Class 11 Political Science Notes Chapter 5 Legislature
- In India, the parliamentary form of government is adopted at the centre by adopting bicameral legislature.
- The legislature helps people in holding the representatives accountable.
- In India, there are two houses of parliament Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
- The Lower House of Parliament is called the Lok Sabha which consists of 545 members.
- The members of the Lok Sabha are called Members of Parliament (MPs), who are elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.
- Two Anglo-Indians are nominated by the president if he feels that Anglo-Indians have not been represented suitably in the parliament.
- The Lok Sabha has a speaker who presides over its session.
- The Upper House of Parliament is called the Rajya Sabha having 250 members out of which 238 are elected by State Legislative Assemblies and 12 members are nominated by the President.
- The Vice President of India is the ex-office Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
- The Lok Sabha enjoys the powers of making laws, to enact Money or non-Money Bills, approves taxation, budgets and annual financial statement, amends constitution, etc.
- Rajya Sabha enjoys the powers to suggest amendments to Money Bills, exercise control over executives and can give power to make laws on matters included in the state list.
- The Parliament uses the various devices to have a parliamentary control over its executives as financial control, deliberation and discussion, approval or refusal of laws and no confidence motion, etc.
Important terms:
- Bill: A bill is a draft of the proposed law, which can be of different types.
- Defection: If a member remains absent in the House, when asked by the party leadership to remain present or votes against the instructions of the party or voluntarily leaves the membership of the party.
- Budget: It is the detail of income and expenditure of a country’s income from taxes and how it will be spent, i.e. on annual government statement.
- Deadlocks: A statement in mutual negotiations.
- Ordinance: An order, rule of law made by government or authority who is entitled for the same.
- Question Hour: A period of time to put up with the questions by members of parliament to the ministers.
- Zero hour: It starts at twelve noon immediately after the question hour.
