Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is N. K. Singh.

• N. K. Singh is the Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission.

Additional Information

• 15th Finance Commission
  • The Finance Commission (FC) is a constitutional body, that determines the method and formula for distributing the tax proceeds between the Centre and states, and among the states as per the constitutional arrangement and present requirements.
  • Under Article 280 of the Constitution, the President of India is required to constitute a Finance Commission at an interval of five years or earlier.
  • The 15th Finance Commission was constituted by the President of India, under the chairmanship of NK Singh.
  • Its recommendations will cover a period of five years from the year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
  • Grants Devolution Criteria
    • Population:
      • The population of a State represents the needs of the State to undertake expenditure for providing services to its residents.
      • It is also a simple and transparent indicator that has a significant equalising impact.
    • Area:
      • The larger the area, the greater is the expenditure requirement for providing comparable services.
    • Forest and Ecology:
      • By taking into account the share of the dense forest of each state in the aggregate dense forest of all the states, the share on these criteria is determined.
    • Income Distance:
      • Income distance is the distance of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of a particular state from the state with the highest GSDP.
      • To maintain interstate equity, the states with lower per capita income would be given a higher share.
    • Demographic Performance:
      • It rewards efforts made by states in controlling their population.
      • This criterion has been computed by using the reciprocal of the total fertility ratio of each state, scaled by 1971 population data.
    • Tax Effort:
      • This criterion has been used to reward states with higher tax collection efficiency.

The correct answer is Speaker.

Key Points

• Before sending it to the upper house, The Speaker of the Lok Sabha certifies the bill as a money bill. Hence, option 3 is correct.
• The Speaker's decision is binding on both the Houses.
• The Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha.
• When a Money Bill is returned to the lower house with the recommended amendments of the Rajya Sabha, the bill is open to the Lok Sabha to accept or reject any or all of the recommendations.

Important Points

• Money bills passed by the lower house are sent to the Rajya Sabha.
• The Rajya Sabha can recommend amendments.
• The Rajya Sabha can not amend money bills.

Explanation:

A money bill can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha on the recommendation of the president.

After it is passed by the Lok Sabha, it is transmitted to the Rajya Sabha for its consideration.

The Rajya Sabha cannot reject or amend a money bill. It can only make the recommendations.

It must return the bill to the Lok Sabha within 14 days, with or without recommendations.

The Lok Sabha can either accept/reject all or any of the recommendations of the Rajya Sabha.

If the Lok Sabha accepts any recommendation, the bill is then considered to have been passed by both the Houses

If the Lok Sabha does not accept any recommendation, the bill is then considered to be passed by both the Houses in the form originally approved by the Lok Sabha.

There is no provision of holding a joint sitting in case of disagreement between the two houses.

The correct answer is Article 14.

Key Points

• Article 14 states for equality before the law.
  • All persons are equal before the law.
  • It provides equal protection before laws.
• Article 19 is related to the right to freedom.
  • It gives 6 types of freedom to Indian citizens.
• Article 21 is related to the protection of life and personal liberty. 
  • It gives the fundamental right to live life.
• Article 256 is related to the executive power of the state.

The correct answer is the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

• Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted a conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket Season in 2021.
• The Drone Rules 2021 are in the final stages of discussion with the Law Ministry and approval is expected by March 2021.
• The conditional exemption will be valid till 31 December or until the full operationalization of the Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1).