Monday, February 29, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Monday, December 28, 2015
CHAPTER 7: LIFELINE OF NATIONAL ECONOMY
Remember These Facts
- Golden Quadrilateral road connect north with south and east with west. It connects Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. It is 6 lanes good quality super express highway. It total length is 5846 km.
- East – West Corridor connects Silchar [Assam] with Porbandar [Gujurat]. It connects Guwahati, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Jhansi and Rajkot.
- North – South Corridor connects Srinagar [J & K] with Kanyakumari. It connects Delhi, Agra, Nagpur, Hydrabad and Bangalore.
- Density of road is lowest in Jammu and Kashmir. It is only 10 km for 100 sq. km. area. Density of road is low in this state because this is a hilly state with very low populaton.
- Highest road density is found in Kerala. It is about 375 km. for 100 sq. km. area.
- Longest pipeline in India is H-B-J Pipeline [Hazira-Bijapur-Jagddishpur]. It is about 1700 km. long.
- Indian railway is divided into 16 railway zones.
- NH – 1 connects Delhi and Amritsar.
- NH – 2 connects Delhi and Kolkata. It is also called as Grand Truck Road.
- NH – 3 connects Mumbai and Agra.
- NH – 7 connects Varanasi and Kanyakumari. It is longest in India.
Road Transport and Its Types
- India has one of the largest road networks in the world. Total road length in India is about 2.3 million km. There are various types of road in India.
- Golden Quadrilateral: It is a 6 lane super highway. This connects four mega cities of our country i.e Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. East-West Corridor connects Silchar [Assam] with Porbandar [Gujarat]. North-South Corridor connects Srinagar [J & K] with Kanyakumari [Tamil Nadu].
- National Highways: These roads are most important in India. National Highways are constructed by CPWD. Important National Highways are NH-1, NH-2, NH-7 etc. These highways connects important cities, railways stations, port, mining areas, capital towns etc.
- State Highways: These roads connect state capital with district headquarters. They are constructed by SPWD [State Public Work Dept.].
- District Roads: These roads are found in rural areas. They connect district headquarter with village and blocks.
- Other Roads: It includes village roads. They are mainly non-metalled roads. Many roads have been constructed under “Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana”.
- Border Roads: Border Roads are constructed by Border Road Organisation [BRO]. These roads are constructed along the borders which are used to connect isolated parts with main country. These roads are very important from strategic point of view.
Merits or Advantage of Roadways
a) Construction and maintenance of road is much lower
than railways.
b) Roads can be constructed on hills, plateaus, forests
and desert also.
c) Road can negotiate high degree of slope and can take
sharp turns.
d) It provides door-to-door service facilities.
e) Roads can be constructed in the hills and forest also.
f) It is economical for few passengers and small amount
of goods.
g) Transportation of perishable items e.g. milk, fish,
vegetables are more reliable by roads.
h) Cost of loading and unloading of goods is much lower.
i)
Road transport
provide link between other mode of transport such as rail, airport, seaport
etc.
Indian Railway at a Glance
§ Indian railway is about 150 years old. First rail was
started in 1853 between Mumbai and Thane.
§ It connects State Capital with Capital of India. It
also connects major towns and cities, tourist places, mining centers, seaports,
airports etc.
§ There are about more than 7,000 stations on 63,000 km.
long railway tract.
§ Indian railway is divided into 16 zones for proper
administration.
§ Railways in India have three gauge system: a) Broad Gauge [1.676 m]
b) Meter Gauge [1.0
m]
c) Narrow Gauge [0.762
and 0.610 m].
§ There are various types of train running in India such
as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Mail and Express, Local and Special Trains which carry
passengers.
§ About 80% of freight [goods] and 70% of passenger
traffic is carried by railways.
§ Konkan Railways is built in Western Ghat Mountain. It
is an example of best railway engineering in India. It has hundred of tunnels
and bridges.
§ There is marked improvement in Indian railways. They
are: a) Computerised Reservation System, b) Waiting Room Facilities on
Stations, c) Catering Facility, d) Electrification of Tracks, e) Uni-Gauge
System [Conversion of all gauges into broad gauge], f) Replacement of Steam
Engine with Electric Engine, g) Special Trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan
Shatabdi, Summer Special etc.
Merits or Advantage of Railways
- Good for transportation of bulky and heavy materials
- It is cheaper for transporting goods for longer distances.
- Best for transportation of raw materials e.g. iron ore, manganese, coal etc.
- It is fast mode transportation.
- Large number of passengers can be transported.
- Railway provides various facilities such as night berth, catering, computerized reservation etc.
Pipelines in India and Its Advantages
- Pipelines are used to transport gas and liquid materials such as mineral or refined oil, natural gas, water or even milk. Solid items can also be transported after making it ‘slurry’.
- Pipelines are found from oil producing centers to oil refinery plants and from oil refinery plants to the market [city].
- Minerals oil from upper Assam is transported to Barauni and Allahabad oil refinery through pipeline.
- Pipeline from Salaya to Jalandhar via Mathura and Delhi is also very important pipeline.
- The longest pipeline in India is H-B-J pipeline which connect Hazia, Bijapur and Jagdishpur. It is about 1700 km. long.
Advantage of Pipeline Transportation
- Pipeline is best for transportation of gas and liquid materials e.g. oil, natural gas, water and milk.
- Construction of pipeline is cheaper than road and railways.
- Pipeline can be constructed in forest, swampy area, hills and desert. It can also be laid down under river and ocean water.
- Pipeline can ensure regular, quick and on-demand supply of liquid and gaseous materials.
- Pipelines can be operated at low energy cost and it does not pollute environment.
Water Transportation in India
- Water transportation is cheapest among all mode of transportation because there is no need to construct any route.
- They are cheaper for transporting bulky and heavy raw materials.
- India has many perennial and seasonal rivers which offer transport facility. India has about 14,500 km long inland navigation waterways.
- India also has long sea coast on which there are many ports like Mumbai, Goa, Kochhi, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Haldia etc.
- India has three National Waterways:
- National Waterways – 1 Ganga 1620 km. Allahabad – Haldia
- National Waterways – 2 Brahmaputra 891 km. Sadiya – Dhubri
- National Waterways – 3 West Coast Canal 205 km. Kollam - Kottapuram
- There are some problems in using waterways like: a) Peninsular rivers are seasonal, b) Many rivers make waterfalls in their course, c) Water transportation is slowest among all transport modes, d) Construction of dams and barrage also blocks waterways, e) Many rivers flow in uninhabited area, f) Indian coast are shallow and we have less natural ports.
Distinguish between Ports on West and East Coasts
West Coast Ports
|
East Coast Ports
|
|
1.
West coast ports
are located in the west along Arabian Sea.
2.
Important west
coast ports are Mumbai, Mangalore, Marmagao, Cochin.
3.
Cotton, spices,
coffee, rubber, iron ore, manganse etc are exported to USA and European
countries.
4.
Mumbai is the
largest port on west coast.
|
1.
East coast ports
are located in the east along Bay of Bengal.
2.
Important east
coast ports are Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Tuticorin.
3.
Hinterland of
these ports are rich in resources like iron ore, bauxite, manganese, mica.
4.
Kolkata is the
largest port on east coast.
|
Airways in India and Its Advantages
- It is fastest and most comfortable mode of transport. It can cover long distance within hours.
- River, hills, forest, oceans etc. do not come in the way of air transport.
- Air transport play very important role in rescue operation during natural disasters like flood and earthquake.
- It also connects isolated and far away places with main stream of the country. It is best for north-eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir.
- In India, domestic service is provided by ‘Indian Airlines’. It covers major cities of India and neighboring countries. International air transport service is provided by ‘Air India’.
- Pawanhans provides helicopter facility. Private companies like Sahara, Kingfisher are also operating air transportation in India.
- Problems: a) Air transport is very costly and not suited for common people, b) Construction of airport needs huge capital and technology, c) Airports cannot be constructed everywhere.
Difference between Personal and Mass Communication
Personal
Communication
|
Mass Communication
|
|
a)
Personal
communication takes place between two people or among very few people at a
time.
b)
Means of personal
communication are letters, postcards, telephone, mobile, telegram etc.
c)
It is handled
mainly by Indian Postal Network and telephone companies.
|
a)
Mass Communication
takes place among many people at a time. Many persons can interact with each
other.
b)
Means of mass
communication are TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, internet, films etc.
c)
Mass communication
includes print media and electronic media.
|
India Trade and Its Types
§ Meaning of Trade: Exchange of goods and services among people is called as trade. In
other words, buying and selling goods and services is called trade. The place
where trade takes place is called as market or trading center. Trade takes
place because all parts of world do not have same resources and they do not
produce same commodity. Higher amount of trade indicate higher economic
development of a country.
§ Balance of Payment: The ratio between value of export and import is called balance of
payment. If export is higher than import, it is called ‘favourable balance of
payment’. If import is higher than export, it is called negative balance of
payment.
§ Export from India: Petroleum products, engineering goods, gems and jewellery, computer
software, chemical products and agricultural products are exported by India to
other countries.
§ Import to India: Petroleum, pearls and precious stones, coal, inorganic chemicals,
fertilizers, electronic consumer durables are imported by India from other
countries.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
LIST OF MAP ITEMS FOR CLASS IX 2015-16
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Class-IX
Summative Assessment- II
March - 2015
List of Map Items for Examination
Geography
Chapter 4 (Climate)
(Meteorological Stations)
For Location & Labelling : Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bangalore,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Leh, Shillong, Delhi, Nagpur.
Chapter 5 (Natural Vegetation & Wild life)
(a) For Location & Labelling : (i) National Parks : Corbett , Kaziranga, Ranthambhor,
Dachigam, Rajaji, Shivpuri, Kanha Kisli, Simlipal, Keoladeo Guindy, Bandipur,
(ii) Wild life Sanctuaries : Sariska, Mudumalai, Periyar, Chandaka.
(b) For Identification : Forest Zones : Tropical Evergreen Forests, Tropical Thorn
Forests, Mangrove Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests, Montane Forests.
Chapter 6 (Population)
(a) For Location & Labelling : The state having highest density of population.
The state having lowest density of population.
The state having highest sex ratio.
The state having lowest sex ratio.
The most populous state of India.
The most sparsely populated state of India.
Note : Items for location & Labelling may be asked for identification
LIST OF MAP ITEMS FOR CLASS X EXAMINATION
Class-X
Summative Assessment-II
March 2012
List of Map Items for Examination
A. History
Chapter 3 : Nationalism in India - (1918-1930)
(i) For locating and labelling/Identification on Outline Political Map of India
1. Indian National Congress Session : Calcutta (Sep. 1920), Nagpur (Dec. 1920), Madras (1927) and Lahore (1929).
2. Important Centres of Indian National Movement
(Non-cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movement)
(i) Champaran (Bihar) : Movement of Indigo Planters
(ii) Kheda (Gujarat) : Peasant Satyagraha
(iii) Ahmedabad (Gujarat) : Cotton Mill Workers Satyagraha
(iv) Amritsar (Punjab) : Jallianwala Bagh incident.
(v) Chauri Chaura (UP) : calling off the NCM.
(vi) Bardoli (Gujarat) : no tax campaign.
(vii) Dandi (Gujarat) : Civil Disobedience Movement.
B. Geography
Chapter 5 : Mineral and Energy Resources
Minerals : (Identification only)
(i) Iron ore mines : Mayurbhanj, Durg, Bailadila, Bellary and Kudremukh.
(ii) Mica mines : Ajmer, Beawar, Nellore, Gaya and Hazaribagh.
(iii) Coal mines : Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Talcher, Korba, Singrauli, Singareni and Neyveli
(iv) Oil Fields : Digbi, Naharkatia, Mumbai High, Bassien, Kalol and Ankaleshwar.
Power Plants : (Locating and Labelling only)
(a) Thermal : Namrup, Talcher, Harduaganj, Korba, Uran, Ramagundam, Vijaywada and Tuticorin.
(b) Nuclear : Narora, Rawat Bhata, Kakrapara, Tarapur, Kaiga and Kalpakkam.
Chapter 6 : Manufacturing Industries
For Locating and Labelling Only
(i) Cotton Textile Industries : Mumbai, Indore, Ahmedabad, Surat, Kanpur, Coimbatore and Madurai.
(ii) Woollen Industry : Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Panipat, Mirzapur and Jamnagar.
(iii) Silk Industry : Anantnag, Srinagar, Murshidabad and Mysore.
(iv) Iron and Steel Plants : Burnpur, Durgapur, Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bhilai,
Vijaynagar, Bhadravati, and Salem.
(v) Software Technology Parks : Mohali, Noida, Jaipur, Gandhinagar, Indore, Mumbai,
Pune, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mysore,
Chennai and Thiruvanantapuram.
Chapter 7 : Lifelines of National Economy
Identification Only :
Golden Quadrilateral, North-South Corridor and East-West Corridor
National Highways : NH-1, NH-2 and NH-7
Location and Labelling :
(i) Major Ports : Kandla, Mumbai, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Marmagao, New Mangalore,
Kochi, Tuticorin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Paradip, Haldia and Kolkata.
(ii) International Airports : Amritsar (Raja Sansi), Delhi (Indira Gandhi International);
Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji), Thiruvanatapuram (Nedimbacherry) ; Chennai (Meenam
Bakkam), Kolkata (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose) and Hyderabad
Note : Items of locating and labelling may also be given for identification
Summative Assessment-II
March 2012
List of Map Items for Examination
A. History
Chapter 3 : Nationalism in India - (1918-1930)
(i) For locating and labelling/Identification on Outline Political Map of India
1. Indian National Congress Session : Calcutta (Sep. 1920), Nagpur (Dec. 1920), Madras (1927) and Lahore (1929).
2. Important Centres of Indian National Movement
(Non-cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movement)
(i) Champaran (Bihar) : Movement of Indigo Planters
(ii) Kheda (Gujarat) : Peasant Satyagraha
(iii) Ahmedabad (Gujarat) : Cotton Mill Workers Satyagraha
(iv) Amritsar (Punjab) : Jallianwala Bagh incident.
(v) Chauri Chaura (UP) : calling off the NCM.
(vi) Bardoli (Gujarat) : no tax campaign.
(vii) Dandi (Gujarat) : Civil Disobedience Movement.
B. Geography
Chapter 5 : Mineral and Energy Resources
Minerals : (Identification only)
(i) Iron ore mines : Mayurbhanj, Durg, Bailadila, Bellary and Kudremukh.
(ii) Mica mines : Ajmer, Beawar, Nellore, Gaya and Hazaribagh.
(iii) Coal mines : Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Talcher, Korba, Singrauli, Singareni and Neyveli
(iv) Oil Fields : Digbi, Naharkatia, Mumbai High, Bassien, Kalol and Ankaleshwar.
Power Plants : (Locating and Labelling only)
(a) Thermal : Namrup, Talcher, Harduaganj, Korba, Uran, Ramagundam, Vijaywada and Tuticorin.
(b) Nuclear : Narora, Rawat Bhata, Kakrapara, Tarapur, Kaiga and Kalpakkam.
Chapter 6 : Manufacturing Industries
For Locating and Labelling Only
(i) Cotton Textile Industries : Mumbai, Indore, Ahmedabad, Surat, Kanpur, Coimbatore and Madurai.
(ii) Woollen Industry : Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Panipat, Mirzapur and Jamnagar.
(iii) Silk Industry : Anantnag, Srinagar, Murshidabad and Mysore.
(iv) Iron and Steel Plants : Burnpur, Durgapur, Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bhilai,
Vijaynagar, Bhadravati, and Salem.
(v) Software Technology Parks : Mohali, Noida, Jaipur, Gandhinagar, Indore, Mumbai,
Pune, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mysore,
Chennai and Thiruvanantapuram.
Chapter 7 : Lifelines of National Economy
Identification Only :
Golden Quadrilateral, North-South Corridor and East-West Corridor
National Highways : NH-1, NH-2 and NH-7
Location and Labelling :
(i) Major Ports : Kandla, Mumbai, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Marmagao, New Mangalore,
Kochi, Tuticorin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Paradip, Haldia and Kolkata.
(ii) International Airports : Amritsar (Raja Sansi), Delhi (Indira Gandhi International);
Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji), Thiruvanatapuram (Nedimbacherry) ; Chennai (Meenam
Bakkam), Kolkata (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose) and Hyderabad
Note : Items of locating and labelling may also be given for identification
Monday, December 7, 2015
CH: 5 , POLITICAL SCIENCE, WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS CLASS 9
working of institutions
Working of Institutions
BY P.SURESH
A Government Order
An order announces a major policy decision taken by the government for immediate implementation.
The Decision Makers
1. President is the head of the stateand is the highest formal authorityin the country.
2. Prime Minister is the head of thegovernmentand actually exercisesall governmental powers. He takesmost of the decisions in theCabinet meetings.
3. Parliament consists of two Houses,LokSabha and RajyaSabha. The parliament makes important laws to be followed by everyone.
A long chain of events before the passing of Government Order for OBC reservation.
1. The
Government of India hadappointed the Second BackwardClasses Commission
in 1979. It washeaded by B.P. Mandal. Hence it waspopularly called the
MandalCommission.
2. The
Commission gaveits Report in 1980 and made manyrecommendations. One of
these wasthat 27 per cent of government jobsbe reserved for the socially
andeconomically backward classes.
3. For several years, manyparliamentarians and parties keptdemanding the implementation of theCommission’s recommendations.
4. Then
came the LokSabha electionof 1989. In its election manifesto, theJanata
Dal promised that if voted topower, it would implement theMandal
Commission report.
5. TheJanata Dal did form the governmentafter this election. Its leader V. P.Singh became the Prime Ministerand he implemented it.
Involvement of several political institutions in implementing OBC reservation (Mondal Commission recommendations):
1. The
President of India in hisaddress to the Parliamentannounced the
intention of thegovernment to implement therecommendations of the
MandalCommission.
2. On 6 August 1990, the UnionCabinet took a formal decision toimplement the recommendations.
3. Next
day Prime Minister V.P. Singhinformed the Parliament aboutthis decision
through a statementin both the Houses of Parliament.
4. The
decision of the Cabinet wassent to the Department of Personneland
Training. The senior officers ofthe Department drafted an order inline
with the Cabinet decision andtook the minister’s approval.
5. Anofficer
signed the order on behalf ofthe Union Government. This washow OBC
reservation bill wasborn on August 13, 1990. Many approached the Supreme
Court and the Supreme Court judgesin 1992 declared that this order of
the Government of India was valid.
What are political Institutions? Need for Political Institutions in India
Several
arrangements to provide social security, education, health and basic
needs are made inall modern democracies. Sucharrangements are called
institutions.A democracy works well whenthese institutions perform
functionsassigned to them.
1. The Parliament makes important laws foe the entire nation.
2. The Prime Minister and theCabinet are institutions that takeall important policy decisions.
3. The Civil Servants, workingtogether, are responsible for takingsteps to implement the ministers’decisions.
4. Supreme Court is an institutionwhere disputes between citizensand the government are finallysettled.
What is Parliament?Why do we need a Parliament?
An
assembly ofelected representatives which exercisessupreme political
authority onbehalf of the people. In India such anational assembly of
electedrepresentatives is called Parliament.
1. Parliament
is the final authority formaking laws in any country.Parliamentsall
over the world can make newlaws, change existing laws, orabolish
existing laws and makenew ones in their place.
2. Parliaments
all over the worldexercise some control over thosewho run the
government. In somecountries like India this control isdirect and full.
3. Parliaments
control all the moneythat governments have. In mostcountries the public
moneycan be spent only when theParliament sanctions it.
4. Parliament
is the highest forum ofdiscussion and debate on publicissues and
national policy in anycountry. Parliament can seekinformation about any
matter.
Two Houses of Parliament
1. In
our country, the Parliamentconsists of two Houses. The twoHouses are
known as the Council ofStates (RajyaSabha) and the Houseof the People
(LokSabha).
2. The
total number of elected members of LokSabha is 543+2 Anglo Indian
nominated members.The total number of members of RajyaSabha is 238+12
nominated members.
3. Members of LokSabha are electedby the people. Members of RajyaSabha are elected by the MLAs and MPs.
4. The length of the term of LokSabha members is 5 years.The length of the term of RajyaSabha members is 6 years
5. LokSabha can be dissolved but Raya Sabha is permanent and only the members retire.
How does LokSabha exercise supreme power than RajyaSabha?
1. Any
ordinary law needs to bepassed by both the Houses. But ifthere is a
difference between thetwo Houses, the final decision istaken in a joint
session in whichthe view ofthe LokSabha is likely to prevail.
2. LokSabha
exercises more powersin money matters. Once the LokSabha passes the
budget of thegovernment or any other moneyrelated law, the
RajyaSabhacannot reject but can only delay it by 14 days.
3. Most
importantly, the LokSabha controls the Council of Ministers. Only a
person who enjoys the support of the majority of the members in the
LokSabha is appointed the Prime Minister.
4. If
the majority of the LokSabha members say they have ‘no confidence’ in
the Council of Ministers, all ministers including the Prime Minister,
have to quit. theRajyaSabha does nothave this power.
Executive
At
different levels of anygovernment we find functionarieswho take
day-to-day decisions and implement those decisions onbehalf of the
people. All thosefunctionaries are collectively knownas the executive.
Political and PermanentExecutive
1. Politician
who is elected by the people for a specific period is called
thepolitical executive. Political leaderswho take the big decisions fall
in thiscategory.
2. Officers
who are appointed on a long-term basis based on their qualification and
experience. They are called the permanentexecutive or civil servants.
They remain in officeeven when the ruling party changes.
Why does the political executive have more power than the non-political executive? OR
Why is the minister more powerful than the civil servant?
1. In
a democracy the will of the people is supreme. The minister is elected
by the people and thus empowered to exercise the will of the people on
their behalf.
2. The
Minister is finallyanswerable to the people for all theconsequences of
her decision. Thatis why the minister takes all the finaldecisions.
3. The minister decides theoverall framework and objectives inwhich decisions on policy should bemade.
4. The
minister is notexpected to be an expert in thematters of her ministry.
The ministertakes the advice of experts on alltechnical matters.
5. The experts can tell the route, but the minister with a larger view decidesthe destination.
Council of Ministers and Types of ministers:
Council
of Ministers is the officialname for the body that includes allthe
Ministers. It usually has 60 to80 Ministers of different ranks.
1. Cabinet Ministers are
usually top-level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in
charge of themajor ministries. Usually theCabinet Ministers meet to
takedecisions in the name of theCouncil of Ministers.
2. Ministers of State with independentcharge are usually in-chargeof smaller Ministries. Theyparticipate in the Cabinet meetingsonly when specially invited.
3. Ministers of State or Deputy ministersare attachedto and required to assist CabinetMinisters in their work.
Prime Minister and Powers of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister is the most importantpolitical institutionin
the country.ThePresident appoints the leader of themajority party or
the coalition ofparties that commands a majorityin the LokSabha, as
Prime Minister.
1. Ashead of the government, the PrimeMinister has wide ranging powers.
2. He
chairs Cabinet meetings. He coordinates the work of
differentDepartments. His decisions are finalin case disagreements arise
betweenDepartments.
3. He exercises generalsupervision of different ministries.All ministers work under hisleadership.
4. The Prime Ministerdistributes and redistributes workto the ministers. He also has thepower to dismiss ministers.
5. Whenthe
Prime Minister quits, the entireministry quits.The Cabinet is the most
powerful institution in India and withinthe Cabinet the Prime
Ministerwho is the most powerful.
Prime Ministerial form of government.
Thepowers
of the Prime Minister in allparliamentary democracies of theworld have
increased so much inrecent decades that parliamentarydemocracies are
seen asPrime Ministerial form ofgovernment.
The President and Powers of the President:
The
President isthe head of the State. The Presidentof India is like the
Queen of Britainwhose functions are to a large extentceremonial. The
President is elected by all the Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members
of State Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).
1. The
President supervisesthe overall functioning of all thepolitical
institutions in the country sothat they operate in harmony toachieve the
objectives of the state.
2. All
governmental activities takeplace in the name of the President.All laws
and major policy decisionsof the government are issued in hername.
3. All
major appointments aremade in the name of the President.These include
the appointment ofthe Chief Justice of India, theJudges of the Supreme
Court andthe High Courts, theGovernors, the ElectionCommissioners,
ambassadors to other countries, etc.
4. All internationaltreaties and agreements are made inthe name of the President.
5. ThePresident
is the supreme commanderof the defence forces of India.President
exercises all these powersonly on the advice of the Council ofMinisters.
What is Judiciary?
All
thecourts at different levels in a countryput together are called the
judiciary.The Indian judiciary consists of aSupreme Court for the entire
nation,High Courts in the states, DistrictCourts and the courts at
local level.
Types of cases or disputes handled by the courts:
1. Cases Between citizens of the country.
2. Cases between citizens and government.
3. Cases between two or more stategovernments; and
4. Cases between governments at the unionand state level.
Powers of the Supreme Court and High Court
1. Supreme
Court is the highest court of appeal incivil and criminal cases. It can
hearappeals against the decisions of theHigh Courts.
2. The
Supreme Court and the HighCourts have the power to interpretthe
Constitution of the country. Theycan declare invalid any law of
thelegislature if they find sucha law or action is against
theConstitution.
3. The
Supreme Court candetermine the Constitutional validityof any
legislation or action of theexecutive in the country, when it
ischallenged before them. This isknown as the judicial review.
4. The
powers and the independence of the Indian judiciary allow it to act as
the guardian of the Fundamental Rights. We shall see in the next chapter
that the citizens have a right to approach the courts to seek remedy in
case of any violation of their rights
5. Courts
have given severaljudgments and directives to protectpublic interest
and human rights.Anyone can approach the courts ifpublic interest is
hurt by the actionsof government. This is called publicinterest
litigation.
Independence of the judiciary
1. Independence of the judiciarymeans
that it is not under thecontrol of the legislature or theexecutive. The
judges do not act onthe direction of the government oraccording to the
wishes of the partyin power.
2. The
judges of the SupremeCourt and the High Courts areappointed by the
President on theadvice of the Prime Minister and inconsultation with the
Chief Justiceof the Supreme Court. Once aperson is appointed as judge
of theSupreme Court or the High Court itis nearly impossible to remove
himor her from that position.
3. A judge can be removedonly by an impeachment motionpassed separately by two-thirdsmembers of the two Houses of theParliament.
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