Punjab State Board PSEB 9th Class Social Science Book Solutions Civics Chapter 4 India’s Parliamentary Democracy Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
PSEB Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Civics Chapter 4 India’s Parliamentary Democracy
SST Guide for Class 9 PSEB India’s Parliamentary Democracy Textbook Questions and Answers
I. Fill in the blanks :
Question 1.
_________ appoints the judges of the Supreme Court.
Answer:
The President.
Question 2.
The President of India exercises all his powers only on the advice of _________
Answer:
Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers.
II. Multiple Choice Questions :
Question 1.
Which is the final authority for making laws in India?
(i) The Cabinet
(ii) The Parliament
(iii) The Lok Sabha
(iv) The President.
Answer:
(ii) The Parliament.
Question 2.
Who chairs the cabinet meetings?
(i) The President
(ii) The Governor
(iii) The Prime Minister
(iv) The Party President.
Answer:
(iii) The Prime Minister
III. Write T (for True) and F (for False) statements :
Question 1.
The Prime Minister is the Constitutional Head of our country.
Answer:
False.
Question 2.
Indian Parliament comprises the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha and the President of India.
Answer:
True.
IV. Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
In India which form of the government has been adopted in centre and states?
Answer:
In India parliamentary form of government has been adopted at central and state level.
Question 2.
In parliamentary system, who is the real executive of the country?
Answer:
Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers.
Question 3.
Who is nominal executive in India?
Answer:
The President is the nominal executive in India.
Question 4.
Who is included in the electoral college for the Indian President?
Answer:
The elected members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha (M.P.’s) and State Legislative Assemblies (including Delhi and Puducherry.)
Question 5.
Name any two features of the Parliamentary system.
Answer:
- In the Parliamentary system, there is a nominal head of the country.
- After elections whichever party gets clear cut majority in Parliament (Lok Sabha) forms the government.
Question 6.
What is called the lower house of the Parliament?
Answer:
Lok Sabha is called the lower house of the Parliament.
Question 7.
How many members can be nominated by the President in the Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
12 members are nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha.
Question 8.
What is the tenure of the members of the Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
Rajya Sabha members are elected for six years but one third retire after every two years.
Question 9.
What is the name of the Head of the State in Canada and Australia?
Answer:
Governor General is the Head of State in Canada and Australia.
Question 10.
Who makes an oath to the Prime Minister and other ministers?
Answer:
The President makes an oath to the Prime Minister and other ministers.
Question 11.
Who presides over the meetings of the cabinet?
Answer:
Prime Minister presides over the meetings of the cabinet.
Question 12.
Give the names of two forms of Govt; on the basis of relationship between executive and legislative.
Answer:
- Parliamentary Govt.: In this Council of Ministers is responsible to Legislature for its actions.
- Presidential form of Govt.: In this executive cannot be removed by Legislature.
Question 13.
From which country Parliamentary system in India has been taken?
Answer:
Parliamentary form of Government is taken from the Constitution of England.
Question 14.
What is the name of the lower and upper house of Parliament in England?
Answer:
- Lower House-House of Commons.
- Upper House-House of Lords.
V. Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
How is the Prime Minister elected?
Answer:
After the general elections of Lok Sabha whichever party or group gets majority, elects its leader who is called by the President to form the government. The President appoints him the Prime Minister and on his advice he also appoints the Council of Ministers.
Question 2.
What is the meaning of the collective responsibility of the ministers?
Answer:
- The council of ministers is responsible towards the Parliament or legislature. It means that it does not matter whether any minister is happy with the decision of council of ministers or not, he is required to support the decision in the Parliament.
- If the Parliament (Lok Sabha) passes no-confidence motion against any minister, it is considered no confidence against the whole council of ministers. In this case Prime Minister and his council of ministers are bound to resign.
- Members of parliament can ask ministers any question regarding their departments.
Question 3.
How does the legislature control over the activity of ministers?
Answer:
- The council of ministers is responsible towards the Parliament or legislature. It means that it does not matter whether any minister is happy with the decision of council of ministers or not, he is required to support the decision in the Parliament.
- If the Parliament (Lok Sabha) passes no-confidence motion against any minister, it is considered no confidence against the whole council of ministers. In this case Prime Minister and his council of ministers are bound to resign.
- Members of parliament can ask ministers any question regarding their departments.
Question 4.
Explain briefly any three duties of the Prime Minister.
Answer:
- Prime Minister creates the Council of Ministers.
- He distributes different portfolios to different ministers.
- He acts as a link between the President and Council of Ministers.
- He can advise the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha even before the completion of his term.
- He presides over the meetings of Council of Ministers.
Question 5.
Write a short note on the structure of the parliament.
Answer:
The two Houses of the Parliaments are :
- Lok Sabha and
- Rajya Sabha.
Term of the Lok Sabha: The Lok Sabha is elected for 5 years. But the President can dissolve it earlier too. During emergency due to external aggression or internal insurrection its term can be extended.
Term of the Rajya Sabha: Rajya Sabha is a permanent house. But after every two years one third (l/3rd) of its members retire and new ones are elected in their place. Thus every member is elected for a term of six years.
Question 6.
How are the members of the Rajya Sabha elected?
Answer:
The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha can be 250. Out of these 12 members are nominated by the President. The remaining 238 members represent the States and Union Territories. The representatives of the States are elected by the elected members of their Legislative Assemblies and in case of Union Territories are chosen in such a manner as the Parliament may by law determine. At present Rajya Sabha consists of 245 members.
Question 7.
Describe any four powers of the President.
Answer:
- The President can Summon, prorogue the Parliament and dissolve the Lok Sabha.
- He can address the two Houses of the Parliament jointly or he may address them independently.
- He nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha and two members to the Lok Sabha.
- No bill passed by the Parliament can become an Act without the assent of the President.
- He gives approval to many bills passed by the State Legislatures.
Question 8.
Write a note on the structure of the council of ministers.
Answer:
Article 75 of the Constitution says that the President shall appoint the Prime Minister and on his advice, he shall also appoint the Council of Ministers. But he cannot appoint any of the minister of his own. It is the discretionary power of the Prime Minister as to whom he wants to get appointed as minister.
There are three types of ministers.
- Cabinet Ministers. They are the most trustworthy ministers and are given independent charge of an important portfolio.
- Minister of State. They may or may not be given independent charge of any portfolio or can be asked to assist any cabinet minister.
- Deputy Minister. They are not given any independent charge but are asked either to assist any cabinet minister or minister of state.
VI. Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Write a brief note on the structure of Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha can be 250. Out of these 12 members are nominated by the President. The remaining 238 members represent the States and Union Territories. The representatives of the States are elected by the elected members of their Legislative Assemblies and in case of Union Territories are chosen in such a manner as the Parliament may by law determine. At present Rajya Sabha consists of 245 members.
Question 2.
Write a brief note on the leadership of Prime Minister in the Parliamentry system.
Answer:
As a leader the Prime Minister has following powers :
(a) Leader of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is the leader of the Cabinet.
(b) Powers regarding Appointment. He exercises very vast powers of patronage which are the following :
- Appointment of Ministers.
- Appointment of Ambassadors.
- Appointment of Governors.
- Appointment of Attorney General.
- Appointment of C.A.G.
- Appointment of various Commissions and Committees.
(c) Powers regarding the Parliament. He has many important powers by which he controls the Parliament :
- To recommend to the President about summoning and proroguing of the Parliament.
- To advise the President to dissolve Lok Sabha.
- To issue ordinances and propose Legislation.
- To make details of skeleton Laws made by the Parliament.
- To act as a Leader of the Parliament.
(d) Powers regarding the Party. The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party. He guides the policy formulation of his party.
Pt. Nehru combined in himself the powers of a party chief and the leader of the majority party.
- He is the leader of his party.
- He popularises his party among the masses.
- He cares that the opposition does not have any complaint against him.
(e) Powers as an Advisor. The Prime Minister exercises a good deal of advisory powers :
- He is the Chief Advisor of the President.
- He exercises practically all the powers of the President.
- He serves as a link between the President and the Council of Ministers.
Question 3.
Explain in brief qualifications, election and tenure for the President of India.
Answer:
Election. The President is elected indirectly by an electoral college. Elected members of both the Houses of Parliament and elected members of Legislative Assemblies of States (including Delhi and Puducherry) constitute the Electoral College. The voting is held on the basis of proportional representation by the single transferable vote system.
Qualifications :
- He should be a citizen of India.
- He must have completed the age of 35 years.
- He must be qualified to be elected as member of the Lok Sabha.
- He must not hold any office of profit under the Government of India or any State Government or local authosrity.
Tenure: The President is elected for a period of five years. The President can be removed from office by impeachment only. He can be impeached for violation of the Constitution. The impeachment charge may be initiated by either House of Parliament. If a resolution is passed by a two-third majority of the total membership of the House then the resolution is sent to the other House. If the other House also passes the resolution by a two-third majority then the President is removed from his office.
Question 4.
What do you mean by the collective and individual responsibility of the Council of Ministers?
Answer:
Collective Responsibility-Article 75 (3) of the Indian Constitution clearly says that the council of ministers is collectively responsible towards Lok Sabha. Council of Ministers can remain on their post till they have majority in Lok Sabha or they have confidence of Lok Sabha. If the majority of Lok Sabha votes against them, they all collectively will have to resign. Council of Ministers acts as a unit and if no confidence motion is passed against any minister, they all will have to resign. It has been said that the “Council of Ministers swim and sink together.”
Individual Responsibility. If all the ministers are collectively responsible then they also have some individual responsibilities. All the ministers are individually responsible for their departments. If any department is unable to function in a better way, Prime Minister can ask for the resignation of the concerned minister. If he refuses to resign, Prime Minister can get him removed by the President.
PSEB 9th Class Social Science Guide India’s Parliamentary Democracy Important Questions and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions :
Question 1.
Indian Parliament consists of _________
(a) 1
(b) 2.
(c) 3
(d) 4
Answer:
(b) 2.
Question 2.
Upper House of the Parliament is known as
(a) Rajya Sabha
(b) Lok Sabha
(c) Vidhan Sabha
(d) Vidhan Parishad.
Answer:
(a) Rajya Sabha.
Question 3.
Lower House of the Parliament is known as
(a) Rajya Sabha
(b) Vidhan Sabha
(c) Lok Sabha
(d) Vidhan Parishad.
Answer:
(c) Lok Sabha.
Question 4.
Who is the President of India?
(a) Narendra Modi
(b) Pranav Mukherjee
(c) Pratibha Patil
(d) Ramnath Kovind.
Answer:
(d) Ramnath Kovind.
Question 5.
Who is the Prime Minister of India?
(a) Narendra Modi
(b) Manmohan Singh
(c) Rahul Gandhi
(d) Pranav Mukherjee.
Answer:
(a) Narendra Modi.
Question 6.
Who appoints the Prime Minister of India?
(a) President
(b) Speaker
(c) Governor
(d) Vice President.
Answer:
(a) President.
Question 7.
Who was elected as the speaker of 17th Lok Sabha in 2019?
(a) Om Birla
(b) Hamid Ansari
(c) Sonia Gandhi
(d) P. Thambi Durai.
Answer:
(a) Om Birla.
Question 8.
Who appoints the judges of the Supreme Court?
(a) Prime Minister
(b) Speaker
(c) President
(d) Vice President.
Answer:
(c) President.
Question 9.
Who protects the fundamental rights of the citizens?
(a) President
(b) Supreme Court
(c) Speaker
(d) Prime Minister.
Answer:
(b) Supreme Court.
Fill in the Blanks :
Question 1.
In India _________ is known as the Head of country.
Answer:
President
Question 2.
After the elections of Lok Sabha in 2014, _________ formed the government.
Answer:
Narendra Modi
Question 3.
In India real powers are in the hands of _________
Answer:
Prime Minister
Question 4.
Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and _________ are included in Parliament.
Answer:
President
Question 5.
Lok Sabha can have maximum _________ members.
Answer:
552
Question 6.
Rajya Sabha can have maximum _________ members.
Answer:
250
Question 7.
The President can appoint 2 members of,_________ community to Lok Sabha.
Answer:
Anglo-Indian
Question 8.
The age of _________ years is required to become the President of India.
Answer:
35.
True/False:
Question 1.
There is presidential form of govt, in India.
Answer:
False
Question 2.
After the passing of No Confidence Motion, government needs to resign.
Answer:
True
Question 3.
It is not compulsory to be a member of parliament to become a minister.
Answer:
False
Question 4.
Lok Sabha is just like house of commons in England.
Answer:
True
Question 5.
The President can nominate 12 members to Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
True
Question 6.
Head of Lok Sabha is known as the Speaker.
Answer:
True
Question 7.
For ordinary bill, prior permission of the President is required.
Answer:
False.
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Name the two Houses of Parliament.
Answer:
Lower House is called Lok Sabha and Upper House is called Rajya Sabha.
Question 2.
What constitutes the Indian Parliament?
Answer:
The President,, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Question 3.
Who is represented by Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
Rajya Sabha respresents the States.
Question 4.
What is the maximum strength of Rajya Sabha? What is the present strength of Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
Rajya Sabha can have maximum of 250 members. Presently it has 245 members.
Question 5.
How many members can the President nominate to Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
The President an nominate 12 members Cb Rajya Sabha.
Question 6.
What is the tenure of Rajya Sabha members?
Answer:
6 years but one third members retire after every two years.
Question 7.
Who is the presiding officer of Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
The Vice President is ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha.
Question 8.
Who calls the session of Lok Sabha?
Answer:
The President calls the session of Lok Sabha.
Question 9.
Which house of the parliament is more powerful?
Answer:
Lok Sabha.
Question 10.
In which house can an ordinary bill be first introduced?
Answer:
An ordinary bill can be introduced in any of the house.
Question 11.
In which house can a money bill be first introduced?
Answer:
Lok Sabha.
Question 12.
Who is the presiding officer of Lok Sabha?
Answer:
Speaker is the presiding officer of Lok Sabha.
Question 13.
What is the term of Lok Sabha?
Answer:
The members of Lok Sabha are elected for a tenure of 5 years.
Question 14.
Give one power of the parliament.
Answer:
The parliament makes laws for the country.
Question 15.
What is the maximum strength of Lok Sabha? What is its present strength?
Answer:
Lok Sabha can have a maximum strength of 552. Presently it is 545.
Question 16.
Give one function of the presiding officer of Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
He presides over the meetings of Rajya Sabha.
Question 17.
Give a restriction on the supremacy of Parliament.
Answer:
Indian Constitution is written which restricts the supremacy of the Parliament.
Question 18.
Under which conditions, a joint session of Parliament is called?
Answer:
To resolve a dispute between both the houses, a joint session can be called. Question 19. Give one qualification to become the member of Rajya Sabha. Answer:The person must have minimum age of 30 years.
Question 20.
Give one special power of Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
It can declare a subject of state list as of national importance and can authorise the parliament to make laws on the subject.
Question 21.
Give one qualification to become the member of Lok Sabha.
Answer:
The person must have the age of 25 years.
Question 22.
Is Rajya Sabha a nominal house? Give one reason in its favour.
Answer:
Rajya Sabha is not given any power concerning money.
Question 23.
What is the difference between the elections of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
Members of Lok Sabha are directly elected whereas the members of Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected.
Question 24.
Give one equal power of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
For the passing of an ordinary bill, both the houses have equal power.
Question 25.
Give one special power of Lok Sabha.
Answer:
Bypassing no-confidence motion, Lok Sabha can remove the government.
Question 26.
Give one function of the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
Answer:
He regulates the proceedings of the housfe
Question 27.
How is the Speaker of Lok Sabha elected?
Answer:
He is elected by the members within themselves.
Question 28.
Who was elected as the Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha in 2014?
Answer:
Sumitra Mahajan.
Question 29.
Give one difference between money bill and an ordinary bill.
Answer:
An ordinary bill can be introduced in any of the house but money bill can only be introduced in Lok Sabha.
Question 30.
What is meant by collective responsibility?
Answer:
It means that ministers are collectively responsible towards parliament. If no confidence motion passes against one minister, whole of the council of ministers need to resign.
Question 31.
Which government system is adopted in India?
Answer:
India has adopted parliamentary form of government.
Question 32.
How can the Parliament remove the Council of Ministers?
Answer:
By passing no confidence motion in Lok Sabha.
Question 33.
Who can dissolve Lok Sabha?
Answer:
The President can dissolve Lok Sabha on the advice of Prime Minister.
Question 34.
Who decides whether a bill is a money bill or an ordinary bill?
Answer:
The Speaker of Lok Sabha.
Question 35.
Who are included in the central executive?
Answer:
In the central executive, the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers are included.
Question 36.
Who elects the President of India?
Answer:
The President is elected by an electoral college.
Question 37.
Who are included in the electoral college?
Answer:
The elected members of parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) and the elected members of state legislative assemblies (including Delhi and Puducherry).
Question 38.
What is the tenure of President? Can he be elected again?
Answer:
The tenure of President is 5 years and he can be re-elected.
Question 39.
Name the first and present President of India.
Answer:
The first President of India was Dr. Rajendra Prasad and the present President of India is Ramnath Kovind.
Question 40.
Who appoints the Prime Minister of India?
Answer:
The Prime Minister of India is appointed by the President.
Question 41.
Who appoints the minister?
Answer:
The ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of Prime Minister.
Question 42.
What is the tenure of Prime Minister?
Answer:
Prime Minister does not have a definite tenure. His tenure depends upon the majority of Lok Sabha.
Question 43.
What is the salary of the President of India?
Answer:
The Indian President gets ₹ 5 lac per month.
Question 44.
When can the President declare national emergency?
Answer:
The President can declare national emergency in case of war, foreign attack or an armed rebellion.
Question 45.
How many types of emergencies are there?
Answer:
Emergency is of three types.
Question 46.
When can the President issue an ordinance?
Answer:
In case of recess of the Parliament the President can issue an ordinance. Question 47. How many members can the President nominate to Lok Sabha? Answer:The President can nominate two Anglo Indian members to Lok Sabha.
Question 48.
Give one executive power of the President.
Answer:
He appoints the leader of majority party as the Prime Minister of’India.
Question 49.
Give one legislative power of the President.
Answer:
He signs the bills passed by the parliament.
Question 50.
Give one financial power of the President.
Answer:
He gives prior sanction to the money bill before its introduction to Lok Sabha.
Question 51.
Give one feature of the council of ministers.
Answer:
There is a great relation between parliament and the council of ministers.
Question 52.
Give one function of the central council of ministers.
Answer:
It makes internal and external policy of India.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Explain the membership of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
The maximum membership of Lok Sabha is 552 but presently it is 545. Out of these 545, 543 are the directly elected members and 2 are nominated by the President from Anglo-Indian Community. The maximum strength of Rajya Sabha is 250 but presently it is 245. Out of 245 members. 233 are elected by the state legislative assemblies and 12 are nominated by the President.
Question 2.
Give any three functions of the chairman of Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
- He presides over the meetings of Rajya Sabha.
- He is responsible to maintain peace in the house and also to carry on its smooth functioning.
- He permits the members to speak in the Rajya Sabha.
Question 3.
What is the difference between the elections of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
The members of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people and every citizen with the age of 18 years or more have the right to vote. One candidate is elected from a parliamentary constituency and whosoever gets maximum votes is declared as the winner. The members of Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies. In this way, the members of Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected.
Question 4.
Give three powers of Lok Sabha.
Answer:
- By passing no confidence motion, it can remove the government.
- Money Bill can only be introduced in Lok Sabha.
- In case of any deadlock between both the houses on any ordinary bill, a joint session of parliament is called in which Lok Sabha’s will prevails due to its more numerical strength.
Question 5.
What are the qualifications of the members of Lok Sabha?
Answer:
- He must b§ a citizen of India.
- He must have completed 25 years of ago.
- He must not hold any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State.
- He must possess such other qualifications as may he prescribed by the parliament.
- No person can be a member of both Houses of Parliament.
Question 6.
What are the qualifications required for the membership of Rajya Sabha?
Answer:
- He must be a citizen of India.
- He must have completed 30 years of ago.
- He must possess such other qualifications as are prescribed by the Parliament.
- He should not hold any office of profit under the government of India or any State government.
Question 7.
Write a note on the Speaker.
Answer:
The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha. He is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha from among themselves. The Speaker presides over the meetings of the House ; maintains order in the House and conducts the business of the House in accordance with the rules of the House. The Constitution also provides for the office of the Deputy Speaker.
Question 8.
What do you understand by the supremacy of the Parliament?
Answer:
The meaning of the supermacy of the Parliament is that the ultimate authority of making laws in the country lies in the hands of the Parliament. The bill passed by the Parliament is signed by the President. It makes laws on the subjects of union list, concurrent list, residuary powers and in case of emergency from the state list as well. It takes part in the process of election of the President and Vice President. It can request the President to remove any judge of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. It keeps control over the income and expenditure of the government. It can amend the Constitution. Except this, it keeps control over the government through different methods. So, it is clear that the Parliament is supreme in the country.
Question 9.
What is meant by Parliament? Name its houses and their tenure.
Answer:
The central legislature is known as parliament. It has two houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. It is the institution which make laws on the subjects of national importance. Laws made by the parliament are implemented in whole of the country.
- Tenure of Lok Sabha. Lok Sabha is elected for five years but it can be dissolved by the President (on the advise of P.M.) even before the completion of its term. During emergency, its tenure can be increased.
- Tenure of Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabha is a permanent house which cannot be dissolved in any case. Its members are elected for six years but one third of the total members retire after every two years.
Question 10.
What is meant by No-confidence Motion?
Answer:
No-confidence means that the leader of the House has lost the confidence of the majority of members and is no longer wanted to lead the party and the government. The no-confidence motion is a formal resolution tabled in the houses to see whether the leader enjoys the confidence of the members of the house. If the motion is passed the leader resigns and is replaced by the new incumbent.
Question 11.
Explain the election process of the members of Lok Sabha.
Answer:
Lok Sabha is the lower house of the Indian Parliament. Its member are directly elected by the people. Every Indian citizen with the age of 18 years or more has the right to vote during Lok Sabha election. Few seats in Lok Sabha are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. If the President feels that the Anglo Indian community is not represented in Lok Sabha, he can nominate 2 Anglo Indians to Lok Sabha.
Members of Lok Sabha are elected on the basis of population. For the purpose of elections, whole of the country is divided into equal parts. That’s why larger states send more members to Lok Sabha.
Question 12.
Give financial powers of Lok Sabha.
Answer:
- Budget and money bill can only be introduced in Lok Sabha.
- Rajya Sabha can delay a money bill maximum upto 14 days or it will be considered automatically passed.
- Money of the country is kept under the control of the Lok Sabha.
Question 13.
Give three powers of Rajya Sabha.
Answer:
Under the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha has been vested with two special and exclusive powers.
They are :
- Under Article 249 the Rajya Sabha may declare by resolution, passed by two-third majority of its members present and voting, that it is necessary or expedient in the national interest that Parliament should make laws with respect to any matter enumerated in the State List.
- Rajya Sabha is competent to create one or more All India Services if it passes a resolution by two-thirds majority.
- Rajya Sabha alone can initiate the proposal for removing the Vice-President.
Question 14.
How is the Indian President elected?
Answer:
The President is elected indirectly by an electoral college. Elected members of both the houses of Parliament and elected members of Legislative Assemblies of States constitute the Electoral College. The voting is held on the basis of proportional representation by the single transferable vote system.
Question 15.
The President is the nominal head of the state. How?
Answer:
Whole of the administration runs on the name of the President but he is the nominal head of the country. There is parliamentary form of government in India where the President is given enormous powers but he cannot use them of his own. He can use these powers on the advice of Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers. Actual powers are in the hands of Council of Ministers. The President is the constitutional but nominal head of the country.
Question 16.
Write down the legislative powers of the President.
Answer:
- The President can convene, prorogue and dissolve the parliament.
- He can address the two Houses of the parliament jointly or he may address them independently.
- He nominates 12 persons to the Rajya Sabha and two persons to the Lok Sabha.
- No bill passed by the Parliament can become an act without the assent of the President.
Question 17.
Can the President become a dictator?
Answer:
The President cannot become a dictator. Even during the times of emergency, he cannot become a dictator. Its major reason is that the parliamentary system of government is adopted in India in which he is the nominal head. Actually his powers are used by the Prime minister and his council of ministers. If he tries to work according to his wish, he can be removed through £he process of impeachment. He can declare emergency only on the written advice of the cabinet. Parliament can remove emergency only by passing a resolution with simple majority.
Question 18.
Whom does the President appoint as the Prime Minister?
Answer:
The President appoints the Prime Minister. He invites the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha and appoints him the Prime Minister. If no single party has a majority, many parties may form a coalition to make a majority and elect a leader. Then the leader of the coalition will be appointed as the Prime Minister.
Question 19.
Mention any two functions of the Prime Minister.
Answer:
1. Formation of the Council of Ministers. First and important function of the Prime Minister is the formation of the Council of Ministers. He prepares the list of the ministers according to his sweet will. Nobody can be appointed a minister against the wishes of the Prime Minister.
2. Distribution of Portfolios. Another major function of the Prime Minister is to distribute portfolios among the ministers. He decides what department is to be allotted to a particular Minister.
Question 20.
Why it is said that the Prime Minister is at the head of the Council of Ministers?
Answer:
The Prime Minister is at the head of the Council of Ministers because the Council of Ministers has no existence without the Prime Minister. He can make or unmake the Council of Ministers. The resignation or death of the Prime Minister leads to the dissolution of the Council of Ministers.
Question 21.
What is the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister in our country?
Answer:
India has Parliamentary form of government. Therefore, the Prime Minister enjoys a better position than the President. The President is the head of Executive but all of his powers are exercised by the Prime Minister. According to 42nd Amendment it has become binding on the President to accept the Prime Minister’s advice. The Prime Minister submits his list of Ministers to the President and the President appoints them. The Prime Minister keeps the President informed of the proceedings of the cabinet. Thus, he serves as a link between the President and the Cabinet.
Question 22.
Discuss about the types of Ministers.
Answer:
There are three types of ministers.
- Cabinet Ministers. They are the most trustworthy ministers and are given independent charge of an important portfolio.
- Minister of State. They may or may not be given independent charge of any portfolio or can be asked to assist any cabinet minister.
- Deputy Minister. They are not given any independent charge but are asked either to assist any cabinet minister or minister of state.
Question 23.
Give any three functions of the cabinet.
Answer:
Following are the functions of the cabinet :
- Making national policy: The most important function of the cabinet is to make internal policy and to formulate the policy of public welfare.
- Regulating foreign relations: Cabinet forms the foreign policy and regulates the relations with other countries.
- Control over administration: Every department is under the control of a minister and the concerned minister tries to run the administration in a proper way.
Question 24.
Give three features of the Indian cabinet.
Answer:
Following are the features of the Indian cabinet :
- Nominal head. The President is the nominal head. Whole of the country’s administration is run on the name of the President but actually, it is run by the cabinet.
- Relation between executive and legislature. In parliamentary form of government, council of ministers is the executive and it has close relations with the legislature.
- Prime Minister Leader. Indian cabinet works under the guidance of the Prime Minister. Every minister has to accept the order of the Prime Minister or he can be removed.
Question 25.
Can the Prime Minister become a dictator?
Answer:
The Prime Minister cannot become a dictator because :
- He is responsible towards the Parliament which can remove him if he tries to do so.
- Parliament (Lok Sabha) can remove him by passing a no-confidence motion.
- He cannot work against the public opinion.
- He is required to care about the opposition party.
Question 26.
Discuss the mutual relations between the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.
Answer:
The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in Lok Sabha. He gets the Council of Ministers appointed by the President and distributes them different portfolios. He presides over the meetings of the council of Ministers. If any minister does not work according to the Prime Minister, he can be asked to resign. If any minister refuses to resign, he can dissolve whole of the Council of Ministers and can create it again sans that minister.
Question 27.
Give judicial powers of the President.
Answer:
- The President appoints the Chief Justice and other judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
- The President has the powers to grant pardon or reduce the sentence awarded to a criminal.
- The President has the power to reprieve (temporarily suspend) the sentence.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Describe the powers of the Union Parliament.
Answer:
Following are the main powers of the Union Parliament :
- Legislative Powers. The Parliament can frame laws on the subjects mentioned in the Union List and Concurrent List. Under certain special circumstances the Parliament gets the right to frame laws on the subjects mentioned in the State List.
- Financial Powers. The Parliament controls the finances of the country. The budget is passed by the Parliament.
- Executive Power’s. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to the Parliament for their actions and policies. The Parliament has the power to remove the Council of Ministers by passing a vote of no-confidence.
- Judicial Powers. The Parliament can remove the President from office through impeachment. The Parliament can remove the judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court by passing a resolution to that effect.
- Electoral Powers. The elected members of Parliament participate in the election of the President. The Vice President is elected by the members of both the Houses of Parliament.
- Amendment of the Constitution. Under Article 368 .the Parliament can make any amendment in the Constitution but it has no. power to change the basic structure of the Constitution.
Question 2.
Write down the Executive powers of the President.
Answer:
The President is the Chief Executive or Head of the State. According to Art. 53 (1) of the Constitution, the executive powers of the Union have been vested in the President. He may exercise these powers himself or get them exercised through officers subordinate to him.
1. Administration is run in the name of the President. The entire administration of India is conducted in his name and all government decisions are formally announced as his decisions. Laws passed by the Parliament are promulgated in his name.
2. Appointments. (i) He appoints the Prime Minister and other ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister, (ii) He appoints the Attorney General, the Comptroller and the Auditor General. Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the Chairman and Members of the Union Public Service Commission, the Chairman and Members of Joint Public Service Commission, the Election Commission, Finance Commission, the Official Language Commission and Commission for the Scheduled Castes. Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, etc. He also appoints the State Governors, Lt. Governors and Chief Commissioners of the Union Territories. He also sends and receives diplomatic representatives.
3. Military Powers. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, but the exercise of military powers of the President is regulated by the Parliament. The President cannot declare war or employ forces without the sanction of the Parliament or in anticipation of the sanction by the Parliament.
4. Powers Relating to Foreign Affairs. The President has extensive diplomatic powers. He represents his country in International affairs. He appoints Indian representatives to foreign countries and also receives diplomatic representatives of other states which have been recognised by the Parliament.
5. Power of Direction, Control and Co-ordination. The President has the power of direction, control and co-ordination of the work in the states. He can issue directions to the states for the compliance of union law.
Question 3.
Explain the .legislative powers of the Indian President.
Answer:
Following are the legislative powers of the Indian President provided by Art. 123 of the Constitution.
1. Power to Summon, Prorogue and Dissolve the Parliament. The President can convene, prorogue and dissolve the Parliament. He can order fresh elections to the Lok Sabha on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. He must call the session of the Parliament within 6 months.
2. Address to the Parliament. He can address the two Houses of the Parliament jointly or he may address them independently. The first session of the Parliament after the General elections is inaugurated by the President. He also addresses the first session of the Parliament every year. In his address the President explains the policy of the Government- to the House.
3. Nominates the Members to the Parliament. He nominates 12 persons to the Rajya Sabha. These persons must have distinguished themselves in the fields of art, literature, science and social service. He can nominate two persons of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha if he feels that the community has not got adequate representation.
4. Assent on Bills. No bill passed by the Parliament can become an Act without the assent of the President. He can reject an ordinary bill only once and when passed for the second time, the President is to give his assent.
5. Approval to Money Bills. He gives approval to money bills passed by the State Legislatures.
6. Joint Session. He can call a joint session of the two Houses of the Parliament. If the two Chambers differ on an ordinary bill, only then he calls a joint session.
7. Power to Send Messages. He can send messages to any House from time to time.
8. Ordinance. During the intervals of the session of the Parliament, he can issue ordinances. These ordinances have the force of laws.
Question 4.
Discuss the Legislative’s control over the Executive.
Answer:
Our country has adopted the parliamentary form of government. Parliament can keep control over the Council of Ministers in many ways. It can force the Council of Ministers to work in its way.
- Questions: The members of parliament can ask any question to any minister regarding the functioning of their department and it is must for the concerned ministers to reply.
- Discussion: Parliament can discuss the presidential address to the parliament and can criticise all of its policies.
- Adjournment Motion: To discuss any serious problem, members of parliament can raise adjournment motion. Its aim is to stop the normal preceedings and firstly discuss that problem. In this government can be criticised.
- To remove the Council of Ministers: If parliament is not satisfied with the working of the council of ministers, it can remove whole of the council by passing no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha.
Question 5.
Give a few features of the parliamentary form of government.
Answer:
The parliamentary form of government is a system in which the council of ministers is responsible towards the parliament for its political policies and functions. The Head of the state is the nomical head and is not responsible towards parliament.
Features:
- Nominal Executive. In a parliamentary system, the head of the country i.e. the President is the nominal head because real powers lie in the hands of the prime minister and his council of ministers.
- Clear Majority. In parliamentary form, the government is run by the political party which gets the majority in elections. This party elects its leader who is called by the President to form the government.
- Compulsory Membership of Parliament. To become a minister, it is a must for a person to be a member of parliament. If anyone is not a member of parliament, on the advice of the Prime Minister, the President can make him a minister. But it is a must for him to acquire the membership within 6 months or he will have to leave his post.
- Collective Responsibility. The council of ministers is collectively responsible towards the legislature. They can be asked any question within the parliament. If parliament (Lok Sabha) passes a no-confidence motion against them, they can be removed from their post.
- The leadership of the Prime Minister. In the parliamentary form of government, Prime Minister is the leader of the council of ministers. The President appoints different ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. Prime Minister looks after the functioning of different ministers and tries to maintain balance among them.