CENTRAL,STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

In India, the government of the country is officially known as the Union

Government. It is also known as the Central Government. It was established
by the Constitution of India in 1950. The Central Government is the
governing authority of the country’s 29 states and 7 union territories, which
is collectively referred to as the Republic of India. The Central Government of
India is located in New Delhi, the capital of the country.

Our Constitution provides a federal structure, wherein the central

government and the state governments are independent in their functioning.
But, in order to meet certain emergency situations or exigencies, certain
unanimous decisions are made, which are controlled or directed by the
Central Government for the national interest of the country.

Basic Structure of the Central Government of India

The Central Government of India is divided into three main sections, as
outlined in the Constitution. The power of the each department of the
government is separated. Various roles and responsibilities are assigned to
each department for the proper functioning of the country.

 Executive: President, the Vice President and the Cabinet Ministers

 Legislature: Parliament, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha
 Judiciary: Supreme Court of India, High Courts of India at the state
level, and District Courts and Sessions Courts at the district level

Roles and Responsibilities

The executive branch: This section of the Central Government comprises
the President, the Vice President and the Cabinet Ministers and the
Independent Executive Agencies. The President of the country is the head of
the state. The department executes its powers through the President. Its
responsibility is to carry out and enforce laws. In other words, the executive
department does not pass laws or interpret them. However, it enforces the
laws framed by the legislature and interpreted by the judiciary. The
executive department of the Central Government can be the source of
certain types of laws in the country. This branch of government has sole
authority and responsibility for the daily administration and functioning of the
state bureaucracy.
The legislature branch: Also referred to as the Parliament. The Indian
Parliament, which is the main component of the legislature branch, consists
of the two houses called the Lok Sabha (House of People) and the Rajya
Sabha (Council of States) and the President of India is the head of the
Parliament or the Legislature.

This branch makes laws and policies, which apply to the entire nation. The
legislative branch enjoys parliamentary supremacy but not complete
sovereignty. However, it does exercise some control over the executive
branch. Its responsibilities are:

 Drafting of all principal legislation for the Central Government

 To decide on bills to be introduced in the Parliament
 Ordinances to be announced by the President
 Regulations to be made by the President for Union Territories
 Measures to be taken for States under the President`s rule and
 Framing of election laws
 Also deals with certain matters like personal law, contracts,
evidence etc.
The legislature does not enjoy complete sovereignty. The reason being its
laws are subject to judicial review by the judiciary or the Supreme Court of
India.

The judiciary: It is the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court of India
is the final judicial authority in India. The judiciary maintains and propagates
law and order of the country. Its responsibilities are:

 It interprets the laws and carries out judicial reviews, sentences

verdict in complying with laws as per the Constitution, and ensures
equality of everyone in front of law.
 It also solves conflicts between Executive and Legislature and other
public related matters or conflicts.
 It solves disputes between the Government of India and one or
more states.
 It solves disputes between two or more states

Powers of the Central Government of India

 States must exercise their executive power in compliance with the
laws made by the Central government (Article 356).
 No state government can impede on the executive power of the
Central government within the states (Article 357).
 The central government has the power to take over the state in
matters related to national security (Articles 352 to 360).
 The Central Government regulates trade and trade affairs between
states and foreign trade;
 It has the power to declare war, raise and maintain the armed
forces.
 It can also conducts diplomacy and authorize treaties with foreign
countries.
 The Central Government of India possesses special powers to
reduce oppression and mismanagement in a company (under Sec.
408 of the Companies Act, 1956).
 The Central Government has the power to take all measures as it
seems necessary for the purpose of protecting and improving the
quality of the environment and preventing and controlling pollution
(1986 Environment Protection Act) etc.