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Set D

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Q 1 Delimitation Commissions (Polity)

1.How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted by the Government of India till December 2023 ?

One
Two
Three
Four

Answer: D

Explanation:

Based on the information provided, the Government of India has constituted Delimitation Commissions four times – in 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002.
Each time, a Delimitation Commission was formed under different Acts – Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, Delimitation Act, 1972, and Delimitation Act, 2002.
Therefore, the correct answer is (d) Four.

Delimitation Commission:

The Delimitation Commission of India, established by the Government of India under the Delimitation Commission Act, is responsible for redrawing the boundaries of legislative assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on the most recent census data. The current delimitation was carried out using 2001 census data as per the Delimitation Act, 2002.
The Commission is an autonomous entity and its decisions cannot be contested in any court of law. The orders are presented to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, with no room for modifications. The next delimitation process is not scheduled to take place before 2026.

Q.2 Eight Schedule (Polity)

2. The Constitution (71st Amendment) Act, 1992 amends the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution to include which of the following languages?

Konkani
Manipuri
Nepali
Maithili

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1,2 and 3
1,2 and 4
1, 3 and 4
2, 3 and 4

Answer: A

Explanation:

The 71st Amendment Act, 1992, added Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali to the Eighth Schedule.
Maithili was added later by the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003.
Therefore, the correct combination of languages added by the 71st Amendment Act is Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali.

Constitution (71st amendment) act, 1992:

The Seventy-first Amendment of the Constitution of India, also known as The Constitution (Seventy-first Amendment) Act, 1992, added Konkani, Meitei (Manipuri), and Nepali languages to the Eighth Schedule.
This raised the total number of languages listed in the schedule to eighteen, as the Government of India has the responsibility to develop these languages.
The original Eighth Schedule included 14 languages, with Sindhi being added in 1967 through the 21st Amendment.
Bodo, Dogri, Santhali, and Maithili were included in the Eighth Schedule in 2004 by the 92nd Amendment, bringing the total number of languages to 22.

Eighth schedule:

The Constitution of India outlines provisions related to languages in the eight schedule in articles 344(1) and 351.
Article 351 focuses on promoting the use of Hindi by the Government of India as an official language.
English was declared as an additional official language for a period not exceeding 15 years.
Article 344(1) identified 14 regional languages represented in the Official Languages Commission.
The Official Languages Act, 1963 allowed for the continuation of English as an official language alongside Hindi.
The official language resolution passed in 1968 required the Government of India to take steps for the development of languages in the eighth schedule.

Q.3 Party and Leaders (Polity)

3. Consider the following pairs :

Party	Its Leader
Bharatiya Jana Sangh	Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
Socialist Party	C. Rajagopalachari
Congress for Democracy	Jagjivan Ram
Swatantra Party	Acharya Narendra Dev

How many of the above are correctly matched ?

Only one
Only two
Only three
All four

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was the leader of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Statement 2 is incorrect: C. Rajagopalachari was not the leader of the Socialist Party; he led the Swatantra Party.
Statement 3 is correct: Jagjivan Ram was associated with the Congress for Democracy.
Statement 4 is incorrect: Acharya Narendra Dev was not the leader of the Swatantra Party; he was associated with the Socialist Party.
Therefore, only pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched.

Bharatiya Jana Sangh:

The Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) was an Indian nationalist political party.
Founded in 1951 in Delhi by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Balraj Madhok, and Deendayal Upadhyaya.
It was the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
In 1977, it merged with other parties to form the Janata Party.
After the defeat in the 1980 general elections, former members of the Jan Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee:

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was an Indian politician, barrister, and academician who served as India’s first Minister for Industry and Supply in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet.
He resigned from Nehru’s cabinet due to his disagreement with the Liaquat-Nehru Pact.
With the help of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, which later became the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mookerjee was also the president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha from 1943 to 1946.
He was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 1953 and died a day later after being provisionally diagnosed with a heart attack.
Mookerjee considered Swami Pranavananda, founder of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, as his guru.

Socialist Party:

Late emergence of socialism in Indian politics.
Preoccupation with independence movement led to delay in socialist movement.
Differences in class, political perspectives, and economic objectives were set aside for freedom from British rule.
Socialist doctrines seen as a liability due to theme of class conflict.
Indian socialism rejects orthodox Marxist dogma.
Indian model believes socialism cannot be achieved through State apparatus.
Indian socialism aligned with Gandhian principle of right means for right outcomes.
Clear links to traditional Indian thought and philosophical traditions.

C. Rajagopalachari:

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari BR, also known as Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activist.
He was the last Governor-General of India and the only Indian-born holder of the post.
Rajagopalachari founded the Swatantra Party and received the Bharat Ratna award.
He was a proponent of world peace, disarmament, and opposed the use of nuclear weapons.
Rajagopalachari was born in Tamil Nadu, educated in Bangalore and Madras, and started his legal practice in Salem.
He was a key figure in the Indian National Congress and participated in various movements led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Rajagopalachari held various political positions including Prime Minister of the Madras Presidency, Governor of West Bengal, and Chief Minister of Madras state.
He resigned from the Indian National Congress in 1959 and founded the Swatantra Party.
Rajagopalachari was a prolific writer, composer of songs, and advocate for temperance, temple entry, and Dalit upliftment.
He faced criticism for policies like compulsory Hindi study and the Madras Scheme of Elementary Education.
Rajagopalachari was highly regarded by both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, with Gandhi calling him the “keeper of my conscience”.

Congress for Democracy:

Establishment of the Congress for Democracy (CFD) in 1977.
Founders: Jagjivan Ram, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, and Nandini Satpathy.
Formation in response to dissatisfaction with Indira Gandhi’s rule during the Indian Emergency.
Participation in the 1977 Indian general election as part of the Janata alliance.
Subsequent merger with the Janata alliance after the election.

Jagjivan Ram:

Jagjivan Ram, also known as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar.
He played a key role in founding the All India Depressed Classes League in 1935 and was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1937.
Ram was the youngest minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s interim government in 1946, serving as the Labour Minister.
He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and ensured that social justice was included in the Constitution.
Ram served as a minister with various portfolios for 30 years as a member of the Indian National Congress.
He was the Defence Minister of India during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
Ram’s contributions to the Green Revolution and modernizing Indian agriculture are still remembered.
He supported Indira Gandhi during the Emergency but later left Congress in 1977 to join the Janata Party alliance.
Ram served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979 and formed Congress (J) in 1981.
At the time of his death, he was the last surviving minister of the Interim Government and the last surviving original member of the first cabinet of independent India.

Swatantra Party:

Founded in 1959 by C. Rajagopalachari in response to the socialist and statist outlook of the Indian National Congress.
Comprised of distinguished leaders, many of whom were former Congressmen.
Advocated for a market-based economy and the dismantling of the “Licence Raj.”
Opposed laissez-faire policies but supported free market principles.
Not a religion-based party, unlike the Hindu nationalism of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
In 1960, Rajagopalachari and colleagues drafted a 21-point manifesto outlining the reasons for forming Swatantra.
Despite being former Congressmen and associates of Nehru, they felt the need for a new party due to the left turn taken by the Congress at Avadi and the Nagpur Resolutions.
Prime Minister Nehru was highly critical of Swatantra, labeling it as belonging to “the middle ages of lords, castles, and zamindars.”

Acharya Narendra Dev:

Acharya Narendra Deva was a prominent theorist of the Congress Socialist Party in India, advocating for democratic socialism and non-violent means of revolution.
He was initially influenced by nationalism in the early 1900s and later became interested in Marxism and Buddhism.
Dev was a key leader of the Congress Socialist Party from its establishment in 1934 and was imprisoned multiple times during the freedom struggle.
He served as Vice Chancellor of University of Lucknow from 1947-1951 and later as Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.
Dev believed in the abolition of poverty and exploitation on moral and humanistic grounds, emphasizing the importance of social democracy for political democracy.
He was actively involved in the peasant movement and served as president of the All-India Kisan Congress.
Dev remained associated with the Socialist Party and Praja Socialist Party until his death in 1956.

Q.4 Parts of the Constitution (Polity)

4. Which of the following statements are correct about the Constitution of India?

Powers of the Municipalities are given in Part IX A of the Constitution.
Emergency provisions are given in Part XVIII of the Constitution.
Provisions related to the amendment of the Constitution are given in Part XX of the Constitution

Select the answer using the code given below :

1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1,2 and 3

Answer: D

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Part IXA of the Constitution of India deals with municipalities.
Statement 2 is correct: Part XVIII deals with emergency provisions.
Statement 3 is correct: Part XX deals with the amendment of the Constitution.
Therefore, all three statements are correct about the Constitution of India.

Part IX a of the constitution:

Article IXA of the Constitution was added through the Seventy-fourth Amendment Act in 1992.
It pertains to local self government at the urban level.
Article 243S outlines the constitution and composition of Wards Committees.
Article 243U discusses the duration of Municipalities.

Part XVIII of the constitution:

Part XVIII of the Indian constitution contains laws related to Emergency Provisions.
The three types of emergencies outlined in this part are General Emergency, Break-down of constitutional machinery in the states, and Financial Emergency.

Part XX of the constitution:

Article 368 of the Constitution grants constituent power for formal amendments.
Parliament can amend the Constitution by addition, variation, or repeal of any provision.
Different procedure from ordinary legislation.
Amended by the 24th and 42nd Amendments in 1971 and 1976.
Full text of Article 368 governs constitutional amendments.
New clauses added by the 24th Amendment in 1971.
Provisions in italics inserted by the 42nd Amendment, later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Q.5 Union List and State List (Polity)

5. Which one of the following statements is correct as per the Constitution of India?

Inter-State trade and commerce is a State subject under the State/List.
Inter-State migration is a State subject under the State List.
Inter-State quarantine is a Union subject under the Union List.
Corporation tax is a State subject under the State List.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement a is incorrect: Inter-State trade and commerce is a Union subject under the Union List.
Statement b is incorrect: Inter-State migration is a Union subject under the Union List.
Statement c is correct: Inter-State quarantine is a Union subject under the Union List.
Statement d is incorrect: Corporation tax is a Union subject under the Union List.
As per the Constitution of India, Inter-State quarantine falls under the Union List, which means it is a subject on which the central government can legislate. This ensures uniformity and coordination in dealing with public health emergencies that may affect multiple states.

Union list and state list:

India’s government structure is similar to Canada’s federal government, but different from the US, Switzerland, and Australia.

The Union List, also known as List-I, consists of 97 items in the Constitution of India.

Parliament has exclusive power to legislate on items in the Union List.

The State List, or List-II, contains 61 items in the Constitution of India.

Residual powers in India remain with the Central Government.