DAVPS, CRRC, MEDICAL ROAD, GAYA

STD.IX POLITICAL SCIENCE CH – 04 WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS

(A) TERMS TO LEARN –

01. Coalition government – A government formed by an alliance of two or more political parties.
02. Government – A set of institutions that have the power to make, implement and interpret laws.
03. Legislature – An assembly of people’s representatives with the power to enact laws for a country.
04. Executive – A body of persons to make decisions and implement them on the basis of the
Constitution.

05. Judiciary – An institution empowered to provide justice. All the courts in the country are
collectively referred to as judiciary.
06. Office Memorandum – A communication issued by an appropriate authority stating the policy or
decision of the government.
07. Reservations – A policy that declares some positions in government employment and educational
institutions ‘reserved’ for a group of people.
08. State – Political association occupying a definite territory, population, government and possessing
power to make domestic and foreign policies. Governments may change, but the state continues.
(B) Fill in the blanks –
1. The Government of India had appointed the Second Backward Classes Commission in 1979. It
was headed by B.P. Mandal.
2. Parliament consists of the President and two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
3. Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the Ministers.
4. While the Prime Minister is the head of the government, the President is the head of the State.
5. A judge can be removed only by an impeachment motion passed separately by two-thirds
members of the two Houses of the Parliament. It has never happened in the history of Indian
democracy.
6. The Supreme Court and the High Courts have the power to interpret the Constitution of the
country.
7. Since it is not practical for all ministers to meet regularly and discuss everything, the decisions are
taken in Cabinet meetings. That is why parliamentary democracy in most countries is often known
as the Cabinet form of government.
8. In a democratic country like India there are two types of executives. They are Political Executive
and Permanent Executive.

(C )Questions And Answers –

01.If you are elected as the President of India which decision can you take on your own?
Ans. Ask for reconsideration of a bill passed by both the Houses.
02.Write two example of political executive.
Ans. Prime Minister and Home Minister
03.Which institution can make changes to an existing law of the country?
Ans. The Parliament
04.Of all the institutions that we have studied in this chapter, name the one that exercises
the powers on each of the following matters.

(a) Decision on allocation of money for developing infrastructure like roads, irrigation
etc. and different welfare activities for the citizens.
 Ans. Council of Ministers
(b) Considers the recommendation of a Committee on a law to regulate the stock
exchange.
Ans. The Parliament
(c) Decides on a legal dispute between two state governments.
Ans. The Supreme Court
(d) Implements the decision to provide relief for the victims of an earthquake.
Ans. Civil Servants
05.Why is the Prime Minister in India not directly elected by the people?
Ans. India has Parliamentary Democracy. Here, only the leader of the majority party in the
Lok Sabha can become the Prime Minister.

06.What would be your reaction to the film that showed the hero becoming Chief Minister
for a day and making big changes in the state?
Ans. When we talk about desire of common people, We hope something heroic as shown in
the movie. To be practical, things are there to entertain.
When we see the movie in the light of the study of the ‘Working of Institutions’, this kind of
personal rule without institutions is dangerous. It will lead to dictatorship.
07.A teacher called two students and gave them an option: Each one could choose to have
a majority either in the Lok Sabha or in the Rajya Sabha. If this choice was given to you,
which one would you choose and why?
Ans. I would choose to have a majority in the Lok Sabha, as the Lok Sabha is more
powerful than the Rajya Sabha. Lok Sabha is powerful because –
(a) If any law is not passed by both the houses, the final decision is taken in the joint
session in which members of both the houses sit together but because of the
larger number of members, the view of the Lok Sabha is likely to prevail.
(b) The Lok Sabha exercises more powers in money matters. Once the Lok Sabha
passes the budget of the government or any other money-related law, the Rajya
Sabha cannot reject it. The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest
changes in it. The Lok Sabha may or may not accept these changes.
(c) Most importantly, the Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers. If the majority
of the Lok Sabha members say that they have no confidence in the Council of
Ministers, it has to quit, whereas the Rajya Sabha does not have this power.

08.How can you say that our judiciary is the guardian of the fundamental rights?
Ans. Our judiciary is the guardian of the fundamental rights.
(a) The citizens have a right to approach the courts to seek remedy in case of any
violation of their rights.
(b) Anyone can approach the courts if public interest is hurt by the actions of
government. This is called Public Interest Litigation.
(c) The courts intervene to prevent the misuse of the power.
09.Write about Mandal Commission.
 Ans. The Government of India had appointed the Second Backward Classes
Commission in 1979. It was headed by B.P. Mandal. Hence it was popularly called the
Mandal Commission. It was asked to determine the criteria to identify the socially and
educationally backward classes in India and recommend steps to be taken for their
advancement. The Commission gave its Report in 1980 and made many
recommendations. One of these was that 27 per cent of government jobs be reserved
for the socially and educationally backward classes.

10.Who are the major functionaries in India?

Ans. The major functionaries in India are –
(a) President is the head of the state and is the highest formal authority in the country.
(b) Prime Minister is the head of the government and actually exercises all
governmental powers.
(c) Parliament consists of the President and two Houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya
Sabha.
11.What was the ‘Indira Sawhney and others Vs Union of India case’ and how was it
settled?
Ans. Some persons and associations opposed to the order regarding the reservation
of jobs for SEBC and filed a number of cases in the courts. They appealed to the courts
to declare the order invalid and stop its implementation. The Supreme Court of India
bunched all these cases together. This case was known as the ‘Indira Sawhney and
others Vs Union of India case’.
Eleven judges of the Supreme Court heard arguments of both sides. By a majority, the
Supreme Court judges in 1992 declared that this order of the Government of India
was valid. At the same time, the Supreme Court asked the government to modify its
original order. It said that well-to-do persons among the backward classes should be
excluded from getting the benefit of reservation.
Accordingly, the Department of Personnel and Training issued another Office
Memorandum on 8 September, 1993. The dispute thus came to an end and this policy
has been followed since then.

12.Define Institutions.
Ans. A large and important organisations or offices that helps in smooth and proper
functioning of a state or country. Example – legislature, executive and judiciary.

13.Why we need Political Institution?

Ans. We need Political Institution –
(a) For ensuring security to the citizens and providing facilities for education and
health to all.
(b) To collect taxes and spends the money thus raised on administration, defence
and development programmes.
(c) To formulates and implements several welfare schemes.
 (d) To take decisions on how to go about above activities. Others have to
implement these decisions.
(e) To determine what is right and what is wrong, in case of disputes.
14. Define Parliament. Why do we need a Parliament?
Or
What are the functions of a Parliament?
Ans. Parliament is a national assembly of elected representatives which exercises supreme
political authority on behalf of the people of the country.
We need a Parliament, because –
(a) Parliament exercises political authority on behalf of the people.
(b) Parliament is the final authority for making laws in any country.
(c) Parliaments all over the world exercise some control over those who run the
government.
(d) Parliaments control all the money that governments have. In most countries
the public money can be spent only when Parliament sanctions it.
(e) Parliament is the highest forum of discussion and debate on public issues and
national policy in any country.
15. Name the two houses of the Parliament. Which house is more powerful and why?
Ans. In our country, Parliament consists of two Houses. The two Houses are known as the
Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha).

Lok Sabha is more powerful than Rajya Sabha because –

(a) Any ordinary law needs to be passed by both the Houses. But if there is a difference
between the two Houses, the final decision is taken in a joint session in which
members of both the Houses sit together. Because of the larger number of members,
the view of the Lok Sabha is likely to prevail in such a meeting.
(b) Lok Sabha exercises more powers in money matters. Once the Lok Sabha passes the
budget of the government or any other money related law, the Rajya Sabha cannot
reject it. The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest changes in it. The Lok
Sabha may or may not accept these changes.
(c) Most importantly, the Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers. If the majority of
the Lok Sabha members say that they have no confidence in the Council of Ministers,
it has to quit, whereas the Rajya Sabha does not have this power.
16.Why do the political executives have more power than the permanent executives?
Ans. In democracy, the will of the people is supreme. The minister is elected by the people
and thus empowered to exercise the will of the people on their behalf. He/She is finally
answerable to the people for all the consequences of his/her decision. That is why, the
minister takes all the final decisions.

17.Define Council of Ministers. Write about different ranks of ministers.

OR
What are three categories of ministers which constitute the council of Ministers?
Ans. Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the Ministers. It
usually has 60 to 80 Ministers of three different ranks.
(a) Cabinet Ministers are usually top level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in
charge of the major ministries. Usually the Cabinet Ministers meet to take decisions in
the name of the Council of Ministers. Cabinet is thus the inner ring of the Council of
Ministers. It comprises about 25 ministers.
(b) Ministers of State with independent charge are usually in-charge of smaller
Ministries. They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited.
(c) Ministers of State are attached to and required to assist Cabinet Ministers.

18.Write the powers and functions of the Prime Minister of India.

Ans. The powers and functions of the Prime Minister of India.
(a) The Prime Minister is the head of the government.
(b) He/she recommends persons who can be appointed as ministers by the President.
(c) He/she presides over the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
(d) He/she guides, directs, controls, and coordinates the activities of all the ministers.
(e) He advises the President with regard to summoning and proroguing of the sessions
of the Parliament.
(f) He is the chief spokesman of the Union government.
19.How is the President of India elected?
Ans. The President is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the
elected members of both the Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the
Legislative Assemblies of States and the Union Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry.

20. Write the powers and functions of the President of India.

Ans. The powers and functions of the President of India.

(a) The executive powers of the country are vested with the President of India.
(b) The President appoint the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Justice of India and many
others.
(c) The President of India is the commander in chief of all the Indian armed forces.
(d) The President has the power to declare war or conclude peace with any country on
the advice of a council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister.
(e) All the treaties with any foreign countries are signed in the name of the President of
India.
21.Write the powers and functions of the Supreme Court of India.

Ans. The powers and functions of the Supreme Court of India.

(a) The Supreme Court controls the judicial administration in the country.
(b) Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the country.
 (c) It can take up any dispute between citizens of the country, between citizens and
government, between two or more state governments and between governments at
the union and state level.
(d) It is the highest court of appeal in civil and criminal cases. It can hear appeals against
the decisions of the High Courts.
(e) The Supreme Court have the power to interpret the Constitution of the country.
(f) They can determine the Constitutional validity of any legislation or action of the
executive in the country, when it is challenged before them.
22.What is Judicial Review?
Ans. The Supreme Court and the High Courts can determine the Constitutional validity of
any legislation or action of the executive in the country, when it is challenged before them.
This is known as Judicial Review.
23.Why is an independent and powerful judiciary considered essential for democracies?
Ans. An independent and powerful judiciary considered essential for democracies.
(a) To keep the executive and legislature accountable to the people through judicial
review.
(b) To interpret Constitution without prejudice and self-interest.
(c) To protect the rights of the individuals.
(d) Without an independent judiciary, we will have dictatorship, as the executive will be
able to do whatever it likes.
24. Distinguish between Political Executive and Permanent Executive.
Ans.
Political Executive Permanent Executive
(a) They are elected by the people for (a) They are appointed by the
a specific period. government on a long term basis.
(b) They are makers of law, decision (b) They are in-charge of execution of
and policies. the policies of the government.
(c) They are answerable to the people. (c) They are not answerable to the
people.
(d) Ex- PM, CM, etc. (d) Ex- IAS, IFS, IPS, etc.

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