Question : “President’s of India prior to the passage of 42nd and 44th amendment could afford to be more assertive”. Comment.
(2004)
Answer : The constitutional amendment 42nd and 44th brought wide changes in the executive power of president. These powers more or less restrained president’s power, where president cannot afford to be more assertive.
Prior to 1976, there was no express provision in the constitution that the president was bound to act in accordance with the advice tendered by the Council of Ministers, though it was judicially established that the president of India was not a real executive but ....
Question : “Despite all the powers that he has, the Indian Prime Minister cannot become a dictator”. Comment.
(2003)
Answer : The Indian Prime Minister occupies a position of exceptional and overwhelming authority and is for all purposes, the real chief executive. The powers listed are, by far, a modest appreciation of the PM’s position. As the working head of the state, he is endowed with such a plentitude of power as no other constitutional ruler in the world possesses.
In India, all the special powers will belong to the Prime Minister in as much as the ....
Question : “The central secretariat is a policy formulating, coordinating and supervisory agency besides being the principal executive agency of the government”. Explain.
(2002)
Answer : The central secretariat, occupies a key position in Indian Administration. The secretariat refers to the conglomeration of various ministries/departments of the central government. The secretariat works as a single unit with collective responsibility as in the case of the council of ministers.
The central secretariat assists the ministers in the formulation of governmental policies. The secretariat makes these available to the minister, thus enabling him to formulate policies. Secondly, the secretariat assists the ministers in their ....
Question : “The Prime Minister stands out as the most powerful authority even today.”
(2001)
Answer : Under the parliamentary system of government adopted in India, though formally all the executive powers of the Union Government are vested in the President, in reality, these powers are exercised by the Council of Ministers under the leadership of the Prime Minister as outlined in Article 74(1) of the Constitution. As the Prime Minister chooses the ministers (Article 75) in Indian constitution, he is the virtual ruler of the country as long as he has ....
Question : “The Central Social Welfare Board has become an anomalous institution.” In light of this statement, examine the functions and role of the Central Social Welfare Board and suggest measures for making it an effective institution.
(2001)
Answer : The Central Social Welfare Board was set up in 1953 with the objective of promoting social welfare activities and implementing welfare programmes for women, children and the handicapped through voluntary organizations. It was first organization in post-independence era to achieve people’s participation for implementation of welfare programmes for women and children through non-governmental organization.
The institution has been different from the normal pattern of administration in the Central government. Normally all activities of the government including ....
Question : “State Directories are administrative and implementation evits assisting the Departments functioning from the secretariat.” Explain.
(2001)
Answer : The secretariat is the nerve centre of the government. Policies and decisions of government are articulated through it. The Secretariat refers to the complex of departments whose administrative heads are Secretaries and political heads are ministers. The actions of the Secretariat are treated as those of the government. The Secretariat may be regarded as the extended personality of the council of ministers. In this respect, it assists and advises the latter in the formulation of ....
Question : “Through the dictatorship of the cabinet is a stance reality in modern times, it does not mean that cabinet is omnipotent”.
(2000)
Answer : Cabinet is a small body of ministers, which are political heads of very important Ministries, like Defence, External affairs, Finance and Home affairs. Now, these small body or which is called cabinet is very powerful in the sense that, all every functions and important decisions of government are taken by these cabinet ministers.
Cabinet meets normally once in a week and prepare agenda and draft of meeting related to bills to be introduce in parliament. It ....
Question : “The leadership qualities of a civil servant are tested most during his tenure as the Cabinet Secretary - a dream-post for every bureaucrat.” Elucidate.
(2000)
Answer : The cabinet secretariat functions under the leadership of the prime minister who is its minister- in charge at political level. Its administrative head is the cabinet secretary. The cabinet secretary is drawn from the senior most officers of the Indian Administrative Service. A few words may be said of the qualifications required for this most important civil servant of the country. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar had this to say on the subject:
He [the cabinet secretary] should be ....
Question : “Indian constitution confers vast legislative powers on the president.”
(2000)
Answer : The president of India can make too nominations of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha, if the community has failed to get adequate representation. Besides, he nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from amongst persons who have made valuable contribution in the field of science, arts or social service.
The president summons the sessions of the parliament. He ensures that a period of not more than six months have elapsed between two sessions. He ....
Question : “The rise of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat in India during the past three decades is an indication of the growing centralisation of policy and decisional authority in the position of the PM.” Examine.
(1999)
Answer : The Prime Minister’s Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat in India have common but dissimilar staff functions.
The PM’s Secretariat came into being on August 15, 1947. Since 1977, it is known as Prime Minister Office (PMO). The PMO is not a very significant part of the governmental machinery, like the Cabinet Secretariat or an important Ministry, but over the years, PMO, starting as a small Secretariat unit attached to the first Prime Minister, has grown into ....
Question : “The Central Secretariat is thus today encumbered with non-essential work and has, for a large part, become an unwieldy and over-staffed organization.” Elucidate.
(1999)
Answer : Central Secretariat is a collection of various ministries and departments. It is through this body that Union government operates. It is the nodal agency for administering the union subjects and establishing coordination among the various activities of the government.
The tendency of the central secretariat to involve itself in functions which falls within the jurisdiction of the states. Nevertheless, there is a legitimate role for the union government in relation to states’ subject. This role can ....
Question : Explain the role and structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India.What are the challenges being faced by this Ministry? Give suggestions for enhancing the capacity of this organization to meet these challenges.
(1998)
Answer : Ministries of Home Affairs is one of the most important ministries of the Government of India. It is responsible for providing internal security and maintaining law and order in the country. The ministry has some attached and subordinate offices and also advisory bodies attached to it.
Structure: The Ministry is headed by Home Minister, who is one very senior minister of the cabinet. He is also a very active party member. He is assisted by Secretary ....
Question : “Art. 78 of the constitution confer Executive power on the president.” Comment.
(1998)
Answer : The president has a right to obtain information from the Prime Minister. Art. 78 of the constitution states that it is the duty of the PM to communicate to the president all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation and to furnish information to the president as called for by latter.
Under Art. 78, it shall be the duty of the Prime Minister ....
Question : “The efficiency of the cabinet, depends to a large extent on the cabinet secretariat”. Elucidate.
(1997)
Answer : The cabinet secretariat is a staff body, which has premier coordinating role in process of policy making at the highest level and operates under PM’s direction. The cabinet secretariat in India as an innovation in the central administration has been emulated from the British experience.
The cabinet secretariat ensures that the president, the vice-president and ministers are kept informed of the major activities of all the ministries/ departments by means of monthly summary of their activities.
The ....
Question : “Rather than describing the Prime Minister’s position through phrases, it is better to examine how the office of the PM has actually evolved over time.” Explain.
(1996)
Answer : The Prime Minister of India is the most important personality in the country. He is the real head of the state and the keystone of the cabinet arch. However, the classical doctrine that PM is the first among the equals, now stands discredited.
By far the most significant man in the Indian political system is the Prime Minister, its leader. He is the heart of cabinet, focal point of the political system. He is the real ....
Question : “The essential purpose of Cabinet Committees is to relieve the Cabinet of some burden of work”. Discuss.
(1996)
Answer : The constitution provides that there shall be a council of Ministers with the PM at the head to aid and advise the President who shall act with such advice as tendered. The council of ministers does not hold frequent meetings. The real business is transacted by the cabinet presided over by the PM.
Cabinet Committees are basically an organizational device for increasing the output of any busy and overloaded agency.
Cabinet Committees save the time of cabinet ....
Question : “Rigidity in administration and centralization have greatly incapacitated the Central Social Welfare Board.” Examine, in the light of this statement, the organization and working of the Central Social Welfare Board.
(1996)
Answer : Human resources development plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of a country. Although development brings economic gains to society, in general, specific measures become necessary to ensure that they reach the weaker sections of society such as women, children, the disabled and the destitute. The creation of Central Social Welfare Board in 1953 was such measure. It was established to promote and assist voluntary organizations in the field of women welfare, child welfare ....
Question : While discussing the president’s position in the constitution, the model of the British monarch being impracticable and the model of French presidency having been ruled out, the compromise model had to fall back upon some such device as the German one.” Comment.
(1995)
Answer : Our constitution has provided for a Parliamentary form of government. The President here is the constitutional head of the country. He is not the head of Executive. He represents the nation but does not rule the nation. He is the symbol of the nation.
Nehru while presenting the principles of the union constitution wanted to emphasise the ministerial character of the government that power really resides in the ministry and in the legislature and not in ....
Question : The Secretariat System of work has lent balance consistency and continuity to the administration and serves as a nucleus for the total machinery of a ministry. Explain.
(1995)
Answer : The secretariat system is a collection of various ministries and departments. It is through this body that the government operates. It is the nodal agency for administering governmental subjects at union as well as state level. Its work is continuous in nature as unlike political representative it is permanent in nature. It means the political head may be changed and the party in governance may be changed after elections but the secretariat always keeps working. ....
