The Union Parliament

(A) is false, but (R) is true

Explanation: In a federal system of government, all the administrative powers are divided between the Central and the State Governments and both are supreme within their respective spheres according to the Constitution. Both the Central and the State Governments draw their authority from the same Constitution.

(A) is true, but (R) is false

Explanation: The number of Lok Sabha members alloted to the each State is based on the population (size) of the State.
Reason (R) is false because the Rajya Sabha can have a maximum of 250 members, but not all of them are elected from the states. Out of 250, 238 are elected, and 12 are nominated by the President.

Unitary bias

Unitary

Central government

The Constitution of India

three

P and R

P and S

Directly elected by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise.

needs to be approved by both Houses of the Parliament.

population

The Lok Sabha represents the States of Indian Union.

P and R
(S is also correct)

51

House of the People

one year at a time.

Q and R

(i), (ii) and (iii)

23

(ii) and (iii)

The President of India

By the members of the Lok Sabha from amongst themselves.

Q and R

The matter is decided by the joint-sitting of the two Houses of Parliament.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Vice President of India

The Union Law prevails

6 Years

Q and S

By the elected members of the State Legislative Assembly by means of proportional representation.

12

R and S

Elected Members of Legislative Assemblies

She is nominated by the President

No-confidence motion

(a) The Parliament symbolises that the people of India make laws for themselves as both the houses of the Parliament have citizens of India as their members.

1. Lok Sabha — The Lok Sabha is the House of the People. Its members are directly elected by the people of India.
2. Rajya Sabha — The members of Rajya Sabha fall into two categories - nominated and elected. The 12 nominated members are nominated by the President from among persons having special knowledge or practical experience in matters such as literature, science, art and social service. The remaining 238 representatives of each State in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each State in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

(b) The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha and remains in office only as long as it has the confidence of the Lok Sabha. Parliament exercises control over the Executive in the following manner:

1. Interpellation: Devices like Question Hour, Calling Attention Notices, and Half-an-Hour Discussions help MPs seek information from the government. Question Hour, held in the first hour of a sitting, promotes transparency by allowing MPs to question government policies and actions.
2. Vote of No-confidence: If the government loses the majority's support, it must resign.
3. Adjournment Motion: Used to discuss and censure serious issues like government negligence or misconduct.
4. Other Motions of Censure: They include rejection of government bills or passing of private member bills against the government's stance.
5. Monetary Controls: Parliament exercises monetary controls through budget discussions, cut motions, and examination of government spending by the Public Accounts Committee, based on CAG (Comptroller and Auditor-General of India) reports.

These tools ensure the government stays accountable and acts in the public interest.

(c) I would like to be MP in Lok Sabha because the members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people of the country and hence, Lok Sabha has special powers which make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha.

The three levels of government in a federal set up in India are-

1. Central Government
2. State Governments
3. Panchayats and Municipalities

In countries like India, where the people belong to different races and religions, with their own customs and languages, Federation seems to be the only plan to keep them united and save India from separatist forces fighting for fragmentation and provincialism of the country.

The existence of Union territories is a unitary or non-federal feature of the Indian Constitution. The Union Territories are directly governed by the Central Government and do not enjoy any independent powers or autonomy. Moreover, they do not have any representation in the Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of the Indian Parliament.

The bicameral legislature is one where the legislature consists of two houses and it strengthens federal form of government as in a federal system of government, all the administrative powers are divided between the Central and State governments and both are supreme within their respective spheres according to the Constitution.

The Parliament is the law making body of the Union Government.

The main constituents of the Indian Parliament are:

1. The President
2. The Lok Sabha
3. The Rajya Sabha

The members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election on the basis of universal adult franchise. Thus every person who has attained the age of 18 years is entitled to vote provided he is not otherwise disqualified.

The Parliament determines the salaries and allowances of the Members of Parliament.

The quorum of the Lok Sabha is one-tenth of the total membership of each house. This means that the House cannot conduct its proceedings and pass Bills and resolutions without the presence of at least one-tenth of its total membership.

When the quorum of a House is not met, the House cannot conduct its proceedings and pass Bills and resolutions. The Speaker may adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until there is a requisite quorum.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from among its own members soon after the newly elected House meets for the first time.

The Deputy Speaker is elected from among its own members in the same way as the Speaker.

The Speaker presides over the meetings of the Lok Sabha. In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker presides over the meetings of the Lok Sabha.

The Lok Sabha has three sessions in a year —

1. The Budget Session (February-May)
2. The Monsoon Session (July-August)
3. The Winter Session (November-December)

The maximum gap between two parliamentary sessions cannot exceed 6 months.

The two occasions on which the President of India addresses a joint session of Parliament are:

1. The President addresses the Joint Sitting of the two Houses at the commencement of the First Session after each General Election.
2. The President addresses both Houses of Parliament at the commencement of the first session of each year, i.e., the Budget Session.

The Vice-President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He presides over its meetings.

The Rajya Sabha elects a Deputy Chairman from among its members. In the absence of the Chairman, he performs all functions and duties of the Chairman.

Rajya Sabha Members are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each State.

The Rajya Sabha enjoys equal powers with the Lok Sabha in important matters such as:

1. Election of the President and Vice-President
2. Impeachment of the President.

The Rajya Sabha is a permanent House as it cannot be dissolved like the Lok Sabha. Each member of the Rajya Sabha is elected for a period of six years. One-third of the total members of the House retire after every two years. Members can be re-elected if they so desire and if their electors support them.

Each member of the Rajya Sabha is elected for a period of six years. One-third of the total members of the House retire after every two years.

The Vice-President of India is the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

The Vice-President officiates as President in case of death, resignation or removal of the President till a new President is elected.

The lists which distribute the Subjects of legislation between the Union and the States are -

1. The Union List
2. The State List
3. The Concurrent List

The Parliament can make laws on a state subject during the proclamation of an emergency.

The seat of a member of either House of Parliament becomes vacant in the following situations —

1. If a member resigns his seat by writing to the Speaker or to the Chairman, as the case may be.
2. If a member becomes subject to any of the disqualifications laid down in the Constitution or an Act of Parliament.

One provision of the Constitution which clearly establishes the supremacy of the Lok Sabha with regard to money bills is that a money bill can only originate in the Lok Sabha.

If a Money Bill is not returned by the Rajya Sabha within 14 days of its receipt, it shall be deemed to have been passed by both Houses in the form in which it was passed by the Lok Sabha.

In India, the Parliament and the State legislature both have the power to legislate the subjects of concurrent list.

In the case of conflict between such laws, the central law has been designed to prevail over the state law.

The Bill is sent back to the Parliament for reconsideration. However, if the Bill is passed again with or without amendments the President is bound to give his assent to the Bill.

(a) Three federal features of government in India are:

1. There is a division of legislative and administrative powers between the Union and the State Governments and none of them could violate the limitations imposed by the Constitution. The Supreme Court stands at the head of Judiciary to safeguard this distribution of powers and to prevent any action which violates the limitations imposed by the Constitution.
2. The States have been given the right to participate in the functioning of the government. India has a bicameral legislature, i.e., the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha mainly comprises representatives of the States.
3. No system of federation can be successful unless both the Union and the States have adequate financial resources to enable them to discharge their duties. The Constitution of India has made provisions for the distribution of revenue between the Centre and the States. This distribution has ensured equitable distribution of the financial resources between the two units.

(b) The Parliament can make laws on Subjects in the State List:

1. During the Proclamation of an Emergency.
2. When the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by a two-thirds majority that a subject in the State List has assumed national importance.

(c) Two unitary features of the government in India are described below:

1. A Single Constitution for Union and States — The States in India have not been given any right to make their own Constitution. The framers of the Constitution have provided for a single common and unified Constitution, both for the Centre and the States.
2. Single Citizenship — The Indian Constitution provides for single citizenship of India which is common to all the people of various States and Union Territories.

(a) Three legislative powers of the Union Parliament are-

1. Matters in the Union List — The Parliament has exclusive powers to make laws on all the subjects mentioned in the Union List, including important subjects like Defence, Banking, Communications, Foreign Affairs, etc.
2. Matters in the Concurrent List — Along with the State Legislative Assemblies, the Parliament can make laws on the subjects listed in the Concurrent List, for example education, forests, adoption, succession, trade union. If there is a conflict between the Union Parliament and the State Legislature on any law in this list, the Union Law will prevail.
3. Residuary Powers — The Parliament possesses residuary powers. It means that it can make laws with respect to all those matters which are not mentioned in any of the three Lists — the Union List, the State List and the Concurrent List.

(b) Three financial powers of the Union Parliament are-

1. The Budget — The Parliament passes the Union Budget containing the estimates of receipts and expenditure of the Government for a financial year. The Railway Budget was integrated with the Union budget from 2017-18.
2. Supplementary Grants — If the amount authorised for the current financial year is not sufficient, the Government may make a fresh demand known as the 'Supplementary Grant.'
3. Salaries — The salaries and allowances of MPs and Ministers are determined by Parliament.

(c) Four executive powers of the Union Parliament are-

1. Vote of No-Confidence — If a Government acts against the Constitutional provisions, it can be voted out of office by passing a vote of no-confidence against the Prime Minister, or the Ministry as a whole or any of its members. In such a case, the whole Ministry has to resign.
2. Adjournment Motion — Motion for adjournment is aimed at censuring the acts of omission and commission of the Ministers.
3. Other Motions of Censure — The Parliament exercises its control over the Government by other motions which, if passed, amount to no-confidence. They include: motions of censure against a minister, rejection of a Government Bill, passing of a private member's bill against the wishes of the Government, etc.
4. Monetary Controls — During the budget session a cut motion may be moved. Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts ensures that public money is spent in accordance with Parliament's decision. It examines reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.

(a) The composition of the Lok Sabha
The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha, as provided by the Constitution is 550. Out of this,

1. not more than 530 members shall represent the States
2. not more than 20 members shall represent the Union Territories

The term of the Lok Sabha

1. According to the Constitution the term of the Lok Sabha is five years.
2. However, it can be dissolved before the expiry of its normal term by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
3. During the proclamation of an emergency the period of the Lok Sabha may be extended by Parliament for one year at a time.
4. The new Lok Sabha must be elected within six months after the national emergency is lifted.

(b) Conditions needed for a person to be a member of Lok Sabha are:

1. He should be an Indian citizen.
2. He should be at least 25 years of age.
3. He should have his name in the electoral rolls in some part of the country.

(c) The Lok Sabha has special powers which make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha. These special powers are:

1. Motions of No-confidence against the government can only be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers resign collectively. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion, and hence no real power over the executive.
2. Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, and upon being passed, are sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it can be deliberated on for up to 14 days.

(a) Three functions of the Speaker which regulate proceedings of the House are-

1. The Speaker presides over the meetings of the House. All speeches and remarks are addressed to the Speaker. He allots time for discussion.
2. The Speaker interprets the rules of procedure of the House. His decision in all parliamentary matters is final.
3. All Bills passed by the House are signed by him before they are sent to the Rajya Sabha for its consideration or to the President for his assent.

(b) Three administrative functions of the Speaker are-

1. The Speaker receives all petitions and documents in the House.
2. He communicates the decisions of the House to the concerned authorities.
3. He regulates the admission of visitors and Press correspondents to the galleries of the House.

(c) The Speaker of the Lok Sabha occupies a position of great authority and responsibility.

1. In the Table of Precedence, he ranks higher than all Cabinet Ministers, other than the Prime Minister himself.
2. With respect to the discharge of his powers and functions, the speaker is not answerable to anyone except the House.
3. No court of law can go into the merits of a ruling given by him.

(a) Two legislative powers of Rajya Sabha are-

1. Except for Money Bills, all bills can be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
2. None of the bills can become a law unless agreed to by both Houses of the Parliament. In case of conflict between the two houses of the Parliament, a joint sitting is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

One financial power of Rajya Sabha is that it can delay a money bill by a maximum of 14 days.

(b) Three administrative powers of Rajya Sabha are-

1. Rajya Sabha can make laws on all the subjects mentioned in the Union and Concurrent lists.
2. It can punish a person for obstructing the work of the House or showing disrespect to the House.
3. It can remove the President from office through the procedure of impeachment.

(c) (i) Two exclusive powers of Rajya Sabha are-

1. Though the Parliament cannot, in normal times, make laws on a states subject, the Constitution states that under Article 249, the Rajya Sabha may, by resolution adopted by two-thirds majority empower the Parliament should make laws with respect to a matter in the State List. The Lok Sabha has no authority to assert itself in such matters.
2. The other special power enjoyed by the Rajya Sabha is that it may declare that the creation of new All-India Services be made in the national interest. Thereupon Parliament may create new services.

(c) (ii) Two electoral functions of Rajya Sabha are-

1. The Vice-President of India is elected by both the Houses of the Parliament.
2. Rajya Sabha elects its Deputy Chairman from among its members.

(a) Comparison between the elections to both the Houses is listed below:

Election of members to Lok Sabha —

1. The Lok Sabha is the House of the People.
2. The 550 members of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people of India.
3. The allotment of members to the various States is made on the population basis.

Election of members to Rajya Sabha —

1. The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha can be 250 members.
2. 12 members are nominated by the President from among persons having special knowledge or practical experience in matters such as literature, science, art and social service.
3. The representatives of each State in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each State in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
4. The representatives of the Union Territories are chosen in such a manner as Parliament may prescribe.
5. The three representatives from Delhi are elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly.

(b) Ordinary Bills may originate in either House of the Parliament.

1. If there is disagreement between the two Houses, the bill is referred to a joint-sitting of both the Houses.
2. In such cases both the Houses are placed on an equal footing.
3. However, the Rajya Sabha is in a weaker position, since the total membership of Rajya Sabha is less than even half of the total strength of the Lok Sabha.
4. Besides, the joint session is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

(c) The differences between a money bill and a non-money bill are as follows: