Upsc prelims MCQ

Article 3 of the Constitution of India authorizes the Parliament to reorganize the states. It states that Parliament may by law: Form a new State by separating territory from any State, uniting two or more States, or uniting any territory to a part of any State. Increase the area of any State. Diminish the area of any State. Alter the boundaries of any State. Alter the name of any State. Conditions for Passing the Bill President's Recommendation: A bill for this purpose can be introduced in either House of Parliament only on the prior recommendation of the President. State Legislature's View: Before recommending the bill, the President must refer it to the concerned state legislature to express its views within a specified period. Parliamentary Supremacy: The Parliament is not bound by the views of the state legislature and can accept or reject them. The bill requires only a simple majority to pass

(B) 1 and 3 only Statement 1:Correct The Preamble declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic. The words "Socialist" and "Secular" were added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. Hence, this is a defining characteristic of the Indian Constitution. Statement 2:Incorrect The Preamble is not justiciable, meaning it cannot be enforced independently in a court. It is not a source of legal rights or powers. However, after the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), the Supreme Court held that: The Preamble is a part of the Constitution. It can be used as an aid to interpret constitutional provisions when there is ambiguity. It cannot be enforced by itself. Statement 3: Correct Unlike countries such as the USA, which have dual citizenship (State + National), India provides only one citizenship, regardless of the state in which a person resides. This promotes national unity and integration.

Part I of the Constitution of India, which includes Articles 1 to 4, is titled "The Union and its Territory". These articles define India as a Union of States and grant Parliament the power to admit new states, form new states, and alter the boundaries or names of existing ones. 

Correct: Part II of the Indian Constitution (Articles 5 to 11) specifically deals with citizenship at the time of the commencement of the Constitution and empowers Parliament to regulate the matter thereafter. Incorrect: The Indian Constitution provides for single citizenship uniformly across the entire country. There are no exceptions for any bordering states or any other regions regarding the provision of single citizenship. Incorrect: The latest amendment, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), relaxes naturalization qualifications (reducing residency from 11 years to 5 years) for specific religious minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians). However, it applies only to persons from three specific countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan), not "all countries bordering India" (e.g., it excludes China, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka). 

Day 2