12. Our Government

he government of our country has three arms, or parts. One arm makes laws. It iS called the

th

egisiature. Ihe second arm runs the country according to these laws. Ihis arn

ELdVE. And the third arm makes sure that evervthing actuallv happens according to uE

aw. Ihis arm is called the judiciary. This is true of the state governments ds we well.

The Union Legislature

egislate means to make laws. The union leaislature, or the law-making body for the wiole

COuntry, is the parliament. It has two houses or parts-the Lok Sabha and the Rajyd dddild.

ne president, whose signature is needed for all laws, is also a part of the legislature

Sa

The Lok Sabha The members of the Lok Sabha are elected by the people of the cOunuy

during the general elections. Any Indian who is 18 or older can vote in these elections. Ine

general elections are held every five years.

For the elections, the country is divided into

many areas called constituencies. The people of

each constituency are free to vote tor any of the

contestants from their constituency. Any Indian

who is 25 or older can be a contestant. Usually,

however, those who contest belong to some party.

The contestant who gets the greatest number of

votes from a constituency gets elected to the Lok

Sabha from that constituency.Discussions in parliament are a part of democracy.

The Rajya Sabha The members of the Rajya Sabha are not elected directly by the people. They are elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and the union territories (UTs) of Delhi and Puducherry. In addition, twelve members are appointed by the president. They are people who are well known in their fields of work such as art, literature, sports and social work.

The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected for six years. One third of them retire every two years and new members are elected.

What the parliament does The most important function (job) of the parliament is to make. change and remove laws. Apart from this, it decides the taxes that people have to pay and the amount of money that the government will spend in a year. It also discusses the problems of the people and the relations of our country with other countries.

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The Union Executive

The executive arm t e unon government consists of the president, the vice presiue dna the cOuncil of ministers. The president is the headd oi uie union executive. Every decision of the qovernment is laken in ne name of the president. Every new law that is made must have his or her signature. However, the real work of running the cOuntry is done by the prime minister (PM) and the council of ministers. Let us say that the president is like a grandparent. His (or her) advice is respectedby everyone, but he (or she) does not do the actual work.

Foreign heads of government often have discussions ith the president.

The president and the vice president are elected for a term of five years. The president is elected by the elected members of parliament and those of the legislative assemblies of the states and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The vicé president is elected by the parliament. In the absence of the president, the vice president acts as the president. The council of ministers After the general elections, the party (or a group of like-minded parties) that wins majority forms the government. Their leader is appointed the prime ministerby the president. he prime minister selects the council of ministers from among the members 272

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ef parliament (MPs) of his or her party. They can be from either house of parliament. rtfole

Ouncil of

Ministers Minister COuncil of

****. ers

Union C

President ********.

*.

PM CM The members of parliament and

legislative assemblies elect the president.

*****

The majority party forms the union council of ministers.

The majority party forms the state's council of ministers.

LOK SABHA LEG!SL ATIVE AS MBLY

People of the whole country elect MPs. People of a state/UT elect members of the assembly.

iiiitiiii

OPis

The Judiciary CI SAGoldo

JuIlary. Ihe Supreme Court, in New Delhi, is the

highest of the courts. It has a chief justice and many

otner judges. The chief justice is appointed by the

president. He or she advises the president on the

other judges to be appointed to the Supreme cOurt.

Tne judges and the courts of our country form opur

President Pranab Mukherjee swearing in the Chief Justice of India

Below the Supreme Court are the high courts of the states. Most states have a nig

COurt. Ihe states that do not have one share the high court of another state. The hign court

is the highest court in a state. Below it are the district courts. falnaSar Kancl

Ihe Gauhati High Court is shared by Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland a1d MIZOTaT{l

What courts do The main function of the courts is to see that everything happens accorading to the law. This includes punishing those who break the law and protecting those who are innocent. When someone is arrested for committinq a crime, the courts decide whether the person is really guilty and what punishment he or she should get. They also settle disputes (fights). The dispute could be over money, a piece of land, and so on. When people are not happy with the decision of a lower court, they can go to the next higher court. State Governments

Every state has its wn government. It has an executive, a legislature and a judiciary.The legislature The legislature in most states has one house called the legislative assembly It makes laws for the state. The laws made by a state legislature hold only in that state.

The members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) of a state are elected by the people of the state during the state or assembly elections. These elections too are held every five years. A state is divided into assembly constituencies for the state elections. These constituenciesare smaller than the parliamentary constituencies.

oooosno0o 2 oooooo Vidhana Soudha, the building of the Karnataka legislature

BERDS9ERAAE

EARARAACAAAEAAL I

The executive The state exeCutive is headed by the governor. However, the chief minister and the council of ministers do the actual work of running the state.

The governor is appOinted by the president. After the state elections, the leader of the majority party (or group ot parties) in the legislative assembly is appointed the chief minister by the governor. Ihe chiet minister chooses the other members of the council of ministers The judiciary As yOu know, the high court is the highest court in a state. A state has many districts. Each district has its own district court.

Running the Union Territories

Five of the seven union territories are run by the union government. The lieutenant governor, who is the head of a union territory, runs it in the name of the president. The union territories of Delhi and Puducherry also have lieutenant governors, but are slightly different. Each has its own legislative assembly and council of ministers. So, in some matters, they are run like a state.

OO New Words & Main Pointy O

legislate make laws

constituency area (or group of people) which elects a member of the legislature appoint give someone an official job or position

arrest catch a law-breaker

an act that is against the law

fight or disagreement

Crime

dispute

The legislature, the executive and the judiciary are the three arms of the government. The legislature makes laws. The executive runs the country or state according to laws. The judiciary makes sure that everything happens according to the law.

The union legislature, or parliament, has two houses-the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by the people during the general elections, which are held every

five years. The country is divided into constituencies, each electing one member of parliament (MP). Twelve members of the Rajya Sabha are appointed by the president. The rest are elected by the legislative

assemblies of the states and the UTs of Delhi and Puducherry. They are elected for a periad of six years.

The parliament makes, changes and removes laws. It also fixes taxes, decides on the amount of money to be spent by the government and discusses the problems of the country.

The president is elected by the elected members of parliament and those of the legislative assemblies of

the states and the UTs of Delhi and Puducherry. He or she is elected for a period of five years.

The leader of the party (or group of parties) with a majority of seats in the parliament is appointed the

prime minister by the president. The prime minister chooses the council of ministers from among MPs.

All the courts and judges make up the judiciary. The Supreme Court is the highest court. The chief

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