Day-507 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | POLITY

Answer: D
Explanation:
Both statements are incorrect. The explanations are as follows:
● The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1997. It doesn’t have constitutional recognitions like the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) constituted under the Sixth Schedule. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
● The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) doesn’t enjoy the same power and functions as enjoyed by the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) constituted under the Sixth Schedule. They have the following differences:

LAHDC
● It was created by the LAHDC Act of 1997.
● It has the authority to make administrative decisions on matters such as land, development projects, budget, health, education, the environment, employment, roads, language, and culture, among others.
● It cannot create law, only administer.
ADCs
● They are created as per the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
● Under the Sixth Schedule, the ADCs and Regional Councils have the authority to create laws, receive funding from the Consolidated Fund of India, and develop the region in the fields of health care, education, roads, and regulations.
● They can create law, not only administer.

The context of the question is related to the demand in Ladakh about
1. Its status of the Sixth Schedule
2. Full statehood and merger with Jammu and Kashmir

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
● According to Article 244 of the Constitution, the Sixth Schedule was enacted in 1949 in order to protect indigenous groups through the establishment of autonomous administrative divisions known as Autonomous District Councils (ADCs).
● The Sixth Schedule contains provisions that grant indigenous tribes significant autonomy, and it currently applies to the North-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram (three Councils each), and Tripura (one Council).
● Assam has the Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, and Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council; Meghalaya has the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, and Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council; Tripura has the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council; and Miz has the Chakma Autonomous District Council, Lai Autonomous District Council and the Mara Autonomous District Council in Mizoram.
● ADCs have up to 30 members and a five-year term. They can make laws, rules, and regulations concerning land, forest, water, agriculture, village councils, health, sanitation, village- and town-level policing, inheritance, marriage and divorce, social customs, and mining, among other things.

Why does Ladakh wish to be included in the Sixth Schedule?

● After the August 5, 2019 judgments that formed two new Union Territories, there was a lot of excitement. The Buddhist-majority Leh district had long sought UT status because it felt neglected by the previous state government, which was dominated by Jammu and Kashmir lawmakers.
● However, enthusiasm dimmed when it became clear that, while the UT of J&K would have a legislature, the UT of Ladakh would not.
● To many people in Ladakh, the government now appears to be even farther than Srinagar. In addition, the region is concerned about its own land, jobs, demography, and cultural identity as a result of the changing domicile policy in Jammu and Kashmir.
● In Leh and Kargil, the UT has two Hill councils, however none is covered by the Sixth Schedule. Their authority is limited to the collection of some local taxes, such as parking fines, as well as the allotment and use of land entrusted to them by the Centre. This has resulted in demand for Sixth Schedule.

Answer: D
Explanation:
I. Option D is correct. Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency and Narcotics Control Bureau are not under the purview of RTI Act. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is under the purview of RTI.
II. As per Section 24 of the RTI Act, under Schedule 2, there are intelligence and security organizations which have been exempted from the purview of the RTI Act. The government also by notification can mention in this schedule and can keep out of RTI law purview.
III. Till 2021, following organizations were kept out of the purview of the RTI Law:
1. Intelligence Bureau.
2. Research and Analysis Wing.
3. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
4. Central Economic Intelligence Bureau.
5. Directorate of Enforcement.
6. Narcotics Control Bureau.
7. Strategic Forces Command.
8. Special Frontier Force.
9. Border Security Force.
10. Central Reserve Police Force.
11. Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
12. Central Industrial Security Force.
13. National Security Guards.
14. Assam Rifles.
15. Sashtra Seema Bal.
16. Directorate General of Income-tax.
17. National Technical Research Organisation.
18. Financial Intelligence Unit, India.
19. Special Protection Group.
20. Defence Research and Development Organisation.
21. Border Road Development Board.
22. National Security Council Secretariat.
23. Central Bureau of Investigation.
24. National Investigation Agency.
25. National Intelligence Gri

Answer: A
Explanation:
● Option A is correct. The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution recommended that the heading of Part IV of the Constitution should be amended to read as “DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY AND ACTION”. It was recommended to improve the commitments of states towards DPSP.

Answer: C
Explanation:
Option C is correct. The Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India is placed under the control of the Cabinet Secretariat. It was set-up in November, 1999, primarily to:
● Evolve policies, strategies and missions for the generation of innovations and support systems for multiple applications.
● Generate science and technology tasks in critical infrastructure, economic and social sectors in partnership with Government departments, institutions and industry.
Office of PSA also services the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). The Office of PSA has been placed administratively under the Cabinet Secretariat in August, 2018.

On 5th September, 1946, the Secretariat of the Executive Council was designated as Cabinet Secretariat, and the Secretary to the Executive Council as Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretariat has the status of an independent department under the business rules of the government 1961. It provides assistance to the Cabinet and all its Cabinet Committees.
Following bodies have been placed under the administrative control of the Cabinet Secretariat:
1. The Directorate of Public Grievances in 1988
2. National Authority, Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997
3. Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT) Mission in 2015
4. Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to Government in 2018
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Directorate Of Public Grievances (DPG)
The Directorate of Public Grievances was set up in the Cabinet Secretariat in March, 1988. This Directorate entertains grievances from the public. Citizens can file grievances, either on paper or online with the Directorate of Public Grievance in respect of Departments/organizations which have extensive public interface such as MTNL/BSNL, Railways, Posts, Insurance Companies, Public Sector Bank, etc.
Depending on the nature and gravity of the grievances, the Directorate either seeks comments or transfers the same for appropriate action to the concerned Department(s).
National Authority, Chemical Weapons Convention (NA, CWC)
● National Authority, Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was set up by a resolution of Cabinet Secretariat dated 5th May 1997 to fulfill the obligations enunciated in the Chemical Weapons Convention initially signed by 130 countries in a conference which concluded on 14th January 1993 for the purpose prohibiting of the development, production, execution, transfer, use and stockpiling of all chemical weapons by Member-States is a non-discriminatory process.
● To fulfill its obligations, each State Party has to designate or establish a National Authority to serve as the national focal point for effective liaison with Organization for Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons and other State Parties and hence the NA, CWC under the administrative control of the Cabinet Secretariat was set up.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Mission
● DBT is a major reform initiative where benefits, cash or in-kind, are delivered directly to identified beneficiaries using Aadhaar. It envisages efficiency and inclusion in the delivery processes leading to greater accountability and transparency in the system.
● The DBT Mission was created by the Planning Commission to act as a nodal point for implementation of DBT. The Mission was transferred to the Department of Expenditure in July’13 and shifted to Cabinet Secretariat w.e.f. 14.09.2015.

Answer: D
Explanation:
Option D is correct. All the three statements are correct.
● The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (the POCSO Act) protects children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography.
● It has provision for ‘age of consent’ that means a sort of criminalisation of romantic relationships between consenting adolescents below 18 years. Originally, the age of consent for consensual sex was 16 years as per the POCSO Act 2019. The law was amended in 2019 and since august 2019, the age of consent is 18 years.
● It empowers the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to monitor the implementation of the POCSO Act. As per Section 44 of the POCSO Act, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights or as the case may be, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights constituted under section 17, of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, shall, in addition to the functions assigned to them under that Act, also monitor the implementation of the provisions of this Act in such manner as may be prescribed.
● The National Commission or, as the case may be, the State Commission shall, while inquiring into any matter relating to any offence under this Act, have the same powers as are vested in it under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.