Working of the Institutions Part II

Working of the Institutions Part II

A day in the life of the Lok Sabha

11:00: Various ministries gave written answers to about 250 questions that were asked by members. These included: What is the government’s policy on talking to militant groups in Kashmir? What are the figures of atrocities against Scheduled Tribes, including those inflicted by the police? What is the government doing about overpricing of medicines by big companies?

A day in the life of the Lok Sabha

12:00 A large number of official documents were presented and were available for discussion. These included: Recruitment rules for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force Annual Repor t of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur Report and accounts of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Visakhapatnam

A day in the life of the Lok Sabha

12:02 The Minister of Development of North Eastern Region made a statement regarding Revitalisation of the North Eastern Council. The Minister of State for Railways presented a statement showing the grant needed by the Railways in addition to that sanctioned in the Railway Budget. The Minister of Human Resource Development introduced the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2004. He also gave a statement explaining why the government had to bring an ordinance for this

A Day in the life of Lok Sabha

12:14 Several members highlighted some issues, including: < The vindictiveness of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in registering cases against some leaders in the Tehelka case. < Need to include Rajasthani as an official language in the Constitution. < Need to renew the insurance policies of farmers and agricultural workers of Andhra Pradesh.

A Day in the Life of Lok Sabha

2:26 Two bills proposed by the government were considered and passed. These were: < The Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill < The Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws (Amendment) Bill

A Day in the Life of Lok Sabha

4:00 Finally, there was a long discussion regarding the foreign policy of the government and the need to continue an independent foreign policy in the context of the situation in Iraq.

A Day in the Life of Lok Sabha

7:17 Discussion concluded. House adjourned for next day.

Open Ended

What did you learn about the functioning of the Lok Sabha?

Multiple Choice

The Rajya Sabha can delay the money bill by ________ days or suggest changes in it.

• 30
• 14

Multiple Choice

The Prime Minister who implemented the Mandal Commission was

• Mr. V. P Singh
• Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao

Multiple Choice

What percentage of reservations were given to SEBC?

• 30%

• 29%

• 28%

• 27%

Multiple Choice

Who was the head of Mandal Commission?

• V.P. Mandal

• V.P. Singh

• B.P. Mandal

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

The Second Backward Classes Commission was appointed by the government of India in

• 1979

• 1981

• 1985

• 1999

Multiple Choice

The Second Backward Classes Commission was appointed by the government of India in

• 1979

• 1981

• 1985

• 1999

Political and Political and Political and Permanent Executive

• In a democratic country, two categories make up the executive.

• One that is elected by the people for a specific period, is called the political executive. Political leaders who take the big decisions fall in this category.

• In the second category, people are appointed on a long-term basis. This is called the permanent executive or civil services. Persons working in civil services are called civil servants. They remain in office even when the ruling party changes. These officers work under political executive and assist them in carrying out the day-to-day administration.

Open Ended

Why does the political executive have more power than the non-political executive?

Why is Political Executive more powerful than a permanent Executive?

The civil servant is usually more educated and has more expert knowledge of the subject. The advisors working in the Finance Ministry know more about economics than the Finance Minister. Sometimes the ministers may know very little about the technical matters that come under their ministry. This could easily happen in ministries like Defence, Industry, Health, Science and Technology, Mining, etc. 

The reason is very simple. In a democracy the will of the people is supreme. The minister is elected by the people and thus empowered to exercise the will of the people on their behalf. She is finally answerable to the people for all the consequences of her decision. That is why the minister takes all the final decisions. The minister decides the overall framework and objectives in which decisions on policy should be made. The minister is not, and is not expected to be, an expert in the matters of her ministry. The minister takes the advice of experts on all technical matters.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister is the most important political institution in the country. Yet there is no direct election to the post of the Prime Minister. The President appoints the Prime Minister. But the President cannot appoint anyone she likes. The President appoints the leader of the majority party or the coalition of parties that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha, as Prime Minister.

In case no single party or alliance gets a majority, the President appoints the person most likely to secure a majority support. The Prime Minister does not have a fixed tenure. He continues in power so long as he remains the leader of the majority party or coalition.

Council of Ministers

Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the Ministers. It usually has 60 to 80 Ministers of different ranks.

Cabinet Ministers

• After the appointment of the Prime Minister, the President appoints other ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Ministers are usually from the party or the coalition that has the majority in the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister is free to choose ministers, as long as they are members of Parliament.

Cabinet Miniters

• Cabinet Ministers are usually top-level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in charge of the major ministries. Usually the Cabinet Ministers meet to take decisions in the name of the Council of Ministers. Cabinet is thus the inner ring of the Council of Ministers. It comprises about 20 ministers.

Ministers of State

Ministers of State with independent charge are usually in-charge of smaller Ministries. They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited.

Minister of State

Ministers of State are attached to and required to assist Cabinet Ministers.

Decisions

Since it is not practical for all ministers to meet regularly and discuss everything, the decisions are taken in Cabinet meetings. That is why parliamentary democracy in most countries is often known as the Cabinet form of government. The Cabinet works as a team. The ministers may have different views and opinions, but everyone has to own up to every decision of the Cabinet.

Cabinet Secretariat

 Every ministry has secretaries, who are civil servants. The secretaries provide the necessary background information to the ministers to take decisions. The Cabinet as a team is assisted by the Cabinet Secretariat. This includes many senior civil servants who try to coordinate the working of different ministries.

Multiple Choice

The Council of Ministers includes the cabinet ministers

• False, they are an exclusive bunch of ministers.
• True, they are a part of the Council of Ministers.

Multiple Choice

The cabinet secretariat is a 

• team of cabinet secretaries
• team of senior civil servants who try to coordinate the work of different ministers

Multiple Choice

A parliamentary form of government is also known as a cabinet form of government because

• the cabinet takes all the major decisions.
• the PM has no real power while the cabinet has been given authority by the people to take decisions.

Multiple Choice

The permanent executive is less powerful than the political executive

• False

• True

Multiple Choice

The institution that implements decisions and policies of the land is the

• Legislature

• Executive

Multiple Choice

The institution that implements decisions and policies of the land is the

• Legislature

• Executive