Who among the following personalities is NOT a Governor of any Indian State ?
- (a)Najma Heptulla
- (b)Ram Nath Kovind
- (c)Acharya Dev Vrat
- (d)Arvind Subramaniam
Correct — D, Arvind Subramaniam. He was the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, appointed in October 2014 and serving until June 2018, and he has never held a Governor's office. The Chief Economic Adviser heads the economic division of the Union Finance Ministry and writes the Economic Survey; a Governor, by contrast, is appointed by the President under Article 155 as the constitutional head of a State. The other three names on the list were all sitting Governors when this paper was set in April 2017.
- (a)Najma Heptulla — She was sworn in as Governor of Manipur on 21 August 2016, having been Union Minister of Minority Affairs before that and, earlier still, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha for many years.
- (b)Ram Nath Kovind — He took oath as Governor of Bihar on 16 August 2015 and was in that office when this paper was set. He resigned in June 2017 on being nominated for the presidency.
- (c)Acharya Dev Vrat — He became Governor of Himachal Pradesh on 12 August 2015 and held that office until July 2019, so he too was a serving Governor at the time of the exam.
A Governor is appointed by the President under Article 155 of the Constitution, normally holds office for five years under Article 156, and serves during the pleasure of the President. The office is constitutional and executive. The Chief Economic Adviser is neither — the post sits inside the Department of Economic Affairs of the Union Finance Ministry, is filled by a professional economist on contract, and carries no constitutional standing at all.
The question rewards a candidate who tracks appointments, but it can also be reasoned out from what each person is known for, since three names are political figures and one is a professional economist. A small printing point is worth recording — the paper spells the economist's surname 'Subramaniam', whereas he writes it Subramanian. It is an incidental slip in the printed booklet and changes nothing about the answer. All four positions have since changed hands: Ram Nath Kovind went on to serve as President of India from July 2017 to July 2022, Acharya Devvrat moved to Gujarat as Governor in July 2019, and Arvind Subramanian left the Chief Economic Adviser's post in June 2018.
- Arvind Subramanian was the sixteenth Chief Economic Adviser, in office from 16 October 2014 to 20 June 2018.
- Najma Heptulla became Governor of Manipur on 21 August 2016.
- Ram Nath Kovind was Governor of Bihar from 16 August 2015 and later President of India from 2017 to 2022.
- Acharya Devvrat was Governor of Himachal Pradesh from 12 August 2015 and Governor of Gujarat from July 2019.
Three names in the list held the first office in April 2017; Arvind Subramanian held the second, which is why he is the odd one out.
- Assuming that a well-known public figure in the news must hold a constitutional office; several are advisers or committee heads.
- Answering from today's holders rather than from the situation at the exam date — three of these four positions have changed since 2017.
NDA likes the negative form of the appointments question — three current office holders and one outsider — so revise appointments as a list of person, office and year.
Article 156 of the Constitution of India provides that a Governor shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office. Which of the following can be deduced from this? I. No Governor can be removed from office till completion of his term. II. No Governor can continue in office beyond a period of five years. Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
- (a) I only
- (b) II only
- (c) Both I and II
- (d) Neither I nor II
Answer(d) Neither I nor II
The Governor's office from the constitutional side. A Governor may be removed before five years and may also continue beyond them until a successor arrives — the tenure rules that sit behind any question about who currently holds a Raj Bhavan.
As per Indian Protocol, who among the following ranks highest in the order of precedence?
- (a) Deputy Prime Minister
- (b) Former President
- (c) Governor of a State within his state
- (d) Speaker of Lok Sabha
Answer(c) Governor of a State within his state
How high the office actually sits — a Governor outranks a former President and the Speaker within his own State. It is a useful reminder that the Governor's post is a constitutional one, unlike an advisory appointment.
Who among the following is the Chairperson of the Goods and Services Tax Council?
- (a) The Prime Minister of India
- (b) The Union Finance Minister
- (c) The Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- (d) The President of India
Answer(b) The Union Finance Minister
The same test of who holds which office, asked by office instead of by name. NDA works this ground every paper, so a person-and-post table is worth maintaining right through the year.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Governor of a State in India is appointed by
- (a)the Prime Minister
- (b)the President of India
- (c)the Chief Minister of the State
- (d)the Chief Justice of India
Answer(b) the President of India — under Article 155 of the Constitution.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Economic Survey of India is prepared under the guidance of
- (a)the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
- (b)the Chief Economic Adviser
- (c)the Comptroller and Auditor General
- (d)the Cabinet Secretary
Answer(b) the Chief Economic Adviser — in the Department of Economic Affairs, Union Finance Ministry.