Railway
Zero Hour in the Indian Parliament normally begins at:
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Answer: Option D — 12 noon
Detailed Solution
Zero Hour normally starts at 12 noon, immediately after Question Hour, which runs from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. That is why it is called Zero Hour.
What happens in Zero Hour:
- Members raise matters of urgent public importance without giving prior notice, or with short notice to the presiding officer.
- Ministers may or may not respond immediately.
- Members use it to draw the attention of the government to issues in their constituencies or of national importance.
Status of Zero Hour:
- Zero Hour is not mentioned in the Constitution or in the Rules of Procedure of either House.
- It is an informal device that developed through practice.
- It is an Indian innovation in parliamentary procedure, which began in the early 1960s.
How it works in practice:
- Members give notice to the presiding officer in the morning, stating the subject they want to raise.
- The presiding officer decides which matters will be raised and in what order.
- Each member gets a short time to speak.
Advantages:
- It allows quick discussion of urgent and current issues that cannot wait for formal procedures.
- It gives backbenchers and opposition members a chance to raise issues.
Criticism:
- Since there are no fixed rules, Zero Hour sometimes becomes noisy and disorderly.
- Important issues may be raised without proper preparation.
Question Hour versus Zero Hour:
- Question Hour is governed by rules and requires advance notice, and questions are answered by ministers.
- Zero Hour is informal, and matters can be raised without detailed notice.
Other tools of accountability:
Calling attention motions, adjournment motions and short-duration discussions are other ways to raise urgent issues.
Rajya Sabha:
In the Rajya Sabha, Zero Hour has been held at the start of the day in some periods, before Question Hour, as decided by the Chairman.
Why not the other options?
- ✗11 a.m. is when Question Hour usually begins.
- ✗2 p.m. is after the lunch break, and 10 a.m. is before the House meets.
Quick tip
Remember: Question Hour = 11 a.m. to 12 noon; Zero Hour starts at 12 noon (an Indian innovation, not in the rules).
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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.