Daily Quiz #46 UPSC Prelims Marathon – December 24, 2019

Explanation: The Act marked a second milestone towards a completely responsible government in India. It was a lengthy and detailed document having 321 Sections and 10 Schedules. It provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of provinces and princely states as units. The Act divided the powers between the Centre and units in terms of three lists—Federal List (for Centre, with 59 items), Provincial List (for provinces, with 54 items) and the Concurrent List (for both, with 36 items). It abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced ‘provincial autonomy’ in its place. The provinces were allowed to act as autonomous units of administration in their defined spheres. It provided for the adoption of dyarchy at the Centre. Consequently, the federal subjects were divided into reserved subjects and transferred subjects. However, this provision of the Act did not come into operation at all.

Explanation: The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan. The features of the scheme were:
1. The total strength of the Constituent Assembly was to be 389. Of these, 296 seats were to be allotted to British India and 93 seats to the Princely States. Out of 296 seats allotted to the British India, 292 members were to be drawn from the eleven governors’ provinces and four from the four chief commissioners’ provinces, one from each.
2. Each province and princely state (or group of states in case of small states) was to be allotted seats in proportion to their respective population. Roughly, one seat was to be allotted for every million population.
3. The representatives of princely states were to be nominated by the heads of the princely states.

Explanation: In the Minerva Mills case (1980), the Supreme Court held that ‘the Indian Constitution is founded on the bedrock of the balance between the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles’.

Explanation: India has agreed to form a joint venture with Sri Lanka to operate the country’s loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, the Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Minister has told Parliament. The $210-million facility, 241 km south-east of Colombo, is dubbed the “world’s emptiest airport” due to a lack of flights. India would operate the airport as a Sri Lanka-India joint venture, the Sri Lankan Parliament was told yesterday. The joint venture would see India gain a major stake of the airport, he said.

Explanation: Recently ‘Global Migration Report 2020’ was published by the International Organisation for Migration. In 2019 international migrants are estimated at 270 million where more than half of all international migrants (141 million) live in Europe and North America. Top destination remains the United States at nearly 51 million.