[Mission 2023] STATIC QUIZ, 26 September 2022 – Polity

Solution: c)

Though the constitution has sought to safeguard and ensure the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission, some flaws with respect to the members of the EC can be noted, viz.,

• The Constitution has not prescribed the qualifications (legal, educational, administrative or judicial) of the members of the Election Commission.
• The Constitution has not specified the term of the members of the Election Commission.
• The Constitution has not debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government.

Solution: b)

The CEC and the Election Commissioners have a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65, whichever is earlier, and enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Supreme Court judges.

The CEC and the Election Commissioners enjoy the same decision-making powers which is suggestive of the fact that their powers are at par with each other.

However, Article 324(5) does not provide similar protection to the Election Commissioners and it merely says that they cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the CEC.

Solution: d)

• FC is a body set up under Article 280 of the Constitution.
• Its primary job is to recommend measures and methods on how revenues need to be distributed between the Centre and states.
• There are no-ex officio members of the commission as such, because it is constituted afresh every five years.
• Besides suggesting the mechanism to share tax revenues, the Commission also lays down the principles for giving out grant-in-aid to states and other local bodies.
• The commission has to take on itself the job of addressing the imbalances that often arise between the taxation powers and expenditure responsibilities of the centre and the states, respectively.

Solution: a)

The Food Corporation of India is an organization created and run by the Government of India. It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.

It has primary duty to undertake purchase, store, and move/transport, distribute and sell food grains and other foodstuffs.

Solution: c)

Article 110 of the Constitution deals with the definition of money bills. It states that a bill is deemed to be a money bill if it contains ‘only’ provisions dealing with all or any of the following matters:

• The imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax;
• The regulation of the borrowing of money by the Union government;
• The custody of the Consolidated Fund of India or the contingency fund of India, the payment of moneys into or the withdrawal of money from any such fund;
• The appropriation of money out of the Consolidated Fund of India;
• Declaration of any expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India or increasing the amount of any such expenditure;
• The receipt of money on account of the Consolidated Fund of India or the public account of Indiaor the custody or issue of such money, or the audit of the accounts of the Union or of a state; or
• Any matter incidental to any of the matters specified above.

However, a bill is not to be deemed to be a money bill by reason only that it provides for:

• the imposition of fines or other pecuniary penalties, or
• the demand or payment of fees for licenses or fees for services rendered; or
• the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax by any local authority or body for local purposes.