Chapter 90 National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution

1. When was the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC) set up, and by what means?

2. Who headed the NCRWC, and how many members did it have?

3. When did the NCRWC submit its report?

4. What was the primary requirement for the NCRWC’s examination of the Constitution?

5. What was the framework within which the NCRWC was to recommend changes to the Constitution?

6. What was the nature of the NCRWC’s function?

7. Who had the authority to accept or reject the NCRWC’s recommendations?

8. How many areas of study did the NCRWC identify on its own?

9. What are the eleven areas of study identified by the NCRWC?

10. What is the first important area of concern identified by the Commission regarding constitutional faith and governance?

11. What is the foremost area of concern regarding the Indian State?

12. What is the important dimension of concern regarding the cost of government?

13. What is the pervasive impurity of the political climate and activity identified by the Commission?

14. What is the concern regarding national integrity and security?

15. What is the concern regarding the working of parliamentary democracy?

16. What is the concern regarding the misuse of the electoral process?

17. What is the concern regarding the representative character of Parliament and State Legislatures?

18. To what is the increasing instability of elected governments attributable?

19. What is the concern regarding the state of the Indian economy?

20. What are the overarching economic and social realities identified by the Commission?

21. What are the concerns regarding rural de-population, urbanization, and urban-congestion?

22. What is the concern regarding the future of society and education?

23. What is the concern regarding the system of administration of justice?

24. What are the concerns regarding the criminal justice system?

25. How should communal and other inter-group riots be treated, according to the Commission?

26. What is the concern regarding the state of social infrastructure?

27. What is the concern regarding the primary education budget?

28. What are the concerns regarding infant mortality, blindness, and maternal health?

29. What is the concern regarding public health and hygiene?

30. How many recommendations did the NCRWC make in total?

31. How many recommendations involved amendments to the Constitution, legislative measures, and executive action respectively?

32. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the scope of prohibition against discrimination (Articles 15 and 16)?

33. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the freedom of speech and expression (Article 19)?

34. What new Fundamental Rights did the NCRWC recommend adding?

35. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the right to education (Article 21-A)?

36. What two changes did the NCRWC recommend regarding preventive detention (Article 22)?

37. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism in relation to Hinduism (Article 25)?

38. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the suspension of Fundamental Rights during a national emergency (Article 352)?

39. How did the NCRWC recommend recasting Article 300-A (Right to Property)?

40. What new heading did the NCRWC recommend for Part-IV of the Constitution (Directive Principles)?

41. What new Directive Principle did the NCRWC recommend adding?

42. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of a National Education Commission?

43. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of an Inter-Faith Commission?

44. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the review of Directive Principles implementation?

45. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding employment opportunities?

46. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Justice Verma Committee’s recommendations on Fundamental Duties?

47. What new fundamental duties did the NCRWC recommend including in Article 51-A?

48. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the privileges of legislators?

49. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the immunity of members under parliamentary privileges (Article 105)?

50. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the domiciliary requirement for eligibility to contest Rajya Sabha elections?

51. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the MP local area development scheme?

52. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Election Commission’s powers to identify ‘offices of profit’?

53. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of a Nodal Standing Committee on National Economy?

54. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of a Standing Constitution Committee of Parliament?

55. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of a new Legislation Committee of Parliament?

56. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the existing Parliamentary Committees on Estimates, Public Undertakings, and Subordinate Legislation?

57. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding parliamentarians’ public scrutiny?

58. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the minimum number of sitting days for State Legislatures, Rajya Sabha, and Lok Sabha?

59. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a Study Group outside Parliament?

60. What did the NCRWC recommend for electing the leader of the House in case of a hung Parliament?

61. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a motion of no-confidence against a prime minister?

62. What is the minimum percentage of members required to give notice for a motion of no-confidence against the government?

63. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the practice of having oversized Council of Ministers?

64. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the number of political offices with ministerial perks and privileges?

65. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayuktas?

66. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding lateral entry into government jobs?

67. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding Article 311?

68. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the management of personnel policy (placements, promotions, transfers)?

69. What did the NCRWC recommend for officials at the start of their career, in addition to the oath of loyalty to the Constitution?

70. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the right to information?

71. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding Public Interest Disclosure Acts?

72. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding benami property of corrupt public servants?

73. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Inter-State Council Order of 1990?

74. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding management of disasters and emergencies?

75. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of an Inter-State Trade and Commerce Commission?

76. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the appointment of the governor of a state?

77. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding Article 356 (President’s Rule)?

78. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding testing the confidence of the assembly in a state ministry?

79. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the continuation of President’s Rule even without a state of emergency?

80. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the dissolution of the State Assembly under Article 356?

or the Centre?

82. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the River Boards Act of 1956?

83. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a time-limit for the President’s decision on state bills reserved for consideration?

84. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of a National Judicial Commission?

85. What is the recommended composition of the National Judicial Commission?

86. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a committee of the National Judicial Commission?

87. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the retirement age of judges of high courts and Supreme Court?

88. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the power to punish for contempt of court?

89. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the power to declare Acts of Parliament and State Legislatures unconstitutional?

90. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of Judicial Councils?

91. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the delivery of judgments in the Supreme Court and High Courts?

92. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding exemplary costs?

93. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding High Courts’ strategic plans?

94. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the introduction of plea-bargaining?

95. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the hierarchy of subordinate courts?

96. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding bringing SCs, STs, and BCs onto the benches of the Supreme Court and high courts?

97. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding social policy for SCs, STs, and BCs?

98. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding new institutions for weaker sections?

99. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding Citizens’ Charters?

100. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding reservation for SCs, STs, and BCs?

101. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding residential schools for SCs, STs, and BCs?

102. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding tribal areas governed by the Fifth Schedule?

103. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding special courts for offences under the SCs and STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989?

104. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Prevention of Untouchability?

105. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993?

106. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the improvement of educational standards and political representation for minority communities?

107. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a National Authority for the Liberation and Rehabilitation of bonded labour?

108. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding women?

109. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules of the Constitution?

110. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the establishment of a state panchayat council?

111. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the declaration of Panchayats and Municipalities?

112. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Election Commission of India’s power over State Election Commissions?

113. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the reporting of State Election Commissions?

114. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding dissolution of a Panchayat (Article 243-E)?

115. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the audit of accounts for Panchayats?

116. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the supersession of a Municipality?

117. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding qualifications and disqualifications for elections to local authorities?

118. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the functions of delimitation, reservation, and rotation of seats for local authorities?

119. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a distinct and separate tax domain for municipalities?

120. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding providing opportunities to North Eastern States under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments?

121. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding entrusting subjects to Autonomous District Councils (ADCs)?

122. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding traditional forms of governance?

123. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a National Immigration Council?

124. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the disqualification of persons charged with serious offences?

125. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the permanent debarment of persons convicted of heinous crimes?

126. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the speedy disposal of criminal cases against politicians?

127. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding election petitions?

128. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding State funding of elections?

129. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding candidates contesting elections from multiple constituencies?

130. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the election code of conduct?

131. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the system of run-off contest?

132. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding independent candidates who lose elections multiple times?

133. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the minimum valid votes polled for deposit forfeiture?

134. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the eligibility of non-Indian born citizens to hold high offices?

135. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners?

136. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the appointment of State Election Commissioners?

137. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a comprehensive law regulating the registration and functioning of political parties?

138. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the threshold criterion for recognition of political parties?

139. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding a comprehensive legislation for political funding and election expenses?

140. What did the NCRWC recommend regarding the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law)?

141. Who were the other members of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), as per footnote 1?

142. Who resigned from the NCRWC before the submission of the report?

143. What is the source of the information on the Report of the Commission, Volume I, Chapter 1 (footnote 2)?

144. What is the source of the information on the Report of the Commission, Volume I, Chapter 2 (footnote 3)?

145. What is the source of the detailed area-wise recommendations from the NCRWC report (footnote 4)?

146. What is the current status of Right to equal justice and free legal aid as per footnote 5?

147. What was the purpose of the committee appointed by the Government of India in 1998, chaired by Justice J.S. Verma?

148. When did the Justice J.S. Verma Committee submit its report?

149. What was the outcome of the Commission’s division on the issue of the eligibility of non-Indian born citizens to hold high offices?