Constitution and its salient features

When did the constitution of India come into force?

26 January, 1950

How lengthy is our constitution?

395 Articles and 12 Schedules

Name any two prominent features of the constitution of India

A Written Constitution,Lengthiest constitution of the world

Republic

A republic is a country that has no king or queen, it is governed by elected representatives, headed by a president elected for a fixed term.

What argument was given for lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years in 1989

The argument was that" enfranchisement of the youth shall make them more sensible and creative

Which body framed the constitution of India?

The constituent assembly. 308 members after the partition. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was its president. Dr. BR Ambedkar was the chairman of the assembly's most important committee, the drafting committee. In addition to all the major and smaller committees of India, female members were also included, the assembly was thus a mini India.

Welfare State

A welfare state provides for its citizens a wide range of social services such as education,medical care and financial aid during old age,sickness and unemployment. Under part 4 of the constitution Indian state is directed to ensure to the people,1-employment 2- education 3-assisstance in cases of old age ,sickness and disablement.

What is the difference between a written and unwritten constitution?

A written constitution is one which sets forth in a single written instrument most of the principles under which government shall be organized and conducted. Constitutions of this type are enacted by a constituent assembly at a particular date. An unwritten constitution is one which has never been codified by a constituent assembly. It is based on a large number of legislative acts, judicial decisions, customs and usages.

Why is the assembly called the mini India?

As all the major regions and sections of society were represented in the society.

Why is our constitution known as Fundamental law of land?

Because it is superior to the ordinary laws enacted by the parliament or state legislature. A law which violates any of the provisions of the constitution shall be void.

Constitution

Body of rules and laws according to which a state is governed, it defines and determines 1) form of government 2) powers to be exercised by the various organs of government- the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. 3) the limitations on these powers 4) people rights and duties

What is January 26, 1950 referred to?

Date of commencement of the new constitution

When was the first sitting of the assembly

December 9, 1946

Democratic feature of India

Democratic feature or Democracy in India implies 1-free and fair elections based on Adult Franchise 2-civil liberties such as freedom of speech and religion 3-independence if the judiciary Our constitution prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion,race ,caste or sex

Chairman of the drafting committee

Dr. BR Ambedkar

Permanent president of the assembly

Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the permanent president of the assembly on 11 December, 1946

Who was interim president of the assembly?

Dr. Sachida Nanda Sinha

When was the voting age lowered

In 1989 voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years

Single Citizenship

In India single citizenship prevails i.e every Indian is a citizen of India and has the same rights of citizenship,no matter n which state he resides.

Why is Indian federation characterised as Quasi-Federal Government

Indian constitution establishes a dual polity in which the powers are divided between the Union and the State -governments.The Supreme Court acts as final Interpreter of the Constitution.Although the constitution has all the characteristics of a Federation,yet Union or the Central Government has been vested with orm,but Unitary in spiishing thtot any state and the appointment of the Governer of the State.Therefore the constitution in India is said to be Federal in form ,but Unitary in spirit

What is the difference between Indian and Great Britain governments

Indian government is a Democratic Republic where the 'Sovereign Power' resides in the People. There is no King and Queen and no individual has hereditary right to public office.India has an elected head of the state,The President who holds office for a term of five years. Our legislators(the MPs and MLAs) are also elected by the people. Great Britain on the other hand has a hereditary monarch, although performing no real function in the governance of the country.Therefore Britain has democracy, but no republican government

What is rule of law

It establishes the rule of law which means the 1) absence of arbitrary powers, 2) equality before the law, and 3) freedom from illogical, unfair and unjust laws.

Constituent assembly

It is an assembly convened for the purpose of drawing up a constitution

What is the importance of January 26 in India's struggle for Purna Swaraj (complete independence)?

It was on January 26, 1930 that the complete Independence Day was celebrated for the first time. It continued to be so observed until 1947. However, on achieving independence, August 15 became our Independence Day and January 26 was selected to be the date of commencement of the new constitution.

Date of enforcement

January 26, 1950

When was the golden jubilee of Indian Republic (50 years)

January 26, 2000

Dr. BR Ambedkar

Law minister in Nehru's first cabinet; chairman of the drafting. He was responsible for drafting and piloting India's present constitution.

Members of the constituent assembly

Men- Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. BR Ambedkar and Dr. Jawaharlal Nehru Women- Mrs. G Durgabai, Mrs. Sarojani Naidu and Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit.

Date of enactment

November 26, 1949

When was the constitution of India enacted and adopted?

On November 26, 1949

Universal Adult Franchise

Our constitution is based on the principle of UAF which emphasizes that "enfranchisement of the youth shell make them more sensible and creative.According to UAF Indian constitution gives voting right to every person1-who is a Citizen of India2-is not less than 18 yres of age3-is not otherwise disqualified under any law .

Why is January 26 referred to as Republic day?

People of India on this day proclaimed themselves to be a republic.

Preamble

Preamble is an introduction to the constitution, comes before the constitution and tells the source, objects and contents of the constitution.

What kind of government is India?

Sovereign democratic republic

Why is it so long?

The extraordinary bulk of the constitution is due to several reasons, such as 1) a detailed description of he legislative, administrative and financial relations between the Union and the States; 2) provision of safeguards for minorities, the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes; 3) inclusion of matters such as public service commissions, elections and other things, most of which could be regulated by ordinary laws of the land.

Objective's resolution

The historic resolution passed by the assembly stated that India must be a republic in which all powers and authority were derived from the people.

What is the opposite of Secular State.Name any one state that is not secular.

The opposite of secular state is Theocratic state built upon a particular religious dogma.The state of Pakistan is not a secular state as it calls itself an Islamic Republic.