The Polity

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

  • There is a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, to aid and advise the President in exercise of his functions.
  • The Prime Minister is appointed by the President who also appoints other ministers on the advice of Prime Minister.
  • The Council is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
  • It is the duty of the Prime Minister to communicate to the President all decisions of Council of Ministers relating to administration of affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation and information relating to them.
  • The Council of Ministers comprises Ministers who are members of Cabinet, Ministers of State (independent charge), Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.

LEGISLATURE

  • Legislature of the Union which is called Parliament, consists of President and two Houses, known as Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and House of the People (Lok Sabha). Each House has to meet within six months of its previous sitting. A joint sitting of two Houses can be held in certain cases.
  • The Constitution provides that the Rajya Sabha shall consist of 12 members to be nominated by the President from amongst persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service; and not more than 238 representatives of the States and of the Union Territories.
  • Elections to the Rajya Sabha are indirect; members representing States are elected by the elected members of legislative assemblies of the States in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, and those representing Union Territories are chosen in such a manner as Parliament may by law prescribe.
  • The Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution; one-third of its members retire every second year.
  • The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of people chosen by direct election on the basis of adult suffrage. The maximum strength of the House envisaged by the Constitution is now 552 (530 members to represent the States, 20 members to represent the Union Territories and not more than two members of the Anglo-Indian community to be nominated by the President, if, in his opinion, that community is not adequately represented in the House).
  • The total elective membership of the Lok Sabha is distributed among the States in such a way that the ratio between the number of seats allotted to each State and the population of the State is, as far as practicable, the same for all States.
  • The Lok Sabha at present consists of 543 members. Of these, 530 members are directly elected from the States and 13 from Union Territories.
  • Following the 84th amendment to the Constitution in 2001, the total number of existing seats as allocated to various States in the Lok Sabha on the basis of the 1971 census shall remain unaltered till the first census to be taken after the year 2026.
  • The term of the Lok Sabha, unless dissolved earlier is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting.
  • However, while a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation, this period may be extended by Parliament by law for a period not exceeding one year at a time and not extending in any case, beyond a period of six months after the Proclamation is or has ceased to operate.
  • 16 Lok Sabhas have been constituted so far.
  • In order to be chosen a member of Parliament, a person must be a citizen of India and not less than 30 years of age in the case of Rajya Sabha and not less than 25 years of age in the case of Lok

FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF PARLIAMENT

  • The Parliament in India has the cardinal functions of legislation, overseeing of administration, passing of the Budget, ventilation of public grievances and discussing various subjects like development plans, national policies and international relations.
  • The distribution of powers between the Union and the States, followed in the Constitution, emphasises in many ways the general predominance of Parliament in the legislative field.
  • The Parliament can, under certain circumstances, assume legislative power with respect to a subject falling within the sphere exclusively reserved for the
  • It can impeach the President and remove the Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts, the Chief Election Commissioner and the Comptroller and Auditor General in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Constitution.
  • All legislation requires consent of both the Houses of Parliament. In the case of money bills, however, the will of the Lok Sabha prevails.
  • Delegated legislation is also subject to review and control by Parliament. Besides the power to legislate, the Constitution vests in Parliament the power to initiate amendment of the Constitution.
UPSC Prelims 2025 Notes