Governance and Transparency — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on governance and transparency with full explanations — Information Commissions, RTI exemptions, the 2019 amendment, Sevottam and e-governance.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners of the Central Information Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of which of the following?
- Prime Minister
- Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha
- Chief Justice of India
- A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
Section 12(3): the PM, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM. The CJI is not a member — unlike the Lokpal and CBI Director committees.
Answer: C
With reference to the Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019, consider the following statements:
- It empowered the Union Government to prescribe the term of office and salaries of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners.
- It converted the Central Information Commission into a constitutional body.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong — the CIC remains a statutory body; only a constitutional amendment could change that.
Answer: A
How many of the following are among the categories of information exempted from disclosure under Section 8(1) of the RTI Act, 2005?
- Information received in confidence from a foreign government
- Information which would impede the process of investigation or prosecution of offenders
- Cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the Council of Ministers
- Information available to a person in a fiduciary relationship
Solution
All four — clauses (f), (h), (i) and (e). Cabinet papers become disclosable once the decision is taken and the matter is complete; Section 8(2) allows disclosure where public interest outweighs the harm.
Answer: D
The Sevottam model, often discussed in the context of public service delivery in India, is primarily associated with which of the following?
Solution
Sevottam has three components — citizen’s charter, public grievance redress and service delivery capability. The 2nd ARC’s 12th Report recommended it.
Answer: B
In the title of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission’s report Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward, SMART stands for:
Solution
Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, Transparent (11th Report, 2008). Option B is the goal-setting acronym from management — a deliberate distractor.
Answer: C
Mains
Citizens’ charters in India have remained statements of intent rather than instruments of accountability. Examine, and suggest how they can be made effective.
Solution
Introduction: Citizens’ charters, adopted in India after the 1997 Conference of Chief Ministers on the UK model (1991), publicly commit government departments to service standards and grievance redress.
Body:
- Why they fall short: drafted without citizen consultation; vague or unmeasurable standards; no legal enforceability or penalties; little awareness among users; rarely updated; weak grievance follow-up.
- Efforts to strengthen: the Sevottam model (charter, grievance redress, service capability); the 2nd ARC’s 12th Report on citizen-centric administration; State Right to Services laws with time limits and penalties; online grievance systems such as CPGRAMS.
- Making them effective: measurable standards with timelines; statutory backing and compensation for delay; periodic independent review and third-party audit; linking performance to officers’ appraisals; publicity in local languages.
Conclusion: A charter becomes an accountability tool only when its promises are measurable, enforceable and reviewed with citizens.