Chapter 1: The Union Legislature
What is meant by No - Confidence motion? How is No - Confidence motion moved in the Parliament?
No - Confidence motion is a proposal expressing lack of confidence in the Ministry. a) No -Confidence motion in the government is moved by the Opposition. b) The House (Lok Sabha) grants leave(permission) to move No - Confidence motion only when it has the support of at least 50 members. c)The Motion has to be taken up for discussion within 10 days . d) If the motion is passed, the Government has to resign.
Explain the term Zero Hour.
The Zero Hour refers to the period which begins at 12 O'clock soon after the Question Hour and continues till the lunch break which begins at one' O clock During the Zero Hour, members raise all types of questions without any permission or prior notice. The presiding officer controls the House.
Explain the composition of Lok Sabha.
The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha, as provided by the Constitution is 550. Out of this a)530 members represent States. b)20 members represent the Union Territories
Which bodies have the right to legislate on subjects in the concurrent list? What happens in the case of conflict between such laws?
,The Union government and the State governments. In case of conflict, the Union Law will prevail.
By whom and on whose advice can the Lok Sabha be dissolved?
By the President on the advice of the Prime Minister Lok Sabha can be dissolved.
Mention the occasion on which the President addresses a joint session of Parliament.
In case of disagreement between the two Houses, a joint sitting of the two Houses is convened .
State the Non - Federal or Unitary Features of our Constitution.
a) The Constitution of India provides for a strong center, a feature of Unitary government. It includes the Union List, the State list and concurrent list . b) India has a single unified Constitution .c)The Constitution of India is flexible. d)The Constitution provides for single citizenship .
What are the Legislative Powers of the Parliament?
a) The Parliament has powers to make laws on all the subjects mentioned in the Union list. b) It can make laws on the subjects listed in the concurrent list. c)Under residuary powers, the Parliament can make laws with all those matters which are not mentioned in the three lists. d)During the Proclamation of an Emergency in a state, the Parliament can legislate on state subjects.
What are the Judicial powers of the Parliament?
a) The Parliament has the right to remove the President from the office through a procedure known as 'impeachment'. b) The Parliament can remove the judges of the supreme court and the high courts etc. if they are found guilty of violating provisions of the constitution. c)The Parliament can punish a person for obstructing the work of Parliament or showing disrespect to the House.
State any four functions of the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
a) The Speaker presides over the meetings of the House. b) The Speaker decides whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not. c)He maintains discipline in the House. d)He presides over the Joint Session of the Parliament. e) He does not vote in the House except when there is a tie.
Explain the composition of Rajya Sabha.
a) The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha can be 250 members. b) Twelve members are nominated by the President from among persons having special knowledge or experience in matters such as literature, science, art and social service. c)238 members are elected by elected members of the Legislative Assembly of states and the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry.
Enlist the Exclusive powers of Rajya Sabha.
a) Under article249, The Rajya Sabha may, by a resolution adopted by two - thirds majority, empower the Parliament should make laws with respect to a matter in the State List. b) It may declare that the creation of new All - India Services be made in the national interest .So Parliament may create new services. c)If the Lok Sabha is dissolved before or after the declaration of a National Emergency, the Rajya Sabha becomes the sole de facto and de jure Parliament i,e it takes over the functions of the Parliament.
Mention the Electoral functions of the Parliament.
a).Members of Parliament along with state legislatures elects the President of India. b) The Vice - President of India is elected by both the Houses of the Parliament. c)The Lok Sabha elects its own Speaker and Deputy Speaker from amongst its own members while the Rajya Sabha elects its Deputy Chairman.
Name the three levels of government in federal set up in India.
i)The Union government ii)The State government iii)Panchayats and Municipalities ( local self government)
Who is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha?
The speaker.
Name the law making body of the Union Government.
the Union Parliament or the Union Legislature.
Define the Motion .
A motion is a formal proposal made by a member stating that the House should take up some particular matter which is of public importance.
What is a session ? Name the three sessions.
A session is a period during which the House meets to conduct its business. The three sessions are a) The Budget session(February - May) b) Monsoon session (July - August) c)Winter session (November - December)
Differentiate between the Adjournment and Prorogation of the House.
Adjournment of the House means suspension of the sitting of the House by the Speaker or the Chairman (in case of Rajya Sabha) Prorogation means termination of the session of Parliament by the President.
What is meant by an adjournment motion?
An adjournment Motion means a proposal to lay aside all other business and take up a definite matter of urgent importance.
How is the speaker and the Deputy speaker of the House elected?
Ans. The speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from among its own members soon after the newly elected House meets for the first time. The Deputy speaker is elected to the office in the same way as the speaker.
Mention the importance of the Constitutional Amendment Act of 104, 2020.
It did away with the provision of nomination of Anglo - Indians to Lok Sabha & certain state Assemblies.
What is the maximum gap allowed between two Parliamentary sessions?
Less than six months or not more than six months.
Name the two Houses of the Parliament.
Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Define question hour
Question Hour; The first hour on every working day of the Lok Sabha is reserved for questions. It is decided by the speaker .This hour usually starts at 11am.
Define the following terms:- Quorum
Quorum; refers to the minimum number of members required to be present in order to enable the House to transact its business. The Quorum of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha is one tenth of the total membership of each House.
What do we mean when we say that the Rajya Sabha is a permanent body? What is the term of office of Rajya Sabha?
Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved like Lok Sabha. Each member of Rajya Sabha is elected for a period pf six years.One - third of the total members of the House retire after every two years .
What is meant Parliamentary Procedures? Name the important procedures.
Some formalities which the legislators have to observe in the Parliament as well as in State legislatures are called Parliamentary Procedures. Important Parliamentary Procedures are:- Sessions, Quorum, Question hour, Zero hour, Interpellation, Adjournment.
When is the House of Parliament adjourned?
The House is adjourned for the following reasons. a) After the business for the day is over. b) When the death of a sitting member occurs. c)When there is disorder in the House. d)For want of quorum. e) As and when the speaker finds it necessary.
Define the term Parliament .
The Parliament is the body of people's representatives who have supreme power of governance in democratic country.
Who addresses the joint sessions of the Parliament?
The President of India.
Who is empowered to summon and to dissolve the Lok Sabha?
The President of India.
What is the procedure that should be followed if there is a deadlock between the two Houses of the Parliament on a non - money bill?
The President will call for a joint sitting of the two Houses.
Who elects the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha?
The Rajya Sabha elects a Deputy Chairman from among its members.
Who presides over the joint session of the Parliament?
The Speaker of Lok Sabha.
Who decides whether a bill is a money bill or not?
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Name the main constituents of the Union Parliament.
The Union Parliament comprises the President and the two Houses of Parliament i, e the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Who is the presiding officer of Rajya Sabha?
The Vice President of India is the ex - officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Give the meaning of the term - Interpellation.
The right of the members to ask questions from the government is known as Interpellation.
What are the types of questions asked?
There are 3 types of questions; 1)Starred questions; are those to which a member wishes to have an oral answer on the floor of the House. They are indicated by an asterisk (star)mark. Supplementary questions may be asked. 2)Unstarred questions; Answers to these questions are given in written form. No supplementary questions are asked. 3)Short notice questions; are related to a matter of urgent importance .Such questions are asked with a notice shorter than ten days.
How are the members of Rajya Sabha elected?
They are elected by the members of elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each State in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
How are the members of Lok Sabha elected?
They are elected directly by the people on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise.
How does the Parliament exercise control over the Executive?
Through a) Interpellation - The right of the opposition members to ask questions to the government is known as interpellation. The questions are asked to obtain information on a matter of public importance. b) Vote of no - confidence - If a government acts against the Constitutional provisions, it can be voted out of office by passing a vote of no - confidence against the Ministry. c)Adjournment Motion - Motion for adjournment is aimed at censuring the acts of omission and commission (failure to perform certain duties) of the Ministers. d)Other Motions of Censure - They include motions of censure against a minister, rejection of a Government Bill, etc
When can the Parliament legislate on subjects included in the state list?
a) During the Proclamation of an Emergency. b) When the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by two - thirds majority that a subject in the state list has assumed national importance. c)When two or more states are of the opinion that the Parliament should legislate on a subject given in the state list, the Parliament may make an act ( law) on that subject.
Mention the qualifications for the membership of the Rajya Sabha.
a) He should be a citizen of India b) He should be at least 30 years of age. c)He should have his name in the electoral rolls in some part of the country . d)He should not be an insolvent. e) He should not hold any office of profit under the government. f) He should not be a proclaimed criminal.
Enlist the qualifications needed for a person to be the member of Lok Sabha.
a) He should be the citizen of India. b) He should at least 25 years of age. c)He should have his name in the electoral rolls in some part of the country . d)He should not be an insolvent. e) He should not hold any office of profit under the government. f) He should not be a proclaimed criminal.
Mention the occasions where the Rajya Sabha enjoys equal powers with the Lok Sabha.
a) Impeachment of the President b) Removal of the Vice - President c)Constitutional amendment d)Removal of the judges of the Supreme Court and the High courts.
Enlist the federal features of the Indian Constitution.
a) India is a large country with 28 States and 8 Union Territories. b) There is a division of legislative and administrative powers between the Union and State governments. c)India has a bicameral legislature i,e the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. d)The Constitution of India has made provisions for the distribution of revenues between the Centre the States.
State the exclusive powers of the Lok Sabha.
a) Motions of No - Confidence against the government can only be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. b) Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha. c) In case of a deadlock between the two Houses over a non - financial bill, the will of the Lok Sabha normally prevails.
Write about the term of Lok Sabha.
a) Normal term of Lok Sabha is 5 years. b) It can be dissolved before the expiry of its normal term by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. c)During emergency, the period may be extended by the Parliament for one year at a time.
State the Financial powers of the Parliament.
a) The Budget; The Parliament passes the Union Budget containing the estimates of receipts and expenditure of the government for a financial year. b) Supplementary Grants; If the amount authorized for the current financial year is not sufficient, the Government may make a fresh demand known as the Supplementary Grants. c)Vote on account; If the Union Budget is not passed before the beginning of the new financial year, i,e April 1, there would be no money for the Executive to spend. Hence,there is a device known as Vote on Account which authorizes the Executive to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund until the Budget is passed by the Parliament. d)Salaries; Salaries and allowances of MP's and Ministers are determined by the Parliament.