Centre-State Relations — Set 4

Correct Answer: B. 1983

• **Sarkaria Commission — 1983** = appointed by the Central Government in 1983 under Justice R.S. Sarkaria to review Centre-State relations and the working of the constitutional arrangement. • **247 recommendations** — the commission submitted its report in 1988 with 247 recommendations; a key outcome was the establishment of the Inter-State Council in 1990. • 💡 Option A (1987) is after the commission was already working (it submitted its report in 1988); Option C (1980) is before the commission was formed; Option D (1985) is while the commission was working, not when it was appointed.

Correct Answer: D. Seventh Schedule

• **Seventh Schedule** = divides legislative powers between Union and States through three lists — Union List (List I), State List (List II), and Concurrent List (List III). • **Article 246 link** — Article 246 gives effect to the Seventh Schedule by defining which legislature can make laws on each list's subjects. • 💡 Option A (Fourth Schedule) deals with allocation of seats in Rajya Sabha for States and UTs; Option B (Tenth Schedule) contains the Anti-Defection Law (1985); Option C (Eighth Schedule) lists the 22 official languages of India.

Correct Answer: B. Union List

• **Union List — Defence and Foreign Affairs** = both 'Defence' and 'Foreign Affairs' are subjects in the Union List (List I), giving Parliament exclusive power to legislate on them. • **Exclusive Parliament power** — no State Legislature can make laws on Union List subjects; violation would be unconstitutional and courts would strike down such laws. • 💡 Option A (State List) contains Police, Public Order, Agriculture etc. — security and foreign policy are never left to states; Option C (Residuary List) has no fixed entries; Option D (Concurrent List) contains subjects where both Parliament and States can legislate, unlike defence which needs central monopoly.

Correct Answer: A. Concurrent List

• **Concurrent List — Forests and Wildlife** = both 'Forests' and 'Protection of Wild Animals and Birds' are Concurrent List subjects, allowing both Centre and States to legislate. • **42nd Amendment, 1976** — these subjects were originally in the State List and were transferred to the Concurrent List by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. • 💡 Option B (Union List) would give only Parliament the right to legislate on forests — wrong, as states also have this power; Option C (Residuary List) covers unlisted subjects not in any schedule; Option D (State List) is where these subjects originally were before 1976.

Correct Answer: C. Centre-State Relations

• **Sarkaria Commission — Centre-State Relations** = primarily known for its 1988 report covering legislative, administrative, and financial aspects of Centre-State relations. • **Inter-State Council outcome** — the Sarkaria Commission's most visible outcome was the establishment of the Inter-State Council in 1990 under Article 263. • 💡 Option A (Banking Reforms) are handled by RBI and Finance Ministry, not Centre-State commissions; Option B (Electoral Reforms) were recommended by bodies like Tarkunde Committee and the Election Commission; Option D (Judicial Reforms) are addressed by Law Commission of India, not Sarkaria Commission.

Correct Answer: A. Article 263

• **Article 263 — Inter-State Council** = empowers the President to establish an Inter-State Council to inquire into, advise, and recommend on disputes between states and subjects of common interest. • **Set up in 1990** — despite Article 263 existing since 1950, the actual Inter-State Council was established only in 1990, following the Sarkaria Commission's recommendation. • 💡 Option B (Article 261) gives full faith and credit to public acts and proceedings; Option C (Article 280) establishes the Finance Commission; Option D (Article 262) deals with inter-state water disputes — none of these relate to establishing an Inter-State Council.

Correct Answer: D. Article 248

• **Article 248 — Residuary Legislative Powers** = vests in Parliament the power to make laws and impose taxes on subjects not mentioned in either State or Concurrent Lists. • **India vs USA/Australia** — in India residuary powers lie with Parliament (Centre), while in the USA and Australia they vest with the States — a key comparative federalism point. • 💡 Option A (Article 245) defines the territorial extent of laws made by Parliament and State Legislatures; Option B (Article 254) deals with repugnancy between Central and State laws on Concurrent subjects; Option C (Article 249) empowers Rajya Sabha to authorize Parliament to legislate on State List subjects in national interest.

Correct Answer: B. M.M. Punchhi

• **M.M. Punchhi — Punchhi Commission, 2007** = former Chief Justice of India Madan Mohan Punchhi was appointed Chairman of the second Centre-State relations commission constituted in 2007. • **Revisited Sarkaria** — the Punchhi Commission revisited and updated the Sarkaria Commission's recommendations in the context of coalition politics and changed federal dynamics. • 💡 Option A (R.S. Sarkaria) headed the first Centre-State relations commission in 1983–1988, not the 2007 commission; Option C (M.N. Venkatachaliah) headed the National Commission to Review the Constitution (2000–2002); Option D (Y.V. Reddy) was former RBI Governor with no role in Centre-State commissions.

Correct Answer: C. Five

• **Five Zonal Councils — 1956** = the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 originally created 5 Zonal Councils: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern. • **North-Eastern Council separately** — the North-Eastern Council covering the 7 (now 8) northeastern states was created by a separate act in 1971, and is distinct from the 5 Zonal Councils. • 💡 Option A (Six) is wrong because the North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act and is not one of the original Zonal Councils under the 1956 Act; Option B (Three) is far too few; Option D (Four) misses the Southern Zonal Council.

Correct Answer: C. Union Home Minister

• **Union Home Minister — Common Chairperson** = acts as the common Chairperson of all 5 Zonal Councils, providing high-level Centre-led coordination across all regions. • **Vice-Chairmen by rotation** — Chief Ministers of the States in each zone serve as Vice-Chairmen by rotation, each holding the position for one year. • 💡 Option A (Prime Minister) chairs the main Inter-State Council, not the Zonal Councils; Option B (Vice President) has no role in Zonal Council structure; Option D (President) has no role in presiding over Zonal Councils.