Daily Quiz #92 UPSC Prelims Marathon – February 19, 2020

Explanation: Article 324 of the Constitution has made the following provisions with regard to the composition of election commission:
1. The Election Commission shall consist of the chief election commissioner and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the president may from time to time fix.
2. The appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall be made by the president.
3. When any other election commissioner is so appointed, the chief election commissioner shall act as the chairman of the election commission. They hold office for a term of six years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They can resign at any time or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.

Explanation: The Finance Commission consists of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the president. They hold office for such period as specified by the president in his order. They are eligible for reappointment. The Constitution authorizes the Parliament to determine the qualifications of members of the commission and the manner in which they should be selected. Accordingly, the Parliament has specified the qualifications of the chairman and members of the commission.

Explanation: The Constitution does not contain any specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister. Article 164 only says that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the governor. However, this does not imply that the governor is free to appoint any one as the Chief Minister. In accordance with the convections of the parliamentary system of government, the governor has to appoint the leader of the majority party in the state legislative assembly as the Chief Minister. But, when no party has a clear majority in the assembly, then the governor may exercise his personal discretion in the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister. In such a situation, the governor usually appoints the leader of the largest party or coalition in the assembly as the Chief Minister and asks him to seek a vote of confidence in the House within a month.

Explanation: India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer, shipped in a record 4.46 million barrels per day (bpd) oil in the fiscal year that ended in March to feed its expanded refining capacity. During the period, Indian refiners received about 458,000 bpd of oil from Iran, compared to about 543,500 bpd during the prior year period, the data showed. Indian state refiners, including Indian Oil Corp., Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp., along with it subsidiary Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd, lifted about 27% less oil from Iran, the data showed. Last year India, Iran’s top oil client after China, had instructed state refiners to cut Iranian oil imports after Tehran decided to give development rights of Farzad B gas field to other companies.

Explanation: The Lisbon Treaty started as a constitutional project at the end of 2001 (European Council declaration on the future of the European Union, or Laeken declaration), and was followed up in 2002 and 2003 by the European Convention which drafted the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (Constitutional Treaty). The process leading to the Lisbon Treaty is a result of the negative outcome of two referenda on the Constitutional Treaty in May and June 2005, in response to which the European Council decided to have a two-year ‘period of reflection’. Finally, on the basis of the Berlin declaration of March 2007, the European Council of 21 to 23 June 2007 adopted a detailed mandate for a subsequent Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), under the Portuguese presidency. The IGC concluded its work in October 2007. The Treaty was signed at the European Council of Lisbon on 13 December 2007 and has been ratified by all Member States.