Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Union Executive and its functioning:
1.Under Article 77, all executive actions of the Government of India are formally expressed to be taken in the name of the President, who also makes rules for the more convenient transaction of business.
2.The Vice-President of India, while acting as President, continues to exercise the power of casting a vote in the Rajya Sabha in the event of an equality of votes on a bill.
3.The Cabinet Secretariat is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister, yet its administrative head is a civil servant who is the senior-most member of the Indian Administrative Service.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation
- Statement 1: Correct. This is a verbatim requirement of Article 77. It is the President who signs the Rules of Business, although the Cabinet Secretariat administers them.
- Statement 2: Incorrect. Under Article 64, when the Vice-President acts as President, he does not perform the duties of the office of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Since the power to cast a casting vote (Article 100) belongs to the Chairman/Speaker, the VP loses this power the moment he steps into the Presidential role. The Deputy Chairman would exercise that vote instead.
- Statement 3: Correct. The Cabinet Secretariat is a department of the Government of India under the Prime Minister’s portfolio. Its administrative head is the Cabinet Secretary, who is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board and the senior-most IAS officer in the country.
