Indian Polity GK Questions with Answers – Page 67

Part IV of the Constitution, Articles 36 to 51, contains the Directive Principles: the goals the State should pursue in making laws and policies, such as a living wage, free legal aid, village panchayats and a Uniform Civil Code.

A bill passed by both Houses of Parliament becomes an Act only when the President gives assent to it, as laid down in Article 111.

The Directive Principles of State Policy are placed in Part IV of the Constitution, from Article 36 to Article 51.

This Article gives the President the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment, and to suspend, remit or commute a sentence.

These two Articles create the Council of Ministers that actually runs the Union government. Article 74 says there shall be a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President, and the President acts on that advice.

This is the Article that lists who is qualified to be a member of Parliament.

Part II of the Constitution, Articles 5 to 11, deals with citizenship.

Article 89 covers the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of States.

Article 343(1) says the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script, and that the international form of Indian numerals shall be used for official purposes.

Article 2 lets Parliament admit into the Union, or establish, new States on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit.

Article 80 lays down how the Council of States, the Rajya Sabha, is composed.

It empowers the President to constitute the Goods and Services Tax Council, a joint forum of the Centre and the States.

It lays down the procedure for impeachment of the President, the only ground being "violation of the Constitution".

Part V is titled "The Union" and its first chapter, "The Executive", covers the President, the Vice-President, the Council of Ministers and the Attorney-General.

It gives Parliament the power to provide by law for additional courts so that laws made by Parliament, or older laws on Union List subjects, are administered better.

It says that the law declared by the Supreme Court shall be binding on all courts within the territory of India.

The Preamble opens with the words WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, which declare that the Constitution draws its authority from the people, not from any king, court or legislature.

Article 360 lets the President proclaim a financial emergency when the financial stability or credit of India, or of any part of it, is threatened.

The 44th Amendment, passed by the Janata Party government of Morarji Desai, took the right to property out of Part III of the Constitution.

Goa became a full state on 30 May 1987 through the Constitution (56th Amendment) Act and the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, and the day is celebrated every year as Goa Statehood Day.