Which of the following statements regarding Rajya Sabha is / are correct ? 1. The maximum permissible strength of Rajya Sabha is 250 2. In Rajya Sabha, 238 members are elected indirectly from the States and Union Territories 3. It shares legislative powers equally with Lok Sabha in matters such as creation of All India Services Select the correct answer using the code given below :

The maximum permissible strength of the Rajya Sabha is fixed at 250 members [4]. Out of these, 238 members are representatives of the States and Union Territories, elected indirectly by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies and electoral colleges for Union Territories [4]. The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President [4]. Regarding legislative powers, the Rajya Sabha does not share power equally with the Lok Sabha in the creation of All India Services. Under Article 312, the Rajya Sabha has the exclusive special power to initiate a resolution for the creation of one or more All India Services. This is a federal power unique to the Upper House to protect state interests, meaning the Houses do not share this power equally at the initiation stage. Therefore, only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Sources

1. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 23: Parliament > Composition of Rajya Sabha > p. 222
2. [4] https://cms.rajyasabha.nic.in/documents/CouncilOfState/1614266075688.7_Council%20of%20States.pdf
3. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 23: Parliament > Composition of Rajya Sabha > p. 223
4. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 23: Parliament > Composition of Rajya Sabha > p. 222