CLASS 8 SOCIAL SCIENCE · CHAPTER 6 · STUDY NOTES
The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive
Understand the parliamentary system: legislature and executive through short explanations, labelled models and original practice. Read one topic, explain it in your own words, then check.
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Representation connects people to national decisions
Parliament is an institution, not just its building.Representation and accountability
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- Parliamentary democracy
- A system in which the government depends on support in the elected House and is accountable to the legislature.
People directly elect Lok Sabha members. A government must be able to command the confidence of the Lok Sabha.
The Constitution sets the powers and responsibilities of institutions. An impressive building is useful for their work, but does not itself guarantee good representation.
Take a moment. What do you think?
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Question
What makes a parliamentary government accountable to people between elections?
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Parliament has three constitutional components
The President, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha together form Parliament.Three components
- Bicameral
- Having two legislative Houses.
- Federalism
- A constitutional arrangement sharing powers between levels of government.
The Lok Sabha is the House of the People; state representatives in the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly, with nominated members also included under the Constitution.
The two Houses allow different forms of representation and scrutiny. The President is a component of Parliament but is not an ordinary voting MP.
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Question
Does “Parliament has two Houses” mean the President is not part of Parliament?
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Rules help different voices be heard
Presiding officers organise discussion and apply the House’s rules.Two presiding roles
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- Presiding officer
- The person responsible for conducting proceedings of a House.
Lok Sabha members elect the Speaker. The Vice-President is the ex officio Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
Interpretation services help members use different languages. Symbols such as the Sengol have ceremonial significance, while procedure and constitutional responsibilities guide the institution’s work.
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Question
Why does a debate need rules about who speaks and when?
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Making laws is only one part of Parliament’s work
Parliament also scrutinises government and spending and performs constitutional functions.Four areas of parliamentary work
- Legislature
- The institution with authority to make laws and scrutinise government within constitutional limits.
MPs debate proposed laws and public issues. Parliament also approves and monitors public expenditure and uses questions and committees to examine government work.
Constitutional amendments follow their prescribed procedures. Some require state ratification; Parliament cannot change every constitutional feature without limits.
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Why is examining spending a democratic responsibility?
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A proposed law goes through scrutiny
An ordinary bill generally needs passage by both Houses and the President’s assent.A simplified ordinary-bill journey
- Scrutiny
- Discussion and possible changes before a law is enacted.
- Bill
- A proposal for a law.
- Act
- A law enacted through the required legislative process.
- Committee
- A smaller group of MPs that can examine issues or proposals in detail.
An ordinary bill may start in either House. Members discuss its purpose and clauses and may vote on amendments. A committee may examine it, but referral is not compulsory for every bill.
The other House also considers it. After the required approval and assent, publication and any specified commencement arrangements matter. A bill’s introduction alone does not make it enforceable law.
Let’s look a little closer.
Go deeper: Money Bills are different
A Money Bill concerns the matters specified in Article 110. It is introduced only in Lok Sabha with the required Presidential recommendation. Rajya Sabha may recommend changes and must return it within 14 days; Lok Sabha decides whether to accept recommendations.
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Question
If an ordinary bill is introduced but not passed, can it be treated as an Act?
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A right needs a law and implementation
The RTE example connects constitutional change, legislation and practical work.Right, Act, commencement
- Article 21A
- The constitutional provision for free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14, in the manner determined by law.
The 86th Constitutional Amendment in 2002 introduced Article 21A. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was enacted in 2009 and came into force on 1 April 2010.
Schools, trained staff, budgets and monitoring are needed to turn the legal promise into an accessible education. Enactment and commencement are different dates.
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Why is passing an education law not the final step in providing education?
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Ministers must answer for government work
Questions, committees and budget scrutiny make government explain its decisions.An accountability exchange
- Question Hour
- A designated period when members ask ministers questions according to House rules.
- Budget
- An annual statement of estimated public receipts and expenditure.
A committee may examine a ministry’s actions and recommend changes; the government provides replies and action-taken information. A recommendation is not itself a new Act.
The executive prepares and implements the budget, while Parliament authorises and scrutinises spending through the required procedures. Interruptions can reduce time for this work.
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Question
Why is asking “How many schools received the funds?” stronger than only praising or blaming a minister?
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The executive runs government under constitutional rules
The President is Head of State; the Prime Minister leads the Council of Ministers.Policy and implementation
- Executive
- The part of government responsible for administering and implementing laws and policies.
- Collective responsibility
- The Council of Ministers as a body is responsible to the Lok Sabha.
The President appoints the Prime Minister and other ministers under constitutional arrangements. The Council aids and advises the President; ordinary day-to-day decisions are led by the elected government.
Ministers can come from either House. A minister who is not a member must become a member within six months. Civil servants help carry out policies under ministerial direction.
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If ministers disagree internally, who is accountable to the Lok Sabha for the government’s decisions?
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Different functions do not mean unlimited power
The legislature makes laws, the executive administers them and courts interpret them.Distinct functions with checks
- Judicial review
- The examination of laws or government action by courts for consistency with the Constitution.
Courts resolve disputes and protect rights under law. They can examine whether a law or executive action breaches constitutional limits.
In a parliamentary system ministers and the legislature overlap, but their functions differ. Checks and balances are not a claim that every branch is completely separate in personnel.
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Why are checks useful even when a government has majority support?
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Power is shared across levels
States have their own legislature and executive; a State Assembly is not the whole state government.Parallel responsibilities
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- Union, State and Concurrent Lists
- Constitutional subject lists describing legislative responsibilities at the Union and state levels.
- Unicameral
- Having one legislative House.
The Governor is the constitutional head of a state. The Chief Minister leads its Council, which is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Some states also have a Legislative Council.
Defence is a Union subject, police a State subject, and education a Concurrent subject. Concurrent-list conflicts follow constitutional rules and exceptions, rather than a blanket “states can never differ” rule.
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Question
Is the Chief Minister the same institution as the Legislative Assembly?
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Democracy needs useful participation
Time spent meeting is useful only when it supports careful decisions and accountability.From concern to a useful civic question
- Session
- A period during which Parliament meets for its business.
- Parliamentary productivity
- Actual working time compared with scheduled time, a limited measure of functioning.
Absence, disruptions and rushed scrutiny can reduce the quality of parliamentary work. A productivity percentage alone cannot show how good every debate or law was.
Citizens can follow reliable proceedings, ask specific questions and join public consultations. Criticism should use evidence; pending criminal cases must not be described as convictions.
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Question
Can 100% scheduled working time prove that every law was carefully scrutinised?
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Sign inNew here? Sign up freeNCERT reference: chapter PDF pages 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.