Working of Institutions, CBSE, Class 9, Political Science, Chapter 4, (30 Plus Q&A)

Overview

1. First stage: First concentrate on the title of your chapter and imagine what things might be hidden here. This activity will create an interest in you for the topic.
2. Second stage: Give a thorough reading of the questions and answers, which are woven here in such a fashion so as to maintain an hierarchy and orderliness. At this stage you should not take any stress. Just enjoy your reading by touching one question after another.
3. Third stage: Try to establish links between questions. See how they are inter related. Try to focus on the keywords of a topic and try to reach its underlying meaning.
4. Fourth stage: Now give another reading to each question and answer with a purpose to internalise it in your own way.

Topic: How Is A Major Policy Decision Taken? (Working of Institutions, CBSE, Class 9, Political Science, Chapter 4)

1. Legislature,
2. Executive, and,
3. Judiciary.

1. Scheduled Castes (SCs),
2. Scheduled Tribes(STs), and,
3. Socially and Educationally Backward Classes(SEBCs).

This commission was asked to determine the criteria to identify the socially and educationally backward classes in India, and recommend steps to be taken for their advancement.

The commission gave its report in 1980. It suggested to reserve 27% of government jobs for SEBCs. After a lot of political protests followed by Supreme Court verdict in its favour, this recommendation became functional in September 1993.

It is important to note that these activities keep taking place even if the persons in key positions change. So to perform all these tasks with continuity, several arrangements in the form of institutions, are created in all modern democracies.

The constitution of India has also created various institutions and has laid down basic rules on the powers and functions of each of these institutions. For example, office of prime minister and his cabinet takes policy decisions. Similarly, institutions like Civil Services implement the decisions taken by the government. Courts are also institutions which settle various disputes between citizens and the government.

Delays and complications caused by institutions provide opportunity for more wider consultation. This avoids reaching a bad decision despite causing some delay.

Topic: Parliament (Working of Institutions, CBSE, Class 9, Political Science, Chapter 4)

In India such a national assembly of elected representatives is called ‘Parliament’. At the state level, such an assembly is called Legislature or Legislative Assembly.

Parliament or legislatures can make new laws, can change existing laws or can abolish them.

(2) Parliaments exercise some control over the government. In India, this control is direct and full. The ruling party can take decisions so long as they enjoy support of parliament.

(3) Parliament controls all the money that governments have.

(4) Parliament can seek information about any matter. It is the highest forum of discussion and debate on public issues and national policies.

The two houses are called the Lower House and the Upper House.

The Lower House is directly elected by the people and exercises the real power on behalf of the people.

The second house is usually elected indirectly and performs some special functions. The most common work for the second house is to look after the interest of various states, regions or federal units.

In India also, parliament consists of two houses named : (1) Lok Sabha or House of The People (Lower House), and (2) Rajya Sabha or The Council of States (Upper House). The President of India is a part of parliament, though, he/she is not the member of either house.

Some important comparisons between the powers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are as below :

1. In case of deadlock between two houses in passing an ordinary law, the joint session of the two houses is called. Because of the larger number of the members, the view of Lok Sabha is likely to prevail in such a meeting.
2. Once Lok Sabha passes the budget of the government or any other money related law, the Rajya Sabha can not reject it. Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest changes in it. However any such suggestion of change, may not be binding on Lok Sabha.
3. If the majority of Lok Sabha members say they have no confidence in the council of ministers, all minister including the Prime Minister have to quit. Rajya Sabha doesn’t enjoy this power. ( In this way Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers.)

Topic: Political Executive. (Working of Institutions, CBSE, Class 9, Political Science, Chapter 4)

They are called Executive because they are in charge of the execution of the policies of the government.

1. Political Executive,
2. Permanent Executive ( or, Civil Services ).

Permanent executives or the members of civil services are appointed by the governments on a long term basis. Persons appointed in civil services are called civil servants. These persons 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.

Or, Q. Why is the minister more powerful than the civil servant ?

Though the minister is not expected to be an expert in the matters of ministry, he takes the advice of experts on all technical matters. He, then, takes decision keeping in view the overall objective before him.

Thus, political executive i.e. ministers have more power than non political executives and civil servants.

There is no direct election to the post of Prime Minister. President appoints such person as Prime Minister who is the leader of the majority party (or the leader of the coalition of parties ), that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha.

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

After the appointment of Prime Minister, the president appoints other ministers on the advice of Prime Minister. The ministers are usually from the party or the coalition that has majority in the Lok Sabha.

Sometimes a person who is not a member of Parliament (MP), can also become a Prime Minister. But such a person has to get elected to one of the houses of the parliament, within six months of his appointment as Prime minister.

Cabinet is thus the inner ring of the Cabinet Ministers. It comprises of about 25 ministers.

The Cabinet works as a team. The ministers may have different views and opinions, but everyone has to own up to every decision of cabinet. No minister can openly criticise any decision of the government; even if it is about another ministry or department.

The cabinet team is assisted by the ‘Cabinet Secretariat.’ This includes many senior civil servants who try to coordinate the working of different ministries.

The Secretaries provide necessary background information to the ministers to take decisions.

1. Prime Minister chairs cabinet meetings.
2. He coordinates the work of different departments.
3. His decisions are final in case of disagreement arise between departments.
4. He exercises general supervision of different ministries.
5. All ministries work under his leadership. He distributes and redistributes the work to the ministers.
6. He has power to dismiss ministers.
7. when Prime Minister quits, entire ministry quits.

In India too, we have seen tendency of concentration of powers in the hands of prime minister. India’s first Prime Minister J. L. Nehru, exercised enormous authority because he had great influence over public. Similarly, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was also very powerful leader compared to her colleagues in the cabinet.

However, in case of Prime Minister of a coalition government, the Prime Minister can not take decisions as per his wishes. Because he/her has to accommodate the views of different groups and factions in his party as well as among alliance partners.

(1)The president supervises the functioning of all the political institutions in the country.

(2) All governmental activities take place in the name of president.

(3) All laws and major policy decisions are issued in her/his name.

(4) All major appointments are made in the name of the president. (These appointments include the appointment of Chief Justice of India, the Judges of Supreme Court & High Court, the governors of the state, the Election Commissioners and the Ambassadors to the other countries.)

(5) All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the president of India.

(6) The President is the supreme commander of defense forces in India.

President of India exercises all the above mentioned powers only on the advice of the Council of Ministers (COM). The President, however, can ask the Council of Ministers once, to reconsider its advice. But if the same advice is given again, the President is bound to act according to it.

Similarly, a bill passed by the Parliament becomes a law only after the President gives assent to it. However, the President can send the bill back to the Parliament for reconsideration. But if Parliament passes the bill again without making any change in it, the President has to give his assent and sign it.

Again, when no party or coalition gets a majority in the Lok Sabha, the President has to exercise his discretionary power to choose a person as Prime Minister. In this situation, the President appoints a leader who in his / her opinion can muster majority support in Lok Sabha. Now, this newly appointed Prime Minister has to prove majority support for him in the Lok Sabha within a given specified time.

The elected Members of Parliament (MPS) and the elected Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) cast their votes to elect the President of India. A candidate standing for the post of President has to get a majority of votes to win the election.

This procedure of election ensures that the President can be seen to represent the entire nation.

At the same time, this kind of election procedure for the post of the President, also ensures that the President can never claim the kind of direct popular mandate that the Prime Minister can. This further justifies the post of President as having only a ceremonial role in Indian polity.

In USA, there is presidential system of government. Presidential form of government is different from Parliamentary form of government in many ways :

(1) In presidential form of government, President is both the head of state as well as the head of government.

(2) In this system, the President is directly elected by the people.

(3) In this system, the President, personally chooses and appoints all ministers.

(4) Though the law making is done by the legislature ( called Congress in USA), the President has power to veto any law.

(5) In presidential form of government, the president doesn’t need the support of the majority of members in the Legislature (Congress) and neither is he answerable to them.

(6) The U.S. President has a fixed tenure of four years and completes it, even if his party doesn’t have a majority in the Congress.

This model of Presidential form of government is also followed in Latin American countries and in many of the ex Soviet Union countries.

Topic : The Judiciary (Working of Institutions, CBSE, Class 9, Political Science, Chapter 4)

The Indian Judiciary, consists of a Supreme Court at national level, High Courts at state level, District Courts at district level and the Courts at local level.

Supreme Court can hear any of the following disputes :

1. disputes between citizens of the country,
2. disputes between citizens and the government,
3. disputes between two or more state governments, and,
4. disputes between governments at Union and State level.

Ans. Indian judiciary is not under control of the Legislature or the Executive. Its judges don’t act on the direction of the government.

The judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the chief justice of the Supreme Court. In practice this means that the senior judges of the Supreme Court select the new judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. There is very little scope for interference by the political executive. Again the senior most judge of the Supreme Court is usually appointed as the chief justice.

Once a person is appointed as judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court, it is nearly impossible to remove him or her from that position. It is as difficult as removing the President of India.

A judge can be removed only by an impeachment motion passed separately by two third members of the two houses of the parliament.

Thus it is clear that India has an independent judiciary. The independence and powers of Indian judiciary allows it to act as the guardian of the Fundamental Rights.

Thus judiciary in India is one of the most powerful in the world because it has power to determine the constitutional validity of any legislation, or action of executive in the country.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the core or basic principles of the constitution can not be changed by the parliament.

Ans. Any person can approach the courts if public interest is hurt by the actions of the government by filing case under PIL.

Also, the courts intervene to prevent the misuse of government’s power to make decisions. Courts also check malpractices on the part of public officials.

Vast powers of monitoring and interventions enjoyed by the Indian judiciary, enables it to command high respect and confidence among the people.