Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – February 6, 2019

Closure Motion

It is a motion moved by a member to cut short the debate on a matter before the House. If the motion is approved by the House, debate is stopped forthwith and the matter is put to vote.

There are four kinds of closure motion:

(a) Simple Closure: It is one when a member moves that the ‘matter having been sufficiently discussed be now put to vote’.

(b) Closure by Compartments: In this case, the clauses of a bill or a lengthy resolution are grouped into parts before the commencement of the debate. The debate covers the part as a whole and the entire part is put to vote.

(c) Kangaroo Closure: Under this type, only important clauses are taken up for debate and voting and the intervening clauses are skipped over and taken as passed.

(d) Guillotine Closure: It is one when the undiscussed clauses of a bill or a resolut-ion are also put to vote along with the discussed ones due to want of time (as the time allotted for the discussion is over).

*This can be moved only in Lok Sabha and by the opposition of the house.

*Can be brought only against the Council of ministers and not against any individual minister.

*Unlike censure motion, a no-confidence motion does not require any specific ground.

*Once admitted in the House, it takes precedence over all the pending business of the House.

*Generally the PM answers the allegations after the members have spoken.

What is Motion of Thanks to President’s Address?

The President makes a special address(a statement of government policy that has to be approved by the Cabinet) to a joint sitting of both Houses. The address is followed by a motion of thanks moved in each House by ruling party MPs and this is called ‘Motion of Thanks’.

PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) — an electronic platform for no child labour developed by the Labour Ministry is going to be launched by Home Minister Rajnath Singh September 26, 2017 in the National Conference on Child Labour

PENCIL portal has five components — Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence.

The genesis of the portal is in the felt need to create a robust implementing and monitoring mechanism for both enforcement of the legislative provisions and effective implementation of the NCLP especially in the backdrop that the subject of labour is in the concurrent list and enforcement to a large extent depends of respective state governments

The Socialistic Principles of Directive Principles of State Policy reflect the ideology of socialism. To secure for all citizens a uniform civil code throughout the country represents the ideology of liberalism not a Socialist Principles.

The 42nd Amendment also amended the Preamble and changed the description of India from “sovereign democratic republic” to a “sovereign, socialist secular democratic republic”. It changed the words “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the nation”.

Statement 1 is incorrect. India has an integrated judicial system. The Supreme Court stands at the top of the integrated judicial system in the country. Below it, there are high courts at the state level. Under a high court, there is a hierarchy of subordinate courts, that is, district courts and other lower courts. This single system of courts enforces both the central laws as well as the state laws.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Both the Supreme Court and High courts have the power of judicial review on parliamentary laws. The power of judicial review over legislative action vested in the High Courts under Article 226 and in the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution is an integral and essential feature of the Constitution, constituting part of its basic structure.

However, the power of judicial review vested on the high court is subject to decision of the Supreme Court. If a High Court declares a law null and void, the Supreme Court has the final say and it can modify or reject the high court’s decision. Judicial Review can be conducted in respect of all Central and State laws, executive orders and ordinances.

Both the statements are correct. The Supreme Court in 1992 stated that Fundamental duties can be used in determining the constitutionality of any law.

The Parliament is free to enforce Fundamental duties through a suitable legislation. Many legislations like the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 make insult to national symbols a punishable act.