Daily Quiz #41 UPSC Prelims Marathon – December 18, 2019

Explanation: The Constitution confers the following rights and privileges on the citizens of India (and denies the same to aliens):
1. Right against discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth (Article 15).
2. Right to equality of opportunity in the matter of public employment (Article 16).
3. Right to freedom of speech and expression, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession (Article 19).
4. Cultural and educational rights (Articles 29 and 30).
5. Right to vote in elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly.
6. Right to contest for the membership of the Parliament and the state legislature.
7. Eligibility to hold certain public offices, that is, President of India, Vice-President of India, judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts, governor of states, attorney general of India and advocate general of states.

Explanation: The Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution are inspired by the Constitution of erstwhile USSR. Notably, none of the Constitutions of major democratic countries like USA, Canada, France, Germany, Australia and so on specifically contain a list of duties of citizens. Japanese Constitution is, perhaps, the only democratic Constitution in world which contains a list of duties of citizens.
In 1976, the Congress Party set up the Sardar Swaran Singh Committee to make recommendations about fundamental duties, the need and necessity of which was felt during the operation of the internal emergency (1975–1977). The committee recommended the inclusion of a separate chapter on fundamental duties in the Constitution. It stressed that the citizens should become conscious that in addition to the enjoyment of rights, they also have certain duties to perform as well. The Congress Government at Centre accepted these recommendations and enacted the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1976. This amendment added a new part, namely, Part IVA to the Constitution. This new part consists of only one Article, that is, Article 51A which for the first time specified a code of ten fundamental duties of the citizens.
Interestingly, certain recommendations of the Committee were not accepted by the Congress Party and hence, not incorporated in the Constitution. These include:
1.The Parliament may provide for the imposition of such penalty or punishment as may be considered appropriate for any non-compliance with or refusal to observe any of the duties.
2.No law imposing such penalty or punishment shall be called in question in any court on the ground of infringement of any of Fundamental Rights or on the ground of repugnancy to any other provision of the Constitution.
3.Duty to pay taxes should also be a Fundamental Duty of the citizens.

Explanation: A vote-on-account only deals with the expenditure side of the government’s budget while an Interim Budget is a complete set of accounts, including both expenditure and receipts, akin to a full budget. For instance, P. Chidambaram had presented the last interim budget of the UPA Government on February 17, 2014, while Arun Jaitley presented the full budget – and the Modi government’s first one – five months later.
From a moral standpoint, government ought to avoid introducing radical changes in an Interim Budget since it may not have the mandate for the next five years and, if there is a regime change at the Centre, the new government will have its own policy game plan.

Explanation: Following are the Fundamental Duties under the Constitution of India which is given in Part IV-A of the Constitution of India which was inserted by the (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976.
It shall be the duty of every citizens of India-
1.to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem
2.to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
3.to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
4.to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
5.to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
6.to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
7.to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;
8.to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;
9.to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
10.to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.
11.who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years.
The Fundamental duties have been incorporated in the constitution to remind every citizen that they should not only be conscious of their rights but also of their duties. The concept of Fundamental Duties was taken from the constitution of USSR along with the concept of Five Year Plan.
Part IV-A of the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, in accordance with the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee in order to bring out Constitution in line with Article 29 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 and the Constitutions of countries like Japan, China, U.S.S.R. etc

Explanation: The Preamble to the Constitution of India declares that India is a sovereign Democratic Republic. Sovereignty has an internal as well as an external aspect. As regards external sovereignty, it has been said that “in consequence of its external independence, a State can, unless restricted by treaty, manage its international affairs according to its discretion; in particular, it can enter into alliances and conclude other treaties, send and receive diplomatic envoys, acquire and cede territory, make war and peace”.
It is thus evident that treaty-making power is an aspect of external sovereignty. Article 253 of the Constitution of India runs thus:
“Legislation for giving effect to international agreements.—Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Chapter, Parliament has power to make any law for the whole or any part of the territory of India for implementing treaty, agreement or convention with any other country or countries or any decision made at any international conference, association or other body.”