NCERT Solutions Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 6 Chapter opening — The Big Questions

Book page 139 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

What is India’s parliamentary system, and how is it structured?

Answer

India’s parliamentary system is a form of democracy in which the people elect a legislature, and the government (the executive) is drawn from that legislature and stays in office only so long as it keeps the legislature’s confidence. The Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the country: it makes laws, and it controls and guides the work of the government. Because its members are chosen by the people, the government can be seen as functioning with the people’s consent.

The structure. The Indian Parliament is composed of the President and two houses — this two-house arrangement is called a ‘bicameral’ system (bi = two, cameral = chamber / house).

Part of Parliament	Also called	How its members get there	Who presides
The President	Head of State	Elected by an electoral college; summons Parliament and gives assent to bills	—
Lok Sabha	House of the People / Lower House	Direct election by the people, on universal adult suffrage; maximum strength envisaged by the Constitution is 550	The Speaker, elected by the members
Rajya Sabha	Council of States / Upper House	Indirect election by the electoral college you read about in the previous chapter	The Vice President of India, as its chairperson

Both the number of Rajya Sabha seats allotted to a state and the number of Lok Sabha MPs representing it are based on the population of that state. A majority group from among the elected Lok Sabha representatives forms the government.

Why it is built this way: Britain’s system inspired our parliamentary democracy, but the Constitution makers were not merely copying. They had practical experience of parliamentary procedure gained — even if in a very limited way — inside British colonial governance structures; they had the memory of the ancient republics (mahājanapadas); and they had the village panchayats where elders made collective decisions. There were extensive discussions on whether India needed two houses at all. The conclusion was that a single directly elected House would be inadequate for the challenges independent India would face, and that in the spirit of federalism a Council of States was needed — deliberately composed and elected differently from the Lok Sabha.

Did you know? There have been 17 Lok Sabhas since the first one in 1952. The 18th Lok Sabha was constituted in June 2024.

Q2.

What are the key functions of the Parliament?

Answer

The Constitution lays down four broad heads of function. The chapter names them in this order:

Function	What Parliament actually does under it
1. Constitutional functions	Elects the President and the Vice President; amends the Constitution; and upholds the Constitution’s core values — enabling parliamentary democracy through universal adult suffrage, following the separation of powers between legislature, executive and judiciary, ensuring federalism, and upholding Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy by framing laws and policies
2. Lawmaking	The primary responsibility of a legislature. A bill (a draft law) is introduced, read, usually examined by a Standing Committee, debated clause by clause, voted on, passed by the other House too, sent for Presidential assent and finally notified in the Gazette — becoming an act
3. Executive accountability	Makes ministers justify their actions and decisions — through the Question Hour and through committees before which ministries must explain their policies
4. Financial accountability	Approves and monitors government expenditure through the annual budget, and examines how funds are distributed to the different ministries

Why these four hang together: notice that the last two are not extra jobs added on to lawmaking — they are what makes lawmaking meaningful. A law is useless if nobody enforces it, and enforcement is dangerous if nobody is watching the enforcer. So Parliament makes the law, then keeps asking the government two questions: are you carrying it out? and what are you doing with our money?

Q3.

What are the roles of the legislature and the executive in India’s Parliamentary democracy?

Answer

In one line: the Legislature makes the laws and watches over the government; the Executive runs the government and carries the laws out — and the Executive must answer to the Legislature for how it does so.

Aspect	Legislature	Executive
Composition	The Parliament of India — the President, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha	The President, the Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister
Main role	Making laws and overseeing the work of the Executive	Enforcing the laws made by the Legislature
Bills	Can introduce some bills in Parliament	Most of the bills are introduced by the Executive
Accountability	Keeps a check on the Executive by asking questions and seeking explanations	Provides information and explanations on its decisions and actions; aids and advises the President, including on calling sessions of Parliament
Money	Sanctions all government-related expenses	Prepares and implements the budget approved by Parliament
Committees	Consults different Parliamentary committees	Can function independently in day-to-day matters, and may consult committees when required

Inside the Executive there are two heads, not one. The President is the Head of State and the nominal head of the Executive — appointing the Prime Minister and other ministers, summoning Parliament, giving assent to bills, and acting on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (though the President can use discretionary powers in a political crisis, for example when no party has a clear majority after a Lok Sabha election). The Prime Minister is the de facto executive authority: leading the Council of Ministers, advising the President, coordinating the work of different ministries and shaping national policies. A permanent body of officials — the civil servants, also called administrators or bureaucrats — work under the ministers’ direction and keep the departments running.

The link that makes it ‘parliamentary’: the Council of Ministers is chosen from among the MPs of both Houses, and the ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. So the executive is not a separate body elected on its own; it sits inside the legislature and survives only while the Lok Sabha supports it.

Q4.

How are the legislature and the executive organised at the union and state levels?

Answer

The state structure deliberately imitates the union structure, feature by feature. That is what makes Indian federalism easy to read: once you know how the Centre works, you already know how a state works.

Feature	Union Government	State Government
Constitutional Head	The President of India, elected by an electoral college	Governor of the State, appointed by the President
Term of Office (Head)	5 years	5 years
Executive Head	Nominal head is the President, but the Prime Minister is the de facto executive authority	Nominal head is the Governor, but the Chief Minister is the de facto executive authority
Selection of Executive	Leader of majority party / coalition in Lok Sabha	Leader of majority party / coalition in Vidhan Sabha
Council of Ministers	Selected by the Prime Minister	Selected by the Chief Minister
Responsibility	Collectively responsible to Lok Sabha	Collectively responsible to Vidhan Sabha
Legislature Structure	Bicameral — Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha	Can be unicameral (Vidhan Sabha only) or bicameral (Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad)
Lower House	Lok Sabha (House of the People)	Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly)
Upper House	Rajya Sabha (Council of States)	Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) — in some states only
Term of Lower House	5 years	5 years
Presiding Officer (Lower House)	Speaker	Speaker
Legislative Powers	Makes laws on subjects in the Union List and the Concurrent List	Makes laws on subjects in the State List and the Concurrent List
Financial Powers	Money bills originate only in Lok Sabha	Money bills originate only in Vidhan Sabha

Who may legislate on what. The Constitution gives a Union List and a State List of subjects on which the Union and the states can legislate exclusively, and a Concurrent List on which both can. If the Union legislates on a Concurrent List subject, the state is bound to follow it — which is why the RTE Act applies all over India even though education is in the Concurrent List.

Check it yourself: only six states are bicameral — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. All the remaining states have a unicameral legislature, with a Vidhan Sabha only.

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