Laxmikanth Test : Union and its Territory - UPSC MCQ

1. Forming a new State by uniting two or more States or parts of States - Requires prior recommendation of the President.

- Correct. Article 3 states that a bill for forming a new State can be introduced in Parliament only with the prior recommendation of the President.

2. Increasing the area of any State - Does not require the views of the state legislature concerned.

- Incorrect. Increasing the area of any State does require the views of the state legislature concerned as per Article 3.

3. Altering the boundaries of any State - Requires the views of the state legislature concerned.

- Correct. Article 3 requires that the President must refer the bill to the state legislature to obtain its views on altering the boundaries of any State.

4. Altering the name of any State - Parliament is bound by the views of the state legislature.

- Incorrect. Article 3 specifies that while the President must refer the bill to the state legislature, neither the President nor the Parliament is bound by the views of the state legislature.

Thus, the correctly matched pairs are pairs 1 and 3.

Puducherry is a union territory in India.

• François Martin is considered as the father of Puducherry.
• Puducherry is the first union territory in India to form a legislative assembly.
• The administrative system of Puducherry consists of an elected legislative assembly and an executive council of ministers.
• Puducherry consists of a locally elected legislative assembly and government.
• The famous Romain Rolland library is located at Puducherry.
• The French left Puducherry in 1954.
• Puducherry became a union territory in 1962.

Both statements are factually correct. Statement-I pertains to the powers of Parliament in forming new states by various means as outlined in Article 3. Statement-II accurately describes the process wherein the President must refer a bill on state changes to the concerned state legislature for its views. However, Statement-II does not directly explain Statement-I; it offers a separate condition related to the referral process. Thus, while both are correct, Statement-II does not provide a direct explanation of Statement-I, making option (b) the correct answer.

Statement 1: This statement is correct. Article 3 of the Indian Constitution states that a bill for the formation of a new state or alteration of boundaries of an existing state can be introduced in Parliament only with the prior recommendation of the President.

Statement 2: This statement is also correct. Before recommending the bill, the President must refer it to the state legislature concerned for expressing its views within a specified period. This step is mandatory to ensure that the state legislature has the opportunity to provide its opinion on the proposed changes.

Statement 3: This statement is incorrect. The President is not bound by the views of the state legislature. The President may accept or reject the views expressed by the state legislature, even if they are received within the specified period.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option B.

Statement-I correctly summarizes the content of Part I of the Indian Constitution, which deals with the Union and its Territory, including the laws related to states' borders and formations.
Statement-II accurately reflects the content of Article 2, which empowers Parliament to admit or establish new states under specific terms and conditions. However, while both statements are correct in their respective contexts, they are independent of each other and do not directly explain or relate to one another. Hence, the correct answer is option (b) as both statements are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I.

1. Article 4: Laws made under Articles 2 and 3 are considered amendments under Article 368.

   • Incorrect. Article 4 states that any law referred to in Article 2 or Article 3 shall contain such provisions for the amendment of the First Schedule and the Fourth Schedule as may be necessary to give effect to the provisions of the law and may also contain such supplemental, incidental, and consequential provisions as Parliament may deem necessary. Such laws do not fall under Article 368 which deals with the procedure for amendment of the Constitution.

2. Article 2: Admission or establishment of new states.

   • Correct. Article 2 deals with the admission or establishment of new states into the Union of India.

3. Article 3: Formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states.

   • Correct. Article 3 provides the procedure for the formation of new states and the alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states.

4. Article 368: Amendment of the Constitution.

   • Correct. Article 368 provides the procedure for the amendment of the Constitution of India.

Thus, the correct pairs are 2, 3, and 4.

Therefore, the answer is: Only three pairs

1. Article 1: Deals with the Name and territory of the Union - Correct. Article 1 states that India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States, and it specifies the territories of the States and Union territories.

2. Article 2: Deals with the renaming of States - Incorrect. Article 2 deals with the admission or establishment of new States, granting Parliament the power to admit new states into the Union of India.

3. Article 3: Deals with the formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing States - Correct. Article 3 provides the procedure for the formation of new states and the alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states by the Parliament.

4. Article 4: Deals with laws made under Articles 2 and 3 - Correct. Article 4 specifies that laws made under Articles 2 and 3 to admit new states or alter state boundaries are not considered amendments under Article 368.

Thus, pairs 1, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Only pair 2 is incorrectly matched.

About Palden Namgyal:

• He was born on 23rd May 1923. Palden Thondup Namgyal was the 12th and last Chogyal King of Sikkim. Earlier, the kingdom of Sikkim was known as "Dremoshong".
• Palden Thondup Namgyal preceded by Tashi Namgyal. The "Order of the Precious Jewel of the Heart of Sikkim" was founded by Palden Thondup Namgyal in September 1972.
• Under his reign, he shaped a 'Model Asian State' where the Per Capita Income and Literacy Rate were twice as high as Neighbors Bhutan and Nepal but were less than India.
• He died on 10th April 1975.

Image of Palden Thondup Namgyal:

- Statement 1 is correct: Article 1 of the Indian Constitution explicitly states, "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." This establishes the nomenclature of India and its federal structure.

- Statement 2 is incorrect: Article 2 of the Constitution grants the Parliament the power to both admit new states into the Union and establish new states. Therefore, limiting it to only establishing new states is incorrect.

- Statement 3 is correct: The territory of India, as defined in Article 1, includes the territories of the States, the Union territories specified in the First Schedule, and any other territories that may be acquired.

Thus, the correct statements are 1 and 3. Therefore, the correct answer is Option B: 1 and 3 Only.

Statement 1 is correct. Article 4 of the Indian Constitution declares that laws made for the admission or establishment of new states (under Article 2) and the formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states (under Article 3) are not considered amendments of the Constitution under Article 368. This means such laws can be passed by a simple majority and by the ordinary legislative process.

Statement 2 is incorrect. As stated above, these laws can be passed by a simple majority and not a two-thirds majority, contrary to what is required for constitutional amendments under Article 368.

Statement 3 is correct. The Supreme Court has held that the power of Parliament to diminish the area of a state is indeed granted under Article 3.

Thus, the correct answer is Option C