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Polity & governance

Prelims · Polity & governance · 27 questions

Constitutional, statutory & regulatory bodies

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Constitutional, statutory & regulatory bodies questions per year: 2016: 2, 2017: 1, 2018: 1, 2019: 2, 2020: 0, 2021: 1, 2022: 2, 2023: 1, 2024: 1, 2025: 4, 2026: 2 Asked in 10 of 11 years · most in 2025 (4)

UPSC syllabus: “Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2022 · Q12

Hard

With reference to India, consider the following statements:

  1. 1.Government law officers and legal firms are recognised as advocates, but corporate lawyers and patent attorneys are excluded from recognition as advocates.
  2. 2.Bar Councils have the power to lay down the rules relating to legal education and recognition of law colleges.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 only

Under the Advocates Act, 1961 an advocate is an individual enrolled on a State Bar Council's roll; a law firm is not an advocate, and corporate lawyers or patent attorneys are not excluded as a class. The Bar Council of India does have statutory functions over legal education and recognition of law degrees.

  • ✗ 1. The Act's definition of advocate does not extend to law firms, partnerships or companies, so 'legal firms' are not recognised as advocates. Recognition turns on an individual's enrolment, not on whether one works for government, a company or in patent practice.
  • ✓ 2. Section 7 of the Advocates Act gives the Bar Council of India legal-education functions, including recognising universities whose law degree qualifies a person for enrolment, and inspecting them for that purpose.

Remember · Advocates Act, 1961: advocates are enrolled individuals (firms are not); the Bar Council of India sets legal-education standards and recognises law degrees for enrolment.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q17

Easy

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1.Attorney General of India and Solicitor General of India are the only officers of the Government who are allowed to participate in the meetings of the Parliament of India.
  2. 2.According to the Constitution of India, the Attorney General of India submits his resignation when the Government which appointed him resigns.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Article 88 gives every Minister and the Attorney-General — not the Solicitor General — the right to speak and take part in Parliament's proceedings without a vote. The Constitution only says the Attorney-General holds office during the pleasure of the President; resigning with the government is a convention, not a constitutional rule.

  • ✗ 1. Article 88 names Ministers and the Attorney-General as the persons who may take part in the proceedings of either House and its committees; the Solicitor General has no such constitutional right.
  • ✗ 2. Article 76(4) says only that the Attorney-General holds office during the pleasure of the President. Stepping down when the government changes is a practice, not something the Constitution provides.

Remember · Article 76: Attorney-General (office at President's pleasure; right of audience in all courts). Article 88: AG and Ministers may speak in either House and committees but cannot vote.

Sources

  • Constitution of India (as on 2024), Article 88 — Legislative Department ↗ “Every Minister and the Attorney-General of India shall have the right to speak in, and otherwise to take part in the proceedings of, either House, any joint sitting of the Houses … The Attorney-General shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, and shall receive such remuneration as the President may determine.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q63

Medium

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1.In India, credit rating agencies are regulated by Reserve Bank of India.
  2. 2.The rating agency popularly known as ICRA is a public limited company.
  3. 3.Brickwork Ratings is an Indian credit rating agency.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

SEBI, not the RBI, regulates credit rating agencies in India, so statement 1 is wrong. ICRA Limited and Brickwork Ratings India are both Indian agencies registered with SEBI, so statements 2 and 3 are correct.

  • ✗ 1. Credit rating agencies are regulated by SEBI under the SEBI (Credit Rating Agencies) Regulations, 1999. The RBI only accredits agencies to rate bank loans and similar instruments under its own guidelines.
  • ✓ 2. ICRA Limited is a public limited company, as its name under company law shows (a private company would be 'Pvt. Ltd.'); it is on SEBI's list of registered rating agencies.
  • ✓ 3. Brickwork Ratings India Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian agency on SEBI's list of registered credit rating agencies, with its registered address in Bengaluru.

Remember · SEBI regulates credit rating agencies (CRA Regulations, 1999); the RBI merely accredits them for bank-loan ratings.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q64

Medium

With reference to the 'Banks Board Bureau (BBB)', which of the following statements are correct?

  1. 1.The Governor of RBI is the Chairman of BBB.
  2. 2.BBB recommends for the selection of heads for Public Sector Banks.
  3. 3.BBB helps the Public Sector Banks in developing strategies and capital raising plans.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

The Banks Board Bureau recommended who should head public sector banks and helped them with strategy and capital-raising plans, so statements 2 and 3 are correct. Its chairman was not the RBI Governor: the first Chairman was Vinod Rai, former CAG, and the RBI was represented only by a Deputy Governor as ex-officio member.

  • ✗ 1. The Bureau was chaired by Vinod Rai, a former Comptroller and Auditor General. The RBI's seat was that of a Deputy Governor, an ex-officio member.
  • ✓ 2. The Bureau was set up to recommend the selection of heads of public sector banks and financial institutions.
  • ✓ 3. It was also mandated to help banks develop strategies and capital-raising plans.

Remember · Banks Board Bureau (from 1 April 2016): recommends PSB heads and helps with strategy and capital raising; Chairman Vinod Rai; RBI Deputy Governor an ex-officio member.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q72

Hard

In India, what is the role of the Coal Controller’s Organization (CCO)?

  1. 1.CCO is the major source of Coal Statistics in Government of India.
  2. 2.It monitors progress of development of Captive Coal/Lignite blocks.
  3. 3.It hears any objection to the Government’s notification relating to acquisition of coal-bearing areas.
  4. 4.It ensures that coal mining companies deliver the coal to end users in the prescribed time.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3

The Coal Controller's Organisation is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Coal that collects coal statistics, monitors allocated coal blocks and hears objections under the coal-area acquisition law, but it does not police delivery of coal to consumers.

  • ✓ 1. It works under the Collection of Statistics Act and has a Statistics Section; its yearly Coal Directory of India and Provisional Coal Statistics are the standard government source for coal data.
  • ✓ 2. The CCO has a section that monitors allocated coal blocks, including captive coal and lignite blocks.
  • ✓ 3. The Coal Controller hears objections to the Central Government's notification for acquiring coal-bearing land under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957, and reports to the Centre.
  • ✗ 4. Its listed duties cover grade and quality checks, mining and closure plans, opening permissions and statistics; ensuring that mining companies deliver coal to end users on time is not among them.

Remember · Coal Controller's Organisation: subordinate office of the Ministry of Coal; coal statistics, grade disputes, mining and closure plans, monitoring of coal blocks, and hearings under the 1957 coal-area acquisition Act.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q79

Medium

With reference to the “Tea Board” in India, consider the following statements:

  1. 1.The Tea Board is a statutory body.
  2. 2.It is a regulatory body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  3. 3.The Tea Board’s Head Office is situated in Bengaluru.
  4. 4.The Board has overseas offices at Dubai and Moscow.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 1 and 4

The Tea Board is a statutory body set up under Section 4 of the Tea Act, 1953, and it runs promotion offices abroad, including Dubai and Moscow. It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, not Agriculture, and its head office is in Kolkata, not Bengaluru.

  • ✓ 1. The Tea Board was constituted on 1 April 1954 under Section 4 of the Tea Act, 1953, so it is a statutory body of the Central Government.
  • ✗ 2. It functions under the Ministry of Commerce (Department of Commerce), not the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • ✗ 3. The Board's head office is at 14, BTM Sarani, Kolkata, not in Bengaluru.
  • ✓ 4. Its published list of offices abroad includes Dubai and Moscow, besides London.

Remember · Tea Board: statutory body under the Tea Act, 1953; Ministry of Commerce and Industry; head office in Kolkata; overseas offices include London, Dubai and Moscow.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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