UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz: Polity and Governance MCQs on Council of Ministers, Contingency Fund and more (Week 135)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the Council of Ministers, consider the following statements:

1. Ministers shall hold office during the term of the Prime Minister.

2. The Council of Ministers will be collectively responsible to the President.

3. The President swears the Minister.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) The three

(d) None

Explanation

— The Prime Minister will be appointed by the President and the other Ministers will be appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Prime Minister.

— The total number of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed fifteen per cent. of the total number of members of the House of the People.

—The Ministers will hold office for the time convenient to them. President. Therefore, statement 1 is not correct.

— The Council of Ministers will be collectively responsible to the People’s House. Therefore, statement 2 is not correct.

— Before a Minister takes office, the President will administer the oaths of office and secrecy in accordance with the forms established for this purpose in the Third Annex. Therefore, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Another source: Constitution of India)

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements:

1. No citizen of India shall accept any degree from any foreign State.

2. A title related to academic distinction may be conferred by the State.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Article 18 of the Constitution of India provides for the abolition of titles.

— No title, other than a military or academic distinction, will be conferred by the State (this means that military or academic titles are exceptions to the general prohibition). Therefore, statement 2 is correct.

—No citizen of India will accept any title from any foreign State. Therefore, statement 1 is correct.

—No person who is not a citizen of India, while holding any office of profit or trust under the State, shall accept without the consent of the President any title of any foreign State.

— No person holding an office of profit or trust under the State may, without the consent of the President, accept any gift, emolument or office of any kind from or under any foreign State.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Fountain: Constitution of India)

QUESTION 3

With reference to the Contingency Fund, consider the following statements:

1. The President may, by law, establish a Contingency Fund.

2. These funds shall be used to cover unforeseen expenses pending Parliament’s authorization of such expenses by law in accordance with Articles 115 or 116.

3. The Legislature of a State cannot establish a Contingency Fund.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) The three

(d) None

Explanation

— Parliament may establish by law a Contingency Fund in the form of an advance which shall be called “the Indian Contingency Fund” to which sums determined by said law shall be paid periodically. Therefore, statement 1 is not correct.

— The said Fund shall be made available to the President to enable him to make advances from the said Fund for the purpose of meeting unforeseen expenditure pending such expenditure being authorized by Parliament by law under Articles 115 or 116. Therefore, statement 2 is correct.

– He The legislature of a state may establish by law a Contingency Fund in the nature of an advance, it will be called “the State Contingency Fund” to which the sums determined by said law will be paid from time to time, and said Fund will be made available to the Governor. Therefore, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Fountain: Constitution of India)

QUESTION 4

The recent Bollywood movie Haq is inspired by:

a) Shah Bano case of 1985

b) Kesavananda Bharati Case

c) Indira Sawhney case

d) Maneka Gandhi Case

Explanation

– He Bollywood film Haq, releasing this Friday (November 7) and starring Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi, is inspired by the 1985 Shah Bano case.

— The case began with a 62-year-old Muslim woman’s request for alimony from her husband after her divorce, sparking a national debate about secularism, minority rights and the need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). We remember the background, the Supreme Court verdict and its legacy.

— In 1978, Shah Bano Begum, a mother of five from Indore, divorced her husband and lawyer Mohammed Ahmad Khan, after 43 years of marriage. He divorced her by uttering an irrevocable ‘talaq’. For a few months, he paid her a small amount of support, but then he stopped.

— With no means to support himself, Shah Bano filed a petition before the court under section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973. This is a centuries-old provision that obliges a person with sufficient means to provide maintenance to those for whom he is responsible, including his wife, who cannot support herself. The section’s explanation clarifies that “wife” includes a divorced woman who has not remarried.

— A local court ordered Khan to pay a nominal amount of Rs 25 per month. On appeal, the Madhya Pradesh High Court increased the amount to Rs 179.20 per month. Khan then appealed to the Supreme Court.

— On April 23, 1985, a five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by then Chief Justice YV Chandrachud, issued a unanimous ruling. The court dismissed Khan’s appeal and upheld the High Court order.

— The court held that Section 125 of the CrPC is a secular provision applicable to all citizens irrespective of their religion. He stated that the provision had been enacted to prevent destitution and that there was no reason to exclude Muslim women from its purview. It concluded that if a divorced Muslim woman cannot support herself, she has the right to claim maintenance from her ex-husband even after the iddat period.

— The court ruled that there was no conflict between Article 125 and Muslim personal law on the question of a husband’s obligations to his divorced wife. He referred to the Quran to maintain that it imposes on the Muslim husband the obligation to support his divorced wife. The ruling also regretted that Article 44 of the Constitution, which suggests that the State establish a Uniform Civil Code, remained a “dead letter.”

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Consider the following statements about the Election Commission of India:

1. It is a Constitutional Body.

2. It was established in accordance with the Constitution on January 25, 1950.

3. It consists of the Chief Electoral Commissioner and two Electoral Commissioners.

4. He is responsible for holding elections to the Parliament and Legislature of each State, but not for the position of President.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) The four

Explanation

— The Constitution of India has vested in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process of holding elections to the Parliament and Legislature of each state and to the offices of President and Vice President of India. Therefore, statement 4 is not correct.

— The Election Commission of India is a permanent constitutional body. The Electoral Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on January 25, 1950. The Commission celebrated its golden jubilee in 2001. Therefore, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

—Originally, the commission only had one Chief Electoral Commissioner. It currently consists of the Chief Electoral Commissioner and two Electoral Commissioners. Therefore, statement 3 is correct.

— For the first time, two additional commissioners were appointed on October 16, 1989, but their tenure was very short, until January 1, 1990. Later, on October 1, 1993, two additional election commissioners were appointed. Since then, the concept of a multi-member Commission, with decision-making power by majority vote, has been in force.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Fountain: http://www.eci.gov.in)

Previous Daily Themes Quiz

Daily test by topic: history, culture and social issues (weeks 129 and 130)

Daily quiz by topic: Politics and governance (week 134)

Daily test by topic: Science and technology (week 134)

Daily test by topic: Economics (week 134)

Daily test by topic: Environment and geography (week 134)

Daily topic test: International Relations (week 134)

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