Question 31: Consider the following statements:
- Under Article 72, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census.
- The Delimitation Commission is tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up five times.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: A
Explanation
- Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census. Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up the Delimitation Commission.
- The Commission is supposed to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies in a way that the population of all seats, so far as practicable, is the same.
- The Commission is also tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
How have previous delimitation exercises actually worked?
- In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. There was no delimitation after the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses.
- However, the 2002 Act did not make any changes in total Lok Sabha seats or their apportionment between various states. It also left out a few states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur from the exercise due to “security risks.” The central government reconstituted the Delimitation Commission for these four states as well as the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir on 6 March 2020.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-delimitation-8348977/
Question 32: Consider the following statements:
- Article 263 of the Constitution gives powers to the President to set up an Inter-state Council for resolution of disputes between states.
- The Sarkaria Commission suggested that the Council should exist as a permanent body.
- The standing committee of the Inter-state Council has been reconstituted with Home Minister as Chairman.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
Inter-state Council:
- Article 263 of the Constitution gives powers to the President to set up an Inter-state Council for resolution of disputes between states.
- In 1988, the Sarkaria Commission suggested that the Council should exist as a permanent body, and in 1990 it came into existence through a Presidential Order.
- In 2021, the Centre reconstituted the Inter-state Council and the body now has 10 Union Ministers as permanent invitees. The standing committee of the Council has been reconstituted with Home Minister as Chairman.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-are-disputes-between-states-resolved-8349561/
Question 33: Consider the following statements:
- The Remote Voting Machine (RVM) is a standalone and non-networked system.
- The remote voter will have to pre-register for the facility by applying online or offline with the Returning Officer of the home constituency.
- The Remote Voting Machine (RVM) would be connected to the internet.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: A
Explanation
- The 2011 Census says 45.36 crore Indians or 37% of the population are “migrants” and 75% of these migrants moved due to marriage or other family-related reasons.
- Working with the Electronics Corporation of India, a company under the Department of Atomic Energy, the EC has come up with a prototype Remote Voting Machine (RVM), which is a modified version of the existing Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
- The RVM will be able to handle 72 constituencies in a single remote polling booth. The special remote polling booths would be set up in different states when elections are on in the home state of migrants.
- The EC proposed using this in a State Assembly election as a pilot so internal migrants within a state can cast their ballots.
- The remote voter will have to pre-register for the facility by applying online or offline with the Returning Officer of the home constituency. The special polling stations would then be set up in the places of current residence of the remote voters. The RVM is a standalone and non-networked system, the EC said in its concept note. Instead of a paper ballot sheet, the RVM would have a dynamic ballot display that can change with the selection of different constituencies.
- The system would have a device similar to the VVPAT so voters can verify their votes.
- According to the EC, the RVM, like the EVM, would not be connected to the internet.