UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Upper House passes Bills to change name of Kerala, strengthen NCDC
Q1. In the Union Government, which one of the following is responsible for processing a proposal to alter the name of a State and piloting the resulting Bill in Parliament?
- A. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which processes the proposal after the views of the State Legislature are received
- B. The Ministry of Law and Justice, which alone may move any Bill that alters an entry in a Schedule of the Constitution
- C. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, which pilots all Bills concerning the names and boundaries of States
- D. The Inter-State Council Secretariat, whose prior clearance is necessary for every proposal affecting a State's identity
Q2. Under which provision, and on what condition, may a Bill to alter the name of a State be introduced in Parliament?
- A. The proviso to Article 3, on the President's recommendation and after reference of the Bill to the State Legislature for its views, which do not bind Parliament
- B. The proviso to Article 3, on the President's recommendation and after the concerned State Legislature has conveyed its prior consent to the alteration
- C. Article 4, on the recommendation of the Union Council of Ministers and after ratification of the Bill by not less than one-half of the State Legislatures
- D. The proviso to Article 368(2), on the President's recommendation and after the Bill is passed by a special majority in each House of Parliament
Q3. The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 was passed by the Lok Sabha how many days after its introduction in that House?
- A. One day
- B. Three days
- C. Six days
- D. Fourteen days
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026:
1. It was piloted by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
2. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2026.
3. It followed a resolution adopted by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024.
4. It effects the change of name by amending the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- It was piloted by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- It was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2026.
- It followed a resolution adopted by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024.
- It effects the change of name by amending the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
- A. 1 only
- B. 4 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 1 and 3
Q5. The formal drafting and legal vetting of a Central Bill such as an Alteration of Name Bill is carried out by which one of the following?
- A. The Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice
- B. The Department of Justice of the Ministry of Law and Justice
- C. The Legislative Section of the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India
- D. The Legislative Branch of the Secretariat of the House in which the Bill is introduced
Q6. Consider the following pairs of a change of name and the law that effected it:
1. Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand — the Uttaranchal (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006
2. Bombay State to Maharashtra — the Bombay (Alteration of Name) Act, 1960
3. Madras State to Tamil Nadu — the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968
4. Orissa to Odisha — the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006
Which of the above pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand — the Uttaranchal (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006
- Bombay State to Maharashtra — the Bombay (Alteration of Name) Act, 1960
- Madras State to Tamil Nadu — the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968
- Orissa to Odisha — the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 3 and 4
Q7. Consider the following statements regarding the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC):
1. It is a statutory corporation established in 1963 under an Act of Parliament of 1962.
2. Under 'Yuva Sahakar', it supports newly formed cooperative societies with innovative ideas.
3. Its assistance is confined to farmer cooperatives in agriculture and does not extend to handloom, poultry or fishery cooperatives.
4. Under 'Swayam Shakti Sahkar', it extends assistance to self-help groups.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It is a statutory corporation established in 1963 under an Act of Parliament of 1962.
- Under 'Yuva Sahakar', it supports newly formed cooperative societies with innovative ideas.
- Its assistance is confined to farmer cooperatives in agriculture and does not extend to handloom, poultry or fishery cooperatives.
- Under 'Swayam Shakti Sahkar', it extends assistance to self-help groups.
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q8. In the context of the schemes of the National Co-operative Development Corporation, 'Deerghavadhi Krishak Sahkar' denotes which one of the following?
- A. Long-term agricultural credit routed through cooperatives to their farmer members
- B. Long-term refinance extended by NABARD to State cooperative banks for investment credit
- C. A long-duration crop insurance cover administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- D. A long-tenure procurement guarantee operated by the Food Corporation of India for cooperative mandis
Q9. The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 replaces the Corporation's mandate of financing 'through co-operative societies' with support for 'co-operative development'. What does this altered expression permit?
- A. Financing of any entity engaged in cooperative development to the extent the funds are used for cooperative societies, which remain the primary beneficiaries
- B. Financing of State governments and their agencies, which would replace cooperative societies as the principal channel for the Corporation's assistance
- C. Registration of private companies as multi-State cooperative societies by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies for the purpose of receiving assistance
- D. Regulation by the Reserve Bank of India of all lending by the Corporation, which would henceforth be treated as a cooperative development finance bank
Q10. The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 inserts a provision enabling the Corporation to collect and furnish credit or other information to which one of the following?
- A. Specified authorities and financial institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India
- B. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, which alone maintains the credit records of all cooperatives
- C. The Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies, who is the sole custodian of all cooperative credit data in the country
- D. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, whose clearance is necessary for every borrowing by the Corporation
Q11. Which one of the following correctly describes the administrative arrangement for the cooperative sector at the Centre today?
- A. A separate Ministry of Cooperation created in 2021 pursues the vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi', and the NCDC functions under it
- B. A separate Ministry of Cooperation created in 2021 pursues the vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi', while the NCDC continues under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- C. A Department of Cooperation within the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare pursues the vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi' and administers the NCDC
- D. A separate Ministry of Cooperation created in 2021 pursues the vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi', while the NCDC has been converted into a company under the Ministry of Finance
Q12. With reference to the Monsoon Session 2026 of Parliament, which one of the following correctly identifies the House that passed the larger number of Bills, along with that number?
- A. The Lok Sabha, which passed nine Bills, one more than the number passed by the Rajya Sabha
- B. The Rajya Sabha, which passed eleven Bills, three more than the number passed by the Lok Sabha
- C. The Lok Sabha, which passed every one of the twelve Bills introduced during the session
- D. The Rajya Sabha, which passed all the Bills of the session, since no Bill can become law without its assent