UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS SUBJECT WISE QUESTIONS OF LAST 10 YEAR

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42nd Amendment Act https://t.me/secureias

Article 39 (c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment. https://t.me/secureias/66

Rapid Revision Book (Special Edition) for Prelims2023

🔺️ DEMERITS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

1. Unstable Government

The ministers depend on the mercy of the majority legislators for their continuity and survival in office.

2. No Continuity of Policies

The parliamentary system is not conductive for the formulation and implementation of longterm policies. This is due to the uncertainty of the tenure of the government.

3. Dictatorship of the Cabinet

When the ruling party enjoys absolute majority in the Parliament, the cabinet becomes autocratic and exercises nearly unlimited powers. 

4. Against Separation of Powers

The legislature and the executive are
together and inseparable. The cabinet acts as the leader of legislature as well as the executive.

5. Government by Amateurs

The parliamentary system is not conducive to administrative efficiency as the ministers are not experts in their fields.

🔺️ FEDERAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

1. ‘Federation’ is drived from a Latin word foedus which means ‘treaty’ or ‘agreement’.

2. The units of a federation are known by various names like states (as in US) or cantons (as in Switzerland) or provinces (as in Canada) or republics (as in Russia).

3. A federation can be formed in two ways, -  by way of integration or by way of disintegration.

4. In the first case, a number of militarily weak or economically backward states (independent) come together to form a big and a strong union, as for example, the
US.

5. In the second case, a big unitary state is converted into a federation by granting autonomy to the provinces to promote regional interest (for example, Canada).

6. The US is the first and the oldest federation in the world.  The Canadian Federation, comprising 10 provinces (originally 4 provinces) is also quite old–formed in 1867.

🔺️ DISTINCTION BETWEEN INDIAN AND BRITISH MODELS.

1. India has a republican system in place of British monarchical system.

2. British system is based on the doctrine of the sovereignty of Parliament, while the Parliament is not supreme in India and enjoys limited and restricted powers.

3. In Britain, the prime minister should be a member of the Lower House of the Parliament. In India, the prime minister may be a member of any of the two Houses.

4.  Usually, the members of Parliament alone are appointed as ministers in Britain. In India, a person who is not a member of Parliament can also be appointed as minister.

5. Britain has the system of legal responsibility of the minister while India has no such system.

6. ‘Shadow cabinet’ is an unique institution of the British cabinet system. It is formed by the opposition party to balance the ruling cabinet and to prepare its members for future ministerial office. There is no such institution in India.

■ UNITARY FEATURES OF THE CONSTITUTION.

□ Strong centre

◇ The division of powers is in favour of the Centre and highly inequitable from the federal angle.

• Firstly, the Union List contains
more subjects than the State List.

• Secondly, the more important
subjects have been included in the Union List.

• Thirdly, the Centre has overriding authority over the Concurrent List.

• Finally, the residuary powers have also been left with the Centre, while in the US, they are vested in the states.

□ States Not Indestructible

◇ Unlike in other federations, the states in India have no right to territorial integrity. The Parliament can by unilateral action change the area, boundaries or name of any state.

◇ Moreover, it requires only a simple majority and not a special majority.

◇ Hence, the Indian Federation is “an indestructible Union of destructible states”.

□ Single Constitution

◇ The Constitution of India embodies not only the Constitution of the Centre but also those of the states.

□ Flexibility of the Constitution

◇ The process of constitutional amendment is less rigid than what is found in other federations.

◇ The bulk of the Constitution can be amended by the unilateral action of the Parliament, either by simple majority or by special majority.

◇ Further, the power to initiate an amendment to the Constitution lies only with the Centre.

□ No Equality of State Representation

◇ The states are given representation in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population. Hence, the membership varies from 1 to 31.

□ Emergency Provisions

◇ The Constitution stipulates three types of emergencies–national, state and financial.

◇ During an emergency, the Central government becomes all powerful and the states go into the total control of the Centre. It converts the federal structure into a unitary one without a formal amendment of the Constitution.

□ Single Citizenship

◇ In spite of a dual polity, the Constitution of India, like that of Canada, adopted the system of single citizenship.

◇ All citizens irrespective of the state in which they are born or reside enjoy the same rights all over the country.

□ Integrated Judiciary

◇ The Indian Constitution has established an integrated judicial system with the Supreme Court at the top and the state high courts below it. This single system of courts enforces both the Central laws as well as the state laws.

□ All-India Services

◇ In India, the Centre and the states have their separate public services. But, in addition, there are all-India services (IAS, IPS, and IFS) which are common to both the Centre and the states.

◇ The members of these services are recruited and trained by the Centre which also possess ultimate control over them.