India

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of India Image File history File links Emblem_of_India. ... According to its constitution, India is a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. ...

Constitution Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties President Abdul Kalam Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Government Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Deputy Prime Minister Ministers Parliament Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Recent Elections General elections, 2004 State Assembly elections Political parties Supreme Court Chief Justice Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal High Courts District Courts States and territories Human rights Political scandals Foreign relations

See also: History Politics of other countries

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The Government of India (Hindi: Bharat Sarkar), officially referred to as the Union Government, and commonly as Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a federal union of 28 states and 7 union territories, collectively called Republic of India. The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation, such as the India Code. The federal (union) and individual state governments consist of executive, legislative and judicial branches. The legal system as applicable to the federal and individual state governments is based on the English Common and Statutory Law. India accepts compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction with several reservations. Jawaharlal Nehru signing the Constitution of India on January 24, 1950. ... Standard of the President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ... Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Tamil: à®….ப.ஜ. அப்துல் கலாம்; Hindi: अवुल पकिर जैनुलाअबदीन अब्दुल कलाम; born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ^, is the current President of India. ... The Vice-President of India is second behind the President in the Executive branch of the Government of India. ... Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (born 1923) is the Vice-President of India. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Dr. Manmohan Singh (Punjabi: , Hindi: ) is the 13th, and current Prime Minister of India. ... The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Indian cabinet in the Indian government. ... List of Indian ministers in the current government elected in 2004: Names in italics are women ministers. ... The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ... Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Dy. ... The Vice-President of India is second behind the President in the Executive branch of the Government of India. ... Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (born 1923) is the Vice-President of India. ... Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ... The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the lower house of parliament in India. ... Somnath Chatterjee (born July 25, 1929 in Tezpur, Assam) is a politician in India. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Legislative elections were held in India, the worlds largest democracy, in four phases between April 20 and May 10, 2004. ... Executive President Prime Minister The Union Ministries Legislative Parliament Rajya Sabha Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Speaker of the House Judicial Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Supreme Court High Courts District Courts Constitution Fundamental Rights and Directive principles Regions States and territories Elections General Elections State Assembly... Political parties in India lists political parties in India. ... The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. ... Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister The Union Ministries Legislative Parliament Rajya Sabha Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Speaker of the House Judicial Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Supreme Court High Courts District Courts Constitution Fundamental Rights and Directive principles Regions States and territories... Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (born on January 14, 1942) is the 36th Chief Justice of India. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Composition and Jurisdiction of District Courts In India : administration of justice at district level is done through law courts which are presided over by a judge. ... India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories States and territories of India States: Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu Lakshadweep Pondicherry National Capital Territory of Delhi // History Pre-independence British India, which included all of modern-day India... The situation of human rights in India is a complex one, as a result of the countrys large size and tremendous diversity, its status as a developing country, and its history as a former colonial territory. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Republic of India, the second most populous country and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is considered as a major power and a potential superpower. ... The history of India can be traced in fragments to as far back as 9,500 years ago. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Hindi (हिन्दी or हिंदी in DevanāgarÄ«), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in Northern and Central India is the official language of the central government of India. ... The Constitution of India was passed by the Constituent Assembly of India on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950. ... India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories States and territories of India States: Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu Lakshadweep Pondicherry National Capital Territory of Delhi // History Pre-independence British India, which included all of modern-day India... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Statutory law is written law (as opposed to oral or customary law) set down by a legislature or other governing authority such as the executive branch of government in response to a perceived need to clarify the functioning of government, improve civil order, answer a public need, to codify existing... Peace Palace, seat of the ICJ. The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; French: Cour internationale de justice) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. ...

Legislative branch

India's bicameral parliament (also known as the Sansad) consists of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The Union Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha. In India's parliamentary system, the executive is nominally subordinate to the legislature. There are 543 members in the Lok Sabha that are elected from the various states on the basis of proportional representation. There are 2 Anglo-Indian members nominated by the President. The Rajya Sabha has 250 members. In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ... Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Dy. ... Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ...

Executive branch

The Executive arm consists of the President, Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament.

President of India

Main article: President of India

The government exercises its broad administrative powers in the name of the President of India, who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Head of State and chief guardian of the Constitution of the Republic. Standard of the President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ... Standard of the President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ...

The President's true role is mostly ceremonial. He is the Supreme Commander of the nation's armed forces, has the authority to dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections, declare a state of emergency, and dismiss governments in the states, but all upon the counsel of the Prime Minister and the elected government.

Historically, the President of the Republic has been a person revered by the people for his position above ordinary politics. The President and Vice President are elected indirectly for 5-year terms by a special electoral college, composed of delegates from the federal Parliament and state legislatures.

Union Cabinet

Main article: Indian Cabinet Ministers

Real national executive power is centered in the Council of Ministers, the Union Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister of India, the Head of Government. The President appoints the Prime Minister, who is the designated leader of the political party or coalition commanding parliamentary majority. All Central Government decisions are nominally taken in the name of the President. List of Indian ministers in the current government elected in 2004: Names in italics are women ministers. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ...

The Ministers may be of 3 types - Cabinet Minister, Minister of State (Independent Charge) and Minister of State, in order of seniority. Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State with independent charge may usually attend Cabinet meetings. A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ...

The Union Ministries

The South Block situated in Raisina Hill, Delhi houses Indian defence, external affairs and finance ministries.

The day-to-day enforcement and administration of national laws lies in the hands of the various federal Union Ministries and Departments, created by the Indian Parliament to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs. In matters delegated to the States, Ministries act in advisory and funding capacity. Image File history File links Indiagovtdelhi. ... Image File history File links Indiagovtdelhi. ... Situated on Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India Secretariat Building is a set of two buildings on the opposite side of Rajpath that are home to many important Ministries of the Government of India. ... Raisina Hill is the most priced estate in Lutyens Delhi. ... India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories States and territories of India States: Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu Lakshadweep Pondicherry National Capital Territory of Delhi // History Pre-independence British India, which included all of modern-day India...

The heads of the ministries and independent departments are the members of the Union Cabinet. In short, they and their departments and agencies are the administrative arms of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ...

Central Government Ministries:

• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries
• Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
• Ministry of Civil Aviation
• Ministry of Coal and Mines
• Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
• Ministry of Company Affairs
• Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
• Ministry of Culture
• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
• Ministry of Environment and Forests
• Ministry of External Affairs
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Food Processing Industries
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
• Ministry of Home Affairs
• Ministry of Human Resource Development
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
• Ministry of Labour and Employment
• Ministry of Law and Justice
• Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
• Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
• Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
• Ministry of Power
• Ministry of Railways
• Ministry of Rural Development
• Ministry of Science and Technology
• Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways
• Ministry of Small Scale Industries
• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
• Ministry of Steel
• Ministry of Textiles
• Ministry of Tourism
• Ministry of Tribal Affairs
• Ministry of Urban Development
• Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation
• Ministry of Water Resources
• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

Central Government (Independent Departments):

• Department of Atomic Energy
• Department of Ocean Development
• Department of Space

Independent Executive Agencies

The Constitution of India also provides for following independent organisations, who are answerable only to the Parliament and are not under the purview of any Ministry, The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ...

• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - premier national investigative agency, analogous to the United States FBI, but limited in authority.
• Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)
• Election Commission of India
• National Commission for Women
• National Commission on Population
• National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
• Planning Commission - The premier agency
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) - Telecom regulator.
• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) - The recruitment agency for civil service positions based on competitive exams.

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... CVC or Central Vigilance Commission is the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority, monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government of India and advising various authorities in central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing and reforming their vigilance work. ... The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is the title of a government official, established by the constitution, who audits all disbursements and accounts of moneys in and out of India. ... The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body created to hold free and fair elections in India. ... The National Human Rights Commission of India was set up under the Human Rights Act, 1993. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI (established 1997) is the independent regulator established by the Government of India to regulate the telecommunications business in India. ... The Union Public Service Commission UPSCis a constitutional body in India to conduct examinations for appointment to the services of the Union. ... Indian Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym ICS, was the elite civil service of the Indian Government. ...

Judicial branch

India's independent judicial system began under the British, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries. The Supreme Court of India consists of a Chief Justice and 25 associate justices, all appointed by the President on the advice of the Chief Justice of India. In the 1960s, India moved away from using juries for most trials, finding them to be corrupt and ineffective, instead almost all trials are conducted by judges. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. ... The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth- or other countries with an Anglosaxon type of justice, such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of New Zealand, the Supreme... Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister The Union Ministries Legislative Parliament Rajya Sabha Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Speaker of the House Judicial Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Supreme Court High Courts District Courts Constitution Fundamental Rights and Directive principles Regions States and territories...

Unlike its US counterpart, the Indian justice system consists of a unitary system at both state and federal level. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of India, High Courts at the state level, and District and Session Courts at the district level. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. ...

National Judiciary

Main article: Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court of India has original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction. Its exclusive original jurisdiction extends to any dispute between the Government of India and one or more states, or between the Government of India and any state or states on one side and one or more states on the other, or between two or more states, if and insofar as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or of fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. ... The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. ...

In addition, Article 32 of the Indian Constitution gives an extensive original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court in regard to enforcement of Fundamental Rights. It is empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. The Supreme Court has been conferred with power to direct transfer of any civil or criminal case from one State High Court to another State High Court, or from a court subordinate to another State High Court.

Public Interest Litigation: Although the proceedings in the Supreme Court arise out of the judgments or orders made by the Subordinate Courts, of late the Supreme Court has started entertaining matters in which interest of the public at large is involved, and the Court may be moved by any individual or group of persons either by filing a Writ Petition at the Filing Counter of the Court, or by addressing a letter to Hon'ble The Chief Justice of India highlighting the question of public importance for invoking this jurisdiction.

Such a concept is known as Public Interest Litigation, or PIL and several matters of public importance have become landmark cases. This concept is unique to the Supreme Court of India, and perhaps no other Court in the world has been exercising this extraordinary jurisdiction.

State Judiciary

Main article: High Courts of India

The High Court stands at the head of a State's judicial administration. There are 21 High Courts in the country, three having jurisdiction over more than one state. The Union Territories come under the jurisdiction of different State High Courts. Each High Court comprises a Chief Justice and such other Judges as the President may, from time to time, appoint. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Each High Court has powers of jurispudence over all subordinate courts within its jurisdiction, namely the District and Sessions courts and other lower courts. It can call for returns from such Courts, make and issue general rules and prescribe forms to regulate their practice and proceedings and determine the manner and form in which book entries and accounts shall be kept.

The District and Session Courts comprise the lowest level of courts, and are trial courts of original jurisdiction, applying both federal and state laws. States are divided into districts and within each, a District and Sesions Judge is head of the judiciary. A District Judge presides over civil cases, while a Sessions Judge over criminal cases. These judges are appointed by the Governor of the state in consultation with the state's High Court. There is a hierarchy of judicial officials below the district level, many selected through competitive examination by the state's public service commissions.

Civil cases at the sub district level are filed in subdistrict or munsif courts. Lesser criminal cases are entrusted to courts of magistrates functioning under the Sessions Judge. At the village level, disputes are frequently resolved by Panchayats or Lok Adalats (Hindi: People's Courts), appealable to the District and Sessions Court. // The Panchayat (पंचायत in Devanagiri) is an Indian political system that groups five villages in a quincunx (four peripheral villages around a central one were laid out as the 5 side of a die). ... Hindi (हिन्दी or हिंदी in Devanāgarī), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in Northern and Central India is the official language of the central government of India. ...

Note: The judicial system retains substantial legitimacy in the eyes of many Indians despite its politicization since the 1970s. In fact, as illustrated by the rise of social action litigation in the 1980s and 1990s, many Indians turn to the courts to redress grievances with other social and political institutions. It is frequently observed that Indians are highly litigious, which has contributed to a growing backlog of cases.

Indeed, the Supreme Court was reported to have more than 150,000 cases pending in 1990, the high courts had some 2 million cases pending, and the lower courts had a substantially greater backlog. Research in the early 1990s show that the backlogs at levels below the Supreme Court are the result of delays in the litigation process and the large number of decisions that are appealed, and not the result of an increase in the number of new cases filed.

Type of Government

The Preamble lays down the type of government that India has adopted - Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic. The Constitution of India was passed by the Constituent Assembly of India on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950. ...

Sovereign

The word sovereign means supreme or independent. India is internally and externally sovereign - externally free from the control of any foreign power and internally, it has a free government which is directly elected by the people, which makes laws which governs the people. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Socialist

The word socialist was added to the Preamble by the 42^nd Amendment Act of 1976. It implies social and economic equality for all its citizens. There will be no discrimination on the basis of caste, colour, creed, sex, religion, language etc. Everybody will be given equal status and opportunities. The government will make efforts to reduce the concentration of wealth in a few hands, and provide a decent standard of living to all. The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, such as clans, gentes, or the Indian caste system. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... For other uses, see Creed (disambiguation). ... Look up Sex in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

India has adopted a mixed economic model, and the government has framed many laws to achieve the goal of socialism, such as Abolition of Untouchability and Zamindari Act, Equal Wages Act and Child Labour Prohibition Act. The economy of India is the fourth largest in the world as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP), with a GDP of US $3. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations, especially in modern or early modern history, in which adults and/or children are employed against their will by the threat of destitution, detention, violence (including death), or other extreme hardship to themselves, or to members of their... Child labour or labor is the phenomenon of children in employment. ...

Secular

The word secular was inserted into the Preamble by the 42^nd Amendment Act of 1976. It implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance. India does not have any official state religion. Every person has the right to preach, practise and propagate any religion of their own choice. The government does not favour or discriminate any religion. It treats all religions with equal respect. All citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs are equal in the eyes of law. No religious instruction is imparted in government or government - aided schools. Contrary to this, India made laws based on religion and sub-religion(caste). 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

Democratic

India is a democratic country. It is often referred to as the largest democracy in the world, and takes pride in that designation. People of India elect their governments at all levels (central, state and local) by a method of universal adult franchise. Every citizen of India, who is 18 years of age and above and who is not otherwise debarred by law, is entitled to vote. Every citizen enjoys this right without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, colour, sex, religion or education. Democracy is, literally, rule by the people (from the Greek demos, people, and kratos, rule). The methods by which this rule is exercised, and indeed the composition of the people are central to various definitions of democracy, but useful contrasts can be made with oligarchies and autocracies, where political authority... Suffrage is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ...

Though every citizen is entitled to vote, but not everyone can stand for election from any location, specific seats are allocated for Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes (22%) in parliament called (reserved constituencies), in local body election a percentage of seats are allocated for women candidate.

There is also a proposal to allocate 33% seats in all elections to woman candidates, currently there is no consensus in how to implement it and which seats should be allocated.

The pillar of Indian Democracy is Election Commission of India, it is one of the most trusted organisations, it has been praised by all for conducting Free and Fair elections. The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body created to hold free and fair elections in India. ...

Republic

As opposed to a monarchy, in which the head of state is appointed on hereditary basis for a lifetime, or till he abdicates, a republic is a state in which the head of state is elected, directly or indirectly, for a fixed tenure. The President of India is elected by an electoral college for a term of five years. Places where monarchies maintain rule appear in blue. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... Standard of the President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ...

Quasi - Federal Government

India has been called as a Union of States. In spite of having a Federal structure, that is two levels of government, clear division of powers and an independent judiciary, there is a strong bias towards making the Central government more powerful. This is called a Centralized Federation, or a Quasi-Federal Government, that is partly federal and partly unitary. A map showing the federal states. ... In law, the judiciary or judicature is the system of courts which administer justice and provide a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ... A map showing the unitary states. ...

Federal Features of the Indian Government

There are two levels of government, that is Central and State Government. There is clear division of powers stated under the three lists – Union list, State list and Concurrent list. There is a written Constitution which is a supreme document, and an independent and impartial judiciary to interpret the Constitution and solve conflicts between the Central and State governments.

Unitary Features of the Indian Government

India has adopted the idea of single citizenship. The Parliament has vast legislative powers. It can legislate on 97 subjects of the union list, 47 subjects of the concurrent list and in times of national and state emergency, can also make laws on the 66 subjects of the state list. If there is a conflict between a union law and a state law over a subject present in the Concurrent list, the law made by the Parliament will prevail over the law made by the state legislatures. Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now usually a state) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ... A state of emergency in India refers to a period of governance under an altered constitutional setup that can be proclaimed by the President of India, when he/she perceives grave threats to the nation from internal and external sources or from financial situations of crisis. ... India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 union territories and a national capital territory. ...

The President of India has vast emergency powers. He or she may declare national, state and financial emergency. The Governor of a state acts as a representative of the President at the state level. He is appointed by the President, and may be removed by him or her. The Governor can advise the President to impose emergency in any state. During an emergency, the Governor carries out the administration in the name of the President. Standard of the President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ... A state of emergency in India refers to a period of governance under an altered constitutional setup that can be proclaimed by the President of India, when he/she perceives grave threats to the nation from internal and external sources or from financial situations of crisis. ...

The state governments are dependent upon the central government for funds and grants. These are allocated by the Planning Commission and the Finance Commission, which are central bodies. The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The economy of India is the fourth largest in the world as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP), with a GDP of US $3. ...

The members of the All Indian Services are appointed by the Union Public Service Commission, which is a central body. Though the officers are posted in the states, they continue to owe their loyalty to the government. Category: ... India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 union territories and a national capital territory. ...

Parliamentary government

India has adopted a parliamentary system of government borrowed from the United Kingdom. It is based on the fusion of powers between the executive and the legislature. States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in red and orange—the former being constitutional monarchies and the latter being republics A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in U.S. English), is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ...

Under the Indian system, the Parliament is supreme as it is an elected body. There is a presence of two executives - the nominal executive and the real executive. The nominal executive, is the President of India. He enjoys all the constitutional powers, but exercises them only on the advice of the real executive. The real executive, that is the Prime Minister of India and the Cabinet, enjoy all the real powers and make all the important policy decisions. The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ... Standard of the President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... List of Indian ministers in the current government elected in 2004: Names in italics are women ministers. ...

All the members of the Council of Ministers as well as the Prime Minister have to be members of either house of the Parliament. If they are not, they must get elected within a period of six months from the time they assume their respective office. The Executive, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to the Lok Sabha, both individually as well as collectively. Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ...

Individual responsibility

Every individual minister is in charge of a specific portfolio or department. He is responsible for any act of failure in all the policies relating to his department. In case of any lapse, he himself is individually responsible to the Parliament. If a vote of no - confidence is passes against the individual minister, he has to resign. Individual responsibility can amount to collective responsibility. Therefore, the Prime Minister, in order to save his government, can ask for the resignation of such a minister. A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ... // Finance Main article portfolio (finance) In finance, a portfolio is a collection of investments held by an institution or a private individual. ... The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ... A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non-confidence, a censure motion, or a no-confidence motion, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ...

Collective responsibility

The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are jointly accountable to the Lok Sabha. If there is a policy failure or lapse on the part of the government, all the members of the council are jointly responsible. If a vote of no - confidence is passed against the government, then all the ministers headed by the Prime Minister have to resign.

Welfare State

A welfare state is a state in which the government provides for a wide range of social services and carries out a large number of welfare and developmental activities, like providing education, setting up of hospitals, protection of minorities, promoting agriculture and protecting the monuments along with the performance of police functions. A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ... In sociology and in voting theory, a minority is a sub-group that is outnumbered by persons who do not belong to it. ... A monument is a structure built for commemorative or symbolic reasons rather than for any overtly functional use. ...

The Directive Principles of State Policy, enshrined in Part IV of the Indian Constitution reflects that India is a welfare state. Seats are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in government jobs, educational institutions, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. The government has passed a number of laws for the abolition of untouchability, Begar and Zamindari. The government has opened fair - priced shops, where certain essential commodities are sold at very reasonable prices to the poorer sections of the society. Fundamental Rights are certain basic human rights which every citizen of India has the right to enjoy for a proper and harmonious development of their personality. ... The Constitution of India, the worlds lengthiest written constitution (with 395 articles and 8 schedules) was passed by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. ... outcaste A noun 1 outcaste a person belonging to no caste Category Tree: entity â•šobject; physical_object â•šliving_thing; animate_thing â•šorganism; being â•šperson; individual; someone; somebody; mortal; human; soul â•šoutcaste B adjective 1 outcaste, casteless not belonging to or having been expelled from a caste and thus having no place or status... This article is on the social structure. ... Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ... Vidhan Sabha, the name of the state-level legislature assemblies in India. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations, especially in modern or early modern history, in which adults and/or children are employed against their will by the threat of destitution, detention, violence (including death), or other extreme hardship to themselves, or to members of their... The Zamindari System is a kind of feudal system, introduced by the Mughals to collect taxes from peasants. ... A public distribution shop, part of Indias public distribution system, is a kind of shop in India which is used to distribute rations at a subsidized price to the poor. ...

Revenues of Government

Gross tax revenues of the Government of India has grown steadily from around Rs.1 billion in 1945 to over Rs.1 trillion by 1995. It is expected to reach Rs.8 trillion by 2010 at the current rate of growth. Given below is a chart of trend of gross tax revenues (before splitting shares of States) of the Government of India assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Note 1: includes service tax, et al

This is a chart of trend of non-tax revenues of the Government of India assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Note 2: includes dividend and profit from public sector undetakings and RBI, et al

References

• www.shakun.com : Official Notifications/Circulars of various Indian Government Ministries
• Official websites of various Indian Government Ministries
• Official Website of Indian Courts, Govt of India (public domain text)
• Official Website of Govt of India (public domain text)
• Directory of Indian Government websites

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Further reading

• Subrata K. Mitra and V.B. Singh. 1999. Democracy and Social Change in India: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the National Electorate. New Delhi: Sage Publications. ISBN 817036809X (India HB) ISBN 0761993444 (U.S. HB).