Demo Prelims Accelerator Program Anmol Vachan

(D) Finance Commission constituted by the Governor • Article 243-I of the Indian Constitution mandates the establishment of a State Finance Commission to review the financial position of the Panchayats. • This commission is required to be constituted by the Governor of the respective State at the expiration of every fifth year. • The primary role of the State Finance Commission is to make recommendations to the Governor regarding the distribution of net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls, and fees between the State and the Panchayats. • It also determines the principles that should govern the grants-in-aid given to the Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the State. • The Chief Minister, Chairman of the Block Committee, and Chairman of the District Council do not hold this constitutional authority for reviewing the overall financial position of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Local Self-Government is included under Entry 5 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. This means that the State Legislatures have the power to make laws regarding the establishment, powers, functions and administration of Panchayats and Municipalities. Subjects such as village administration, municipal governance, local taxation and civic services are primarily regulated by the States. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) granted constitutional status to Panchayats and Municipalities by introducing Part IX and Part IX-A. These amendments made the existence of local bodies mandatory and provided a common constitutional framework regarding elections, reservations, tenure and finance. However, they did not transfer Local Self-Government from the State List to the Union or Concurrent List. The detailed powers and responsibilities of local bodies continue to be determined by State laws. Thus, while the Constitution ensures a uniform framework for local governance, the actual legislative authority remains with the States. Therefore, Local Self-Government falls under the State List

(B) 1 - a, 2 - b, 3 - d, 4 - c 1. Compulsory Provisions \rightarrow (a) Voting rights of the chairperson and other members Under Article 243C of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act: All members of Panchayats at the village, intermediate, and district levels are elected directly by the people. The chairperson and all members (whether elected directly or indirectly) have the right to vote in the meetings of the Panchayats. This voting right is a mandatory/compulsory constitutional provision. 2. Voluntary Provisions \rightarrow (b) Making the Grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from Consolidated Fund of State Under Article 243H, providing for grants-in-aid to Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the State is left to the discretion/volition of the State Legislature. State laws may authorize Panchayats to levy taxes, assign taxes to them, or provide grants-in-aid, making it a voluntary provision. 3. R. R. Diwakar Committee (1963) \rightarrow (d) Study team on the position of Gram Sabha Set up in 1963, the Study Team on the Position of Gram Sabha in Panchayati Raj Movement was headed by R. R. Diwakar. It evaluated the role, powers, and operational effectiveness of Gram Sabhas in local self-governance. 4. K. Santhanam Committee (1965) \rightarrow (c) Committee on Panchayat Raj Elections Set up in 1965, the Committee on Panchayati Raj Elections was chaired by K. Santhanam. (Note: K. Santhanam also chaired the 1963 Study Team on Panchayati Raj Finance).

Statement 1: Correct "He played a crucial role as a co-opted member in the Bordoloi Sub-Committee for the inclusion of the Karbis under the Sixth Schedule." To represent the specific interests of the Mikir (Karbi) Hills, Semsonsing Ingti along with Khorsing Terang were appointed as co-opted members to the Gopinath Bordoloi Sub-Committee (a sub-committee of the Constituent Assembly's Advisory Committee). Their testimony and submissions directly led to including tribal governance provisions under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Statement 2: Incorrect "He encouraged the scattered Karbi groups to settle in the Mikir Hills to acquire government facilities." Semsonsing Ingti worked to politically unite scattered Karbi populations living across Nagaon, Golaghat, Kamrup, and Khasi-Jaintia Hills through the Karbi Abar Darbar. However, he did not launch or lead a forced population movement or policy telling Karbis to leave their native homelands to physically migrate/settle in the Mikir Hills just to get government facilities. Statement 3: Incorrect "He advocated for the complete separation of Karbi Anglong from the State of Assam to form an independent Karbi State." Semsonsing Ingti was a constitutionalist who sought district-level administrative autonomy within the state of Assam and under the Indian Union. He never demanded seceding from Assam to create an independent, separate sovereign state. Statement 4: Correct "He is also known as the Father of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council." Because of his pioneering socio-political mobilization and groundwork advocating for a separate administrative council for the Karbis, he is universally commemorated as the architect or "Father of Karbi Anglong / Karbi Nationalism."

Pair (a): Language to be used in the complaint for redressal of grievances — Article 350 Article 350 guarantees that every person has the right to submit a representation or complaint for the redressal of grievances to any authority of the Union or a State in any language used in the Union or in the concerned State. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that language does not become a barrier in accessing government authorities. Pair (b): Facilities for education in mother tongue at primary level — Article 350A Article 350A directs every State and local authority to make adequate facilities available for providing primary education in the mother tongue to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. This provision aims to preserve linguistic diversity and improve learning outcomes by allowing children to study in their native language during the early years of education. Pair (c): Special Officer for linguistic minority communities — Article 350B Article 350B provides for the appointment of a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities by the President of India. The officer investigates matters relating to the constitutional safeguards available to linguistic minorities and submits reports to the President, who places them before Parliament and forwards them to the concerned State Governments. Pair (d): Directive for development of Hindi Language — Article 351 Article 351 directs the Union Government to promote the spread and development of the Hindi language so that it can serve as a medium for expressing India's composite culture. It also encourages the enrichment of Hindi by drawing vocabulary primarily from Sanskrit and other Indian languages.

(D) 1 and 3 only Statement 1: Correct "The constitution has declared Hindi and English to be the languages for transacting business in Parliament" Legal Provision: Under Article 120(1) of the Constitution of India, business in Parliament is to be transacted in Hindi or in English. Therefore, this statement is correct. Statement 2: Incorrect "If any member wants to address the House in his/her mother tongue, they need to take special permission from the President through presiding officer" Legal Provision: Under the proviso to Article 120(1), if a member cannot adequately express themselves in Hindi or English, permission to speak in their mother tongue is granted solely by the Presiding Officer of the respective House (i.e., the Speaker in the Lok Sabha or the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha). Why it's wrong: The President has no role in granting this permission. Therefore, this statement is incorrect. Statement 3: Correct "The Official Languages Act of 1963 allowed English to be continued along with Hindi" Legal Provision: The Constitution originally stipulated that English would cease to be used for official parliamentary business 15 years after commencement (i.e., in 1965). However, the Official Languages Act, 1963 provided that English may continue to be used in addition to Hindi for transacting business in Parliament even after 1965. Therefore, this statement is correct.