Q16 of 47 Page 1

What is meant by ‘Privy Purse’ ? Evaluate the role played by Indira Gandhi in the abolition of privy purses.

Privy Purse was the allowance given to the families of erstwhile princely states to help them support their expenditures. This included monetary allowance and the rights to retain their private property.


Indira Gandhi played a major role in doing away with the policy of Privy Purse. She considered that the move was against the principles of equality and social justice enshrined in the Constitution. She took the following steps:


a) She first introduced a bill, which failed in the Rajya Sabha.


b) Then she decided to pass an ordinance, which was struck down by the Supreme Court.


c) Finally, she made it an election issue in 1971 and gathered overwhelming public support for the cause. She struck it down in 1971, by appropriately amending the constitution to undo legal barriers to the bill.


More from this chapter

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14

Describe any four features of the ideology followed by the Swatantra Party founded in 1959.

 15

Describe any four criteria that have been proposed in recent years for new permanent and non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

OR


Describe any four new sources of threats to non-traditional security.


 17

Study the cartoon given above carefully and answer the following questions :

(i) Which part of this cartoon is related to China?


(ii) Assess the strength of China on the basis of the cartoon.


(iii) “China may be the next superpower in the world.” Justify the statement with two arguments.



 17 A

Note : The following questions are for the Visually Impaired Candidates only in lieu of Q. No. 17 :

17.1 In your opinion, where does China stand as an economic power?


17.2 Assess any two conditions which make the United States of America, a superpower.


17.3 “China may be the next superpower in the world.” Justify the statement with two arguments.