The Union Executive
ICSE Class 8 · History & Civics · Chapter 13
What this chapter covers
- What the Union Executive is
- The President: position, qualifications and election
- The President: term, removal and vacancy
- Powers and functions of the President
- The Vice-President
- The Prime Minister
- The Council of Ministers
- Powers and functions of the executive
Key points
- The executive carries out the laws; the Union Executive is the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.
- India has a parliamentary system: the President is the nominal executive; the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are the real executive.
- The President must be a citizen, at least 35 years old, qualified for the Lok Sabha, and must hold no office of profit.
- The President is elected indirectly by an electoral college of elected MPs and elected members of the state assemblies (including Delhi and Puducherry), by proportional representation through the single transferable vote.
- The President serves five years, may be re-elected, and can be removed only by impeachment for violation of the Constitution.
- The President's powers are executive, legislative, financial, judicial and emergency powers, used on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
- The Vice-President is elected by all members of both Houses, serves five years, chairs the Rajya Sabha and acts as President when the office is vacant.
- The Prime Minister is appointed by the President as the leader of the majority in the Lok Sabha and is the real head of government.
- The Council of Ministers has Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers, and cannot exceed 15 per cent of the Lok Sabha's strength.
- Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha and individually responsible for their own ministries.
Questions answered
What is the executive, and who makes up the Union Executive?
The executive is the organ of government that carries out the laws and runs the administration. The Union Executive consists of the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.
Why is the President called the nominal executive?
All executive power is held in the President's name, but the President acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. The real decisions are taken by the Prime Minister and the Council, so the President is the nominal head.
State any three qualifications for election as President.
The person must be a citizen of India, must have completed 35 years of age, and must be qualified to be a member of the Lok Sabha. The person must also not hold an office of profit.
Who elects the President, and by what method?
An electoral college of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the states, Delhi and Puducherry. The method is proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, by secret ballot.
On what ground, and by what majority, can the President be impeached?
Only for violation of the Constitution. The charge must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the total membership of each House of Parliament.
What is an ordinance? How long can it last without Parliament's approval?
An ordinance is a temporary law made by the President when Parliament is not in session. It lapses six weeks after Parliament meets again, unless Parliament approves it.
Name the three kinds of emergency the President can declare.
National emergency, state emergency (President's Rule) and financial emergency.
Give two functions of the Vice-President.
The Vice-President is the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and presides over its meetings. The Vice-President also acts as President when the office falls vacant, until a new President is elected.