Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is All India Services.

Except Option 2, others are Federal features. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Key Points

Unitary features

• Union of States
• Power to form new States and to change existing boundaries
• Unequal Representation in the Legislature
• Single Constitution
• Single citizenship
• Emergency provisions
• All India Services

Additional Information

 Federal features

• Distribution of Powers
• Supremacy of the Constitution
• Written Constitution
• Rigidity
• Independent Judiciary
• Bicameral Legislature
• Dual Government Polity
• Division of Power

The Correct answer is If a party is recognized as a State Party in at least two States.

 Key Points

• For recognition as a NATIONAL PARTY, the conditions specified are:
  • A 6% vote share in the last Assembly polls in each of any four states, as well as four seats in the last Lok Sabha polls; or
  • 2% of all Lok Sabha seats in the last such election, with MPs elected from at least three states; or recognition as a state party in at least four states. Hence Option 4 is not Correct.

 Important Points

• The Election Commission lists political parties as “national party”, “state party” or “registered (unrecognized) party”.
• The conditions for being listed as a national or a state party are specified under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
• A party has to satisfy any one of a number of these conditions.

 Additional Information

• Recently a political party viz. National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya got recognition as a “national party”.
• The NPP is the eighth party to get that recognition — after INC, BJP, BSP, NCP, CPI, CPI(M), and TMC — and the first from the Northeast.

The correct answer is Santhanam Committee.

Key Points

• Central Vigilance Commission:
  • The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is the main agency for preventing corruption in the Central government.
  • It was established in 1964 by an executive resolution of the Central government.
  • Its establishment was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962-64).
  • Thus, originally the CVC was neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body.
  • Later, in 2003, the Parliament enacted a law conferring statutory status on the CVC.
  • In 2004, the CVC has been designated as the agency to receive and act on complaints or disclosure on any allegation of corruption or misuse of office from whistleblowers under the “Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers’ Resolution” (PIDPI), which is popularly known as “Whistle Blowers” Resolution.
  • The Commission is also empowered as the only designated agency to take action against complainants making motivated or vexatious complaints.
  • The CVC is conceived to be the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority, monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government and advising various authorities in Central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing, and reforming their vigilance work.

Additional Information

• Other Committee:
  • In 1957, the National Development Council constituted a committee headed by Balwant Rai Mehta to look into the working of the community development program.
  • The appointment of the Ashok Mehta Committee in 1977 did bring new thinking in the concepts and practice of the Panchayat Raj.
  • The G. V. K. Rao Committee (1985) recommended making the “District” the basic unit of planning and also holding regular elections.
  • The L. M. Singhvi committee recommended providing more financial resources and constitutional status to the panchayats to strengthen them.

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 Article 14.

Key Points

• Important articles of the Indian Constitution are following:-
  • Article 14 - Equality before the Law and Equality before law. Hence, option 1 is correct.
  • Article 15 - Prohibition of Discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
  • Article 16 - Equality of Opportunity in matters of public employment.
  • Article 17 - Abolition of the Untouchability.
  • Article 18 - Abolition of Titles.

Important Points

• Other important articles are following:-
  • Article 20- Protection in respect of Conviction for offences.
  • Article 21 - Protection of Life and personal liberty.
  • Article 22 - Protection against Arrest and detention in certain cases.
  • Article 23 - Prohibition of traffic in human beings and Forced labour.
  • Article 24 - Prohibition of employment of Children (Under the age of 14) in factories and mines.
  • Article 25 - Freedom of Conscience and free profession, practise, and propagation of religion.