Madhya Pradesh: Administration, Local Government and Governance

Practice questions (17)

Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.

1. Under the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993, how is the Sarpanch of a Gram Panchayat chosen?

   1. By and from among the elected Panchas of that Gram Panchayat after the general election
   2. By the elected members of the Janpad Panchayat of the block in which the village lies
   3. Directly, by the persons on the voters' list of the Gram Panchayat area
   4. By the Gram Sabha in an open meeting held under the Panchayat Secretary
   Show answer

   Answer: C — Directly, by the persons on the voters' list of the Gram Panchayat area

   The Adhiniyam provides that the Sarpanch is elected by the persons whose names are on the voters' list of the Gram Panchayat area, so the election is direct. Election by and from the members is the rule for the Presidents of the Janpad and Zila Panchayats, which is why the choice naming the Panchas is tempting but wrong.

2. Consider the following statements about the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993, as amended.
   P. The President of a Zila Panchayat is elected by and from among the elected members of that Zila Panchayat.
   Q. The Chief Executive Officer of a Janpad Panchayat is appointed by the State Government.
   R. The Gram Sabha is required to meet at least in January, April, July and October.
   S. The Sarpanch is elected by and from among the elected Panchas.
   Which of the statements is/are correct?

   1. P and S only
   2. Q, R and S only
   3. P, R and S only
   4. P, Q and R only
   Show answer

   Answer: D — P, Q and R only

   P, Q and R restate the Adhiniyam: Zila Presidents are chosen by the members, the state appoints the CEOs, and the Gram Sabha meets in those four months. S is wrong because the Sarpanch is directly elected by the village voters, not by the Panchas.

3. Which authority makes the Rules of Business for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of a state and for allocating that business among ministers?

   1. The Chief Minister, under Article 163
   2. The Governor, under Article 166(3)
   3. The Chief Secretary, under Article 309
   4. The Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, under Article 178
   Show answer

   Answer: B — The Governor, under Article 166(3)

   Article 166(3) directs the Governor to make the rules for transacting and allocating government business. Article 309 is tempting because the Governor also makes recruitment and service rules under it, but those concern conditions of service, not the conduct of government business, and the Chief Secretary has no rule-making power of this kind.

4. Part IX of the Constitution on panchayats does not apply to Scheduled Areas of the Fifth Schedule, which is why Parliament passed the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. Which Article excludes those areas from Part IX?

   1. Article 243M
   2. Article 243B
   3. Article 244(1)
   4. Article 275(1)
   Show answer

   Answer: A — Article 243M

   Article 243M says Part IX does not apply to the Scheduled Areas and tribal areas, and lets Parliament extend it with modifications, which PESA did. Article 244(1) is tempting because it applies the Fifth Schedule to administration of Scheduled Areas, but it does not itself exclude Part IX.

5. Arrange the following in chronological order, earliest first.
   P. Madhya Pradesh notifies its PESA Rules (15 November 2022).
   Q. The Governor assents to the Madhya Pradesh Zila Yojana Samiti Adhiniyam (19 May 1995).
   R. The police commissionerate system begins in Bhopal and Indore (9 December 2021).
   S. The Madhya Pradesh Lok Sewaon ke Pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam is published in the Gazette (18 August 2010).

   1. S, Q, R, P
   2. Q, R, S, P
   3. Q, S, R, P
   4. Q, S, P, R
   Show answer

   Answer: C — Q, S, R, P

   The dates run 1995 (Q), 2010 (S), December 2021 (R) and November 2022 (P). The last two are the usual slip: the commissionerate system came eleven months before the PESA Rules, not after them.

6. Which of the following is NOT a revenue division of Madhya Pradesh, on the position after the October 2023 district notifications?

   1. Chambal
   2. Rewa
   3. Narmadapuram
   4. Nimar
   Show answer

   Answer: D — Nimar

   The ten divisions are Bhopal, Chambal, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Narmadapuram, Rewa, Sagar, Shahdol and Ujjain. Nimar is a cultural region covering districts such as Khargone, Barwani and Khandwa, which sit in Indore division, and not a division itself. Narmadapuram is the new name of Hoshangabad division.

7. Consider the following statements.
   P. Under the Madhya Pradesh Zila Yojana Samiti Adhiniyam, 1995, the Collector is the member-secretary of the District Planning Committee.
   Q. The Collector is the chairperson of the District Planning Committee under that Act.
   R. From 9 December 2021, in Bhopal and Indore, magisterial powers over policing that earlier rested with the district administration passed to the Commissioner of Police.
   S. The Collector's preventive magisterial powers are still exercised in every district under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which has not been replaced.
   Which of the statements is/are correct?

   1. P and R only
   2. P, R and S only
   3. Q and R only
   4. Q and S only
   Show answer

   Answer: A — P and R only

   P and R are correct. The chairperson of the District Planning Committee is a Minister nominated by the state, so Q is wrong. S is wrong because the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure from 1 July 2024.

8. A Gram Panchayat in an ordinary (non-Scheduled) area has 12 single-member wards, all filled by direct election. Counting seats reserved for women of every category, what minimum number must be reserved for women under Article 243D(3) of the Constitution, and under the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993, as amended, respectively?

   1. 3 and 6
   2. 4 and 6
   3. 4 and 8
   4. 6 and 4
   Show answer

   Answer: B — 4 and 6

   Article 243D(3) fixes a floor of one-third, which is 4 of 12 seats, while the Adhiniyam says not less than half, which is 6 of 12. The pair 6 and 4 reverses the two rules, a slip made by those who assume the state law is the weaker one.

9. In a village of a Scheduled Area covered by Chapter XIV-A of the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993, who presides over a meeting of the Gram Sabha?

   1. The Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat, as in every other village of the state, with the Up-Sarpanch as the alternate
   2. The Panchayat Secretary, who is also the secretary of the Gram Sabha and works under its control
   3. A Scheduled Tribe member of the Gram Sabha, elected by those present, who is not a panchayat member
   4. The Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue), nominated by the Collector as his representative
   Show answer

   Answer: C — A Scheduled Tribe member of the Gram Sabha, elected by those present, who is not a panchayat member

   Chapter XIV-A provides that a Scheduled Area Gram Sabha is presided over by an ST member elected by the majority present, who is not the Sarpanch, Up-Sarpanch or any panchayat member. Outside such areas the Sarpanch presides, which is why naming the Sarpanch is the usual wrong answer.

10. Which of the following is NOT a power of the Gram Sabha under the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993, as amended?

    1. Approving plans and projects before the Gram Panchayat takes them up
    2. Appointing the Chief Executive Officer of the Janpad Panchayat of the block
    3. Withholding the salary and sanctioning the leave of government employees working in the village
    4. Selecting the beneficiaries of poverty-alleviation programmes in the village
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Appointing the Chief Executive Officer of the Janpad Panchayat of the block

    The Gram Sabha approves plans, selects beneficiaries and, under section 7L, can withhold salary and sanction leave of government employees in its area. The CEO of a Janpad Panchayat is appointed by the State Government, not by a Gram Sabha.

11. Which pair of Madhya Pradesh Acts governs municipal corporations and other municipal bodies in the state?

    1. Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993 and Municipalities Act, 1961
    2. Municipal Corporation Act, 1961 and Municipalities Act, 1956
    3. Nagar Tatha Gram Nivesh Adhiniyam, 1973 and Zila Yojana Samiti Adhiniyam, 1995
    4. Municipal Corporation Act, 1956 and Municipalities Act, 1961
    Show answer

    Answer: D — Municipal Corporation Act, 1956 and Municipalities Act, 1961

    Corporations are governed by the Municipal Corporation Act of 1956 (Act 23 of 1956) and other municipalities by the Municipalities Act of 1961 (Act 37 of 1961). The pair with the years swapped is the usual trap, and the planning and panchayat Acts do not constitute municipal bodies.

12. Under the Madhya Pradesh Lok Sewaon ke Pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2010, as published on 18 August 2010, within what periods may a person file the first appeal and then the second appeal?

    1. 30 days and 60 days
    2. 15 days and 30 days
    3. 60 days and 90 days
    4. 45 days and 60 days
    Show answer

    Answer: A — 30 days and 60 days

    The Act lets an aggrieved applicant appeal to the first appeal officer within thirty days and then to the second appellate authority within sixty days. Fifteen and thirty days is a common mix-up with limits in other service-guarantee laws.

13. A designated officer delays a notified service by 30 days without sufficient cause. The Madhya Pradesh Lok Sewaon ke Pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2010, as published, lets the second appellate authority penalise delay at Rs 250 per day, subject to a ceiling of Rs 5,000. What is the maximum penalty it may impose for this delay?

    1. Rs 7,500
    2. Rs 250
    3. Rs 5,000
    4. Rs 500
    Show answer

    Answer: C — Rs 5,000

    Thirty days at Rs 250 a day comes to Rs 7,500, but the clause caps the penalty at Rs 5,000, so that is the maximum. Rs 7,500 is the tempting figure for those who apply the daily rate without the ceiling.

14. The Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1959 provides for a Board of Revenue, the highest authority of appeal in revenue matters. Where is its principal seat?

    1. Bhopal
    2. Gwalior
    3. Jabalpur
    4. Indore
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Gwalior

    The Board of Revenue has its principal seat at Gwalior, with circuit benches at several divisional headquarters. Bhopal, the capital, and Jabalpur, the seat of the High Court, are tempting but are not its principal seat.

15. Consider the following statements about the urban local body elections held in Madhya Pradesh in July 2022 under the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022.
    P. Mayors of municipal corporations were directly elected by the voters.
    Q. Presidents of municipal councils were directly elected by the voters.
    R. The State Election Commission conducted the elections.
    S. Polling was held in two phases, on 6 July and 13 July.
    Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. P, Q and R only
    2. P, R and S only
    3. Q, R and S only
    4. P and S only
    Show answer

    Answer: B — P, R and S only

    Under the 2022 ordinance only mayors were directly elected, while presidents of municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats were chosen by the elected councillors, so Q is wrong. The State Election Commission ran the polls (Article 243ZA), in two phases on 6 and 13 July 2022.

16. Article 243S of the Constitution requires Ward Committees to be constituted in municipalities with a population of:

    1. one lakh or more
    2. five lakh or more
    3. three lakh or more
    4. ten lakh or more
    Show answer

    Answer: C — three lakh or more

    Article 243S applies to municipalities with a population of three lakh or more. Ten lakh is the threshold for a Metropolitan Planning Committee under Article 243ZE, which is the commonly confused figure.

17. Match the instrument of governance with its feature.
    P. Madhya Pradesh Lokayukt Evam Up-Lokayukt Adhiniyam, 1981
    Q. Madhya Pradesh Zila Yojana Samiti Adhiniyam, 1995
    R. Madhya Pradesh Lok Sewaon ke Pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2010
    S. Gyandoot
    (i) time-bound delivery of notified services with appeals
    (ii) inquiry into allegations against public servants
    (iii) community-run rural intranet kiosks in Dhar district
    (iv) District Planning Committee under Article 243ZD

    1. P-i, Q-iv, R-ii, S-iii
    2. P-ii, Q-iii, R-i, S-iv
    3. P-iv, Q-ii, R-iii, S-i
    4. P-ii, Q-iv, R-i, S-iii
    Show answer

    Answer: D — P-ii, Q-iv, R-i, S-iii

    The Lokayukt Act of 1981 provides inquiry into allegations against public servants, the 1995 Act constitutes District Planning Committees, the 2010 Act guarantees time-bound services, and Gyandoot was the Dhar district kiosk network. The pairing that exchanges the Lokayukt Act and the service guarantee is the usual trap.