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If you are elected as the President of India which of the following decisions can you take on your own?
Select the person you like as Prime Minister
Dismiss a Prime Minister who has a majority in Lok Sabha
Ask for reconsideration of a bill passed by both the Houses
Nominate the leaders of your choice to the Council of Ministers
C.
Ask for reconsideration of a bill passed by both the Houses
Which of the following statements about the judiciary is false?
Every law passed by the Parliament needs approval of the Supreme Court
Judiciary can strike down a law if it goes against the spirit of the Constitution
Judiciary is independent of the Executive
Any citizen can approach the courts if her rights are violated
A.
Every law passed by the Parliament needs approval of the Supreme Court
Match the ministry with the news that the ministry may have released:
| A. A new policy is being made to increase the jute exports from the country. | (i) Ministry of Health |
| B. Telephone services will be made more accessible to rural areas. | (ii) Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
| C. The price of rice and wheat sold under the Public Distribution System will go down. | (iii) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology |
| D. A Pulse Polio Campaign will be launched. | (iv) Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Public Distribution |
| E. The allowances of the soldiers posted on high altitudes will be increased. | (v) Ministry of Defence |
A. A new policy is being made to increase the jute exports from the country. | (i) Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
B. Telephone services will be made more accessible to rural areas. | (ii) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology |
C. The price of rice and wheat sold under the Public Distribution System will go down. | (iii) Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Public Distribution |
D. A Pulse Polio Campaign will be launched. | (iv) Ministry of Health |
E. The allowances of the soldiers posted on high altitudes will be increased. | (v) Ministry of Defence |
Why is the Prime Minister in India not directly elected by the people? Choose the most appropriate answer and give reasons for your choice.
(a) In a parliamentary democracy only the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha can become the Prime Minister.
(b) Lok Sabha can remove the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers even before the expiry of their term.
(c) Since the Prime Minister is appointed by the President there is no need for it.
(d) Direct election of the Prime Minister will involve lot of expenditure on election.
The Prime Minister is not directly elected by the people in India because we have a Parliamentary form of government where the leader of the majority party is appointed as the Prime Minister by the President.
The Prime Minister is also responsible to the Lok Sabha. He must have the support of a majority of Lok Sabha members.
Three friends went to watch a film that showed the hero becoming Chief Minister for a day and making big changes in the state. Imran said this is what the country needs. Rizwan said this kind of a personal rule without institutions is dangerous. Shankar said all this is a fantasy. No minister can do anything in one day. What would be your reaction to such a film?
The film is devoid of reality. Rizwan is right when he pointed out that this kind of a personal rule without institutions is dangerous. No democratic government can work without institutions and there are three institutions for governance i.e. legislature, executive and judiciary which are to be abide by.
A teacher was making preparations for a mock parliament. She called two students to act as leaders of two political parties. She gave them an option: Each one could choose to have a majority either in the mock Lok Sabha or in the mock Rajya Sabha. If this choice was given to you, which one would you choose and why?
If this chance is given to me, I would like to have a majority in the mock Lok Sabha as the leader with majority in the Lok Sabha appoints the Prime Minister.
After reading the example of the reservation order, three students had different reactions about the role of the judiciary. Which view, according to you, is a correct reading of the role of judiciary?
(a) Srinivas argues that since the Supreme Court agreed with the government, it is not independent.
(b) Anjaiah says that judiciary is independent because it could have given a verdict against the government order. The Supreme Court did direct the government to modify it.
(c) Vijaya thinks that the judiciary is neither independent nor conformist, but acts as a mediator between opposing parties. The court struck a good balance between those who supported and those who opposed the order.
Views expressed by Anjaiah is correct.
In India Judiciary is independent. Supreme Court of India in many cases have given Order against the government order. In November, 1992 the Supreme Court held the order of V.P. Singh government on reservation to be valid. But directed the government to exclude the ‘Creamy Layer’ or more advanced section of the beneficiary backward classes from reserved category. The Supreme Court also held that the maximum size of all reservations together must not exceed 50 percent.
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What is the Position of the Parliament?
Parliament is Supreme
Powers of the Parliament are limited
Powers of the Parliament are unlimited
Parliament is very weak
B.
Powers of the Parliament are limited
Who is the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha?
Vice-President
President
Prime Minister
Speaker
A.
Vice-President
The budget is introduced in Lok Sabha by
Home Minister
Foreign Minister
Finance Minister
Prime Minister
C.
Finance Minister
Members of Rajya Sabha are elected by
The people
The Legislative Assemblies
The Electoral College
President
B.
The Legislative Assemblies
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The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is elected by
Lok Sabha
President
Rajya Sabha
Parliament
C.
Rajya Sabha
What does Parliament consist of?
The Parliament of India consists of the President of India, the Council of the States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha).
Which are the two houses of the Union Parliament?
The two houses are:
(i)Lok Sabha (ii)Rajya Sabha.
How many members can be nominated in Lok Sabha by the President?
Two members from Anglo-Indian community.
What is the constitutional provision with regard to the representation of the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha?
The President can appoint two members of the Anglo-Indian community if he is of the opinion that the Anglo-Indian community is not adequately represented in the Lok Sabha.
How are members of Lok Sabha elected?
The members of Lok Sabha are elected directly by the people.
How many seats are reserved for scheduled castes in the Lok Sabha?
In Lok Sabha 84 seats are reserved for scheduled castes.
How many seats are reserved for scheduled tribes in Lok Sabha?
In Lok Sabha 47 seats are reserved for scheduled tribes.
How are the members of Rajya Sabha elected?
They are elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies.
How is the Speaker of the Lok Sabha elected?
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected by the Lok Sabha from among its own members.
Who is the Presiding Officer of Rajya Sabha?
The Vice-President is the Presiding Officer of Rajya Sabha.
Who decides whether a Bill is Money Bill or not?
It is the Speaker of Lok Sabha who decides whether a Bill is Money Bill or not.
In which house, the Money Bill is introduced?
Money-bill can be introduced in Lok Sabha only.
For how many days Rajya Sabha can delay a Money bill?
Rajya Sabha can delay a money-bill for 14 days.
What is the difference between a Bi-cameral Legislature and Uni-cameral Legislature?
Uni-cameral Legislature consists of one House while Bi-cameral consists of two House.
What is meant by quorum?
The quorum is the minimum number of members required to be present in order to enable the house to transact its business.
What does the Rajya Sabha represent?
The Rajya Sabha reflects the federal character of the Indian state. It represents the State and the Union Territories.
Why is Rajya Sabha called a Permanent House?
Rajya Sabha is Permanent House because it is not subject to dissolution. Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected for six years, one-third members retires after every two years.
What is an Office Memorandum?
Office Memorandum is a communication issued by an appropriate authority stating the policy or decision of the government.
Which dispute is taken by the Supreme court?
It takes up any dispute:
(i)Between citizens of the country;
(ii)Between citizens and government;
(iii)Between two or more state governments; and
(iv)Between governments at the union and state level.
What are three different types of bills?
The three types of bills are:
(i)Ordinary bills
(ii)Money bills
(iii)Constitutional bills.
What is PIL?
Anyone can approach the courts if public interest is hurt by the actions of government. This is called public interest litigation.
Who is usually appointed the Chief Justice of SC?
The senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is usually appointed the Chief Justice.
How much period can be allowed to lapse between two sessions of Parliament?
There cannot be a gap of more than six months between the two sessions of the Parliament.
What is judiciary?
All the courts at different levels in a country put together are called the judiciary.
What is meant by Government Bill?
A bill which is introduced in the Parliament by the minister is called Government Bill.
What is a Private member bill?
The bills which are introduced in the House by ordinary members of the House is called Private Member Bill.
What is the composition of the Indian judiciary?
The Indian judiciary consists of:
(i)A Supreme Court for the entire nation
(ii)High Courts in the states
(iii)District Courts and the courts at local level
What is meant by an integrated judiciary?
It means the Supreme Court controls the judicial administration in the country. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the country.
What is meant by the Independence of judiciary?
Independence of the judiciary means that it is not under the control of the legislature or the executive.
The judges do not act on the direction of the government or according to the wishes of the party in power.
Describe the appointments of Judges in India.
The appointments:
(i)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.
(ii)In practice, it now means that the senior judges of the Supreme Court select the new judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
(iii)The senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is usually appointed the Chief Justice.
How can a judge be removed in India?
A judge can be removed only by an impeachment
motion passed separately by two-thirds members of the two Houses of the Parliament.
Discuss the powers and functions of judiciary in India?
The powers and functions of judiciary in India are discussed below:
(i)The Supreme Court and the High Courts have the power to interpret the Constitution of the country.
(ii)They can declare invalid any law of the legislature or the actions of the executive, whether at the Union level or at the state level, if they find such a law or action is against the Constitution.
(iii)Thus they can determine the Constitutional validity of any legislation or action of the executive in the country, when it is challenged before them. This is known as the judicial review.
Explain the powers of the President of India.
Followings are the powers of the President of India:
(i)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.
(ii)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.
(iii)All major appointments are made in the name of the President. These include 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.
(iv)All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the President.
(v)The President is the supreme commander of the defence forces of India.
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Describe the powers of the Prime Minister.
As head of the government, the Prime Minister has wide-ranging powers:
(i)He chairs Cabinet meetings. He coordinates the work of different Departments.
(ii)His decisions are final in case disagreements arise between Departments.
(iii)He exercises general supervision of different ministries.
(iv)All ministers work under his leadership. The Prime Minister distributes and redistributes work to the ministers.
(v)He also has the power to dismiss ministers. When the Prime Minister quits, the entire ministry quits.
Examine the composition and role 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.
(i)Cabinet Ministers are usually top-level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in charge of the major ministries. Usually the Cabinet Ministers meet to take decisions in the name of the Council of Ministers. Cabinet is thus the inner ring of the Council of Ministers. It comprises about 20 ministers.
(ii)Ministers of State with independent charge are usually in-charge of smaller Ministries. They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited.
(iii)Ministers of State are attached to and required to assist Cabinet Ministers.
Who are civil servants and what are their functions?
Persons working in civil services are called civil servants.
(i)They remain in office even when the ruling party changes.
(ii)These officers work under political executive and assist them in carrying out the day-to-day administration.
Explain the powers of the Lok Sabha in comparison to Rajya Sabha.
Following are the powers of Lok Sabha:
(i)Any ordinary law needs to be passed by both the Houses. But if there is a difference between the two Houses, the final decision is taken in a joint session in which members of both the Houses sit together. Because of the larger number of members, the view of the Lok Sabha is likely to prevail in such a meeting.
(ii)Lok Sabha exercises more powers 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. The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest changes in it. The Lok Sabha may or may not accept these changes.
(iii)Most importantly, 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 majority of the Lok Sabha members say they 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.
Explain the powers and Functions of the Parliament.
Mention the three institutions of democracy.
The three institutions are:
(i)The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are institutions that take all important policy decisions.
(ii)The Civil Servants, working together, are responsible for taking steps to implement the ministers’ decisions.
(iii)Supreme Court is an institution where disputes between citizens and the government are finally
settled.
Why was the reservation necessary according to some? State any two reasons.
The reasons:
(i)Some felt that existence of inequalities among people of different castes in India necessitated job reservations.
(ii)They felt this would give a fair opportunity to those communities who so far had not adequately been represented in government employment.
When was the Second Backward Classes Commission appointed?
The Government of India had appointed the Second Backward Classes Commission in 1979.
Why was the Mandal Commission set up?
It was set up to determine the criteria to identify the socially and educationally backward classes in India and recommend steps to be taken for their
advancement.
In which house, the Prime Minister must have the support of a majority?
The Prime Minister must have the support of a majority in Lok Sabha.
Define State.
State is a political association occupying a definite territory, having an organised government and possessing power to make domestic and foreign
policies.
What is the difference between a bill and a law?
The resolutions which are introduced in the Parliament for the purpose of making laws or changing old laws or amending the Constitution are all called bills.
When a bill is passed by both the Houses and it receives the assent of the President then it becomes a law.
What is meant by Question Hour?
Members of Parliament are free to ask questions to elicit information on matters of public concern from ministers of the government. The first hour of every sitting in both houses is devoted to asking and answering of questions. It is known as the ‘Question Hour’.
What is meant by reservation?
Reservation is a policy that declares some positions in government employment and educational institutions ‘reserved’ for people and communities who have been discriminated against, are disadvantaged and backward.
When the Parliament is in session, there is a special programme everyday on Doordarshan about the proceedings in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Watch the proceeding or read about it in the newspapers and note the following:
Role of the Opposition
The President of India is
Head of Govt.
Head of the State
Head of the Union Territory
None of these
B.
Head of the State
The President of India is elected by
The Parliament
The Assemblies
The People
The Electoral College
D.
The Electoral College
The 10th President of India was
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Sh. R. Venkataraman
K.R. Narayanan
Giani Zail Singh
C.
K.R. Narayanan
The first President of India was
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Sh. V.V. Giri
Giani Zail Singh
Rajiv Gandhi
A.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
The President can be removed by impeachment by the Parliament
by majority vote
by three-fourth majority
by two-third majority of the total membership
None of these
C.
by two-third majority of the total membership
The President is
Member of Lok Sabha
Member of Rajya Sabha
Not a member of any house
None of these
C.
Not a member of any house
The President can be removed by
The Rajya Sabha
The Lok Sabha
The Electoral College
Impeachment
D.
Impeachment
The Vice-President presides over
Rajya Sabha
Lok Sabha
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
A.
Rajya Sabha
The Electoral College to elect the President of India comprises
Elected members of Parliament
Elected members of State Legislative Assemblies
Elected members of Parliament and State Assemblies
None of these
C.
Elected members of Parliament and State Assemblies
The budget is introduced in the Lok Sabha by
Home Minister
Finance Minister
Foreign Minister
Prime Minister
B.
Finance Minister
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The Prime Minister is appointed by the
President
Parliament
Cabinet
Supreme Court
A.
President
Who is the present President of India?
Pranab Mukherjee
Sonia Gandhi
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Dr. Man Mohan Singh
A.
Pranab Mukherjee
Who is the present Vice-President of India?
Bhairon Singh Shekhwat
Mohd. Hameed Ansari
Rashid Massod
Najma Heptullah
B.
Mohd. Hameed Ansari
When does the President call for the Joint meeting of both the Houses of the Parliament?
President can call a joint meeting of both the Houses of Parliament in case of disagreement between the two Houses on an ordinary bill.
How does the President exercise his powers?
He exercises his powers on the advice of the Prime Minister.
State one financial power of the President.
Money Bills can only be introduced in the Parliament on the recommendation of the President.
How many members are nominated to the Lok Sabha by the President?
Two members are nominated by the President to the Lok Sabha.
State the judicial power of the President.
President has the power to pardon, reprieve and commute punishment.
What is the difference between the Cabinet and Council of Ministers ?
The Council of Ministers consists of all the Ministers whereas Cabinet consists of a few ministers.
When the President, can exercise his discretion in selecting the Prime Minister?
If no party or coalition secures a clear-cut majority in the Lok Sabha, then the President can exercise his discretion in selecting the Prime Minister.
In India, the power of Judicial Review is
Extra-Constitutional
Unconstitutional
Constitutional
None of these
C.
Constitutional
What is meant by Judicial Review?
Judicial Review:
(i)The Supreme Court and the High Courts have the power to interpret the Constitution of the country.
(ii)They can declare invalid any law of the legislature or the actions of the executive, whether at the Union level or at the state level, if they find such a law or action is against the Constitution.
(iii)Thus they can determine the Constitutional validity of any legislation or action of the executive in the country, when it is challenged before them. This is known as the judicial review.
When a person can move directly to the Supreme Court?
A person can move to the Supreme Court directly in the event of voilation of fundamental rights under Article 32.
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