SSC
The provision for a separate secretarial staff for each House of Parliament is made under:
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Answer: Option A — Article 98(1)
Detailed Solution
Article 98(1) says that each House of Parliament shall have a separate secretarial staff. It adds that this does not prevent the creation of posts common to both Houses.
Other parts of Article 98:
- Article 98(2) allows Parliament to regulate by law the recruitment and conditions of service of the secretarial staff of either House.
- Article 98(3) says that until Parliament makes such a law, the President may make rules on these matters after consulting the Speaker or the Chairman, as the case may be.
Why separate secretariats:
- Independent secretariats help each House function independently of the executive.
- They support the dignity and autonomy of Parliament.
The two secretariats:
- The Lok Sabha Secretariat assists the Lok Sabha.
- The Rajya Sabha Secretariat assists the Rajya Sabha.
- Each is headed by a Secretary-General, who is a senior officer usually with the rank of Cabinet Secretary.
Functions of the secretariats:
- Preparing the agenda and the list of business for each day.
- Recording and publishing the debates of the House.
- Assisting members with research, reference and library services.
- Servicing parliamentary committees.
- Managing the security, administration and finances of the House.
Parliament Library and research:
The Library, Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service (LARRDIS) of the Lok Sabha Secretariat helps members with information for debates.
State legislatures:
Article 187 makes a similar provision for separate secretarial staff for state legislatures.
New Parliament building:
The new Parliament House in New Delhi was inaugurated in May 2023, and both secretariats moved their work there.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Article 94 deals with vacation, resignation and removal of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.
- ✗Article 105 deals with the powers, privileges and immunities of the Houses and their members.
- ✗Article 118 deals with the rules of procedure of each House.
Quick tip
Remember: Article 98 = separate secretariats for each House of Parliament; Article 187 = the same for state legislatures.
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.