[DAY 14] 60 DAY RAPID REVISION (RaRe) SERIES for UPSC Prelims 2022 – POLITY, CURRENT AFFAIRS & CSAT; Test Series, Videos & Notes!

Solution (c)

Statement Analysis:

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

Solution (d)

Some important provisions of Art 75:

1. The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
2. The total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha. This provision was added by the 91st Amendment Act of 2003.
3. A member of either house of Parliament belonging to any political party who is disqualified on the ground of defection shall also be disqualified to be appointed as a minister. This provision was also added by the 91st Amendment Act of 2003.
4. The ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the President.
5. The council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
6. The President shall administer the oaths of office and secrecy to a minister.
7. A minister who is not a member of the Parliament (either house) for any period of six consecutive months shall cease to be a minister.
8. The salaries and allowances of ministers shall be determined by the Parliament.

Solution (d)

Statement Analysis:

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

Article 75 states that the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. This means that all the ministers own joint responsibility to the Lok Sabha for all their acts of omission and commission.

When the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion against the council of ministers, all the ministers have to resign including those ministers who are from the Rajya Sabha.

The principle of collective responsibility also means that the Cabinet decisions bind all cabinet ministers (and other ministers) even if they differed in the cabinet meeting.

It is the duty of every minister to stand by cabinet decisions and support them both within and outside the Parliament. If any minister disagrees with a cabinet decision and is not prepared to defend it, he must resign. 

Collective responsibility can be achieved only through the instrumentality of the Prime Minister.

Solution (d)

Basic Info regarding Cabinet:

It was inserted in Article 352 of the Constitution in 1978 by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act.  

It directs the council of ministers by taking policy decisions which are binding on all ministers.

Article 352 defines cabinet but does not describe its powers and functions.

The cabinet is ‘the council consisting of the prime minister and other ministers of cabinet rank appointed under Article 75’.It includes the cabinet ministers only. Thus, it is a part of the council of ministers.

Cabinet Secretary is the head of Cabinet Secretariat and not the Cabinet.

Few Important roles of the cabinet:

1. It is the highest decision-making authority in our politico-administrative system.
   2. It is the chief policy formulating body of the Central government.
   3. It is the supreme executive authority of the Central government.
   4. It is chief coordinator of Central administration.
   5. It is an advisory body to the president and its advice is binding on him.
   6. It is the chief crisis manager and thus deals with all emergency situations.
   7. It deals with all major legislative andfinancial matters.
   8. It exercises control over higher appointments like constitutional authorities and senior secretariat administrators.
   9. It deals with all foreign policies and foreign affairs.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

The Attorney General (AG) of India is a part of the Union Executive. AG is the highest law officer in the country. Article 76 of the Constitution provides for the office of AG of India.

AG is appointed by the President on the advice of the government.

S/he must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. 

Term of the Office is not fixed by the Constitution.

Procedures and grounds for the removal of AG are not stated in the Constitution. S/he holds office during the pleasure of the President (may be removed by the President at any time).

Rights and Limitations:

S/he has the right to speak and to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament or their joint sitting and any committee of the Parliament of which s/he may be named a member, but without a right to vote.

S/he enjoys all the privileges and immunities that are available to a member of Parliament.

S/he does not fall in the category of government servants. S/he is not debarred from private legal practice.

Solicitor General of India and Additional Solicitor General of India assist the AG in fulfillment of the official responsibilities.

Solution (d)

Basic Info 

They are extra constitutional in emergence. In other words, they are not mentioned in the Constitution. However, the Rules of Business provide for their establishment. 

They are set up by the Prime Minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation. 

They not only include the Ministers in charge of subjects covered by them but also include other senior ministers.

They are mostly headed by the Prime Minister. Sometimes other Cabinet Ministers, particularly the Home Minister or the Finance Minister, also acts as their Chairman. But, in case the Prime Minister is a member of a committee, he invariably presides over it. 

Solution (c)

Statement analysis:

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

The ‘Council of States’ which is also known as Rajya Sabha, a nomenclature that was announced by the chair in the House on the 23rd August, 1954 has its own distinctive features. 

The origin of the second Chamber can be traced to the Montague-Chelmsford Report of 1918. 

The Government of India Act, 1919 provided for the creation of a ‘Council of State’ as a second chamber of the then legislature with a restricted franchise which actually came into existence in 1921. 

The Governor-General was the ex-officio President of the then Council of State. The Government of India Act, 1935, hardly made any changes in its composition.

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

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.  

The present strength of Rajya Sabha, however, is 245, out of which 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi and Puducherry and 12 are nominated by the President. 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.

The representatives of each union territory in the Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected by members of an electroral college specially constituted for the purpose. This election is
held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. Only two (Delhi and Puducherry) have representation in Rajya Sabha. 

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

The election held to fill a vacancy arising otherwise than by retirement of a member on the expiration of his term of office is called ‘Bye-election’. A member elected in a bye-election remains member for the remainder of the term of the member who had resigned or died or disqualified to be member of the House under the Tenth Schedule.

Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution.  However, one-third Members of Rajya Sabha retire after every second year.  A member who is elected for a full term serves for a period of six years.  

Solution (a)

Basic Info:

Rajya Sabha in Financial Matters:

A Money Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha.  After it is passed by that House, it is transmitted to Rajya Sabha for its concurrence or recommendation.  The power of Rajya Sabha in respect of such a Bill is limited.   Rajya Sabha has to return such a Bill to Lok Sabha within a period of fourteen days from its receipt.  If it is not returned to Lok Sabha within that time, the Bill is deemed to have been passed by both Houses at the expiration of the said period in the form in which it was passed by Lok Sabha.  Again, Rajya Sabha cannot amend a Money Bill it can only recommend amendments and Lok Sabha may either accept or reject all or any of the recommendations made by Rajya Sabha.

The Budget of the Government of India is laid every year before Rajya Sabha also and its members discuss it.

Though Rajya Sabha does not vote on Demands for Grants of various Ministries – a matter exclusively reserved for Lok Sabha – no money, however, can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India unless the Appropriation Bill has been passed by both the Houses.  

Solution (d)

Basic Info:

Leader of the house of Rajya Sabha:

 The Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha is normally the Prime Minister, if he is its member.

Or any Minister who is a member of the House can be nominated by him to so function.

His primary responsibility is to maintain coordination amongst all sections of the House for a harmonious and meaningful debate in the House.

Leader of Opposition:

The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha is an elected Member of Rajya Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government.

The Current Leader of Opposition is Mallikarjun Kharge.

Solution (b)

Statement Analysis:

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

The institutions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker originated in India in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms).

At that time, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were called the President and Deputy President respectively and the same nomenclature continued till 1947.

The Government of India Act of 1935 changed the nomenclatures of President and Deputy President to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

Solution (b)

Basic Info regarding Removal of the Speaker:

The constitution has given the Lower House authority to remove the Speaker if needed.

He can be removed only by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha by an absolute majority (ie, a
majority of the total members of the House) and not by an ordinary majority (ie, a majority of the members present and voting in the House).

This motion of removal can be considered and discussed only when it has the support of at least 50 members.

 The Speaker can also be removed on getting disqualified from being a Lok Sabha member under sections 7 and 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Solution (c)

Some of the important Roles, powers and functions of the speaker:

The Speaker is the head of the Lok Sabha, and its representative 

He is the guardian of powers and privileges of the members, the House as a whole
and its committees. He is the principal spokesman of the House, and his decision in all Parliamentary matters is final. He is thus much more than merely the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha.

He is the final interpreter of the provisions of (a) the Constitution of India,
(b) the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and
(c) the parliamentary precedents, within the House.

He appoints the chairman of all the parliamentary committees of the  Lok Sabha and supervises their functioning. He himself is the chairman of the Business Advisory Committee, the Rules Committee and the General Purpose Committee.

Solution (b)

Statement Analysis:

Solution (b)

Basic Info:

The office of ‘whip’, is mentioned neither in the Constitution of India nor in the Rules of the House nor in a Parliamentary Statute. It is based on the conventions of the parliamentary government.

Every political party, whether ruling or Opposition has its own whip in the Parliament. He is appointed by the political party to serve as an assistant floor leader. He is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the attendance of his party members in large numbers and securing their support in favour of or against a particular issue. He regulates and monitors their behaviour in the Parliament. The members are supposed to follow the directives given by the
whip. Otherwise, disciplinary action can be taken

If an MP violates his party’s whip, he faces expulsion from the House under the Anti Defection Act. The only exception is when more than a third of legislators vote against a directive, effectively splitting the party.

Solution (c)

Statement Analysis:

Context – Supreme Court discussed differences between ‘furlough’ and ‘parole’ and the principles relating to grant of them.

Solution (c)

Nord Stream 2 is an export gas pipeline running from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea. NS2’s construction began in 2018 and is being implemented by the Nord Stream 2 AG project company.

Context – The Nord Stream 2 (NS2) which is running across Russia to Germany is now completed.

Solution (a)

Statement Analysis:

Context- Quality Council of India set up team of experts to execute proposed ONDC project

Solution (d)

Statement Analysis:

Context – International Energy Agency (IEA) has invited India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer, to become its full-time member.

Solution (b)

Statement Analysis:

Context – Green Day Ahead Market was launched.

Solution (c)

Rakesh’s 18 hr work = 18/24 = 3/4. Remaining work = 1 – 3/4 = 1/4 

Using work and time formula: This will be completed in 1/4×16 i.e. 4 hrs. So, total time taken to complete work = 18 + 4= 22 hrs.

Solution(d)

Manoj would have done 63/80 work in 63 days. 

The remaining work i.e. 17/80 must have been done by Sham and Manoj together. 

They can do the whole work in 80 × 90 / (80 + 90) = 80 × 90/170 = 720/17 days. 

So, they would have done 17/60 work in 720/17 × 17/60 = 12 days.

Therefore, Sham left the work after 12 days.

Solution (a)

Abhi can complete work in days = 75 

Abhi can do a part of work in 1 day = 1/75

Babu can complete work in days = 40 

Babu can do a part of work in 1 day = 1/40 

They can do together a part of work in 1 day= 1/75 + 1/40 

With the help of Mohith, they finish the work in 25 days.

With Mohith 1 day work = 1/25

So, Mohith’s 1 day work = 1/25 – ( (1/75) + (1/40))

Mohith’s 1 day work = 1/600

Ratio of their 1 day work = 1/75 : 1/40 : 1/600 ( taking LCM of 75 , 40 and 600 )

Sum of ratios of Abhi, Babu and Mohith = 8+15+1 =24 

So, Mohith’s share = 1/24 * 480

Mohith’s share =Rs.20

Solution (c)

Given that, A+B = 50 days, C = 60 days , A+B+C+D = 20 days

D alone can do it = ( A+B+C+D) – (A+B+C)

D = (1/20) – ((1/50) + (1/60))

D= (1/20 –( 110/3000)

D= (1/20 – 11/300)

D = 4/300 = 1/75

Therefore, D alone can do it in 75 days

Solution (b)

“Formidable lists of do’s and don’ts”. This excerpt from the passage says that it means the list is so long that it is frightening.