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Each of these statements contains a democratic and undemocratic element. Write out the two separately for each statement. a) A minister said that some laws have to be passed by the parliament in order to conform to the regulations decided by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). b) The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large-scale rigging was reported. c) Women’s representation in parliament has barely reached 10 per cent. This led women’s organisations to demand one-third seats for women.

Answers: (A) When the Minister says that laws have to be passed by the Parliament then it is democratic. Passing laws to conform to the World... View Article

Of all the institutions that we have studied in this chapter, name the one that exercises the powers on each of the following matters. a) Decision on allocation of money for developing infrastructure like roads, irrigation etc. and different welfare activities for the citizens b) Considers the recommendation of the Committee on a law to regulate the stock exchange c) Decides on a legal dispute between two state governments d) Implements the decision to provide relief for the victims of an earthquake

a)Ministry of Finance (Lok Sabha)  Members of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people. Hence the real power is exercised by the Lok... View Article

Why is the Prime Minister in India not directly elected by the people? Choose the most appropriate answer and give reasons for your choice. a) In a Parliamentary democracy only the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha can become the Prime Minister. b) Lok Sabha can remove the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers even before the expiry of their term. c) Since the Prime Minister is appointed by the President, there is no need for it. d) Direct election of the Prime Minister will involve a lot of expenditure on election.

Answer: The correct answer is option (A) - In a Parliamentary democracy only the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha can become the... View Article

Can we draw the following conclusions from the information given in this chapter? Give two facts to support your position for each of these. a) Election Commission of India does not have enough powers to conduct free and fair elections in the country. b) There is a high level of popular participation in the elections in our country. c) It is very easy for the party in power to win an election. d) Many reforms are needed to make our elections completely free and fair.

a) Election Commission of India does not have enough powers to conduct free and fair elections in the country.  The given statement is not a... View Article

Here are some reports of malpractices in Indian elections. Identify what the problem in each case is. What should be done to correct the situation? a) Following the announcement of elections, the minister promised to provide financial aid to reopen the closed sugar mill. b) Opposition parties alleged that their statements and campaign was not given due attention in Doordarshan and All India Radio. c) An inquiry by the Election Commission showed that electoral rolls of a state contain name of 20 lakh fake voters. d) The hoodlums of a political party were moving with guns, physically preventing supporters of other political parties to meet the voters and attacking meetings of other parties.

a)There will be a code of conduct in place when elections are approaching and when elections are approaching. The Election Commission can take... View Article

After reading the example of the reservation order, three students had different reactions about the role of the judiciary. Which view, according to you, is a correct reading of the role of judiciary? a) Srinivas argues that since the Supreme Court agreed with the government, it is not independent. b) Anjaiah says that judiciary is independent because it could have given a verdict against the government order. The Supreme Court did direct the government to modify it. c) Vijaya thinks that the judiciary is neither independent nor conformist, but acts as a mediator between opposing parties. The court struck a good balance between those who supported and those who opposed the order.

Answer: The correct answer is option (B)  Neither the Legislature nor the Executive can control the Judiciary in India. The ruling party or... View Article