Students must practice these AP Inter 2nd Year Civics Important Questions 13th Lesson Recent Developments in Andhra Pradesh and India to boost their exam preparation.
AP Inter 2nd Year Civics Important Questions 13th Lesson Recent Developments in Andhra Pradesh and India
Long Answer Questions
Question 1.
Describe the formation of Andhra Pradesh State.
Answer:
The creation of Andhra State in October, 1953 strengthened the general demand for linguistic states. Andhras had also a long cherished demand for Visalandhra, since the people of the Hyderabad state were unanimous in their demand for the bifurcation of their state. The States Reorganization Commission (SRC) with Syed Fazl Ali as the Chairman, setup by the Union Government in December 1953, was convinced of the advantages of Visalandra. However, it favoured the formation of separate state for Telangana. The report of the SRC led to an intensive lobbying both by the advocates of Telangana as well as of Visalandhra. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao Chief Minister of Hyderabad State was against the merger of Telangana region with Andhra State. The Congress high command succumbed to the pressure of Andhra leaders and agreed for Visalandhra. To ally the fears of Telangana people. Gentleman’s Agreement was signed by the leaders of Andhra and Telangana. One of the main provisions of the agreement was the creation of a ‘Regional Council’ for Telangana for its all-round development. The enlarged state by merging nine Telugu speaking states of Hyderabad state into Andhra State with its eleven districts, totaling 20 districts was named Andhra Pradesh’ with the capital at Hyderabad. It was inaugurated on November 1,1956 by Jawaharial Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy became the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Three more districts were added later and by 1979, Andhra Pradesh had 23 districts.
Question 2.
Examine the causes that led to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Answer:
The movement for separate Telangana state was revived with the creation of Chattisgarh. Jharkhand and Uttarakhand in 2000. This time, the political movement was spear headed by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be formed on the linguistic basis. But even after co-existence of 57 long years, the sense of same language has failed to keep the people of the state united.
The rationale behind the agitation for Telangana is not merely Economic Backwardness’ but the culmination of grievances such as intentional neglect of the region in water sharing, funds allocation, employment opportunities and even cultural discrimination. These claims may or may not pass the test of rationality. But, once a section of people start exhibiting their serious apprehensions and inconveniences to live with their counterparts in other regions, it is difficult to sustain unity.
The Congress Party entered into an alliance with TRS in 2004 elections. But once in power, the ruling party showed little interest in creating Telangana state. By the year 2009, when general elections are due, the Congress Party had gone back on its promise. With the intensification of agitation for separate Telangana, Home Minis! er Chidambaram said in December 2009, that is serious about Telangana. The Government of India constituted a committee for consultations on the situation in Andhra Pradesh on 3rd February 2010. It was headed by Justice B.N. Sri Krishna. It examined two main issues namely, (i) the demand for separate statehood Telangana (ii) keeping the state united in the present form, Andhra Pradesh. The Committee submitted its report on 30 December, 2010 to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Telangana leaders rejected the recommendations of the Committee and insisted on the formation of Telangana State with Hyderabad as its capital. Protests in Telangana continued in the form of strikes, hunger strikes, suicides, giving petitions and roses to public officials and boycotting the public events. The Government of India announced the creation of Telangana on July 30, 2013. Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill, 2014 was passed by the Parliament in February 2014 amidst pandemonium in the Parliament. The Seemandhra region was in turmoil. The Bill was attested by the President on March, 1st 2014. The new state of Telangana was created on 2nd June, 2014 with 119 members of Legislative Assembly and 40 members of Legislative Council, 17 members in the Lok Sabha and 7 members in Rajya Sabha. The residuary state of Andhra Pradesh would have 175 MLA’s, 50 MLC’s, 25 MP’s in Lok Sabha and 11 MP’s in Rajya Sabha. There would be a common High Court and the expenditure would be apportioned between the two states. Hyderabad will remain the common capital under the Governor’s supervision for not more than ten years. Later in May 2015 a new capital city for Andhra Pradesh was announced with ‘Amaravati’, The capital city would stretch to the parts of Guntur and Krishna districts of the new state.
Question 3.
Define Human Rights. Describe the structure of National Human Rights Commission of India.
Answer:
Definition:
Section 2(d) of the protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 defines human rights as rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual, guaranteed by the Constitution, or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by the courts in India”.
Structure of National Human Rights Commission:
The Commission is a multi-member body. The statute of the commission lays down the high qualifications that the members are required to have, to be eligible to be appointed to the Commission. Section 3 of the Act lays down that the Commission shall consist of the following members as shown in the following table.
Appointment:
The Chairman and the Members of the Commission are appointed by the President of India, on the recommendations of a six (6) member Committee consisting of:
Further a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or a sitting Chief Justice of High Court can be appointed only after consultation with the Chief Justice of India. This high level and politically balanced committee, together with the statutory requirements relating to the qualifications of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission, invest the Commission with a very high degree of credibility.
The Chairman and members hold office for a term of five years or until they attain the age Of 70 years, whichever is earlier. After their tenure, the chairman and members are not eligible for further employment under the Union or a State Government.
The President can remove the chairman or any member from the office under the following circumstances:
- If he is adjudged an insolvent; or
- If he engages, during his term of office, in any paid employment outside the duties of his office or
- If he is unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body; or
- If he is of unsound mind and stand so declared by a competent court; or
- If he is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offence.
In addition to these, the President can also remove the chairman or any member on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The salaries and allowances and other conditions of services of the chairman and members are determined by the Union Government.
Question 4.
Explain about the Right to Information Act.
Answer:
Modern times necessitated an activist public government; as a result enormous powers are being exercised by civil servants. On various occasions the power is misused. As such, there is an urgent need to prevent the misuse of authority and ensure accountability on the part of administration. Right to Information (RTI) is an effective tool in the hands of an average citizen in controlling the government. The Right to Information Act was enacted in 2005 by the Indian Parliament and thus gave a powerful tool to the citizens to get information from the government departments as a matter of right. This law is very comprehensive and covers almost all matters of governance at all levels i.e., Union, State and Local. In any democratic system, governments are responsible and accountable to the people. Earlier the accountability of the Government and its functionaries were mostly limited to the elected representatives of the people. Disseminating the information that is generated by the Government to any citizen, who may be interested, now becomes the responsibility of all the government departments.
The Rationalities of RTI:
The following are the rationalities behind the Right to Information Act 2005.
- Openness and accessibility of people to information about the government functioning is a vital component of democracy.
- Modern democracy insists upon accountability. It is through the accessibility to the information by the general public that makes the civil service and political executive (ministers) accountable to the people.
- Transparency and openness in the functioning of an agency have a cleansing effect on the operations of public agencies. After all, sunlight is the best disinfectant; so also the RTI.
Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
Describe the formation of Andhra State. [March ’19,’18,’16]
Answer:
The Andhras have been struggling for the formation of a separate Andhra province since the period of British rule. Inspite of several renewed efforts put forth by Andhra leaders, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel did not respond favourably. Later Indian National Congress constituted JVP Committee consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel and Pattabhi Sita Ramaiah. This Committee suggested that Andhra province could be formed provided the Andhras gave up their claim to the city of Madras.
At this juncture, Potti Sriramulu another Gandhian follower began his fast unto death on October, 19th 1952 demanding the creation of Andhra State. He attained martyrdom on November, 15th 1952. His death rocked into a violent and devastating agitation. Immediately Prime Minister Nehru announced in the LokSabha (December, 19th 1952), that Andhra State would be formed with eleven undisputed Telugu districts and three Talukas of Bellarly district, but excluding Madras City. On 1st October, 1953, Andhra State came into existence. Kurnool became the capital of New State.
Question 2.
Examine the factors that led to Jai Andhra Movement.
Answer:
During the years 1969 and 1972, Andhra Pradesh was rocked by two political agitations popularly known as the ‘Telangana’ and ’.Jai Andhra’ movements respectively. Jai Andhra movement in 1972 was a sequel to the Telangana agitation which demanded only ’Mulkis’ should be appointed to the posts in Telangana including Hyderabad city. This Mulki rule was challenged in the High Court. The High Court struck down Mulki rules.
On an appeal by the state government, the Supreme Court declared that the Mulki rules were valid and were in force. The judgement created a great political crisis in the state. The people of Andhra region felt that they were reduced to the status of second class citizens in their own state capital. They have an agitation demanding separation of Andhra region from Andhra Pradesh.
Question 3.
What are the initiatives undertaken by NHRC?
Answer:
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is a statutory body. It was established on October 12th, 1993. Its statute is contained in the protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The Act is in conformity with the Paris principles adopted at the First International Workshop (October, 1991) on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. The said principles were endorsed by the U.N. General Assembly in its resolution 48/134 of December 20, 1993. The Commission is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights. This Act was amended in 2006.
The National Human Rights Commission is the guardian of human rights in the country i.e., the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individuals guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the international governance and enforceable by the courts in India.
Question 4.
Why are Human Rights Commissions necessary at the National and State Level?
Answer:
Human Rights Commissions at National and State Level are necessary. Because these commissions have to safeguard the human rights.
People are human so they are entitled to human rights. Human rights can’t be bought earned or inherited. They are inalienable in the sense that no one has the right to deprive another for any reason. Human Rights determine standards to states and governments to protect the vulnerable individuals and groups against oppression. Any modern approach to human rights must be coherent and holistic. It means they should not only protect from physical oppression but also involve in economic, social, political and cultural rights. Educational institutions, civil society, government (including police and armed forces), corporate sector, individuals, etc. should strive collectively to impart basic human values in the society and ensure that it is not just learning about but living with Human Rights.
Question 5.
What are the powers and functions of In formation Commissions?
Answer:
The powers and functions of Information Commissions:
- The Central Information Commission/State Information Commission (CIC/SCIC) has a duty to receive complaints from any person.
- Who has not been able to submit an information request because a PIO has not been appointed?
- Who has been refused information that was requested?
- Who has received no response to his/her information request within the specified time limits;
- Power to order inquiry if there are reasonable grounds.
- The Central Information Commission/State Information Commissions (CIC/SCIC) will have powers of Civil Court such as –
- Summoning and enforcing attendance of persons, compelling them to give oral or written evidence on oath and to produce documents or things;
- Requiring the discovery and inspection of documents;
- Receiving evidence on affidavit;
- Requisitioning public records or copies from any court or office;
- Issuing summons for examination of witnesses or documents;
- Any other matter which may be prescribed.
- All records covered by this law (including those covered by exemptions) must be given to Central Information Commission/State Information Commission (CIC/SCIC) during inquiry for examination.
- Power to secure compliance of its decisions from the Public Authority includes
- Providing access to information in a particular form;
- Directing the public authority to appoint a PIO/APIO where none exists;
- Publishing information or categories of information.
Question 6.
How is the Central Information Commission constituted? [May-2016]
Answer:
Constitution of Central Information Commission:
Central Information Commission (CIC) is constituted by the Centred Government through a Gazette Notification. The Commission includes one Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and not more than 10 Information Commissioners (IC) who will be appointed by the President of India. The oath of office will be administered by the President of India. The Commission shall have its headquarters in Delhi. Other offices ‘ may be established in other parts of the country with the approval of the Central Government. The Commission will exercise its powers without being subjected to directions by any other authority.
Eligibility and Appointment:
Candidates for CIC/IC must be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance. CIC/IC shall not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory. He shall not hold any other office of profit or be connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession. The appointment Committee includes Prime Minister (Chair), Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and one Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
Question 7.
What is the time limit to get the Information?
Answer:
Any citizen of the country can seek information from any agency subject to certain limitations. The applicant should submit an application to the public Information Officer (PIO) or Assistant PIO or who is the officer to give information to a person, who seeks information under this Act, accompanied by a nominal fee (usually Rs. 10/-) in the form of demand draft/banker cheque/Indian Postal Order/Court Fee stamp. Persons below the poverty line (BPL) are exempted from the fee payment. However he/she should submit a proof in support of his or her claim for belonging to the section below poverty line. Information is to be provided by the PlO/asst. PIO within 30 days if life and liberty is involved, the information should be furnished within 48 hours where third party is involved it is to be provided within 40 days.
Question 8.
What are the different options suggested by Sri Krishna Committee regarding the status of Andhra Pradesh State?
Answer:
The Sri Krishna Committee solicited suggestions and views from political parties, social organizations and other stakeholders. The Committee’s report contained six options.
They are mentioned as follows:
- Maintaining the status quo.
- Bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana. Each state is to develop its own capital. Hyderabad is to be converted into a Union Territory.
- Dividing Andhra Pradesh into two states – one of Rayala Telangana with Hyderabad as its Capital and the second one of the coastal Andhra Pradesh.
- Dividing Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a separate Union Territory. It will be linked geographically to Guntur district in coastal Andhra via Nalgonda district in the south east and via Mahaboob Nagar district in the south to Kurnool district in Rayalaseema.
- Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have new capital.
- Keeping the State united and providing for creation of statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council for socio-economic development and political development of Telangana region.
Very Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
Gentlemen Agreement.
Answer:
Gentlemen Agreement was signed by the leaders of Andhra and Telangana to ally the fears of Telangana people to live with the people of Andhra region in Visalandhra. The main provision of this agreement was the creation of a ‘Regional Council’ for Telangana for its all round development. Dr. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy became the first Chief minister of Andhra Pradeh under this agreement.
Question 2.
JVP Committee. [March-’19,’18,’16]
Answer:
JVP committee was consisting of Jawaharial Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel and Pattabi Seetaramaiah. It submitted its report on 1st April, 1949. This Committee was constituted by the Indian National Congress. This Committee did not favour the creation oi linguistic provinces. It suggested that Andhra province could be formed provided the Andhra gave up their claim to the city of Madras.
Question 3.
Sri Bagh Pact.
Answer:
Andhra State came into existence on 1 st October,! 935 and Kurnool became the capital of new State under the terms of ISRI Bagh Pact between the leaders of coastal Andhra and Rayala Seema. Andhra State was inaugurated by Nehru, with Tanguturi Prakasam as the First Chief Minister. The forty years old dream of the Telugtr people to have separate state was partly fulfilled.
Question 4.
Fazal Ali Commission.
Answer:
Syed Fazal Ali was appointed as the Chairman of the State Re-organisation Commission by the Union Government in December, 1953, This Commission favoured the formation of separate state for Telangana. But the Congress High Command succumbed to the pressure of Andhra leaders and agreed for Visalandhra.
Question 5.
Criteria to be followed to be appointed as the Chairperson of NHRC. [March-2017]
Answer:
The Chairperson shall be appointed by the President of India, on the recommendations of a six member committee. This high level and politically balanced committee, together with the statutory requirements relating to the qualifications of the Chairperson and members of the Commission, invest the Commission with a very high degree of credibility.
Question 6.
Procedure to be considered for the appointment of Chairperson and members of the State HRC.
Answer:
The Chairperson and members of the State Human Rights Commission (SHC) are appointed by the concerned State Governor on the recommendations of a Committee consisting of the Chief Minister as its head, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the state Home Minister and the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly.
Question 7.
Human Rights Commission as a Civil Court.
Answer:
The Human Rights Protection Act, 1993 provides for the establishment of Human Rights Court in every district for the speedy trail of violation of human rights. These courts can be setup by the state government only with the Concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court of that State.
Question 8.
The Jurisdiction ofNHRC on armed forces.
Answer:
The Jurisdiction of NHRC is very limited. The Commission has limited role, powers and jurisdiction with respect to the violation of human rights by the Armed forces.
Question 9.
Public Information Officer (PIO).
Answer:
Any citizen of the country can seek information from any agency subject to certain limitations The applicant should submit an application to the Public Information Officer fPIO). The applicant should also submit a proof in support of his claim for belonging to the section below poverty line. Information is to be provided by PIO or Asst PIO with in 30 days if life and liberty is involved.
Question 10.
What is information? [May 2017,’16]
Answer:
Information is any material in any form. It includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, log books, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models and data material in any electronic form.