IMPORTANT POINTS

CLASS: X SUB: HISTORY & CIVICS

Ls. 1 THE UNION PARLIAMENT

Federal set up involves Dual Government, i.e., national government and the government of the
component states.
THE THREE ORGANS OF THE GOVERNMENT

The Legislature The Executive The Judiciary

(it frames laws) (it enforces laws) (Independent)

Union Legislature: Union Executive: Supreme Court

President + President + Vice President Chief Justice of India
Lok Sabha + Prime Minister +
Rajya Sabha Council of Ministers

UNION PARLIAMENT
PRESIDENT
LOK SABHA RAJYA SABHA
1. Composition:
Total 552 members Total 250 members
530 represent State 238 – elected members represent states and union
20 represent Union Territories territories.
2 are nominated by the President if Anglo – 12 members are nominated by the President, who
Indian community is not adequately represented have special knowledge and practical experience in
in the House the fields of literature, science, arts and social science

2. Manner of elections:
Constituted by direct election on the basis of
Universal Adult Franchise
3. Qualification of members:
• Citizen of India
• Must be at least 25 years of age
• Must be a registered voter in any of the
Parliamentary Constituencies
4.. Term or duration of the House:
• 5 years if it is not dissolved earlier
The representatives of each State in the Rajya Sabha
are elected by the elected members of the Legislative
Assembly.
It is done in accordance with the system of
proportional representation by means of single
transferable vote.
• Citizen of India
• Must be at least 30 years of age
• Must be a registered voter in any of the
Parliamentary Constituencies
• It cannot be dissolved by the President of
India
• It is a permanent body
• 1/3rd of its members retire at the end of every
2nd year
• Members of the Rajya Sabha have a six year
term
5.Presiding Officer:
The speaker is selected by the House from The Vice – President of India is the Ex-officio
among its members by a simple majority of Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Members present and voting.

The Deputy Speaker is also appointed to perform The Rajya Sabha selects a Deputy Chairman from
the duties of the Speaker when the Speaker is absent amongst its own members.
or while the office of the Speaker is vacant

He / she presides at the sittings of the House in the

absence of the Chairman

• Role, powers and functions of the Speaker

• Regulates debates and proceedings of the House
• Presides over meetings of the House
• Decides the admissibility of questions and all resolutions
• Authenticates the Bills passed by the House
• Gives a final decision on whether the Bill is Money Bill or not
• Gives a Casting vote when the votes for and against a proposal are equal
• Preserves the order of the House
• Expunges the indecent and un parliamentary usage of words
• Allows admission of strangers and Press Correspondents to the galleries of the House
• Communicates the decision of the House to the concerned authorities
• Presides over the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
• He is the ex-officio Chairperson of the Business Advisory and Rules Committees of the House.
• Appoints the Chairpersons of all the Committees of the House.
• Decides whether /not a particular document of the Government, which it claims as secret, to be
produced before the Committees.
• Takes final decision as to whether the member stands disqualified under Anti-Defection law.
• Nominates personnel for Parliamentary delegations to various countries.

Quorum: It is the minimum number of members required to be present before a meeting is

allowed to begin.
The quorum to constitute either of the Houses is one-tenth (1/10th) of the total numbers
of members.

• Advantages of Lok Sabha

• Financial:
Money Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha can accept or reject the recommendations of the Rajya Sabha in case of
Money Bill.
It has the power to vote on the Demands for Grants.
Responsibility of the Council of Ministers:
1.The Union Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.
 2.No- Confidence Motion , Adjournment Motion and Censure Motions are passed only
in Lok Sabha.
3. The will of Lok Sabha prevails in Joint sittings because of its strength.
• Advantages of Rajya Sabha
• Making of law on a matter in the State List in the National interest.
• Creation of one or more All India Services in the National interest.
• It is a Permanent Chamber.
Powers of the Union Parliament
• Legislative powers
• Making laws on matters in the Union list and the Concurrent list.
• Residuary powers
• Making laws on matters in the State list
• Ordinance
• Control over national finance
• The Budget
• Supplementary Grants
• Vote on Account
• MPs and Ministers receive salaries and allowances as may be determined by Parliament
from time to time
• Money Bills
• Control over the Executive or administrative affairs
• The question hour
• Adjournment Motion
• Censure Motion and the No – Confidence Motion
• Monetary Controls by moving Cut Motion
• Amendment of the Constitution (Constituent functions)
• The Bill to amend the Constitution may originate in either House
• Amendment by simple majority

• Amendment by a two - third majority

• Amendment by two - thirds majority plus ratification by the legislatures of not less than one –
half of the States.

• Parliamentary procedures
• Summoning of the Houses
• Session: It means the time period during which the House meets to conduct its business.
The Constitutional condition is that six months shall not intervene between two sessions.
There are three sessions:
Budget session( February-May)
Monsoon session(July-September)
Winter session(November-December)
• Question Hour:The first hour of the sitting of both the Houses is called Question Hour allotted
for asking and answering the questions.
• The purpose of the question is to obtain information on a matter of public importance.
 • The three types of questions are:

Starred question Unstarred question Short notice question

Carries an asterisk mark Does not carry an asterisk mark

Is one to which a member is one to which a written can be asked with notice
desires an oral answer answer is desired shorter than 10 clear days

Answer may be followed by No supplementary questions answer may be followed

supplementary questions can be asked thereon by supplementary
(Max . 20 questions) question

• Various types of Motions

• Motion is a proposal for eliciting decision or expression of the opinion in the House on
a matter of public importance
• Adjournment Motion
• The primary object of an Adjournment Motion is to draw the attention of the
House to a recent matter of urgent public importance having serious
consequences, laying aside all other business.It indicates a strong
disapproval of the policy of the government.
Example: A railway accident, an earth quake
• Motion of No - Confidence
• If the Lok Sabha expresses a lack of confidence in the Council of Ministers, the
Government is constitutionally bound to resign.
• This can be moved by the opposition with the support of at least 50 members
• Censure Motion:
• It is a type of No – Confidence Motion where the members need to specify the
grounds on which it is based.
• Cut Motion:
The Motion to reduce the amount demanded as Grants is known as Cut Motion.

prepared by D.Madhavi