Working Of Institutions

___

CHAPTER 4 - CIVICS

4.2. Parliament

Q.1.What is called a Parliament ?

The National Assembly of elected representatives is called parliament.

Q.2.In what way does the Indian parliament exercise political authority
on behalf of the people ?
The parliament exercises political authority on behalf of the people in many ways:
1- Parliament is the final authority for making laws in any country.
Parliaments can make new laws, change existing laws, or abolish existing laws and
make new ones in their place.
2-Parliaments all over the world exercise some control over those who run the
government.
Those who run the government can take decisions only so long as they enjoy support
of Parliament.
3-Parliaments control all the money that governments have.
The public money can be spent only when Parliament sanctions it.
4-Parliament is the highest forum of discussion and debate on public issues and
national policies.
Parliament can seek information about any matter.

Q.3. What are the roles of the two Houses of Parliament ?

- Parliament plays a central role in modern democracies.The role and powers of
Parliament can be divided in two parts.
- They are called Chambers or Houses.
- One House is usually directly elected by the people and exercises the real power
on behalf of the people. (Lok Sabha)
- The second House is usually elected indirectly and performs some special
functions such as to look after the interests of various states, regions or federal
units. (Rajya Sabha)
Q.4. Explain some key differences between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Total No.of Who elects the Length of House

Members members ? term dissolved/
permanent ?

LOK SABHA 550 PEOPLE 5 years dissolved

RAJYA 250 Members of 6 years permanent

SABHA state
legislative

Q.5. In what ways does the Lok Sabha exercise supreme power in India ?
1- Any ordinary law needs to be passed by both the Houses.
If there is a difference, a joint session takes place in which members of both the
Houses sit together. The view of the Lok Sabha is likely to prevail in such a meeting.
2- Lok Sabha exercises more power in money matters.
Once the Lok Sabha passes the budget of the government or any other money
related law, the Rajya Sabha cannot reject it. It can only delay it by 14 days or suggest
changes in it. The Lok Sabha may or may not accept these changes.
3- The Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers.
Only a person who enjoys the support of the majority of the members in the Lok
Sabha is appointed the Prime Minister. If the Lok Sabha members have ‘no confidence’
in the Council of Ministers, all ministers including the Prime Minister, have to quit. The
Rajya Sabha does not have this power.

Q.6. Differentiate the role played by Political and Permanent executives

i)Political executives :
- One that is elected by the people for a specific period, is called the political
executive. They make big decisions.
- A Political executive has more power than a non-political executive since they
are elected representatives of the people and thus empowered to exercise the will
of the people on their behalf.
ii)Permanent executives :
- Persons working in civil services are called civil servants. They remain in office
even when the ruling party changes.
- The civil servant is usually more educated and has more expert knowledge of
the subject.
- The minister takes the advice of experts on all technical matters.
Q.7. Who is the Prime Minister ?
- The Prime Minister is the most important political institution in the country.
- The President appoints the Prime Minister or the leader of the majority party or
the coalition of parties that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha.
- In case no single party or alliance gets a majority, the President appoints the
person most likely to secure a majority support.
- The President appoints other ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister.
- A non-parliament member can also become minister but such a person has to get
elected to one of the Houses of Parliament within six months of appointment.

Q.8.Write a short note on the features of the council of ministers.

Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the Ministers.
It usually has 60 to 80 Ministers of different ranks.
1.CABINET MINISTERS :
- Usually top- level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in charge of the
major ministries.
- It is the inner ring of the Council of Ministers.
- It comprises about 25 ministers.
2.MINISTERS OF STATE WITH INDEPENDENT CHARGE :
- usually in-charge of smaller Ministries.
- They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited.
3.MINISTERS OF STATE :
- attached to and required to assist Cabinet Ministers.

Q.9. Write a short note on the powers of the Prime Minister.

As head of the government, the Prime Minister has wide ranging powers.
- He chairs Cabinet meetings.
- He exercises general supervision of different ministries.
- He distributes and redistributes work to the ministers.
- Power to dismiss ministers.
- If the Prime Minister quits, the entire ministry quits.

Q.10. Who is the President ?

- The President is the head of the State.
- The President supervises the overall functioning of all the political institutions
in the country so that they operate in harmony to achieve the objectives of the
state.
Q.11. How is the president elected ?
The President is not elected directly by the people. The elected Members of
Parliament (MPs) and the elected Members of the Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) elect
her.

Q.12. What are the executive powers of the president ?

- All governmental activities take place in the name of the President.
- All laws and major policy decisions of the government are issued in her name.
- All major appointments are made in the name of the President including the
appointment of the Chief Justice of India, the Judges of the Supreme Court and
the High Courts of the states, the Governors of the states, the Election
Commissioners, ambassadors to other countries, etc.
- All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the President.
- The President is the supreme commander of the defense forces of India.

Q.13. What are the legislative powers of the president ?

- The President exercises all these powers only on the advice of the Council of
Ministers.
- A bill passed by the Parliament becomes a law only after the President gives
assent to it.
- If the President wants, she can delay this for some time and send the bill back to
Parliament for reconsideration.

Q.14. What are the discretionary powers of the president ?

- When a party secures a clear majority in the elections, the President has to
appoint the leader of the majority party that gains majority support in the Lok
Sabha.
- The president exercises her discretion when no party or coalition gets a majority
in the Lok Sabha. She must appoint a leader who in her opinion can muster
majority support in the Lok Sabha.
Q.15. The Indian judiciary is considered as a powerful structure in our
country. Justify the statement.
1.Composition of the Indian Judiciary:
The Indian judiciary consists of a Supreme Court for the entire nation, High
Courts in the states, District Courts and the courts at local level. India has an
integrated judiciary.
2.Functions of the Indian Judiciary:
India has an integrated judiciary. It means the Supreme Court controls the
judicial administration in the country. It is the highest court of appeal in civil and
criminal cases. It can take up any dispute
- Between citizens of the country;
- Between citizens and government;
- Between two or more state governments; and
- Between governments at the union and state level.
The judges do not act on the direction of the government or according to the wishes of
the party in power.
The judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts are appointed by the President
on the advice of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court.
A judge can be removed only by an impeachment motion passed separately by
two-thirds members of the two Houses of the Parliament

Q.16.The judiciary in India is one of the most powerful in the world.

Justify the statement.
- The Supreme Court and the High Courts have the power to interpret the
Constitution of the country.
- They can declare any law invalid if they find such a law or action is against the
constitution.
- They can determine the Constitutional validity of any legislation or action of the
executive in the country. This is known as the judicial review.
- Acts as the guardian of Fundamental Rights.
- Courts have given several judgments and directives to protect public interest and
human rights. This is called public interest litigation.
- The courts intervene to prevent the misuse of the government’s power to make
decisions.
- That is why the judiciary enjoys a high level of confidence among the people.