Parliamentary System of Government in India

Forms of Government

• There are various forms of government present in the world, including absolute monarchy, presidential, parliamentary, and others.
• Examples of parliamentary systems of government include the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.

Parliamentary System of Government

• A parliamentary system of government is a form of government where there are two executives as the head: a nominal head and a real head.
• The President acts as a nominal head (de jure head) and the Prime Minister acts as a real head (de facto head) of the government.
• India adopted a parliamentary system of government as per the Constitution of the country at both the union and state levels.

Union Parliament

• The Union Parliament is the highest law-making body in the country.
• It is made up of three components: the President, Lok Sabha (People's House), and Rajya Sabha (upper house).
• The government of India has three spheres: the Union Parliament, the state government, and the local government.

Functions of Union Parliament

• The Union Parliament has various functions, including:
  • Law-making
  • Approving the budget
  • Oversight of the executive
  • Representation of the people
• Part V of the Constitution of India deals with the functions of the Union Parliament.

History of the Parliament

• The Parliament of India was designed by British architects Sir E.Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912-13, but construction started in 1921 and was completed in 1927.
• The French philosopher Montesquieu introduced the idea of a separation of powers in his book The Spirit of the Law.

Features of Parliament

• The parliamentary system is based on the principle of cooperation and coordination between the legislature and the executive.
• The characteristics of a parliamentary government in India include:
  • Presence of nominal and real executives (President and Prime Minister)
  • Party system
  • Collective responsibility of the executive
  • Membership of ministers in the legislature
• The Constitution of India deals with the parliamentary process at the center and in the provinces.