RAS question
Which Article defines a 'Money Bill'?
Correct answer: (B) Article 110.
Article 110 of the Constitution of India defines a Money Bill.
Explanation
Article 110 is the defining provision for a Money Bill. It says that, for the purposes of the relevant Chapter, a Bill is deemed to be a Money Bill only when it contains provisions dealing with specified financial matters such as taxation, borrowing, the Consolidated Fund of India, expenditure charged on that Fund, receipt or custody of public money, audit, or matters incidental to these heads. This is why the key is Article 110 rather than a nearby financial-procedure Article: Article 110 supplies the test for classification, and the Constitution also links Money Bill certification to the Speaker of the House of the People.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 109 deals with the special procedure for Money Bills after they are passed by the House of the People; it does not define what makes a Bill a Money Bill.
- (C) Article 112 concerns the Annual Financial Statement, which is the statement of estimated receipts and expenditure for a financial year, not the definition of a Money Bill.
- (D) Article 117 sets special provisions for Financial Bills, including recommendation requirements, while referring back to Article 110 for the relevant Money Bill matters.
Concept
This tests Parliament's financial procedure under the Constitution, especially the distinction between Money Bills, Financial Bills and the Annual Financial Statement. It recurs because adjacent Articles in the same cluster have different functions, so precise Article-to-concept mapping matters.