THE UNION PARLIAMENT Flashcards
explain what is federal setup
In a federal setup of government, all the administrative powers are divided between the central and state government by the constitution
Both are supreme within their respective spheres
give 2 reasons why federal set up is important in India
–>since India is a large country it is not possible for the states to break away as a single entity from the union of India
–>a federal system is suited for India as it is very vast and filled with different types of people 4. It is of the utmost importance if India is to be saved from the separatist forces fighting for the fragmentation of the country
what is the term of the Lok sabha
- –> the term of the Lok Sabha is 5 years
- –> it can be dissolved before expiry by the president on the advice of the prime minister
what is the maximum composition of the Lok sabha
it is 552
give the composition of the Lok sabha
- -> no more than 530 members will represent the states
- -> no more than 20 members will represent union territories
- -> 2 members of the Anglo Indian community nominated by the president in case he feels it. is under-represented.
what are the qualifications of membership for Lok sabha
- ->should be an Indian citizen
- ->should be of 25 years of age
- ->not be of unsound mind
- –>not hold the office of profit
- ->his name should be in the electoral roll of the college
what are sessions?
a session is called when the president summons each house of the parliament
when should a session meet
at least twice a year where the interval between 2 sessions should be less than 6 months
Name the 3 sessions
Budget session (February to May) monsoon session (July to August) winter session (November to December)
what is question hour
THE FIRST HOUR OF EVERY WORKING DAY OF THE LOK SABHA IS RESERVED FOR QUESTIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE DECIDED BY THE SPEAKER
it is usually at 11 a.m.
why is question hour there ???
it is intended to keep the functioning of the government open for scrutiny by the members
if the questions addressed to the chair the___________ is obliged to answer them
government
a member has to give _____ days notice for the question
TEN
what are the 3 types of questions
starred questions
unstarred questions
short notice questions
what is a starred question
it is the questions from which the member wishes an oral answer on the floor of the house
these questions are indicated by an asterisk(*)
supplementary questions may be asked after replies to such questions are given
unstarred questions
questions in which answers are given in a written form
no supplementary question can be asked thereon
short notice questions
matter of urgent importance
asked on notice shorter than 10 days
the minister concerned has to be asked if he can reply to the question at such a short notice
what is quorum
it is the minimum number of members required to be present in order to enable the house to transact its business
the speaker may adjourn the meeting until there is a requisite quorum
what is adjournment motion
it is a proposal to lay aside all other businesses and take up a definite matter of urgent importance
example = railway accident and natural calamity discussion
what is a no-confidence motion
it is proposal expressing lack of confidence in the ministry
it can only be passed when it has the support of at least 50 members
if it has been taken up it will be taken up from the debate in 10 days from the day it is granted
on the conclusion of the debate, the speaker puts the motion to vote and the government has to resign
what is a motion
A motion is a formal proposition made by a member stating that the house should take up some particular matter which is of public importance
who is the speaker of the Lok sabha
he/she is the presiding officer of the Lok sabha
they will conduct the business of the house
not answerable to anyone except the house
ranks higher than cabinet minsters except for the prime minister himself
how is the speaker elected
the speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from its own members
when the house is dissolved, the speaker does not vacate his office he remains in office until another speaker is elected
what is the term of the speaker
5 years
how can the speaker be removed
the speaker can be removed by the Lok sabha if the majority of the members pass a resolution into effect
what does a deputy speaker do??
performs the duties of the speaker when the latter is absent
they are elected and removed in the same way as the speaker.
why is the Rajya sabha called the upper house???
it is called the upper house/council of state because
The Rajya Sabha meets in continuous sessions, and unlike the Lok Sabha which is the lower house of the Parliament,
the Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of Parliament, is not subjected to dissolution.
what is the composition of the Rajya sabha
the maximum strength is 250 members
the members fall into 2 categories
- ->nominated members
- ->elected members
who are the nominated members???
They are nominated by the president from among. persons having special knowledge or practical knowledge in matters such as literature, science, art
the nominated members are 12 in numbers
how many elected members are there rajya sabha
there are 238 elected members
how are seats allocated for states
in the state allocation of seats are not equal as that would be undemocratic
the allocation of seats is based on the population
examples = Uttar Pradesh has 31 members
Punjab only has 7 members
qualification for Rajya sabha
- -> he should be an Indian citizen
- -> be of 30 years
- -> not be of unsound mind
- -> not be of the proclaimed mind
- -> he should not hold any office of profit under the government
term of the Rajya sabha
since Rajya sabha is the permanent house
each member is elected for a period of 6 years
1/3 of the members of the house retire every 2 years
members can be reelected if they desire to do so and if their electors support them
who are the presiding officers of the Lok sabha [function of the VICE PRESIDENT ]
–>the vice president is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya sabha
–>he presides over the meetings
–>he cannot vote on any of the meetings as he is not a member but in case of a tie he can exercise his vote
who are the presiding officers of the Lok sabha (deputy chairman)
–>the deputy chairman is elected by the Rajya sabha in the absence of the chairman
–>he performs all the functions and duties of the chairman
exclusive powers of the rajya sabha
–> rajya sabha has the power to create new all india services in the national interest thereupon the parliament can create new services
–> if the lok sabha is dissolved before or after the national emergency the rajya sabha takes over the function of the parliament
–> the rajya sabha may by a 2/3 majority empower the parliament to make laws with respect to a matter on a state list
exclusive powers of the Lok Sabha
–> money bills can be introduced only in the lok sabha and when passed to the rajya sabha it can be deliberated for upto 15 days
–> in case of a deadlock between the 2 houses over a non financial bill the will of the lok sabha prevails becasue they are twice in strenght than compared to the rajya sabha
–> the lok sabha has power over the executive as the no confidence motion can only be introduced and passed in the lok sabha. The rajya sabha has no real power over the executive
