With reference to the Union Parliament, answer the following questions:
How many members may be nominated to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha? Give reasons.
Topic: Nominated members of Parliament
Answer
RAJYA SABHA — TWELVE members are nominated by the President, chosen from persons having special knowledge or practical experience in LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ART AND SOCIAL SERVICE. The reason is to bring into the House eminent people who would not ordinarily contest an election, so that the country has the benefit of their expertise.
LOK SABHA — TWO members were nominated by the President from the ANGLO-INDIAN community, if he was of the opinion that it was not adequately represented. The reason was to protect a very small minority that could not win a seat by election anywhere.
(Note: the nomination of Anglo-Indian members was discontinued by the 104th Constitutional Amendment of 2019, so the Lok Sabha now has no nominated members.)
Three marks: the two figures and the reasons. The question says "give reasons", so a bare 12 and 2 earns only part of the mark. The four fields for Rajya Sabha nomination — literature, science, art and social service — are frequently asked in their own right. The 2019 amendment matters for current papers: the Lok Sabha has NO nominated members now, which is why recent questions on its composition have a different answer from older ones. Both facts are worth knowing.