Government of India: formation and powers, departments

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

India is the largest country in South Asia. The population is more than 1 billion 300 million people. The state covers an area of 3,287,000 square kilometers. The Indian Republic territorially consists of 28 states and 7 union territories, which have central subordination. The capital of India is the city of New Delhi. Hindi and English are the main state languages.

Brief information about the state structure

The form of government of India is a parliamentary Republic. The state structure is federal. The head of state is the President. He is, according to the Constitution of India, the first citizen of the country and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It is elected collectively by representatives of the bicameral parliament and legislative bodies from the states of the country. The term of office is 5 years. The president has the power to dissolve state legislatures. Has the ability to pardon convicts.

Historical background on Indiangovernment

The government of ancient India mainly consisted of various monarchical forms (numerous dynasties of kings, Great Moghuls, etc.). Since the 16th century, the territory of India has actually been under the control of European powers: Holland, France, Portugal and Great Britain. The latter was more successful in the colonization of Indian territory, and since the 17th century it has actually become an appendage of the British crown.

India became independent in 1947. The first Constitution came into force in 1950. It is valid to this day. The constitutional law of the country is considered the most unique document in the world practice. Its volume is about 491 articles. Making additions to it, changing articles is not difficult. This led to the fact that during the entire existence of modern India, the Constitution was supplemented by more than a hundred different amendments. Legislators believe that this is a kind of "adaptation" to reality in a constantly changing environment.

Legislative power

India is a parliamentary Republic in which the main role is played by the Parliament and the government of the Republic of India. The Indian Parliament includes the President of the country, the House of the People, and the Councils of States. The People's Chamber, according to the Constitution of the country, represents the interests of all the people of India. It consists of 547 deputies (525 are elected in the States, 20 in the union territories, two are chosen by the President). The term of office of Parliament is 5 years. However, Indian practice shows that it happens quite oftendissolved ahead of schedule. Usually there is no more than 3 years. Under current law, the People's Chamber (the so-called "lower house") has the ability to pass a vote of no confidence in the government.

The main task of Parliament is lawmaking. Bills are introduced by deputies. However, their main initiator is the government. The Parliament of India also performs other functions, including the formation and control of the government.

Executive branch

The main executive body of the country is the Government of India (Council of Ministers). These are 50 or 60 people, including ministers, as well as other officials. The most important and topical issues are submitted for decision by the Cabinet of Ministers, its narrower component - the Presidium.

The prime minister is the head of government. He becomes the leader of the party that won the elections to the People's Chamber. The task of the prime minister is to form the composition of the government of India, which is replenished by prominent figures of the winning party. However, this should also take into account the interests of the states, various religious linguistic groups, representatives of the main nationalities of India. As a result, the composition of the government is very diverse.

The President, by order of the Prime Minister, must appoint ministers. After that, the composition of the government is submitted to the vote of Parliament to obtain a vote of confidence. According to the Constitution of the country, ministers are members of parliament, if they are not, then they must become them after 6 months aftertheir appointments.

According to established practice, the prime minister and his government are the main power of the country. In the hands of the prime minister himself, it is concentrated on a very large scale. This phenomenon was especially noticeable in the second half of the 20th century.

Role of the Prime Minister

In that period, India was associated with the "Super Prime Ministerial Republic". The leaders of the government of India did not change for many years, they could combine several ministerial posts, in fact, they alone led the country, and also handed down power by inheritance. Among these leaders were:

• Jawaharlal Nehru, headed the first government of independent India, served as prime minister from 1947 to 1964, was the son of the founder of the Indian National Congress party.
• Indira Gandhi, who twice served as Prime Minister, from 1966 to 1977, and from 1980 to 1984, was the daughter of D. Nehru.
• Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989, was the son of Indira Gandhi, grandson of D. Nehru, and great-grandchildren of M. Nehru.

Recently, there has been a tendency to abandon this tradition, including with a decrease in the role of the prime minister. Historians attribute such movements to the fact that representatives of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty became the targets of the hunt for radicals, in addition, this clan moved away from the leadership of the country.

Government of India

The government acts in accordance with article 77 of the country's constitution,and in accordance with the 1961 code of practice approved by the President.

As indicated above, the Council of Ministers is 50-60 members. But in full force it gathers rather seldom. All important issues are decided by the Cabinet of Ministers - this is a narrow composition of the government. It includes up to 20 executives from the most important industries. The Cabinet, like the Council of Ministers, is personally headed by the Prime Minister. He convenes meetings, controls the implementation of the decisions made.

Decisions at such meetings are made by common consent of the majority, without voting. The main part of the work of the Cabinet of Ministers is carried out through the established special committees. They are responsible for political issues, defense, budget, legislation, economic policy, employment, etc.

A very important role in the work of the government is played by the secretariat, which is the apparatus of advisers and assistants to the prime minister. He assists the government in making any decisions, while ensuring coordination between ministers. Smooths out emerging contradictions, develops a spirit of cooperation by convening meetings of various committees. The Secretariat prepares a monthly report to inform the President and ministers. The secretariat also performs crisis management functions and provides coordination between various ministries. He is also endowed with the function of monitoring the implementation of the instructions of the Cabinet of Ministers and committees.

According to the latest changes, ministers are three categories of officials, namely:

• Minister - A member of the cabinet, considered a senior officer who leads the ministry. If necessary, he can manage other structures of the CM.
• Minister of State with independent status.
• The Minister of State is a junior official, he works under the control of higher-ranking employees, performs a narrow range of tasks.

Composition of the Government

The government consists of ministries and departments, the number of which, as well as the specifics of their activities, depend on the political situation and expediency.

At the time of the creation of the first government of India, on August 15, 1947, it consisted of 18 ministries. Today there are many more, namely:

1. Chemical industry, composed of two departments - petroleum products, fertilizer production.
2. Civil aviation.
3. Coal industry.
4. Commerce and industry.
5. Communications, has three departments - telecommunications, postal services, telecommunications services.
6. Defense.
7. Environmental protection.
8. Foreign affairs.
9. Finance.
10. Food Consumer Affairs and Consumption, has two departments - Consumer Affairs, Public Distribution.
11. He alth, has three departments - preservation and care of the family, Indian medicine and homeopathy.
12. Heavy Engineering, includes two departments - Heavy Engineering, Enterprise Affairs.
13. Domesticaffairs, has five departments - internal security, state affairs, language affairs, internal affairs, Jammu and Kashmir issues.
14. Human Resource Development, with three departments - Primary Education, Secondary and Higher Education, Children and Women.
15. Information and broadcasting.
16. Information technology.
17. Labour.
18. Justice and Legislation, composed of four departments - Legal Affairs, Legislative Department, Justice, Company Affairs.
19. Extractive industry.
20. Unconventional energy sources.
21. On Affairs of Parliament.
22. Personnel Affairs, Claims, Benefits, includes three departments - Personnel Affairs and Training, Administrative Reforms, Claims, Pension Benefits and Retirement Protection.
23. Gas and oil industry.
24. Planning.
25. Energy.
26. Railway service.
27. Road transport.
28. Rural development, includes three departments - rural development, land resources, water supply.
29. Science and technology, has three departments - scientific research, science, biotechnology.
30. Small business and agricultural enterprises.
31. Statistics.
32. Shipping.
33. Steel industry.
34. Textile industry.
35. Tourism and Culture, has two departments - Culture, Tourism.
36. Tribal Affairs.
37. Urban development and poverty alleviation, with two departments -urbanization, poverty eradication.
38. Water resources.
39. Social justice.
40. For youth and sports.
41. Urban Planning, has a National Commission of Indian Manuscripts, as well as the Ganges Water Authority.
42. Panchayati Raj.
43. Development of the northeast Indian region, with two departments - veterinary, coffee.
44. Agriculture, it has four departments - cooperation, research and education, livestock and milk industry department.

There are also separate structures within the Government of India, which include: the commission for Indian planning, population, disaster management, insurance regulation, railway network electrification.

Also, the Cabinet of Ministers includes separate departments, namely, nuclear energy, development of ocean resources, development of space, reduction of capital investments.

Separate entities are Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister's Office, Planning Commission.