Civics THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION 9th

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CONSTITUTION:

Constitution means the set of rules and principles according to which the government of a country is

formed and run. A constitution is considered the formal source of power and authority of government. It

lays Dow precisely what are the powers of a particular government agency, what are the things it can or

cannot do. The idea is to minimise confusion and conflict of operation between the various organs of the

government citizens and their relation with the government. A constitution is an instrument of controlling

the abuse of power by the government.

The constitution is more important in a democratic form of government. In a democratic form of

government, the powers of the citizen are limited and government is responsible to the people. It is the

constitution, which defines the relation ship between the citizens and the government.

THE PREAMBLE:

A preamble is a document, which is given in the beginning of the constitution. It is a sort of

introduction to the constitution. The preamble contains the objectives of the government and these

fundamental principles on which the organisation and functioning of the government is based. It explains

the philosophy enshrined in the constitution. It throws light on the goals, which have been set, and which

the authorities established by the constitution would attempt to achieve.

FEATRES OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION:

The present constitution of India came into force on 26th

January 1950. It was framed by a constitution

Assembly that was set up in 1946. it contains 395 Articles and 12 schedules. A number of amendments

passed have also become a part of this constitution. It is the lengthiest constitution in the world the

constitution declares India to be a sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic republic. The Indian constitution

has adopted a federal structure and a parliamentary form of government. The powers of the government are

divided between the central government and the government of states. The president of India is the nominal

head of the state. The administration is run by the Prime Minister and the council of ministers. The

constitution of India guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens. Ten fundamental duties have also

been added. The directive principles of state policy have also been included in the constitution. The

constitution provides for the protection of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. It grants them special

privileges. The constitution provides certain guarantees to the minorities for preserving their identities. The

Indian constitution gives a certain pre-eminence to the central government in the matter of distribution of

revenue.

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PARLIMENTARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT:

Parliamentary government is that form of government, which is based on close relationship between the

legislature and executive. The head of the state-president, king or queen- is the nominal state. The real

executives are the prime minister and council of ministers. The ministers are taken from the parliament and

they are responsible to the legislature. The council of ministers is formed out of the elected members of the

parliament of the majority party. The leader of the party becomes the prime Minister. The ministers have to

work collectively. For its policies the government has to pass laws. It is the task of the entire cabinet to

defend them. The government can be changed according to the circumstances. The tenure of the ministers

is not fixed and can be changed any time. At times, the opposition can bring in what is called a motion of

‘no confidence’. If a majority of members vote for it, the ministry goes out of office.

PRESIDENTIAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT:

Under the presidential government, the executive is part of the legislature. The president is the real

head of the state. He exercises all the powers. The members of the cabinet are appointed by him and work

as his advisors. In a presidential system, the executive is removed from the legislature, and does not depend

on its confidence. The tenure of the president is fixed-he is elected for a fixed term. In this form of

government, president is both the head of the state and the chief executive. Presidential form of

government is considered strong and can meet any emergency efficiently. But sometimes, the president can

become dictatorial. The president can get into quarrels with the legislature.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN:

UNITARY GOVERNMENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

1. Powers are all with the central government.

2. There is only one central government for the

country as a whole.

3. Constitution can be written or unwritten.

4. It is suitable for smaller countries.

5. The government is burdened by work.

6. This form of government is less expensive

as there is only one government.

7. Sometimes local needs are not fulfilled

under this system.

1. Powers of the government are divided

between the central government and the

government at the state level.

2. There are two levels of government – one

at the centre and one at the state level.

3. Constitution has to be written.

4. It is suitable for large countries.

5. Government is not over burdened with

work. It leads to efficiency in

administration

6. This is expensive as there are too

governments to be run.

7. Local needs are fulfilled by the state

government more efficiently.

FEDERATION: A federation is a union in which a number of independent political units get together and

form a strong and viable nation. Under such a system, there are two sets of governments: (1) The central

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government (2) The governments of the units. The powers of the government are divided between the

central government and the governments of the states.

FORMATION OF A FEDERATION:

Usually the larger states, with many different regions, sometimes each with its distinct language and

culture opt for the formation of a federation. In a nation, which is composed of a number of different

regions with their own languages, their separate culture, different religion, each system fears domination by

the others. Unitary government does not provide any guarantees to minority groups or regions that they

will not be dominated by the majority, whereas federal arrangement does. It ensures that the region or the

nationality will have some amount of self-government. The central government cannot take away its

autonomy. Federal governments are, therefore, considered favourable to regional autonomy.

WELFARE STATE:

A welfare state is a state, which performs several functions for the welfare of the people. India is a

welfare state. The constitution of India guarantees various fundamental rights to all the citizens. It directs

the government to implement policies for the welfare of the people.

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY:

In the parliamentary form of government, the people elect their representatives. The party, which gets

the majority of seats in the legislature, forms the government. The executive is called the council of

ministers. On e of the most important features of council of ministers is the principle of collective

responsibility. It means that the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the parliament. Every

minister is responsible for the acts of his other colleagues. Once a decision is taken in the cabinet, all the

ministers become equally responsible to defend their decision. If the policy of the government is criticised

in the parliament, it is the responsibility of all the ministers to defend it. If the parliament passes a vote of

no confidence against the policy of the government or any one minister, that is considered a vote of no

confidence against the entire council of ministers. In that case, the entire council of ministers has to resign.

That is why, the ministers have collective responsibility.

DIVISION OF POWERS:

In a federal form of government, there are two levels of government- the central and the state

governments. The regional governments in a federation are not considered entirely subordinate to the

centre. They have an independent existence. In a federal state, the constitution divides the powers of

government between the centre and the states. This system of clearly defining the authority of the two

governments is called division of powers.