Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Union Government from Class 7 Social Science. In this lesson, we will explore the structure and functions of the Legislature and the Executive of the Central Government. We will also learn about the qualifications and functions of a Member of Parliament, the power and functions of the President and the Prime Minister, and the composition and functions of the Cabinet. By the end of this lesson, you will understand the structure and functions of the Union Government, analyse the structures of the Legislature and Executive and their powers, and understand the powers and functions of the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, the President, and the Prime Minister. Let us begin with the Union of India. India is a union of 28 states and 8 union Territories. The Union Government is called the Central Government. The Government has three organs: Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary. The function of the Legislature is to make laws. Besides, it checks the Executive. The Executive implements the laws through the administration. The Judiciary gives judgements. The Judiciary gives clarifications and decisions relating to the Constitution and the laws. It also settles disputes, for example, between individuals, between an individual and the Government, and between Governments. How are these organs formed? What are their power and functions? Let us try to know this now. [CHECKPOINT]
The Union Legislature is called the Parliament. The Parliament of India consists of the President of India and the two Houses. The two Houses are the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The sessions of the Parliament are held in the Parliament House at New Delhi. Here the Members of the Parliament discuss various issues and make laws which are applicable to the whole of India. Let us look at the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha is the Lower House of the Parliament. The Members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the citizens who are above the age of 18. The maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha is 552. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected for a term of five years. A Member may contest election any number of times. The Lok Sabha is dissolved on the expiry of its full term of five years. Now, what are the qualifications to become a member of Lok Sabha? One should be a citizen of India. They must be at least 25 years of age. They should not hold any post in the government. They should not have lost mental health. They should not have been sentenced to imprisonment. They should not be insolvent, meaning not having enough money to pay one’s debts. They must obtain the eligibility assigned by the Parliament from time to time. [CHECKPOINT]
The Members of the Lok Sabha elect from among themselves the Speaker. The powers and functions of the Speaker are deciding the matters to be discussed in the House, maintaining the discipline, peace and dignity of the house, conducting the discussion in a proper manner, and taking decisions. Next, we will learn about the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of the Parliament. The maximum number of seats in the Rajya Sabha is 250. The Members are not directly elected by the citizens. 238 Members are elected by the Members of the State Assemblies. The remaining 12 Members are nominated by the President. To become a Member of the Rajya Sabha, one must not be less than 30 years of age. The term of the Rajya Sabha Members is six years. The Vice President of India is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are called Members of Parliament. The Members enjoy freedom of speech in the Parliament. The opinions expressed by them in the Parliament cannot be questioned in a court of law. The leader of the opposition occupies a respectable place, because they point out the lapses, if any, on the part of the Government. They review the policies and programmes of the Government. They alert the Government, cabinet and officials. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us move on to the important powers and functions of the Parliament. First, Legislative powers. The main function of the Parliament is to make laws. When necessary, the Parliament can also amend or revoke the existing laws. It also maintains control over the Council of central Ministers, including the Prime Minister. If the behaviour or policies are unsatisfactory, the council of ministers can be dismissed by a majority vote. This is also an important power of the parliament. Second, Financial powers. The Financial Bill must be presented first in the Lok Sabha. The Union Government cannot collect taxes or spend money without the approval of the Parliament. Thus, the Parliament has full control over the financial matters of the country. Third, Administrative powers. The questions put by the Members must be answered by the Ministers in a responsible way. The Members may keep a watch over the functioning of various Ministers. They may also criticize the lapses and the misuse of powers on the part of the Ministers. Fourth, Authority to amend the Constitution. Generally the Parliament has the power to amend the Constitution. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now understand the comparison between the Union Government and the State Government through the table in your book. For the Union Government, the Legislature consists of the Lok Sabha, which is the Lower House with 552 members, and the Rajya Sabha, which is the Upper House with 250 members. The Executive consists of the President, and the Prime Minister and Union Cabinet. The Judiciary consists of the Supreme Court and High Courts. For the State Government, the Legislature consists of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, which is the Lower House with 225 members, and the Legislative Council, which is the Upper House with 75 members. The Executive consists of the Governor, and the Chief Minister and State Cabinet. The Judiciary consists of the High Court and Subordinate Courts. The entire structure operates under the Indian Constitution. Now we come to the Union Executive. The Union Executive is composed of the President, Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers. The President is the head of the Indian Republic. He is called the first citizen of the country. His official residence is the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The elected Members of both the Houses of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assemblies of all States elect the President of India. A person must have completed 35 years of age to become the President of India. He must possess all the qualifications necessary to become a Member of Lok Sabha. His term of office is five years. [CHECKPOINT]
The powers of the President are as follows. The President appoints the Leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister. On the advice of the Prime Minister, he appoints the other Ministers. The assent of the President is necessary for any Bill to become an Act. The Supreme command of the Defence Forces is vested in the President. He has the power to declare war. The President has the power to appoint the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. He has the power to grant pardon and authority to reduce punishment. Next is the Vice President. The Members of both the Houses of Parliament elect the Vice President. The Vice President must be at least 35 years of age and have all the qualifications required to become President. His term of office is five years. He is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He will discharge the functions of the President during the absence of the President. Now let us discuss the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister plays an important role in the Parliamentary system of Government. His responsibility is enormous in the matter of national security. The Prime Minister is the Leader of the Lok Sabha. He has the power to allot portfolios. He is the Head of the Government. He has the power to reshuffle the Cabinet. On the advice of the Prime Minister, the Ministers are appointed by the President. He recommends to the President for the dismissal of the Ministers. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us look at the Union Cabinet composition. The President invites the Leader of the majority party elected by the people to form the Government, and appoints him as the Prime Minister. Later, he appoints the remaining Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the Ministers form the Union Cabinet. The process of forming the Cabinet in this way is known as the Parliamentary system or the Cabinet system. The Ministers are the political heads of various Departments. Ministerial responsibility is the essence of the Cabinet system. Each Minister will be personally responsible for the proper functioning of his Department. The Prime Minister allocates Departments to the Ministers. On certain occasions he can demand the resignation of any Minister. When the Prime Minister resigns, the Cabinet will dissolve with him. The Cabinet is accountable to the Lok Sabha. When a majority of the members of Lok Sabha supports a no-confidence motion, then the Cabinet is dismissed. Here is some interesting information for you to know. The magnificent structures such as the Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan and others in New Delhi were built during the British period. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has 340 rooms. It was completed in 1929. The new parliament house was constructed as part of the central expansion project and inaugurated on 28-05-2023. It has an 888 seat Lok Sabha hall and a 384 seat Rajya Sabha hall. The Members of Parliament receive monthly salaries and Constituencies allowances every month. Besides, they are given facilities such as mobile phone, landline telephone, office expenses, road mileage allowance, free electricity, water and local phone calls. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us solve the exercises together. I will read each question and give you the complete answer. First, fill in the blanks with a suitable word. Question one. The person holding the highest office in the Republic of Bharath is the President. Question two. The two houses of Parliament are Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Question three. The Lower house of Parliament is Lok Sabha. Question four. The tenure of Rajya Sabha members is six years. Now let us discuss and answer the next set of questions. Question five. Which are the three organs of the Union Government? What are their functions? Answer. The three organs are the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary. The function of the Legislature is to make laws and check the Executive. The function of the Executive is to implement the laws through the administration. The function of the Judiciary is to give judgements, clarify the Constitution and laws, and settle disputes. Question six. What are the qualifications required to become a Member of Lok Sabha? Answer. The qualifications are: one should be a citizen of India, must be at least 25 years of age, should not hold any post in the government, should not have lost mental health, should not have been sentenced to imprisonment, should not be insolvent, and must obtain the eligibility assigned by the Parliament from time to time. Question seven. Who has the authority to amend the Constitution? Answer. Generally the Parliament has the power to amend the Constitution. [CHECKPOINT]
Question eight. What is the role of the Prime Minister? Answer. The Prime Minister is the Leader of the Lok Sabha, has the power to allot portfolios, is the Head of the Government, has the power to reshuffle the Cabinet, advises the President on appointing Ministers, and recommends the dismissal of Ministers. Question nine. How is the union cabinet constituted? Answer. The President invites the Leader of the majority party to form the Government and appoints him as Prime Minister. Later, the President appoints the remaining Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the Ministers together form the Union Cabinet. Now let us look at the activities suggested in your textbook. Activity one. Meet the Lok Sabha Member of your Constituency and learn about his functions and duties. Activity two. Conduct a model Parliament Session in your school. Activity three. Prepare a list of the Prime Ministers of India and display it in your school. Finally, let us go through the list of territories of India, which includes 28 states and 8 union territories, along with their capitals. I will read them out for you. State one is Andhra Pradesh with capital Amaravathi. State two is Arunachal Pradesh with capital Itanagar. State three is Assam with capital Dispur. State four is Bihar with capital Patna. State five is Goa with capital Panaji. State six is Gujarat with capital Gandhinagar. State seven is Haryana with capital Chandigarh. State eight is Himachal Pradesh with capital Shimla. State nine is Karnataka with capital Bengaluru. State ten is Kerala with capital Thiruvanathapura. State eleven is Madhya Pradesh with capital Bhopal. State twelve is Maharashtra with capital Mumbai. State thirteen is Manipur with capital Imphal. State fourteen is Meghalaya with capital Shillong. State fifteen is Mizoram with capital Aizawal. State sixteen is Nagaland with capital Kohima. State seventeen is Odisha with capital Bhubaneswar. State eighteen is Panjab with capital Chandigarh. State nineteen is Rajasthan with capital Jaipur. State twenty is Sikkim with capital Gangtok. State twenty one is Tamil Nadu with capital Chennai. State twenty two is Tripura with capital Agartala. State twenty three is Uttar Pradesh with capital Lucknow. State twenty four is West Bengal with capital Kolkata. State twenty five is Chattisgarh with capital Raipur. State twenty six is Jharkhand with capital Ranchi. State twenty seven is Uttarakhand with capital Dehra Dun. State twenty eight is Telengana with capital Hyderabad. [CHECKPOINT]
Now for the Union Territories. Union Territory one is Jammu and Kashmir with Srinagar as the Summer Capital and Jammu as the Winter Capital. Union Territory two is Ladakh with capital Leh. Union Territory three is Andaman and Nicobar Islands with capital Port Blair. Union Territory four is Chandigarh with capital Chandigarh. Union Territory five is Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu with capital Silvassa. Union Territory six is Lakshadweep with capital Kavaratti. Union Territory seven is Puducherry with capital Puducherry. Union Territory eight is Delhi, which is the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]