UPSC Essentials | Mains Answer Practice GS 2 : Questions on role of digital public infrastructure and removal of a Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Week 142)

QUESTION 2

Discuss the constitutional procedure for the removal of a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

QUESTION 1: Discuss the role of digital public infrastructure in fostering AI adoption in developing countries, and how India’s AI strategy could help bridge the technological divide between developed countries and the Global South.

Relevance: It is highly relevant for GS II (governance, Global South diplomacy). India’s DPI model, like Unified Payments Interface and Aadhaar, shows how inclusive tech architecture can bridge global technological inequalities.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— India’s position as a rising power in the sphere of technology and AI is becoming clearer by the day. India is now being recognised as a nation capable of building, deploying and governing AI at a scale very few countries can match. This change has been led by a combination of targeted policy interventions, the introduction of large digital public platforms and the cultivation of a workforce that is technically capable.

— Over the past decade, India created a strong foundation through its digital public infrastructure, which includes Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker and many others. These systems have generated a level of data standardisation and interoperability that makes it possible to apply AI in meaningful ways across large populations.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— A major policy push came with the IndiaAI Mission launched in 2024. The Mission aimed to strengthen the entire AI ecosystem by investing in computing power, building high-quality datasets, research labs, empowering startups, and designing targeted skilling programmes.

— A national AI compute platform with more than 38,000 GPUs has been set up to support domestic research and model development. More than 22,000 GPUs have been allocated to a total of 291 end users, including state and central government departments, researchers, students, and MSMEs.

— India’s journey stands out because it applies AI to public-sector problems at population scale. It also stands out for the rapid growth of its AI start-up ecosystem. Companies working in HealthTech, AgriTech, FinTech, logistics and education are building solutions designed for Indian conditions, where affordability, scale and linguistic diversity matter.

— These solutions show that AI is not only a high-end technical solution but also a tool for improving public welfare outcomes, and are attracting interest from Southeast Asia, Africa and West Asia, where countries face similar challenges.

— As India strengthens its domestic AI ecosystem, it will have greater influence in global discussions on AI standards, safety norms and ethical frameworks. This influence will matter in a world where technological power is becoming as important as traditional economic or military power.

Conclusion:

— Domestic hardware capability needs to be developed. Data quality and cybersecurity need continuous strengthening. India is moving from being a consumer of global technologies to a contributor to frontier innovation.

— These conversations on capability, governance and inclusion will increasingly find expression in global platforms such as the AI Impact Summit 2026, which aim to bridge policy, innovation and real-world deployment at scale. AI will shape the world’s economic and political order over the next decade.

(Source: As AI shapes world, Global South must seize the moment)

Points to Ponder

Read more about AI summit 2026

How can India strengthen its domestic AI ecosystem?

Related Previous Year Question

Elucidate the relationship between globalization and new technology in a world of scarce resources, with special reference to India. (2022)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the constitutional procedure for the removal of a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

Relevance: This question is relevant to GS-2 as it examines Articles 93 and 94 of the Constitution, which define the election and removal of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Recent debates around motions against the Speaker have brought focus on procedural safeguards, impartiality, and institutional accountability within Parliament.

(Express file photo/Anil Sharma)

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Opposition moved a no confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Lok Sabha sources said that it would now be examined and processed as per rules.

— According to practices and procedures governing the conduct of legislative business in the House, the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker can be removed from office by a resolution of Lok Sabha passed by a majority of all the then members of the House. This is procedurally possible under Article 94 (c) of the Constitution.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— Article 94 of the Constitution of India provides for the vacation, resignation and removal of those occupying the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker; the rules in this regard, however, are stringent.

— According to Article 94, a Member of the House who holds office as Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of the People shall vacate office if, as per 94 (a), they cease “to be a member of the House of the People”, according to 94 (b), may at any time “by writing under his hand addressed” resign office and, per 94 (c), be removed “by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House”.

Procedure for the removal of a Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha

— A member wishing to give notice of a resolution for the removal of the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker has to do it in writing to the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha. This notice may be given by two or more members jointly – but no resolution for the removal of such officials moved under clause (c) can be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution.

— After such as notice is received, a motion for leave to move the resolution is entered in the List of Business in the name of the members concerned on a day fixed by the Speaker. This day has to be ‘any day after fourteen days from the date of the receipt of notice of the resolutions’.

Conclusion:

— The resolution for the removal of the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker has been submitted three times in the past—in 1954, 1966, and 1987. Such a resolution must be supported by at least two Members of the House of the People, or the Lok Sabha, and “50 members have to stand up” in its favour, implying that the House’s quorum must be met for the procedure to take place. Rules 200 to 203 of the Lok Sabha’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business control the process.

(Source: No Confidence motion against Om Birla: What happens now? What is the process for removal of Lok Sabha speaker?)

Points to Ponder

Read about Speaker and Deputy Speaker

Read about other constitutional bodies

Related Previous Year Questions

‘Once a Speaker, Always a Speaker’! Do you think this practice should be adopted to impart objectivity to the office of the Speaker of Lok Sabha? What could be its implications for the robust functioning of parliamentary business in India? (2020)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 142)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 141)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 140)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 141)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 141)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 140)

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