Prelims 2012 · archive
MediumAccording to the Constitution of India, it is the duty of the President of India to cause to be laid before the Parliament which of the following?
- 1.The Recommendation of the Union Finance Commission.
- 2.The Report of the Public Accounts Committee.
- 3.The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
- 4.The Report of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4 only
Three Articles of the Constitution name the President as the person who lays the document before Parliament. These are Article 281 (Finance Commission), Article 151 (CAG reports) and Article 338(6) (National Commission for Scheduled Castes). The Public Accounts Committee is a committee of Parliament, so its reports are presented to the House by the Committee itself and not through the President.
- ✓ 1. Article 281 says the President shall cause every Finance Commission recommendation, with an explanatory memorandum on the action taken, to be laid before each House of Parliament.
- ✗ 2. The PAC is a parliamentary committee, and its reports are presented to the House by the Committee itself. No constitutional provision makes the President lay them.
- ✓ 3. Under Article 151(1), CAG reports on the Union accounts are submitted to the President, who causes them to be laid before each House of Parliament.
- ✓ 4. Article 338(6) says the President shall cause the Commission's reports to be laid before each House, along with a memorandum on the action taken or proposed.
Remember · President lays before Parliament: Finance Commission recommendations (Art 281), CAG reports (Art 151) and NCSC reports (Art 338). PAC reports go to the House directly from the Committee.
Sources
- The Constitution of India (Legislative Department, as on 1 May 2024), Article 281 ↗ “The President shall cause every recommendation made by the Finance Commission under the provisions of this Constitution together with an explanatory memorandum as to the action taken thereon to be laid before each House of Parliament. … The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India relating to the accounts of the Union shall be submitted to the President, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament. … The President shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament along with a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations relating to the Union”
- Lok Sabha Secretariat, Parliamentary Committees (Chapter III) ↗ “To facilitate speedy regularisation of such excess expenditure by Parliament, the Committee presents a consolidated report relating to all Ministries/Departments in advance of the other reports.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·