Skip to content
GK24
Prime
Indian PolityEasyAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2022, GAT

Panchayati Raj Institutions are primarily the institutions of

  1. A.Popular Government
  2. B.Self-Government
  3. C.Federal Government
  4. D.Quasi-Government

Correct answer

B. Self-Government

Explanation

The correct answer is B, Self-Government. Panchayati Raj Institutions are bodies of rural local self-government, through which villagers manage their own local affairs.

Article 40, a Directive Principle, asks the State to organise village panchayats and give them the powers needed to function as units of self-government. The Balwantrai Mehta Committee of 1957 recommended a three-tier system, and Rajasthan was the first state to adopt it, at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, gave panchayats constitutional status by adding Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects. It provides for a gram sabha, three tiers, elections every five years and reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

A is wrong because 'popular government' only means rule based on the people's will and does not describe the purpose of local bodies. C is wrong because a federal government refers to the division of power between the Union and the states, not local units. D is wrong because a quasi-government body is a semi-official organisation, while panchayats are elected constitutional bodies.

Exam tip: Article 40, Part IX, 73rd Amendment 1992, Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects; first panchayat at Nagaur, 1959.

Practice Questions

View all
Q3.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKEasy

The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech and expression. But the freedom is subject to certain reasonable restrictions imposed by the State. These restrictions may relate to which of the following ?

1. Defamation

2. Decency or morality

3. Incitement to an offence

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three are grounds listed in Article 19(2) on which the State may place reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.

Q4.Indian PolityAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2022, GATMedium

Which one of the following is not a Constitutional Commission of India?

  1. A.The National Commission for Scheduled Castes
  2. B.The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
  3. C.The National Commission for Backward Classes
  4. D.The National Commission for Women
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The National Commission for Women

It was set up in 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, so it is a statutory body, not a constitutional one.

Q5.Indian PolityMedium

Which statement about the doctrine of eclipse is correct?

  1. A.It applies equally to pre-Constitution and post-Constitution laws that violate Fundamental Rights
  2. B.It applies to pre-Constitution laws, which remain dormant and may revive if the constitutional bar is removed
  3. C.It permits a court to strike down only the offending part of a statute
  4. D.It allows a citizen to give up a Fundamental Right voluntarily
Show answer
Correct answer: B. It applies to pre-Constitution laws, which remain dormant and may revive if the constitutional bar is removed

Article 13(1) makes a pre-Constitution law void only to the extent of its inconsistency with the Fundamental Rights, so the Supreme Court in Bhikaji Narain Dhakras, 1955, held that such a law is not erased but merely eclipsed, staying unenforceable until the shadow is lifted, after which it revives.