Working of Institutions

This political science chapter explains how the major institutions of Indian democracy work together to take and carry out decisions. You will begin with an example: the Office Memorandum of 13 August 1990, which announced 27 percent reservation in central government jobs for socially and educationally backward classes, based on the Mandal Commission report. You will see how the decision moved from the Cabinet to the civil servants, how it was challenged, and how the Supreme Court upheld it in the Indira Sawhney case of 1992. You will then study the three organs of government. You will learn why we need a Parliament, and how the Lok Sabha, with 543 elected members, is more powerful than the Rajya Sabha, especially on money bills. You will examine the political executive, including the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, and the permanent executive of civil servants, as well as the role of the President. Finally, you will study the independent judiciary, judicial review and how courts protect citizens' rights.

Detailed Worksheet: Working of Institutions Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is an Office Memorandum? (2 marks) 2. Distinguish between the political executive and the permanent executive. (2 marks) 3. What is a coalition government? (2 marks) 4. What is judicial review? (2 marks) 5. What is a money bill? Which House has more power over it? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. The Lok Sabha has 543 elected members. Find the number of seats needed for a simple majority. If a party wins 240 seats, how many more seats does it need from allies? (3 marks) 7. A government department fills 1,200 posts. If 27% are reserved for socially and educationally backward classes, how many posts is that? If 15% are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes, find the total number of reserved posts. (3 marks) 8. The Council of Ministers can have at most 15% of the total members of the Lok Sabha. If the Lok Sabha has 543 members, what is the maximum size of the Council of Ministers, rounded down to a whole number? (3 marks) 9. In a joint sitting of Parliament, the Lok Sabha has 543 members and the Rajya Sabha has 245 members. Find the total. If all Lok Sabha members vote for a bill and all Rajya Sabha members vote against it, which side wins and by how much? (3 marks) 10. The Rajya Sabha can delay a money bill for at most 14 days. If a money bill is passed by the Lok Sabha on 3 March, by what date must the Rajya Sabha return it? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a flowchart showing how the decision on reservations in 1990 moved through the institutions of government. (4 marks) 12. Draw a chart showing the structure of the Indian Parliament with the President, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. (3 marks) 13. Draw a diagram showing the three organs of government and their main functions. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Explain why the Lok Sabha is more powerful than the Rajya Sabha. (5 marks) 15. Describe the powers and functions of the Prime Minister and the President. Why is the President only a nominal head? (5 marks) 16. Why is an independent judiciary essential in a democracy? How does the judiciary protect citizens' rights? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Show all calculations and give examples of how institutions work together.