Maharashtra Board Class 8 Civics Chapter 5 The State Government PDF Download

The State Government

In the last chapters we understood the nature of Union Parliament and Union Executive. We were also introduced to the integrated Judicial System in India. In this chapter we will study the government of constituent states or State Government.

In the federal system, the government exists at two levels. Federal that is the Central Government works at the national level and the State government works at the regional or State level.

Background

India has a large geographic expanse with a multicultural population. There is diversity in language, religion, ways of life and regional characteristics. It would not have been possible to govern from a centralised place; therefore the Constitution has adopted a federal setup for India. It was decided to form the States on the basis of language. Accordingly, linguistic reorganisation of states took place.

The nature of government machinery in all states of India is same. However, Jammu and Kashmir is an exception. Let us now study the governments in states with reference to Maharashtra.

India has 29 Constituent States and the State Governments have the responsibility of the governance of these States.

Teacher's Note

Just like your school has a principal, each state has a Chief Minister who runs the government. Maharashtra is one such big state in India with its own government.

Exam Trick

Remember: State Government = Small Parliament. Each state has its own legislature and executive, just like the country has Parliament and President.

Points to Remember

India follows a federal system with government at two levels - Central and State.
The Constitution decided to form states on the basis of language.
Maharashtra has a bicameral legislature with two houses.
India has 29 Constituent States.

State Legislature

Like the Parliament at the central level, every State has its own legislature. But only seven states in India have two Houses ie. Bicameral legislatures. Maharashtra has a bicameral legislature. The members of State legislatures are known as Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Members of Legislative Council (MLC).

Legislature Of Maharashtra

Legislature of Maharashtra has two Houses, namely - Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) and Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council).

Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly)

This is the first House of the Maharashtra legislature and comprises of 288 members. In case there is inadequate representation of the Anglo-Indian community the Governor nominates one member from this community in the Vidhan Sabha. Some seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Maharashtra is divided into territorial constituencies for the purpose of elections. One member is elected from each of the constituencies.

Tenure of Vidhan Sabha is 5 years. However, in exceptional circumstances elections can be held before the completion of 5 years. Any citizen residing in Maharashtra and who has completed 25 years of age can contest the elections to the Vidhan Sabha.

Speaker Of Vidhan Sabha

The proceedings of the Vidhan Sabha are carried out under the supervision and guidance of the Speaker. The elected members of the newly constituted Vidhan Sabha elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha from amongst themselves. The Speaker has many responsibilities which range from the power to prepare the order of business, to carry out the proceedings of the House in a disciplined manner, or to suspend members for misbehaviour or misconduct. In absence of the Speaker, the responsibility is taken over by the Deputy Speaker.

Maharashtra's legislature conducts minimum three sessions in a year. The budget session and monsoon session is conducted in Mumbai while the winter session is conducted in Nagpur.

Teacher's Note

The Speaker is like the class monitor who keeps discipline in the class. The Speaker makes sure everyone follows the rules in the Vidhan Sabha.

Exam Trick

Remember: Speaker's job = Discipline and order. Think of Speaker as a traffic police who controls the flow of business in the House.

Points to Remember

Vidhan Sabha has 288 members elected directly.
The tenure is 5 years.
The Speaker maintains discipline in the House.
Maharashtra legislature has three sessions every year.

Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council)

It is the second House of the Maharashtra legislature and members are indirectly elected from various sections of society. There are 78 members in the Vidhan Parishad of Maharashtra. Of these some members who are distinguished personalities from the fields of literature, science and social service are nominated by the Governor; remaining representatives are elected by the members of Vidhan Sabha, local government institutions, teacher-constituencies and graduate constituencies.

The Vidhan Parishad is never fully dissolved. A specific number of members retire every 2 years and these vacant seats are filled again by conducting fresh elections for those seats. The proceedings of the Vidhan Parishad are conducted under the control and guidance of the Chairman. In absence of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman takes over the responsibility.

Teacher's Note

The Vidhan Parishad is like the school council where not only students vote, but teachers and staff also have a say. This makes sure all groups are heard.

Exam Trick

Remember: Vidhan Parishad = Indirect election. It is never fully dissolved - only half the members retire every 2 years, like a continuous body.

Points to Remember

Vidhan Parishad has 78 members indirectly elected.
Members are elected from various sections of society.
Some members are nominated by the Governor.
It is never fully dissolved.

Executive Of Maharashtra

The Governor, Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers together form the executive of Maharashtra.

Governor

The President is a nominal head at the Centre while the Governor is the titular/nominal head at the state-level.

Governor is appointed by the President and holds the office during the pleasure of the President. The Governor also enjoys certain legislative powers. For example, the Bills passed by the Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad are converted into laws only after receiving the assent of the Governor. The Governor has the right to summon the session of the state legislature. When the legislature is not in session but the need arises to make the law, then the Governor can issue an Ordinance for the same.

Teacher's Note

The Governor is like the school principal who has overall authority but does not do daily teaching work. The real work is done by the Chief Minister, just like the Vice Principal does the real work in school.

Exam Trick

Remember: Governor = Nominal head at state level. Just like President at centre, the Governor cannot directly rule - they only give permission for laws.

Points to Remember

Governor is appointed by the President.
Governor gives assent to bills passed by legislature.
Governor can issue Ordinances when legislature is not in session.
Governor has the right to summon the legislature.

Chief Minister And Council Of Ministers

The leader of the majority party in Legislative Assembly becomes the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister includes his/her trustworthy colleagues in the Council of Ministers. Like the Prime Minister who is the executive head of the Union, the Chief Minister is the head of the state executive. The government of the state is run in the name of the Governor. But in reality, the administration is carried out by the Chief Minister.

Functions Of The Chief Minister

Creation Of The State Executive

After proving the majority, the Chief Minister forms his/her Council of Ministers. This is a challenging task because in order to make the Council more representative, various regions and social groups (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Castes, Women, and Minorities etc.) have to be accommodated. If no party secures a clear majority, different parties can come together to form the government. In such case, the Chief Minister has to perform the difficult task of giving a place to all the constituent parties in the alliance.

Distribution Of Portfolios

After the formation of the Council of Ministers, the Chief Minister has to distribute portfolios among the ministers. While distributing portfolios, he/she has to consider the political experience, administrative skills, awareness of public opinion, leadership qualities etc.

Coordination Between Ministries/Departments

The Chief Minister along with his Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister bears the ultimate responsibility of the efficient administration. Absence of cooperation and coordination between Departments can affect the working of the government. Therefore, the Chief Minister has to resolve conflicts between Departments and ensure that they work towards the same goal and in the same direction.

Leader Of The State

Just as the Prime Minister leads the country, the Chief Minister leads the state. The Chief Minister has to make new policies by taking note of problems and concerns of people and work towards the welfare of the people of the state. The people look at the Chief Minister as a problem solver. The Chief Minister intervenes in issues facing the state and comforts the people.

Maharashtra is one of the progressive States in India. The State leads in sectors like education, industry, service sector, health and social security etc. Terror attacks and Naxalite (Left-wing extremist) movements active in certain regions are the two major challenges facing the State of Maharashtra.

Teacher's Note

The Chief Minister is like the principal who has to keep all teachers happy and make sure the school runs smoothly. They also make new rules based on what students and teachers need.

Exam Trick

Remember: Chief Minister = Real power at state level. The Governor has power, but Chief Minister does the real work - just like a manager does the real work in a company while the owner is away.

Points to Remember

Chief Minister is the leader of majority party in Legislative Assembly.
Chief Minister forms the Council of Ministers.
Chief Minister distributes portfolios to ministers.
Chief Minister is responsible for coordination between departments.
Chief Minister acts as problem solver for the state.

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