This is Set 7 of 40 in the smartvidya question bank on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and Rules, with the latest judgments. Part II: Internal and Local Committees. This set covers Notification of District Officer, constitution and composition of Local Committee, nodal officers, jurisdiction, term and grants.
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Set 7: Sections 5 to 8: District Officer and Local Committee
1. The appropriate Government may notify as District Officer
(a) a judge of the District Court
(b) a District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, Collector or Deputy Collector
(c) the Superintendent of Police
(d) the District Labour Officer only
Ans. (b) a District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, Collector or Deputy Collector — Explanation: Section 5 allows these officers to be notified as District Officer for each district. [Ref: Section 5]
2. The Local Committee is constituted by
(a) the National Commission for Women
(b) the employer
(c) the District Officer
(d) the State Government directly
Ans. (c) the District Officer — Explanation: Section 6(1) requires every District Officer to constitute a Local Complaints Committee. [Ref: Section 6(1)]
3. The Local Committee receives complaints from establishments where the Internal Committee has not been constituted due to
(a) having fewer than ten workers
(b) having more than ten workers
(c) being in the private sector
(d) being in rural areas only
Ans. (a) having fewer than ten workers — Explanation: Section 6(1) refers to establishments with fewer than ten workers, or complaints against the employer. [Ref: Section 6(1)]
4. Nodal officers to receive complaints are designated by the District Officer in
(a) only the district headquarters
(b) every school
(c) every police station
(d) every block, taluka and tehsil in rural or tribal areas and every ward or municipality in urban areas
Ans. (d) every block, taluka and tehsil in rural or tribal areas and every ward or municipality in urban areas — Explanation: Section 6(2) provides for nodal officers at these levels. [Ref: Section 6(2)]
5. A nodal officer must forward a complaint to the Local Committee within
(a) seven days
(b) fifteen days
(c) three days
(d) thirty days
Ans. (a) seven days — Explanation: Section 6(2) requires forwarding to the concerned Local Committee within seven days. [Ref: Section 6(2)]
6. The jurisdiction of a Local Committee extends to
(a) the whole State
(b) the whole of India
(c) the areas of the district where it is constituted
(d) only the district headquarters
Ans. (c) the areas of the district where it is constituted — Explanation: Section 6(3) limits its jurisdiction to the areas of the district. [Ref: Section 6(3)]
7. The Chairperson of the Local Committee is nominated from among
(a) District Collectors
(b) eminent women in the field of social work and committed to the cause of women
(c) Members of the Legislative Assembly
(d) retired judges
Ans. (b) eminent women in the field of social work and committed to the cause of women — Explanation: Section 7(1)(a) requires an eminent woman in social work committed to the cause of women. [Ref: Section 7(1)(a)]
8. One member of the Local Committee is nominated from among women working in
(a) the High Court
(b) the Collectorate only
(c) the police department
(d) the block, taluka, tehsil, ward or municipality in the district
Ans. (d) the block, taluka, tehsil, ward or municipality in the district — Explanation: Section 7(1)(b) provides for this member. [Ref: Section 7(1)(b)]
9. The Local Committee has two members from NGOs or associations committed to the cause of women or persons familiar with sexual harassment issues, of whom
(a) both shall be men
(b) both shall be lawyers
(c) none need be women
(d) at least one shall be a woman
Ans. (d) at least one shall be a woman — Explanation: Section 7(1)(c) requires at least one of the two to be a woman. [Ref: Section 7(1)(c)]
10. Among the NGO nominees on the Local Committee, preferably at least one shall have
(a) an engineering degree
(b) medical qualifications
(c) police experience
(d) a background in law or legal knowledge
Ans. (d) a background in law or legal knowledge — Explanation: The first proviso to Section 7(1)(c) prefers at least one nominee with a background in law or legal knowledge. [Ref: Section 7(1)(c), first proviso]
11. At least one NGO nominee on the Local Committee shall be a woman belonging to
(a) the legal profession
(b) the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes or a minority community notified by the Central Government
(c) the Indian Administrative Service
(d) the medical profession
Ans. (b) the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes or a minority community notified by the Central Government — Explanation: The second proviso to Section 7(1)(c) requires this. [Ref: Section 7(1)(c), second proviso]
12. The ex officio member of the Local Committee is
(a) the Chief Medical Officer
(b) the Superintendent of Police
(c) the officer dealing with social welfare or women and child development in the district
(d) the District Judge
Ans. (c) the officer dealing with social welfare or women and child development in the district — Explanation: Section 7(1)(d) makes this officer an ex officio member. [Ref: Section 7(1)(d)]
13. The term of the Chairperson and members of the Local Committee is
(a) two years
(b) five years
(c) not exceeding three years from the date of appointment
(d) until the age of 65
Ans. (c) not exceeding three years from the date of appointment — Explanation: Section 7(2) fixes a term not exceeding three years. [Ref: Section 7(2)]
14. Under Rule 5, the Chairperson of the Local Committee is entitled to
(a) ₹200 per day
(b) ₹250 per day for holding proceedings
(c) ₹500 per day
(d) no fee
Ans. (b) ₹250 per day for holding proceedings — Explanation: Rule 5 fixes ₹250 per day for the Chairperson and ₹200 per day for the other non-official members. [Ref: Rule 5]
15. Fees and allowances of the Local Committee are paid by
(a) the respondent
(b) the District Officer
(c) the complainant
(d) the employer
Ans. (b) the District Officer — Explanation: Rule 5 says the District Officer pays the fees and allowances of the Local Committee. [Ref: Rule 5]
16. The provision on grants and audit for payment of fees and allowances of Local Committees is
(a) Section 24
(b) Section 29
(c) Section 25
(d) Section 8
Ans. (d) Section 8 — Explanation: Section 8 allows the Central Government to make grants to States for this purpose. [Ref: Section 8]
17. Under Section 8, the Central Government may make grants to the State Government
(a) from fines collected under Section 26 only
(b) after due appropriation by Parliament
(c) only with the Supreme Court's approval
(d) through employers
Ans. (b) after due appropriation by Parliament — Explanation: Section 8(1) provides for grants after due appropriation by Parliament. [Ref: Section 8(1)]
18. A Local Committee member may be removed for breach of confidentiality under
(a) Section 7(3)
(b) Section 18
(c) Section 26
(d) Section 4(5)
Ans. (a) Section 7(3) — Explanation: Section 7(3) contains removal grounds for Local Committee members, similar to Section 4(5); Section 7 has only four sub-sections. [Ref: Section 7(3)]
19. Complaints of domestic workers are received by
(a) the Local Committee
(b) the Internal Committee of the household
(c) the police only
(d) the placement agency
Ans. (a) the Local Committee — Explanation: Households do not constitute Internal Committees, so domestic workers' complaints go to the Local Committee. [Ref: Sections 6 and 11(1)]
20. The Supreme Court in Initiatives for Inclusion Foundation (October 2023) directed that District Officers be appointed in every district within
(a) one year
(b) two weeks
(c) four weeks
(d) six months
Ans. (c) four weeks — Explanation: The Court directed the Principal Secretaries of the Women and Child Development Departments to ensure appointment within four weeks. [Ref: Initiatives for Inclusion Foundation v. Union of India, 2023]
21. In December 2024, the Supreme Court directed that the names and designations of nodal officers be published on
(a) the employer's notice board only
(b) the Lok Sabha website
(c) the NCW website only
(d) the District Officer's website, and listed on SHe-Box where set up
Ans. (d) the District Officer's website, and listed on SHe-Box where set up — Explanation: The 3 December 2024 order required publication of nodal officer details and use of the SHe-Box portal. [Ref: Aureliano Fernandes; Initiatives for Inclusion Foundation, order of 3 December 2024]
22. The Local Committee also acts where
(a) the complaint is against the employer himself
(b) the respondent is a minor
(c) the complaint is anonymous
(d) the employer has more than 500 workers
Ans. (a) the complaint is against the employer himself — Explanation: Section 6(1) covers complaints against the employer. [Ref: Section 6(1)]
23. The number of members of a Local Committee, including the Chairperson and the ex officio member, is
(a) five
(b) three
(c) seven
(d) four
Ans. (a) five — Explanation: Section 7(1) provides for the Chairperson, one member under clause b, two members under clause c and one ex officio member. [Ref: Section 7(1)]
24. In rural and tribal areas, a woman may give her complaint first to
(a) the Panchayat President only
(b) the District Judge
(c) the nodal officer of her block, taluka or tehsil
(d) the employer only
Ans. (c) the nodal officer of her block, taluka or tehsil — Explanation: Nodal officers receive complaints and forward them to the Local Committee within seven days. [Ref: Section 6(2)]
25. Section 5 empowers the appropriate Government to notify District Officers
(a) only for metropolitan cities
(b) only for tribal areas
(c) for every district
(d) only where requested by employers
Ans. (c) for every district — Explanation: Section 5 provides for a District Officer for every district. [Ref: Section 5]
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These questions are prepared for practice from the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (with the 2013 Rules, and Supreme Court and High Court rulings up to 2026). Check the latest notifications and your service rules before relying on any detail.