Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The State Government from Class 9 Social Science. In this chapter, we will learn about the nature of the State Legislature, the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, their powers and functions. We will also study the State Executive, the Governor, his powers and functions, and the appointment, powers and functions of the Chief Minister. Looking at the introductory diagram in your textbook, we can see that India is a Union consisting of 28 states and 8 union territories. Like the central government, state governments also have their own legislature, executive and judiciary. The executive includes the Governor, Chief Minister and State Cabinet. The legislature includes the Karnataka Legislative Assembly as the lower house and the Legislative Council as the upper house. The judiciary includes the Advocate General and subordinate courts. [CHECKPOINT]
The State Legislature, also known as Vidhana Mandala, is composed of the Governor and the two Houses. The Upper House is called Legislative Council or Vidhana Parishat and the Lower House is called Legislative Assembly or Vidhana Sabha. The Legislative Assembly has representatives of the people whereas the Legislative Council represents various fields. Do you know this? The States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh have two houses, whereas the other states have only one House. Here is an activity for you. Meet the assembly members of your constituency and discuss their activities. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us move to the Vidhana Sabha, which is the lower house of the state legislature. The strength of the Vidhana Sabha depends on the population of the State. The maximum number of seats of any Vidhana Sabha should not exceed 500 or be below 60. However, the number of seats in small States is less. Let us look at an example. Sikkim legislative assembly consists of 32 members. Karnataka legislative assembly at present consists of 224 elected members. Till the end of the 15th legislative assembly, Karnataka assembly had 225 members. The present 16th legislative assembly is having 224 elected members. These 224 members are directly elected by the people. [CHECKPOINT]
Until 2020, the governor was allowed to nominate one member from the Anglo Indian community to the state assembly. But according to the 104th Constitution Amendment Act which came into effect in 2020, the practice of nominating one member from the Anglo Indian community to the state assembly was not continued. Henceforth the Karnataka legislative assembly will have only 224 elected members. There are 36 seats for scheduled caste and 15 seats for scheduled tribes reserved in the Karnataka legislative assembly. After the enactment of the 106th Constitution Amendment Act, also known as Narishakti Vandhana Adhiniyam, 33% of seats in legislative assemblies must be reserved for women. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us note the qualifications for a Legislative Assembly member. First, the person should be a citizen of India. Second, they should have completed 25 years of age. Third, they should not be employed in any office of profit of the Government. Fourth, they should not have been punished by any court. Fifth, they should not be of unsound mind. Sixth, they should not be an insolvent. Seventh, they should possess the qualifications as decided by the Parliament from time to time. The term of the legislative assembly is 5 years. However, the Assembly may be dissolved by the governor before the expiry of the full term on the recommendation of the Cabinet headed by the Chief Minister. If the Members do not intend to continue in the Assembly, they should submit their resignation to the Speaker. [CHECKPOINT]
The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are elected from the elected Members of the Assembly. The proceedings of the House are carried on under the chairmanship of the Speaker. He has the responsibility of maintaining the peace, dignity and decorum of the House, summoning and postponing the meetings, safeguarding the rights of the Members, and casting the decisive vote when bills receive an equal number of votes supporting and opposing them. Now let us examine the legislative powers and functions of the State Legislature. An ordinary bill can be introduced in either house of the legislature. Bills approved by the legislative assembly are sent to the legislative council for approval. The legislative council shall give its approval with or without amendment within 3 months and return the bill to the assembly. [CHECKPOINT]
Otherwise, if the assembly sends the bill a second time for approval, in this case the legislative council returns the bill to the assembly with its approval within 1 month. Otherwise, the bill will be sent to the governor’s signature. Thus the legislative council has no power other than the power to withhold a general bill for 4 months and exercise no other powers. Regarding financial powers and functions, the Legislative Assembly has greater powers than the Legislative Council in the matter of finance. The Finance Bill has to be first presented in the Legislative Assembly. A finance bill passed by the legislative assembly is sent for the approval of the legislative council which must be returned to the legislative assembly with its assent within 14 days of its receipt by the legislative council. Otherwise the bill is declared to have been passed by both houses and sent for the governors signature. [CHECKPOINT]
This makes clear that the legislative council has no other finance related powers except it can delay the bill for 14 days. Moving to executive powers and functions, the State Executive or cabinet is responsible to the Legislative Assembly, and can be in power only as long as it enjoys the confidence of the Legislative Assembly. The cabinet has to resign when it loses the confidence of the legislative assembly. The whole Council of Ministers is accountable to the Legislative Assembly. For electoral powers and functions, the members of the Legislative Assembly have the power to elect the President, Members of the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly through elections. Regarding powers to amend the Constitution, some constitutional amendment bills require the approval of half of the state legislatures. For example, the 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill related to goods and service tax. [CHECKPOINT]
Other powers and functions include that the reports of state public service commission, state backward classes commission, state women commission and reports of other commissions are discussed in the legislative assembly. Let us now study the Legislative Council, also called Vidhana Parishat. The Upper House of the State Legislature is called the Legislative Council. The strength of this House is one third of that of the Legislative Assembly of the State. However, it should not be less than 40. Let us look at another example. Telangana state council has 40 members. The number of members of the Karnataka Legislative Council is 75. These members represent 5 fields. [CHECKPOINT]
Some are elected from among the Members of the Legislative Assembly, Local Bodies, Graduate’s Constituencies, and Teacher’s Constituencies. The Governor nominates some Members considering services rendered in the fields of art, science, literature, education, social service and co-operative movement. The Legislative Council is a permanent body. Every two years, members who have completed their term retire. The chairperson of the legislative council is selected by the members of the legislative council. The proceedings of the legislative council are carried on under the leadership of the chairman. He has the responsibility of maintaining peace, dignity and decorum of the house, summoning and postponing the meetings, safeguarding the rights of the members and casting the decisive vote when bills receive an equal number of votes. [CHECKPOINT]
Note the qualifications of the Members of Legislative Council. First, they should be a citizen of India. Second, they should have completed 30 years of age. Third, they should not hold an office of profit. Fourth, they should not be sentenced to imprisonment by the court. Fifth, they should not have mental illness. Sixth, they should not be bankrupt. Seventh, they should possess all qualifications from time to time as required by the parliament. The term of office of the nominated Members is 6 years. Every two years, members who have completed their term retire. The Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson are chosen from among the Members. They assume their powers during the proceedings of the House and ensure dignity and decorum of the House. [CHECKPOINT]
The Legislative Council has legislative, financial, and administrative powers. For legislative powers, the legislative council is also empowered to make laws. Bills approved by the legislative assembly are sent to the council for approval. The legislative council shall then give its approval with or without amendment within 3 months and return the bill to the legislative assembly. Otherwise the legislative assembly sends the bill to the legislative council a second time for approval. In this case the legislative council should return it to the assembly with its approval within 1 month otherwise the bill will be sent to the governor for his signature declaring both houses have agreed. For financial powers, the Legislative council has lesser financial powers than the legislative assembly. According to the constitution, the financial bill should be presented in the legislative assembly first. [CHECKPOINT]
A finance bill passed by the legislative assembly is sent for approval of the legislative council. Then the council has to return the bill with its assent to the legislative assembly within 14 days. For administrative powers, the Legislative Council does not have much control over administration. It can obtain information by Members posing questions to Ministers. If the questions are not answered properly, it can only insist on the Minister’s resignation but cannot move a No Confidence motion. Now we move to the State Executive. The State Executive comprises the Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers or the Cabinet, and Advocate General. Though the Governor is the Constitutional Head, the Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as its Head is the real executive authority. [CHECKPOINT]
The President appoints the Governor on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Every State is required to have a Governor. However, sometimes two or three States can have a single Governor. The qualifications for Governor are: first, should be a citizen of India. Second, should have completed 35 years of Age. Third, should not hold any office of profit under the Government. Fourth, should not be a Member of either Parliament or State Legislature. If he is a Member of either parliament or state legislature, he should resign from that post when he is appointed as the Governor. The term of office of the Governor is 5 years. The governor may tender his resignation to the president before the expiry of term. [CHECKPOINT]
The Governor receives salary and allowances as fixed by the Parliament, and resides at the official residence, Raj Bhavan. His actions cannot be questioned nor can be prosecuted in a court of law during his tenure. Constitutionally all executive powers belong to the Governor. However, the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers exercise these powers. For executive powers and functions, the Governor is the Executive Head and appoints the Chief Minister and the other Ministers on the advice of the Chief Minister. He also appoints the Chairman and members of the State Public Service Commission and Chairperson and members for state commission for women, Chairperson and members of state commission for protection of child rights, Chairperson and members of state commission for backward classes. [CHECKPOINT]
He is the chancellor of all state universities and appoints vice chancellors of state universities. For legislative powers and functions, the Governor has the power to summon, postpone or dissolve the Assembly on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Governor nominates some Members considering services rendered in the fields of art, science, literature, education, social service and co-operative movement. The governor has power to affix signature to the bill passed by the legislature and returns the bill to state legislature for reconsideration and also reject the bill. If necessary he can send it for the signature of the president. For financial powers and functions, the Finance Bill cannot be presented in the Legislative Assembly without the permission of the Governor. [CHECKPOINT]
The Governor has the power to appoint the State Finance Commission and Planning Board. The State Emergency Fund is in his name and funds are taken out from it to deal with emergency situations like drought, floods, earthquake etc. For judicial powers and functions, the Governor has the power to pardon those who have been convicted and reduce, postpone or change the punishment given to criminals by High court and sub-ordinate courts. He appoints the State Advocate General and District Judges. The Governor also has discretionary powers. He may withhold the bill passed by the legislature and send it to the President. In case of the failure of constitutional machinery in the state, the governor can recommend to the President to declare emergency in the State, dismiss the Cabinet or dissolve the Legislative Assembly. [CHECKPOINT]
Next is the State Council of Ministers. Our Constitution provides for a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as its Head. This Council assists the Governor in administrative matters, and is responsible to the Legislative Assembly. The Council has many functions. First, it decides the Government’s policies and implement the policies. Second, it prepares the State budget and presents it in the legislature. Third, it advises the Governor in matters of appointment of the Chairman of the State Public Service Commission, its Members, the Lokayukta etc. Fourth, each Minister has to ensure efficient working of his Department. Fifth, it has to co-ordinate and supervise the working of different departments. The council of ministers plays the role of real executive. [CHECKPOINT]
The Chief Minister is the Head of the State Government. Success or failure of the State Government depends on his personal charm. He is the repository of all the power of the State. He is the Head of the Council of Ministers, the Legislature, and the Leader of the majority party in the Legislature. The Chief Minister should be a member of any one of the two Houses. Even those who are not Members of either House can become the Chief Minister. However, he has to become the Member of any one House within 6 months. The functions and powers of the Chief Minister are as follows. First, he recommends to the Governor for the formation of the Cabinet. Second, he recommends to the Governor to allocate Portfolios to the Ministers and to change the portfolios allotted to the Ministers. [CHECKPOINT]
Third, he can recommend to the Governor to remove those Ministers who are not loyal to the Government. Fourth, as Head of Government, he plays a very important role in formulation of policies. Fifth, as Head of the Cabinet, he can summon or postpone its meetings. Sixth, he has the power to co-ordinate and supervise the working of all Departments. Seventh, he has the power to recommend the governor to dissolve the Legislative Assembly before expiry of its term. Eighth, he acts as the link between the Governor and the Council of Ministers. Ninth, he acts as an adviser to the Governor and recommends to the Governor regarding appointment of various posts. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us go through the list of Chief Ministers of Karnataka and their term of office. This is an important list for your exams. Number one, Sri K C Reddy, from 25 October 1947 to 30 March 1952. Number two, Sri Kengal Hanumanthiah, from 30 March 1952 to 19 August 1956. Number three, Sri Kadidal Manjappa, from 19 August 1956 to 31 October 1956. Number four, Sri S Nijalingappa, from 1 November 1956 to 16 May 1958. Number five, Sri B D Jatti, from 16 May 1958 to 9 March 1962. Number six, Sri S R Kanti, from 14 March 1962 to 20 June 1962. [CHECKPOINT]
Number seven, Sri S Nijalingappa, from 21 June 1962 to 28 May 1968. Number eight, Sri Veerendra Patil, from 29 May 1968 to 18 March 1971, followed by President Rule from 19 March 1971 to 20 March 1972. Number nine, Sri D Devraj Urs, from 20 March 1972 to 31 December 1977, followed by President Rule from 31 December 1977 to 28 February 1978. Number ten, Sri D Devraj Urs, from 28 February 1978 to 7 January 1980. Number eleven, Sri R Gundu Rao, from 12 January 1980 to 6 January 1983. Number twelve, Sri Ramakrishna Hegde, from 10 January 1983 to 29 December 1984, then 8 March 1985 to 13 February 1986, and 16 February 1986 to 10 August 1988. [CHECKPOINT]
Number thirteen, Sri S R Bommai, from 13 August 1988 to 21 April 1989, followed by President Rule from 21 April 1989 to 30 November 1989. Number fourteen, Sri Veerendra Patil, from 30 November 1989 to 10 October 1990, followed by President Rule from 10 October 1990 to 17 October 1990. Number fifteen, Sri S Bangarappa, from 17 October 1990 to 19 November 1992. Number sixteen, Sri M Veerappa Moily, from 19 November 1992 to 11 December 1994. Number seventeen, Sri H D Devegowda, from 11 December 1994 to 31 May 1996. Number eighteen, Sri J H Patel, from 31 May 1996 to 7 October 1999. [CHECKPOINT]
Number nineteen, Sri S M Krishna, from 11 October 1999 to 28 May 2004. Number twenty, Sri N Dharma Singh, from 28 May 2004 to 2 February 2006. Number twenty one, Sri H D Kumarswamy, from 3 February 2006 to 8 October 2007, followed by President Rule from 8 October 2007 to 12 November 2007. Number twenty two, Sri B S Yediurappa, from 12 November 2007 to 19 November 2007, followed by President Rule from 20 November 2007 to 29 May 2008. Number twenty three, Sri B S Yediurappa, from 30 May 2008 to 4 August 2011. Number twenty four, Sri D V Sadananda Gowda, from 5 August 2011 to 11 July 2012. [CHECKPOINT]
Number twenty five, Sri Jagdeesh Shettar, from 12 July 2012 to 12 May 2013. Number twenty six, Sri Siddaramaiah, from 13 May 2013 to 15 May 2018. Number twenty seven, Sri B S Yediurappa, from 17 May 2018 to 23 May 2018. Number twenty eight, Sri H D Kumaraswamy, from 23 May 2018 to 23 July 2019. Number twenty nine, Sri B S Yediurappa, from 26 July 2019 to 26 July 2021. Number thirty, Sri Basavaraja Bommai, from 27 July 2021 to 20 May 2023. Number thirty one, Sri Siddaramaiah, from 20 May 2023 onwards. [CHECKPOINT]
Please note these important points. The Advocate General is the highest law officer of the State. The Karnataka State planning board has now been renamed as State Institute for Transformation of Karnataka, abbreviated as SITK. The list of chief ministers of Karnataka and their tenure has been taken from the handbook of Karnataka and the website www dot kla dot karnic dot in. Now, let us cover the activities mentioned in your textbook. First, meet the assembly members of your constituency and discuss their activities. Second, visit the Legislative Assembly at the time of session and list out the points about their discussion. Third, list out the names of the members of your area to parliament and assembly. Fourth, list out the governors of Karnataka and their tenure from beginning to till today. [CHECKPOINT]
Fifth, visit the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council and prepare a report on it. Sixth, like the State Assembly, form the School parliament and observe the proceedings and make the report. Seventh, discuss the Assembly proceedings with the Member of Legislative Assembly of your constituency. Eighth, prepare an album of the photographs of Karnataka Chief Ministers till now. Now, let us move on to the exercises. We will solve them together. Exercise one, fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The Union of India comprises 28 States and 8 Union Territories. Question two: The Karnataka Legislative Council comprises 75 members. Question three: The State Cabinet, comprising the Chief Minister and the Ministers, is the real Executive. Question four: The Governor is appointed by the President. [CHECKPOINT]
Exercise two, answer the following questions with group discussion. Question five: Explain the structure of the Legislative Assembly. Answer: The Legislative Assembly, or Vidhana Sabha, is the lower house of the state legislature. Its strength depends on the state's population, with a maximum of 500 seats and a minimum of 60, though small states may have fewer. Karnataka currently has 224 directly elected members. Seats are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and 33% are reserved for women after the 106th amendment. The term is 5 years. It is headed by a Speaker and Deputy Speaker elected from among its members. Question six: Which fields are represented by the members of the Legislative Council? Answer: Members of the Legislative Council represent 5 fields. Some are elected from the Legislative Assembly, Local Bodies, Graduate’s Constituencies, and Teacher’s Constituencies. The remaining members are nominated by the Governor for their service in art, science, literature, education, social service, and the co-operative movement. [CHECKPOINT]
Question seven: What are the qualifications, and the term of office of the Governor? Answer: The Governor must be a citizen of India, must have completed 35 years of age, must not hold any office of profit under the Government, and must not be a Member of either Parliament or State Legislature. The term of office is 5 years. Question eight: Write a short note on the powers and functions of Chief Minister. Answer: The Chief Minister is the Head of the State Government and the real executive authority. His powers include recommending the formation of the Cabinet to the Governor, allocating and changing ministerial portfolios, recommending the removal of disloyal ministers, formulating policies, summoning or postponing cabinet meetings, coordinating all departments, recommending the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly, acting as a link between the Governor and Council of Ministers, and advising the Governor on appointments. [CHECKPOINT]
Exercise three covers activities. Activity one asks you to visit the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council and prepare a report on it. Activity two asks you to form a School parliament like the State Assembly, observe the proceedings, and make the report. Exercise four covers projects. Project one asks you to discuss the Assembly proceedings with the Member of Legislative Assembly of your constituency. Project two asks you to prepare an album of the photographs of Karnataka Chief Ministers till now. We have covered the complete chapter on The State Government. Remember the key distinctions between the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, the constitutional and real executive roles of the Governor and Chief Minister, and the exact powers and functions of each office. Review the list of Chief Ministers and the constitutional amendments carefully for your exams. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]