India is the largest state in South Asia. The population is more than 1 billion 300 million people. The state covers an area of 3, 287, 000 square kilometers. The Indian Republic is territorially composed of 28 states and 7 union territories, which have central subordination. The capital of India is the city of New Delhi. Hindi and English are the main state languages.
Brief information about the state system
The form of government of India is the parliamentary Republic. The state system is federal. The head of state is the President. He, according to the Constitution of India, is the first citizen of the country and commander in chief of the Armed Forces. Elected collectively by representatives of the bicameral parliament and legislative bodies from the states of the country. The term of office is 5 years. The president has the right to dissolve state legislatures. Has the opportunity to pardon convicts.
Indian Government Historical Background
The government of ancient India basically consisted of various monarchical forms (numerous dynasties of kings, Mughals, etc.). Since the XVI century, the territory of India was actually under the control of European powers: Holland, France, Portugal and Great Britain. The last Bole succeeded in colonizing Indian territory, and from the 17th century it actually became an appendage of the British crown.
India became independent in 1947. The first Constitution came into force in 1950. It is valid to the present. The constitutional law of the country is considered the most unique document in world practice. Its volume is about 491 articles. Adding to it, changing articles is not difficult. This has led to the fact that over the entire existence of modern India, the Constitution has been supplemented by more than a hundred different amendments. Legislators believe that this is a kind of "adaptation" to reality in an ever-changing environment.
Legislative power
India is a parliamentary Republic in which the Parliament and the Government of the Republic of India play a major role. The Indian Parliament includes the President of the country, the People’s Chamber, and the Councils of the States. The People’s Chamber, according to the Constitution of the country, represents the interests of the whole people of India. It consists of 547 deputies (525 are elected in the States, 20 in the Union territories, two are elected by the President). The term of office of the parliament is 5 years. However, Indian practice shows that it is quite often prematurely dissolved. Usually there are no more than 3 years. According to the current legislation, the People’s Chamber (the so-called “lower house”) has the opportunity to pass a vote of no confidence in the government.
The main task of the parliament is lawmaking. Bills are introduced by deputies. However, their main initiator is the government. The Indian Parliament also performs other functions, including the formation of a government and the exercise of control over it.
Executive branch
The main executive body of the country is the Government of India (Council of Ministers). These are 50 or 60 people, including ministers, as well as other officials. The most important and relevant issues are submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers, its more narrow component - the Presidium.
The head of government is the prime minister. They become the leader of the party that won the elections to the People’s Chamber. The prime minister’s task is to form the composition of the government of India, which is replenished by prominent figures of the victorious party. However, this should take into account the interests of states, various religious language groups, and representatives of the main nationalities of India. As a result, the composition of the government is very diverse.
The president, by order of the prime minister, must appoint ministers. After that, the composition of the government is put to the vote of the parliament to obtain a vote of confidence. According to the Constitution of the country, ministers are members of parliament, if they are not, they should become them after 6 months after their appointment.
According to established practice, the Prime Minister and his government are the main power of the country. In the hands of the Prime Minister himself, she is concentrated on a very large scale. This phenomenon was especially noticeable in the second half of the 20th century.
Role of the prime minister
At that time, India was associated with the "Super Prime Ministerial Republic." The leaders of the Government of India did not succeed for many years, could combine several ministerial posts, virtually single-handedly led the country, and also handed down power by inheritance. Among these leaders were:
- Jawaharlal Nehru, headed the first government of independent India, served as prime minister from 1947 to 1964, was the son of the founder of the Indian National Congress.
- Indira Gandhi, who twice served as prime minister, from 1966 to 1977, and also from 1980 to 1984, was the daughter of D. Nehru.
- Rajiv Gandhi, the head of the Indian government from 1984 to 1989, was the son of Indira Gandhi, the grandson of D. Nehru, and the great-grandchildren of M. Neru.
Recently, there has been a tendency to abandon this tradition, including with a decrease in the role of the prime minister. Historians attribute such movements to the fact that representatives of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty became targets of radicals, in addition, this clan moved away from the country's leadership.
Government of India
The government acts in accordance with article 77 of the Constitution of the country, as well as in accordance with the set of rules of 1961, approved by the President.
As indicated above, the Council of Ministers is 50-60 members. But in full force, he is going to quite rarely. All important issues are resolved by the cabinet - this is a narrow composition of the government. It includes up to 20 leaders from the most important sectors. The Cabinet, like the Council of Ministers, is headed personally by the Prime Minister. He convenes meetings, monitors the implementation of decisions.
Decisions at such meetings are taken with the general consent of the majority, without a vote. The bulk of the work of the cabinet takes place through the established special committees. In their area of responsibility - political issues, defense, budget, legislation, economic policy, employment, etc.
A very important role in the work of the government is played by the secretariat, which is the apparatus of advisers and assistants to the prime minister. It assists the government in making any decisions, while ensuring coordination between ministers. Smoothes out the emerging contradictions, develops a spirit of cooperation by convening meetings of various committees. The secretariat compiles a monthly report to inform the President and ministers. The secretariat also has crisis management functions and ensures coordination between various ministries. He is endowed with the function of monitoring the implementation of the instructions of the cabinet and committees.
According to the latest changes, ministers are three categories of officials, namely:
- The minister - a member of the cabinet, is considered a senior employee who runs the ministry. If necessary, he can lead other CM structures.
- Minister of State with independent status.
- The Minister of State is a junior official, he works under the control of more senior employees, performs a narrow range of tasks.
