Daily Quiz #74 UPSC Prelims Marathon – January 29, 2020

Explanation: In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on panchayati raj institutions under the chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. It submitted its report in August 1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the declining panchayati raj system in the country. Its main recommendations were:
1. The three-tier system of panchayati raj should be replaced by the two-tier system, that is, zila parishad at the district level, and below it, the mandal panchayat consisting of a group of villages with a total population of 15,000 to 20,000.
2. A district should be the first point for decentralisation under popular supervision below the state level.
3. Zila parishad should be the executive body and made responsible for planning at the district level.
4. There should be an official participation of political parties at all levels of panchayat elections.
5. The panchayati raj institutions should have compulsory powers of taxation to mobilise their own financial resourses.
6. There should be a regular social audit by a district level agency and by a committee of legislators to check whether the funds allotted for the vulnerable social and economic groups are actually spent on them.

Explanation: The provisions of Part IX of the constitution relating to the Panchayats are not applicable to the Fifth Schedule areas. However, the Parliament may extend these provisions to such areas, subject to such exceptions and modifications as it may specify. Under this provision, the Parliament has enacted the “Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act”, 1996, popularly known as the PESA Act or the Extension Act. At present (2016), ten states have Fifth Schedule Areas. These are: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan. All the ten states have enacted requisite compliance legislations by amending the respective Panchayati Raj Acts.
The objectives of the PESA Act are as follows:
1. To extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the panchayats to the scheduled areas with certain modifications
2. To provide self-rule for the bulk of the tribal population
3. To have village governance with participatory democracy and to make the gram sabha a nucleus of all activities
4. To evolve a suitable administrative framework consistent with traditional practices
5. To safeguard and to preserve the traditions and customs of tribal communities
6. To empower panchayats at the appropriate levels with specific powers conducive to tribal requirements
7. To prevent panchayats at the higher level from assuming the powers and authority of panchayats at the lower level of the gram sabha

Explanation: The Constitution (Article 76) has provided for the office of the Attorney General for India. He is the highest law officer in the country. The Attorney General (AG) is appointed by the president. He must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. In other words, he must be a citizen of India and he must have been a judge of some high court for five years or an advocate of some high court for ten years or an eminent jurist, in the opinion of the president. The term of office of the AG is not fixed by the Constitution. Further, the Constitution does not contain the procedure and grounds for his removal. He holds office during the pleasure of the president. This means that he may be removed by the president at any time. He may also quit his office by submitting his resignation to the president. Conventionally, he resigns when the government (council of ministers) resigns or is replaced, as he is appointed on its advice.

Explanation: Arctic council was established by the eight Arctic States through the Ottawa Declaration of 1996. These are— Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. It is not a formalized treaty-based international legal entity and does not allocate resources. Six organizations representing the indigenous people of the Arctic region have also been granted the status of permanent participants in the Council. It is one of the leading intergovernmental forums, for discussing issues concerning the Arctic region, including scientific research, and peaceful and sustainable use of resources in the region.

Explanation: Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations, established in 1969 with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. Its administrative headquarter is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international Peace and harmony among various people of the world.