Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Bhopal.

• The Indian Institute of Soil Science is an autonomous institute for higher learning for advanced research in the field of soil sciences.
• It was established under the umbrella of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.
• The Indian Institute of Soil Science (IISS) was established in 1988 in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) with an aim to promote scientific research on soil sciences.

Mistake Points 

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) 

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
• It was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in pursuance of the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.
• The ICAR has its headquarters in New Delhi. 
• The Council is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country. 

The correct answer is 2 and 3 only.

Key Points

• The Public Accounts Committee consists of not more than 22 members comprising 15 members elected by Lok Sabha every year from amongst its members.
  • Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The Public Account Committee carries out the examination of the Appropriation Accounts relating to the Railways, Defence Services, P&T Department and other Civil Ministries of the Government of India and Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India thereon as also the Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General on Revenue Receipts mainly form the basis of the deliberation of the Committee.
  • ​Hence statements 2 and 3 are correct.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General is the “friend, philosopher and guide” of the Committee.
• He attends the sittings of the Committee and assists it in its deliberations.
• Hence option 2 is correct.

​​Additional Information 

• Types of Parliamentary Committees:
  • India’s Parliament has multiple types of committees.
    • They can be differentiated on the basis of their work, their membership and the length of their tenure.
  • However, broadly there are two types of Parliamentary Committees– Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees.
  • The Standing Committees are permanent (constituted every year or periodically) and work on a continuous basis.
  • Standing Committees can be classified into the following six categories:
    • Financial Committees
    • Departmental Standing Committees
    • Committees to Enquire
    • Committees to Scrutinise and Control
    • Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House
    • House-Keeping Committees or Service Committees
  • While the Ad Hoc Committees are temporary and cease to exist on completion of the task assigned to them.
  • They are further subdivided into Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees.

The correct answer is 122.

• The Ministry of Environment will implement National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) across 122 cities in the country to reduce air pollution.
• NCAP targets to achieve 20 to 30 % reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 across the country.
• The number of good quality air days has increased to 218 in 2020 against 106 in 2016, and the number of poor quality air days decreased to 56 in 2020.

The Correct answer is ​President has refused to give his assent to the Bill.

Key Points

• Joint sitting is not summoned when the president has refused to give his assent to the Bill. Hence it is not a sufficient ground to call joint sitting.

Occasions when Joint Session of Parliament is summoned:

• To resolve deadlock when any house of the Parliament passes a bill and:
• The other House rejects this bill, or
• The Houses do not agree on the amendments made to the bill, or
• More than six months elapsed with the bill being received by the other House without it being passed. Hence Option 1, 2, and 3 are sufficient grounds for join sitting.

​Important Points

• Article 108 of the Indian Constitution provides for a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
• The joint session is summoned by the President.
• It is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• The joint sitting is governed by the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and not of Rajya Sabha.
• The quorum to constitute a joint sitting: 1/10th of the total number of members of the House.
• The Bill is passed by a simple majority of the total number of members of both the Houses present and voting in the joint sitting.

The correct answer is September 2020.

• Rajya Sabha passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 on 10 February 2021.
• The Lok Sabha had passed the bill on September 23, 2020.
• The Bill aims to provide for the regulation, operation and planning of Major Ports in India and to vest the administration, control and management of such ports upon the Boards of Major Port Authorities.