By which Constitutional Amendment was the size of the Council of Ministers limited to fifteen per cent of the strength of the Lok Sabha?
- A.Seventy-third Amendment
- B.Eighty-sixth Amendment
- C.Ninety-first Amendment
- D.Ninety-seventh Amendment
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, the Ninety-first Amendment. The Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Act of 2003 inserted Article 75(1A), which caps the total number of Ministers in the Union Council of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, at fifteen per cent of the total number of members of the Lok Sabha, and Article 164(1A) does the same for a State, with a floor of twelve Ministers. Option A is wrong because the Seventy-third Amendment of 1992 gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj. Option B is wrong because the Eighty-sixth Amendment of 2002 inserted Article 21A on the right to education. Option D is wrong because the Ninety-seventh Amendment of 2011 dealt with co-operative societies, adding Part IXB. Examiners also pair the Ninety-first Amendment with its other half, which tightened the anti-defection law in the Tenth Schedule by withdrawing the protection earlier given to a split in a legislature party and barring a disqualified member from holding any remunerative political post. The same Amendment set a floor of twelve Ministers for the smaller States, so that the fifteen per cent rule does not leave a small Assembly without a working Cabinet.
Read the full article: Prime Ministers of India: Complete List and Records
Practice Questions
View allWho was the first Prime Minister of independent India?
- A.Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- B.Jawaharlal Nehru
- C.Dr. Rajendra Prasad
- D.C. Rajagopalachari
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He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 15 August 1947 and held the office until his death on 27 May 1964, which makes him both the first and the longest serving Prime Minister of India; he also kept the External Affairs portfolio with him.
Read the full explanation →Which Prime Minister of India died at Tashkent in January 1966?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru
- B.Gulzari Lal Nanda
- C.Lal Bahadur Shastri
- D.Morarji Desai
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He became Prime Minister on 9 June 1964, led the country through the Indo-Pak war of 1965, gave the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, and died at Tashkent on 11 January 1966, a day after signing the Tashkent Declaration, which makes him the only Indian Prime Minister to have died…
Read the full explanation →Who has been the youngest Prime Minister of India?
- A.Rajiv Gandhi
- B.Indira Gandhi
- C.Chandra Shekhar
- D.V. P. Singh
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He was sworn in on 31 October 1984, the day his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated, at the age of forty, which makes him the youngest person to hold the office; the oldest was Morarji Desai, who took office at eighty one.
Read the full explanation →Which Prime Minister of India never faced the Lok Sabha during his tenure?
- A.Gulzari Lal Nanda
- B.Charan Singh
- C.I. K. Gujral
- D.H. D. Deve Gowda
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He was sworn in on 28 July 1979 with outside support that was withdrawn before the Lok Sabha assembled, and he resigned rather than seek a vote, so he remained Prime Minister until January 1980 without ever facing the House.
Read the full explanation →Which Article of the Constitution provides for the appointment of the Prime Minister by the President?
- A.Article 72
- B.Article 74
- C.Article 75
- D.Article 78
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Article 75(1) states that the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister; the same Article carries the fifteen per cent ceiling on the size of the Council, collective responsibility to the Lok…
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