IBPS PO General Awareness: Indian Polity and Governance questions with solutions

Q1. The name of the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands was changed to Lakshadweep by an Act of Parliament in

1. 1970
2. 1971
3. 1972
4. 1973

Answer: 1973

The Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands were renamed Lakshadweep by an Act of Parliament in 1973. This is a standard polity and geography fact asked in competitive exams.

Q2. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by

1. the people
2. Lok Sabha
3. elected members of the legislative assembly
4. elected members of the legislative council

Answer: elected members of the legislative assembly

Rajya Sabha members are elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies through proportional representation. They are not elected directly by the people or by Lok Sabha.

Q3. The members of the panchayat are

1. nominated by the district officer
2. the electorates of the respective territorial constituencies
3. nominated by local self-government minister of the state
4. nominated by the block development organization

Answer: the electorates of the respective territorial constituencies

Members of the panchayat are elected by the people of the respective territorial constituencies. Panchayati Raj institutions are based on democratic local self-government.

Q4. The power to decide an election petition is vested in the

1. Parliament
2. Supreme Court
3. High courts
4. Election Commission

Answer: High courts

Election petitions are heard and decided by the High Courts under the Representation of the People Act. The Election Commission conducts elections, but it does not decide election disputes. The Supreme Court may hear appeals in some cases, but the original power lies with the High Courts.

Q5. Which committee recommended democratic decentralization, which ultimately came to be known as Panchayati Raj?

1. Kothari Committee
2. Sivaraman Committee
3. Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
4. Mohan Rao Committee

Answer: Balwant Rai Mehta Committee

The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee recommended democratic decentralization through a three-tier Panchayati Raj system. This recommendation became the foundation of Panchayati Raj in India.

Q6. The Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce, Piyush Goyal, is a Rajya Sabha MP from which state?

1. Karnataka
2. Maharashtra
3. Delhi
4. Rajasthan

Answer: Maharashtra

Piyush Goyal has served as a Rajya Sabha member representing Maharashtra. Hence, the correct answer is Maharashtra.

Q7. Who is the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog?

1. Rajnath Singh
2. Dr. Rajiv Kumar
3. Amitabh Kant
4. Suresh Prabhu

Answer: Dr. Rajiv Kumar

Dr. Rajiv Kumar has served as the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. The other options are associated with different government roles.

Q8. Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms. It is a forum where disputes or cases pending in court or at the pre-litigation stage are settled or compromised amicably. What is the minimum charge to file a case in a Lok Adalat?

1. no court fee
2. ₹10
3. ₹50
4. ₹05

Answer: no court fee

Lok Adalats are meant for quick and inexpensive settlement of disputes. A key feature is that no court fee is charged for filing a case there. If a case already paid court fee in regular court and is settled in Lok Adalat, the fee is usually refunded.

Q9. Recently, UNESCO accorded India's first World Heritage City status to which of the following cities?

1. Chennai
2. Ahmedabad
3. Hyderabad
4. Agra

Answer: Ahmedabad

UNESCO declared Ahmedabad as India’s first World Heritage City in 2017. It was recognized for its rich architectural and cultural heritage.

Q10. All major programmes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development have been classified under three umbrella schemes. Which of the following is one of the umbrella schemes?

1. National Creche Scheme
2. Mission VATSALYA
3. SAMARTHYA
4. SAMBAL

Answer: Mission VATSALYA

Mission VATSALYA is one of the umbrella schemes under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The other umbrella schemes include SAMBAL and SAMARTHYA.

Q11. Which of the following committees has been constituted to suggest laws against mob lynching and violence?

1. AK Bhuchar Committee
2. B Venkatappaiah Committee
3. Rajiv Gauba Committee
4. LK Jha Committee

Answer: Rajiv Gauba Committee

The Rajiv Gauba Committee was constituted to suggest measures and laws against mob lynching and violence. The other committees are unrelated to this issue.

Q12. Which of the following is the nodal ministry for the implementation of MGNREGA?

1. Ministry of Labour and Employment
2. Ministry of Rural Development
3. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
4. Both a & c

Answer: Ministry of Rural Development

MGNREGA is a rural employment guarantee scheme, and its nodal ministry is the Ministry of Rural Development. This ministry is responsible for implementation and monitoring of the scheme.

Q13. What was the Nair Service Society's argument regarding the exclusion of women from temple entry?

1. It was based on caste discrimination.
2. It violated fundamental rights.
3. The exclusion was not based on gender, but on religious faith and character of the deity.
4. It was a social reform issue.

Answer: The exclusion was not based on gender, but on religious faith and character of the deity.

The Nair Service Society argued that the exclusion of women from temple entry was not a gender issue. Instead, it was presented as a matter of religious faith and the character of the deity worshipped.

Q14. A dedicated portal of the ECI's Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) mission, 'Leave No Voter Behind,' has special focus on which group?

1. Female
2. New Voters
3. Senior Citizens
4. Persons with Disabilities

Answer: New Voters

SVEEP is the Election Commission of India's voter education and participation programme. The dedicated portal under this mission focuses on new voters so that first-time eligible citizens are encouraged to register and vote.

Q15. The Union Government has created a separate Ministry of Co-operation to realize the vision of which of the following?

1. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
2. Sahkar se Samriddhi
3. Atmanirbhar Bharat
4. Digital India

Answer: Sahkar se Samriddhi

The Ministry of Co-operation was created to strengthen the cooperative movement in India. It was announced with the vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi,' meaning prosperity through cooperation. Hence, that is the correct option.

Q16. What percentage of funds is given to special category states under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS)?

1. 100%
2. 75%
3. 60%
4. 50%

Answer: 100%

Under Centrally Sponsored Schemes, special category states are generally given 100% central funding. This is done to support states with difficult terrain, lower revenue capacity, or strategic importance.

Q17. The Finance Commission of India assigned a 12.5% weightage to which of the following criteria for determining the devolution of funds to states?

1. Population
2. Forest cover
3. Area
4. Demographic performance

Answer: Forest cover

The Finance Commission uses several criteria for devolution of funds, including population, area, income distance, demographic performance, and forest and ecology. A 12.5% weightage was assigned to forest cover/forest and ecology.