and
• to promote acts fortaking such ....