Search Previous Year Questions

The correct answer is option 4

Explanation:

The statements were:

1. The District Forum entertains complaints where the value is under Rs. 50 lakhs
2. State Govt. can establish more than one District Forum in a district
3. Having a woman member is not mandatory

Analyzing these:

Statement 1 is incorrect, as the pecuniary jurisdiction of the District Commission under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 is up to Rs. 1 crore, not Rs. 50 lakhs.

Statement 2 is correct. The State Government can establish more than one District Commission in a district.

Statement 3 is incorrect, as the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 mandates that one of the members of the District Commission shall be a woman.

Since both Statement 1 and Statement 3 are incorrect, the correct answer is 'More than one of the above'.

The correct answer is Block-level body

Key Points

• The 73^rd constitutional amendment act provides for three-tier local self-govt. at the village ( gram panchayat) , block(panchayat samiti) and district (zila parishad)level.
• Gram Panchayat at the village level. Block Panchayat or Panchayat Samiti at the intermediate level i.e. the block level. Zilla Panchayat at the district level.
• Panchayat samiti is a rural local government (panchayat) body at the intermediate tehsil level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. It has been said to be the "panchayat of panchayats".

Additional Information

• Local self-government in the nation has significantly improved as a result of the 73^rd Amendment’s passage.
• The central government chose to recognize April 24 as National Panchayati Raj Day every year in 2010 to commemorate this and further bolster the institutions.
• This amendment is based on the Gandhian Principle of the DPSP, which advocated for decentralized democracy, or the idea that individuals should make their own decisions. Gandhiji advocated the third level of government that can understand the problems of the people of the village at the grassroots level.
• If we would see our dream of Panchayat Raj, i.e., true democracy realized, we would regard the humblest and lowest Indian as being equally the ruler of India with the tallest in the land.— Mahatma Gandhi

The correct answer is National Extension Service.

Key Points

Community development programme

• CDP or Community development programme started in 1952 by the Indian Government to bring community development. From the history of community development programmes in India, its main focus was on the communities of rural areas.
• The three phases:-
• National Extension Phase
• Intensive Community Development Project Phase
• Post-Intensive Development Phase
• The National Extension Service program was formulated in April 1953 and it was inaugurated on October 2, 1953.
• It was formed after the Indian government realized that the Community Development Programme, which was formed in 1952, cannot be implemented all over India due to a shortage of funds.
• In the first phase, the National Extension phase, the selected areas are subjected to the method used for providing the services based on the pattern of ordinary rural development and that too with less government expenditure.
• In the second phase, which is the intensive phase, the selected blocks are subjected to more composite, and the development schemes are more intensive and have a much larger expenditure on the government.
• The third phase, which is a post-intensive phase, presumes that the basis of the process initiated for self-perpetuation was created during the previous phases along with the reduction in the required expenses of the special government.

The correct answer is Britain 

Key Points

• Article 14 says that the State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
• This provision confers rights on all persons whether citizens or foreigners.
• The concept of ‘equality before law’ is of British origin while the concept of ‘equal protection of Laws’ has been taken from the American Constitution. The first concept connotes:
• the absence of any special privileges in favour of any person,
• the equal subjection of all persons to the ordinary law of the land administered by ordinary law courts, and
• no person (whether rich or poor, high or low, official or non-official) is above the law.
• The second concept, on the other hand, connotes:
• The equality of treatment under equal circumstances, both in the privileges conferred and liabilities imposed by the laws,
• The similar application of the same laws to all persons who are similarly situated, and
• The like should be treated alike without any discrimination. Thus, the former is a negative concept while
• The latter is a positive concept. However, both of them aim at establishing equality of legal status, opportunity and justice.

Additional Information

• The Supreme Court held that where equals and unequals are treated differently, Article 14 does not apply. While Article 14 forbids class legislation, it permits reasonable classification of persons, objects and transactions by the law. But the classification should not be arbitrary, artificial or evasive. Rather, it should be based on an intelligible differential and substantial distinction.

The correct answer is 2 years 11 months and 18 days

Key Points

Making of Indian Constitution

• Constitution was completed in the year 1949, on the 26^th of November, by the Constituent Assembly.
• It took 2 years 11 months and 18 days to draft and finalize the Constitution of India. The very first meeting of the Indian Constituent Assembly took place in the year 1946, on the 9^th of December.
• The total expenditure incurred on making the Constitution amounted to ₹64 lacks.

Important Sessions of Constituent Assembly

The correct answer is  the Legislative Assembly

Key Points

Council of Ministers in a State

• A Council of Ministers, led by the Chief Minister, shall assist and advise the Governor in the performance of his duties, except where he is required to exercise his powers in his discretion.
• If a question arises as to whether a matter falls within the Governor's discretion or not, the Governor's decision shall be final, and the Governor's actions shall not be called into question on the basis that he should or should not have acted in his discretion.
• Ministerial advice to the Governor is not subject to scrutiny in any court.
• A/c Article 164 the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the state's legislative assembly**.**
• This means that all ministers have shared responsibility for all their actions of omission and commission before the legislative assembly.

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 4 only.

Key Points

73^rd Constitutional Amendment:

• Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) is a system of rural local self-government in India.
• Local Self Government is the management of local affairs by such local bodies that have been elected by the local people.
• PRI was constitutionalized through the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment Act, of 1992 to build democracy at the grassroots level and was entrusted with the task of rural development in the country.
• Through this amendment, there has to be decentralization of-
• decision-making powers: Panchayats prepare plans for economic development and social justice in respect of subjects as devolved by law to the various levels of Panchayats including the subjects as illustrated in the Eleventh Schedule (Article 243G). Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• administrative powers: An officer of the rank of the Deputy Commissioner shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad who shall be appointed by the Government. Hence, statement 4 is correct.
• financial powers: Establish a Finance Commission in each State to determine the principles on the basis of which adequate financial resources would be ensured for panchayats and municipalities (Article 243I).
• system as a whole: This created the third unit of the executive after central and state government. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• ​There has to be decentralization of the judiciary in India since independence. The three levels of judiciary in India are divided as follows; - District, that is, District and Sessions Courts, State, that is, High Courts, and the Supreme Court at the top. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

The correct answer is More than one of the above

Key Points

• The Upper House of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha, or Council of States was constituted on 3^rd April 1952 and the first session was held on 13^th May 1952.
• The Rajya Sabha is called the permanent House of Parliament as it is never fully dissolved.
• Composition/Strength Article 80 of the Constitution lays down the maximum strength of Rajya Sabha as 250, out of which 12 members are nominated by the President and 238 are representatives of the States and of the two Union Territories. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The members nominated by the President are persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art, and social service.

Process for Election of a member of Rajya Sabha

• The representatives of the States and of the Union Territories in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the method of indirect election. Hence statement 3 is correct.
• The representatives of each State and two Union territories are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of that State and by the members of the Electoral College for that Union Territory in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
• The Electoral College for the National Capital Territory of Delhi consists of the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, and that for Puducherry consists of the elected members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly.
• To win a Rajya Sabha seat, a candidate should get a required number of votes. That number is found out using the below formula. Required vote = Total number of votes / (Number of Rajya Sabha seats + 1 ) + 1.

The correct answer is 'More than one of the above'

Key Points

Collegium system:

• It is the system of appointment and transfer of judges that has evolved through judgments of the Supreme Court, and not by an Act of Parliament or by a provision of the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court collegium is headed by the CJI (Chief Justice of India) and comprises four other senior-most judges of the court.
• Judges of the higher judiciary are appointed only through the collegium system and the government has a role only after names have been decided by the collegium.

Appellate jurisdiction:

• The Supreme Court is the highest Court of Appeal of all courts.
• Its appellate jurisdiction may be divided into:
• Cases involving interpretation of the Constitution – civil, criminal or otherwise;
• Civil cases, irrespective of any Constitutional question; and
• Criminal cases, irrespective of any Constitutional question.

Original jurisdiction:

• As a Federal court, the Supreme Court decides disputes between different units of the Indian Federation.
• More elaborately, any dispute between:
• the Centre and one or more states; or
• the Centre and any state or states on one side and one or more states on the other; or
• between two or more states.
• In the above federal disputes, the Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction.

**All the terms mentioned above are concerned with the Supreme court. *Hence, '***More than one of the above' is the correct answer.

The correct answer is 21 years

Key Points

• Panchayati Raj Institution was included in the Indian constitution through the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment Act, of 1992. It has 3 tiers, that are village level, intermediate block/taluk/Mandal level, and district level.
• 73^rd Amendment Act (1992) - Compulsory Provisions.
• Organization of Gram Sabha in villages
• Panchayat is an establishment at three levels, i.e. Village, Intermediate, and District levels.
• Direct election to all the seats of the Panchayats.

Indirect election to the post of Chairman at the intermediate and district level.

• Voting rights of the chairperson and other members of a panchayat elected directly or indirectly.
• The minimum age to contest a Panchayat election is decided to be 21 years.
• Reservation of seats for SC-ST(according to population) and women(1/3^rd)
• The tenure of the Panchayats has been fixed for five years.
• Establishment of a State Finance Commission after every five years to review the financial position of Panchayats.
• Reservation of seats for SC & ST (according to population) and women (1/3^rd seats) at all three levels.
• The tenure of the Panchayats has been fixed for five years and fresh elections will be held within six months in the event of the supersession of any panchayat.
• Establishment of a State Election Commission for conducting elections to the panchayats.