Constitutional Bodies: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Polity)
2 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Constitutional Bodies (Polity). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–2 of 2 questions
UPSC 2023Polity · Constitutional Bodies
Q1. Consider the following organisations/bodies in India: 1. The National Commission for Backward Classes 2. The National Human Rights Commission 3. The National Law Commission 4. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission How many of the above are constitutional bodies?
Explanation
Option 1 is correct: The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was initially constituted by the Central Govt through the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993, which was repealed through the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Act, 2018. At present, the commission has been accorded Constitutional Status and constituted through the Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018 whereby Article 338B has been inserted, forming a Commission for the socially and educationally backward classes to be known as National Commission for Backward Classes.
Option 2 is incorrect: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 and amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006. It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, for the promotion and protection of human rights. Section 2(1)(d) of the PHRA defines Human Rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.
Option 3 is incorrect: The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body and is constituted by a notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs with a definite terms of reference to carry out research in the field of law and the Commission makes recommendations to the Government (in the form of Reports) as per its terms of reference.
Option 4 is incorrect: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), India, is a quasi-judicial commission in India that was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (now replaced by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019).
UPSC 2023Polity · Constitutional Bodies
Q2. Consider the following: 1. Demographic performance 2. Forest and ecology 3. Governance reforms 4. Stable government 5. Tax and fiscal efforts For horizontal tax devolution, the Fifteenth Finance Commission used how many of the above as criteria other than population area and income distance?
Explanation
The Fifteenth Finance Commission (XVFC)’s Term of Reference was unique and wide-ranging in many ways. The Commission was asked to recommend performance incentives for States in many areas like the power sector, adoption of DBT, solid waste management, etc. The XV FC’s Report is organised in four volumes and deals with two kinds of devolution:
Vertical Devolution: distribution of net proceeds of taxes between the Union and states. Horizontal Devolution: distribution of net proceeds of taxes among the states. Options 1, 2 and 5 are correct:
Horizontal Devolution based on principles of need, equity and performance, the overall devolution formula is as follows:
Criteria Weight (%) Tax and Fiscal Efforts 2.5 Demographic Performance 12.5 Demographic performance: States with better performance in controlling population growth were rewarded (12.5% weightage). Forest and ecology: States with a larger share of dense forest area received weightage (10%). Tax and fiscal efforts: States with higher tax collection efficiency were rewarded (2.5%). Options 3 and 4 are incorrect: Governance reforms and stable government were not part of the criteria used by the Fifteenth Finance Commission for horizontal devolution.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2023
(a) Only one
2
2023
(b) Only three
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Constitutional Bodies?
This page covers 2 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Constitutional Bodies (Polity), asked from 2000 to 2023. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Constitutional Bodies?
Questions on Constitutional Bodies (Polity) are available for 13 years, from 2000 to 2023. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
