Maharashtra Board Class 8 Civics Chapter 3 The Union Executive PDF Download

The Union Executive

In the last chapter, we learnt about the Union legislature which included the structure and functioning of the Parliament. In this chapter, we are going to study the Union Executive.

Structure of the Union Government

The Union government means the central government. The Union government is made up of the following constituents.

You know that the legislature, executive and judiciary are the three organs of the State and they work for the welfare of people. In a parliamentary system, the executive is part of the legislature and is responsible to the legislature. When we learn about the Executive, it is important for us to understand who are included in Executive, what are the constitutional provisions relating to Executive and what is the process of policy making for public welfare.

India's Union Executive comprises of the President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

President

According to the provisions in the Constitution of India, the President is the Supreme Head of the State. The office of the President has the highest honour and prestige and it represents the Republic of India. All executive powers of the State are vested in the President by the Constitution. The Government carries out its functions in the name of the President. However, in reality, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers run the government. Therefore, the President is the nominal and constitutional head whereas the Prime Minister is the executive head.

Election of the President

The President is indirectly elected by the people of India. The common people do not vote in the election of the President. He is elected by directly elected representatives of the Central and State legislatures. The group of these parliamentarians and members of the state legislatures is known as the Electoral College.

The tenure of the President is five years. The person contesting the presidential elections should be an Indian citizen whose age should be at least 35 years. The person elected to the position of the President has to take an oath while accepting the post. According to the oath, the President bears the responsibility of protecting the Constitution and ensuring that the government runs as per the constitution. The President governs in accordance with the advice given by Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

The responsibility of protecting the Constitution is shouldered by the President. But if any act of President violates the Constitution then the Parliament has the authority to remove the President. This process is known as process of Impeachment. Any one House can lay the charge of violation of the Constitution and the investigation of the charge is carried out by the other House. The resolution has to be passed by special (2/3rd) majority of both the Houses of Parliament.

Powers and Functions of the President

The Constitution has entrusted several powers and functions to the President. A few functions are enumerated as follows:

The President summons the meeting of Parliament, prorogue the session of Parliament, sends messages to both Houses, dissolves the Parliament after the tenure is over or even before the tenure gets over.

Bill passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha must be signed by the President. Without his signature, the Bill cannot become a law.

President appoints the Prime Minister and other ministers on the recommendation of Prime Minister.

The President appoints the judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. The President also appoints the Governors of States, Chief Election Commissioner and other important officers.

The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Decisions regarding war and peace are made by the President.

The President has some judicial powers too. For instance, the President has the power to reduce the punishment, grant a respite or commute a sentence of a person or in special circumstances grant pardons or reprieves on humanitarian grounds.

President has the power to declare emergency in case of a crisis situation arising in the country. There are three kinds of emergencies mentioned in the Constitution. (1) National Emergency (2) State Emergency (3) Financial Emergency

In the absence of the President, his functions are carried out by the Vice-President. The Vice-President is elected by members of both the Houses.

Teacher's Note

The President of India is like the head of your school. The President is the most important person, but the Prime Minister and ministers do the real work. Just like the school principal is respected, we respect the President.

Exam Trick

Remember: President = nominal head (like a ceremonial chief). Prime Minister = real head (who makes decisions). Think: President wears the crown, but PM wears the crown and runs the show!

Points to Remember

The President is the Supreme Head of the State.

The President is elected indirectly by members of Central and State legislatures.

The President's tenure is five years.

The President must be an Indian citizen and at least 35 years old.

The Prime Minister is the real executive head who runs the government.

Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers

The President is the constitutional head. However, in reality, his powers are nominal and the Prime Minister along with his Council of Ministers is responsible for the administration. We will now see the role and functions of the Prime Minister.

The party which attains a majority in elections nominates their leader as the Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers is then formed of trustworthy colleagues from within the party. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers must be members of the parliament. In case they are not members, they are required to get elected to the Parliament within six months of their appointment. The government in reality is run by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. This means that the real executive powers are vested in the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

Functions of the Prime Minister

The foremost task of the Prime Minister is to form his Council of Ministers. While doing this, the Prime Minister gives priority to trustworthy colleagues while considering their administrative experience, governance skills, efficiency and technical expertise.

After deciding upon the members of the council of ministers, the Prime Minister allocates portfolios to them.

The Prime Minister leads the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister chairs all the meetings of the Council of Ministers.

After allocation of portfolios, the Prime Minister has to maintain coordination in the working of various departments, facilitate cooperation amongst the departments, supervise the working of these departments in order to maintain efficacy and efficiency etc.

The Prime Minister also has various other responsibilities such as to raise the image of the country in the international arena and work towards achieving a favourable opinion globally, to develop trust among people and to provide strong support to people who are victims of any disaster etc.

Teacher's Note

The Prime Minister is like the captain of a cricket team. The captain chooses good players, gives them different jobs to do, and makes sure the team plays well together. Our Prime Minister does this for the whole country.

Exam Trick

Remember: Prime Minister = Team Captain. Captain picks the best team, gives everyone a role, and makes sure everyone works together. Simple!

Points to Remember

The Prime Minister forms the Council of Ministers.

The Prime Minister allocates portfolios (gives different departments) to ministers.

The Prime Minister chairs all meetings of the Council of Ministers.

The Prime Minister maintains coordination between different departments.

The Prime Minister works to improve India's image around the world.

Functions of Council of Ministers

In a parliamentary form of government the Council of Ministers takes initiative in the process of Law-making. The scheme, policy plans etc. are drafted and discussed and then introduced in the House. The Council of Ministers discusses important questions before making a decision.

Education, agriculture, industry, health, foreign relations among others are subjects upon which the Council of Ministers has to decide specific policies or direction of work. The Parliament needs to be taken into confidence about the policy decisions taken by the government. Therefore, the Ministers of respective departments lay their policy plans in the House to bring about a discussion on it.

Implementation of policy is the foremost responsibility of the Council of Ministers. Once the Parliament approves the laws, the Council of Ministers implements them.

Teacher's Note

The Council of Ministers is like a group of expert doctors in a big hospital. Each doctor (minister) handles a different department (like heart, brain, eyes). Together they make the hospital run well. In India, each minister handles a different area like education, health, or farming.

Exam Trick

Remember: Council of Ministers = Team of Experts. Each expert handles one area (portfolio). They make laws, decide policies, and implement them. Three main jobs: Make laws, Decide policies, Run the government.

Points to Remember

The Council of Ministers makes new laws and policies.

Each minister is in charge of one department like education or health.

Ministers discuss important questions before deciding anything.

Ministers explain their policies to Parliament for discussion.

The main job is to implement the laws that Parliament has approved.

How Does the Parliament Keep a Check Over the Executive?

In a parliamentary system of government the legislature tries to keep control over the executive i.e. the Council of Ministers. The control is exercised in the lawmaking or policy making process, implementation of policies and even after that. A few ways of exercising control are:

Discussions and Debates

Debate and discussion among the members of the House are an integral part of the lawmaking process. These debates and discussions help the members to scrutinise the policy proposals and laws and point out the shortcomings. These discussions are essential for creation of healthy laws.

Question Hour

During parliamentary sessions, the proceedings of the House begins with questions asked by the members of the House. The concerned ministers are supposed to give satisfactory answers to these questions. Question Hour is one of the most effective ways of keeping a check over the Council of Ministers. During question hour, members criticise the government and ask questions on various issues. Sometimes, when a member is not satisfied with the answer of the minister, arguments take place. Occasionally, members walk-out of the House or enter into the well of the House and give slogans to record their protest.

Zero Hour

During the parliamentary sessions, the period around 12 noon is called 'Zero Hour'. During this period, any question of public importance can be raised and discussed.

No-Confidence Motion

This is one of the most effective ways to keep a check on the Council of Ministers. The government stays in power till it enjoys the support of majority in Lok Sabha. If the members of Parliament withdraw the support, it may lead to loss of majority and the government cannot stay in power. The members of the House can move a no-confidence motion by simply expressing 'we do not have confidence in the government'. If the motion is passed with majority support then the Council of Ministers has to resign.

Teacher's Note

Parliament is like a guardian who watches over the government. If the government does something wrong, Parliament can ask questions and even remove the government. This is how democracy keeps the government honest and working for the people.

Exam Trick

Remember: Parliament keeps Executive in check with four weapons: Discussions, Question Hour, Zero Hour, and No-Confidence motion. Use the word CHECK to remember: Criticism, Hearings, Examination, Check questions, Kick out (if needed).

Points to Remember

Discussions and debates help members check if laws are good.

Question Hour is the time when ministers must answer questions from Parliament members.

Zero Hour is the period around 12 noon when any public issue can be discussed.

No-Confidence motion can remove the government if it loses majority support.

Parliament has the power to keep the Executive under control.

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