Unit - 2 Central Government Learning Objectives To know the powers of the President and Vice President To Know the about the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers To understand the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha To know about Supreme Court Introduction Indian constitution, by giving due recognition to the vastness and plural character of our The Central Government is the supreme nation, have provided a federal arrangement government in our country. The head for her governance. The Central Government quarter of the Central Government is at New consists of three organs, namely, Union Delhi. Articles 52 to 78 in part V of Indian Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. The Constitution deals with the Union Executive. Union Executive consists of the President of Our Constitution provides for a democratic India, the Vice-President, and the Council of form of government. The makers of the Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, and Central Government Executive Legislature Judiciary President of India Parliament Supreme Court of India Vice-President Chief Justice of India Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Prime Minister Other Judges 27 238 Elected 12 Nominated by the State Assemblies by the President Council of Ministers 543 Elected by the people 2 Nominated by the President Central Government 180 Unit 2 -Central Government(06.03.2019).inddathiyamanteam.com 180 | TNPSC Exam - Video Class+ Test Batch-| 868185918110-04-2019 23:16:00 the Attorney General of India. The Legislature 2.1.1 Qualification for the is known as the Parliament. It consists of two election as President houses, namely the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The Union Judiciary consists of the The constitution lays down qualifications Supreme Court of India. for a Presidential candidate. He should be a citizen of India. 2.1 The President of India He must have completed the age of thirty- five years. In the scheme of parliamentary He must not hold any office of profit under system of the Union, State or local Government. government He should have the other qualifications provided by the required to become a member of the Lok constitution, Sabha. the President His or her name should be proposed is the nominal by at least ten electors and seconded executive by another ten electors of the Electoral authority. The College which elects the President. chief executive of DR. RAJENDRA PRASAD (First President of India) The President cannot be a Member of the Indian union Parliament or of a State Legislature; if he is is the President. He is designated as the First a member of any legislature, his seat will be citizen of India. He is the supreme commander deemed to have been vacated on the date he / of the armed forces. The President is also the she assumes the office of President. Constitutional head of the Union Executive. He is also responsible for constituting the 2.1.2 Election of the President judiciary. According to Article 53 of the The President is elected by an electoral constitution, the executive power of the college in accordance with the system of Union shall be vested in the President which proportional representation by means shall be exercised by him directly or through of single transferable vote. The Electoral officers subordinate to him in accordance with College consists of the elected members of Constitution. both houses of Parliament and the elected It is a well known fact that members of the states and elected members the President of India resides of National Capital Territory of Delhi and at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Puducherry. Once elected as the President Delhi. The residence and the has to take an oath of office before the Chief office of the President are Justice of India. The President is elected for a located in the same building. However he term of five years and can be re-elected. has two other office cum residences where 2.1.3 Powers of the President he conducts office at least once a year. They are 'The Retreat Building' at Shimla and the The powers and functions of the President 'Rashtrapati Nilayam' at Hyderabad. These of India can be broadly classified under the locations one in North and other one is South following categories. symbolise the unity of the country and unity Executive Powers of the diverse culture of the people. The constitution vests in the President of India all the executive powers of the Central Government. Article 77 requires that every 181 Central Government Unit 2 -Central Government(06.03.2019).inddathiyamanteam.com 181 | TNPSC Exam - Video Class+ Test Batch-| 868185918110-04-2019 23:16:00 general election and also at the beginning List of Presidents of India of the first session each year. This address 1. Thiru. Rajendra Prasad 1950 to 1962 is essentially identical in nature to a Speech 2. Thiru. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 1962 to 1967 from the Throne.The President summons 3. Thiru. Zakir Hussain 1967 to 1969 Parliament at least twice in a year. 4. Thiru. V.V Giri 1969 to 1974 He may send messages to either House of 5. Thiru. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 1974 to 1977 the Parliament with respect to a bill pending in 6. Thiru. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 1977 to 1982 7. Thiru. Giani Zail Singh 1982 to 1987 the House. All bills passed by the Parliament 8. Thiru. R Venkataraman 1987 to 1992 become “Laws of Acts” only after getting 9. Thiru. Shankar Dayal Sharma 1992 to 1997 assent of the President. Money bills cannot 10. Thiru. K R Narayanan 1997 to 2002 be introduced in the Parliament without his 11. Thiru. APJ Abdul Kalam 2002 to 2007 approval. President terminates the sessions 12. Tmt. Pratibha Patil 2007 to 2012 of both or any of the Houses of Parliament. 13. Thiru. Pranab Mukherjee 2012 to 2017 He can even dissolve the Lok Sabha before the 14. Thiru. Ram Nath Kovind 2017 to till now expiry of the term of the House. He nominates 12 persons who are eminent executive action of the Union shall be taken in literature, science, sports, art and social in the name of the President. So he has to service to the Rajya Sabha. He can also make many appointments to key-offices to nominate two persons belonging to Anglo- run the administration. Indian Community to the Lok Sabha, if in He appoints the Prime Minister and the his opinion, that community is inadequately other members of the Council of Ministers, represented in the House. distributing portfolios to them on the advice Financial Power of the Prime Minister. He is responsible for making a wide variety of appointments. These Money bill can be introduced in include the appointment of Governors of the Parliament only with his prior States, the Chief Justice and other Judges of the recommendation. Annual Budget of the Supreme Court and high Courts, the Attorney Central Government is presented before the General, the Comptroller and Auditor Lok Sabha by the Union Finance Minister General, the Chief Election Commissioner only with the permission of the President. and other Election Commissioners the He causes to be laid before the Parliament Chairman and other Members of the Union the annual financial statement (the Union Public Service Commission Ambassadors Budget). The Constitution of India places the and High Commissioners to other countries. Contingency Fund of India is at the disposal of the President. No demand for a grant can be He appoints a commission to investigate made except on his recommendation. He can into the conditions of SCs, STs and other make advances out of the contingency fund backward classes.He is the supreme commander of the defense forces of India, in of India to meet any unexpected expenditure. this capacity the President can appoint Army, He constitutes a finance commission after Navy, and Air Chiefs. every five years or on the demand of the states to recommend the distribution of revenues Legislative Powers between the Centre and the States. The President is an integral part of the Judicial Powers Union Parliament. He inaugurates the session of the Parliament by addressing it after the Article 72 confers on the President power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or Central Government 182 Unit 2 -Central Government(06.03.2019).inddathiyamanteam.com 182 | TNPSC Exam - Video Class+ Test Batch-| 868185918110-04-2019 23:16:00 remissions of punishment, or to commute Under Article 360, the President is vested the sentence of any person convicted of an with the power to proclaim Financial offence. In all cases where the punishment Emergency, if he is satisfied that the financial or sentence is by a court martial; in all cases stability or, the credit of India or any part of where the punishment or sentence is for and India is threatened, by any reason. offence against a Union law; and in all cases where the sentence is a sentence of death. The President is not answerable to any court Kerala and Punjab are the States of law for exercise of his/she power (however where the President’s Rule was He can be subjected to impeachment by the imposed for maximum number Parliament). of times i.e., nine times in both States. Military Powers Article 53(2) lays down that “the supreme command of the Defence Force of the Union 2.1.4 Removal of the President shall be vested in the President and the exercise thereof shall be regulated by law”. The President shall hold office for a term of The President is thus declared to be the five years from the date on which He enters Supreme Commander of the defence Force of the office. The President may by writing under the country.