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The Government of India [GoI](Hindi: भारत सरकार [1]Bhārat Sarkār), officially referred to as the Union Government, and commonly as Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a federal union of 28 states and 7 union territories, collectively called the Republic of India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Politics of India takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary multi-party representative democratic Republic modelled The Constitution of India ( Hindi: भारतीय़ संविधान see names in other Indian languages) is the supreme law of India. The Fundamental Rights in India enshrined in the Part III of the Constitution of India guarantee civil liberties such that all Indians can lead their lives in peace In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The President of India or Rashtrapati ( Hindi: राष्ट्रपति a Sanskrit Neologism, lit The Vice-President of India is the second-highest ranking government official in the Executive branch of the Government of India after the President The Prime Minister of India is head of the Council of Ministers, appointed by the President to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive Cabinet ministers Manmohan Singh - Prime Minister and also in-charge of the Ministries/ Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is the federal and supreme Legislative body of India. The Rajya Sabha (meaning the "Council of States" is the Upper house of the Parliament of India. The Vice-President of India is the second-highest ranking government official in the Executive branch of the Government of India after the President The Lok Sabha (also titled the House of the People, by the Constitution) is the directly elected Lower house of the Parliament of India The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the upper house of Parliament of India. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. The term Chief Justice of India refers to the highest judge in the Supreme Court of India. India 's judicial system is made up of the Supreme Court of India at the apex of the hierarchy for the entire country and twenty-one High Courts at the The District Courts of India are presided over by a Judge. They administer justice in India at a district level Elections in India are more than a process of voting someone to rule the nation The Election Commission of India is an autonomous quasi-judiciary constitutional body of India. The Chief Election Commissioner heads the Election Commission of India, a body constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections to the national and state legislatures India has a Multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties India has a Multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties India has a Multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties BamfronttripuraJPG|thumb|right| West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura]] The Left Front ( Bengali: বাম ফ্রন্ট The National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) is a coalition of political parties in India. United Progressive Alliance ( UPA) is the present ruling coalition of political parties heading the Government of India. India is a union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of the States and territories of India have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of The Vidhan Sabha also known as Legislative Assembly is the lower house of state legislature in India. The Vidhan Parishad also known as Legislative Council forms a part of the state legislatures of India. The Panchayat is a South Asian Political system. ‘Panchayat’ literally means assembly ( yat) of five ( panch) wise and respected elders chosen Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is The Constitution of India ( Hindi: भारतीय़ संविधान see names in other Indian languages) is the supreme law of India. India is a union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation, such as the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, etc. The federal (union) and individual state governments consist of executive, legislative and judicial branches. The legal system as applicable to the federal and individual state governments is based on the English Common and Statutory Law. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive Statutory law or statute law is written Law (as opposed to oral or Customary law) set down by a Legislature or other governing India accepts International Court of Justice jurisdiction with several reservations. See also International Commission of Jurists The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; Cour At the local level, the Panchayati Raj system has several decentralised administrative functions. The Panchayat is a South Asian Political system. ‘Panchayat’ literally means assembly ( yat) of five ( panch) wise and respected elders chosen
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Judicial branch
India's independent judicial system began under the British, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries. The Supreme Court of India consists of a Chief Justice and 25 associate justices, all appointed by the President on the advice of the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English The term Chief Justice of India refers to the highest judge in the Supreme Court of India. In the 1960s, India moved away from using juries for most trials, finding them to be corrupt and ineffective, instead almost all trials are conducted by judges.
Unlike its US counterpart, the Indian justice system consists of a unitary system at both state and federal level. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of India, High Courts at the state level, and District and Session Courts at the district level. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V Chapter IV of the Constitution of India.
National Judiciary
The Supreme Court of India has original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of the land as established by Part V Chapter IV of the Constitution of India. Its exclusive original jurisdiction extends to any dispute between the Government of India and one or more states, or between the Government of India and any state or states on one side and one or more states on the other, or between two or more states, if and insofar as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or of fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends.
In addition, Article 32 of the Indian Constitution gives an extensive original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court in regard to enforcement of Fundamental Rights. It is empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. The Supreme Court has been conferred with power to direct transfer of any civil or criminal case from one State High Court to another State High Court, or from a court subordinate to another State High Court.
Public Interest Litigation(PIL) : Although the proceedings in the Supreme Court arise out of the judgments or orders made by the Subordinate Courts, of late the Supreme Court has started entertaining matters in which interest of the public at large is involved, and the Court may be moved by any individual or group of persons either by filing a Writ Petition at the Filing Counter of the Court, or by addressing a letter to Hon'ble The Chief Justice of India highlighting the question of public importance for invoking this jurisdiction.
Such a concept is known as Public Interest Litigation, or PIL and several matters of public importance have become landmark cases. This concept is unique to the Supreme Court of India, and perhaps no other Court in the world has been exercising this extraordinary jurisdiction.
State Judiciary
The High Court stands at the head of a State's judicial administration. There are 21 High Courts in the country, three having jurisdiction over more than one state. The Union Territories come under the jurisdiction of different State High Courts. Each High Court comprises a Chief Justice and such other Judges as the President may, from time to time, appoint.
Each High Court has powers of jurisprudence over all subordinate courts within its jurisdiction, namely the District and Sessions courts and other lower courts. It can call for returns from such Courts, make and issue general rules and prescribe forms to regulate their practice and proceedings and determine the manner and form in which book entries and accounts shall be kept.
The District and Session Courts comprise the highest level of courts in a District for Civil and Criminal cases respectively, and may be trial courts of original jurisdiction, applying both federal and state laws. States are divided into districts and within each, a District and Sessions Judge is head of the judiciary. A District Judge presides over civil cases, while a Sessions Judge over criminal cases. These judges are appointed by the Governor of the state in consultation with the state's High Court. There is a hierarchy of judicial officials below the district level, many selected through competitive examination by the state's public service commissions.
Civil cases at the sub district level are filed in sub district or munsif courts. Lesser criminal cases are entrusted to courts of magistrates functioning under the Sessions Judge. At the village level, disputes are frequently resolved by Panchayats or Lok Adalats (Hindi: People's Courts), appealable to the District and Sessions Court. The Panchayat is a South Asian Political system. ‘Panchayat’ literally means assembly ( yat) of five ( panch) wise and respected elders chosen Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is
Note: The judicial system retains substantial legitimacy in the eyes of many Indians despite its politicization since the 1970s. In fact, as illustrated by the rise of social action litigation in the 1980s and 1990s, many Indians turn to the courts to redress grievances with other social and political institutions. It is frequently observed that Indians are highly litigious, which has contributed to a growing backlog of cases.
Indeed, the Supreme Court was reported to have more than 150,000 cases pending in 1990, the high courts had some 2 million cases pending, and the lower courts had a substantially greater backlog. Research in the early 1990s show that the backlogs at levels below the Supreme Court are the result of delays in the litigation process and the large number of decisions that are appealed, and not the result of an increase in the number of new cases filed.
| Name | Year of Establishment | Jurisdiction | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allahabad | 1866 | Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad (Bench at Lucknow) |
| Andhra Pradesh | 1956 | Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad |
| Mumbai | 1862 | Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Mumbai (Benches at Nagpur, Panaji and Aurangabad) |
| Calcutta | 1862 | West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar | Calcutta (Circuit Bench at Port Blair) |
| Chhattisgarh | 2000 | Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur |
| Delhi | 1966 | Delhi | Delhi |
| Guwahati | 1948 | Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh | Guwahati (Benches at Itanagar, Kohima, Aizwal, Imphal, Agartala & Shillong) |
| Gujarat | 1960 | Gujarat | Ahmedabad |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1971 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
| Jammu &Kashmir | 1928 | Jammu &Kashmir | Srinagar &Jammu |
| Jharkhand | 2000 | Jharkhand | Ranchi |
| Karnataka | 1884 | Karnataka | Bangalore |
| Kerala | 1958 | Kerala and Lakshadweep | Ernakulam |
| Madhya Pradesh | 1956 | Madhya Pradesh | Jabalpur (Benches at Gwalior and Indore) |
| Madras | 1862 | Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry | Chennai (Bench at Madurai) |
| Orissa | 1948 | Orissa | Cuttack |
| Patna | 1916 | Bihar | Patna |
| Punjab & Haryana | 1975 | Punjab, Haryana &Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
| Rajasthan | 1949 | Rajasthan | Jodhpur (Bench at Jaipur) |
| Sikkim | 1975 | Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Uttarakhand | 2000 | Uttarakhand | Nainital |
Type of Government
The Preamble lays down the type of government that India has adopted - Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic. The Constitution of India ( Hindi: भारतीय़ संविधान see names in other Indian languages) is the supreme law of India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
Sovereign
The word sovereign means supreme or independent. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself India is internally and externally sovereign - externally free from the control of any foreign power and internally, it has a free government
Socialist
The word socialist was added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution It implies social and economic equality for all its citizens. There will be no discrimination on the basis of caste, colour, creed, sex, religion, language etc. Castes are Hereditary systems of occupation, Endogamy, social culture, Social class, and Political power. A creed is a statement of Belief — usually Religious belief — or Faith often recited as part of a religious service An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Everybody will be given equal status and opportunities. The government will make efforts to reduce the concentration of wealth in a few hands, and provide a decent standard of living to all.
India has adopted a mixed economic model, and the government has framed many laws to achieve the goal of socialism, such as Abolition of Untouchability and Zamindari Act, Equal Wages Act and Child Labour Prohibition Act. The economy of India, measured in USD exchange-rate terms is the twelfth largest in the world with a GDP of around $1 trillion (2008 Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations especially in modern or early modern history in which people are employed against their will Child labor is the employment of Children at regular and sustained labour
Secular
The word secular was inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976. It implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos India does not have any official state religion. Every person has the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion of their own choice. The government does not favour or discriminate any religion. It treats all religions with equal respect. All citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs are equal in the eyes of law. No religious instruction is imparted in government or government - aided schools.
Democratic
India is a democratic, election from any location, specific seats are allocated for Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes (22%) in parliament called (reserved constituencies), in local body election a percentage of seats are allocated for women candidates. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system
There is also a proposal to allocate 33% seats in all elections to woman candidates, currently there is no consensus in how to implement it and which seats should be allocated.
The pillar of Indian Democracy is Election Commission of India, it is one of the most trusted organizations and has been praised by all for conducting free and fair elections. The Election Commission of India is an autonomous quasi-judiciary constitutional body of India.
Republic
As opposed to a monarchy, in which the head of state is appointed on hereditary basis for a lifetime, or until he abdicates, a republic is a state in which the head of state is elected, directly or indirectly, for a fixed tenure. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The President of India is elected by an electoral college for a term of five years. The President of India or Rashtrapati ( Hindi: राष्ट्रपति a Sanskrit Neologism, lit An electoral college is a set of many electors who are empowered to elect a candidate to a particular Office.
Parliamentary govt.
India has adopted a parliamentary system of government similar to that of the United Kingdom and Japan. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. It is based on the fusion of powers between the executive and the legislature. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation
Under the Indian system, the Parliament is supreme as it is an elected body. The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is the federal and supreme Legislative body of India. There is a presence of two executives - the nominal executive and the real executive. The nominal executive is the President of India. The President of India or Rashtrapati ( Hindi: राष्ट्रपति a Sanskrit Neologism, lit He enjoys all the constitutional powers, but exercises them only on the advice of the real executive. The Constitution of India ( Hindi: भारतीय़ संविधान see names in other Indian languages) is the supreme law of India. The real executive, that is the Prime Minister of India and the Cabinet, enjoy all the real powers and make all the important policy decisions. The Prime Minister of India is head of the Council of Ministers, appointed by the President to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive Cabinet ministers Manmohan Singh - Prime Minister and also in-charge of the Ministries/ Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister
All the members of the Council of Ministers as well as the Prime Minister have to be members of either house of the Parliament. If they are not, they must get elected within a period of six months from the time they assume their respective office. The Executive, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to the Lok Sabha, both individually as well as collectively. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The Lok Sabha (also titled the House of the People, by the Constitution) is the directly elected Lower house of the Parliament of India
Individual responsibility
Every individual minister is in charge of a specific portfolio or department. A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of Government Public administration, sometimes led by a minister, but usually a senior He is responsible for any act of failure in all the policies relating to his department. In case of any lapse, he himself is individually responsible to the Parliament. The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is the federal and supreme Legislative body of India. If a vote of no - confidence is passed against the individual minister, he has to resign. A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion Individual responsibility can amount to collective responsibility. Therefore, the Prime Minister, in order to save his government, can ask for the resignation of such a minister.
Collective responsibility
The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are jointly accountable to the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister of India is head of the Council of Ministers, appointed by the President to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive The Lok Sabha (also titled the House of the People, by the Constitution) is the directly elected Lower house of the Parliament of India If there is a policy failure or lapse on the part of the government, all the members of the council are jointly responsible. If a vote of no - confidence is passed against the government, then all the ministers headed by the Prime Minister have to resign.
Welfare State
A welfare state is a state in which the government provides for a wide range of social services and carries out a large number of welfare and developmental activities, like providing education, setting up of hospitals, protection of minorities, promoting agriculture and protecting the monuments along with the performance of police functions. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture A monument is a structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past
The Directive Principles of State Policy, enshrined in Part IV of the Indian Constitution reflects that India is a welfare state. The Directive Principles of State Policy are guidelines to the central and state governments of India to be kept in mind while framing laws and policies The Constitution of India ( Hindi: भारतीय़ संविधान see names in other Indian languages) is the supreme law of India. Seats are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in government jobs, educational institutions, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. The Lok Sabha (also titled the House of the People, by the Constitution) is the directly elected Lower house of the Parliament of India The Vidhan Sabha also known as Legislative Assembly is the lower house of state legislature in India. The government has passed a number of laws for the abolition of untouchability, Begar and Zamindari. Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations especially in modern or early modern history in which people are employed against their will Zamindar ( Devanagari: ज़मींदार zamīndār, Urdu: زمیندار zamīndār, Eastern Nagari: জমিদার The government has opened fair - priced shops, where certain essential commodities are sold at very reasonable prices to the poorer sections of the society. A public distribution shop, part of India 's Public distribution system, is a kind of shop in India which is used to distribute rations at a subsidized price to the
Revenues of Government
Gross tax revenues of the Government of India has grown steadily from around Rs. 1 billion in 1945 to over Rs. 1 trillion by 1995. It is expected to reach Rs. 8 trillion by 2010 at the current rate of growth. Given below is a chart of trend of gross tax revenues (before splitting shares of States) of the Government of India assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year | Gross Tax Revenues | Excise Duties | Corporation Tax | Customs | Income Tax | Service Tax | Wealth Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 463 | 753 | 736 | 1,023 | |||
| 1950 | 675 | 404 | 1,571 | 1,327 | |||
| 1955 | 1,452 | 370 | 1,667 | ||||
| 1960 | 3,949 | 1,375 | 1,275 | ||||
| 1965 | 16,827 | 8,141 | 3,716 | 4,195 | 2,940 | ||
| 1970 | |||||||
| 1975 | |||||||
| 1980 | |||||||
| 1985 | |||||||
| 1990 | |||||||
| 1995 | 1,060,220 | 458,220 | 145,860 | 299,010 | 128,600 | ||
| 2000 | 1,982,260 | 768,390 | 379,780 | 535,720 | 315,900 | ||
| 2005 | 3,437,030 | 1,147,410 | 968,450 | 581,560 | 559,810 | 171,220 | 1,490 |
^ includes service tax, et al
This is a chart of trend of non-tax revenues of the Government of India assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year | Non-tax Revenues | Interest | Dividend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 355,210 | 180,460 | 58,210 |
| 2000 | 574,640 | ||
| 2005 | 701,350 |
^ includes dividend and profit from public sector undertakings and RBI, et al
- See also: Bond Market of India
References
- ^ http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/annualeng.pdf Official Language Resolution, 1968
External links
- Pan Card - Pan card Tax information for government tax department
- Directory of official Government websites in India
- Government of India Portal
Further reading
- Subrata K. Mitra and V. B. Singh. 1999. Democracy and Social Change in India: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the National Electorate. New Delhi: Sage Publications. ISBN 81-7036-809-X (India HB) ISBN 0-7619-9344-4 (U. S. HB).
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