Working Of Institutions

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At different levels of any government, we find functionaries who take day-to-day decisions and implement those decisions on behalf of the people. All those functionaries are collectively known as the executive.

1. A politician who is elected by the people for a specific period is called the political executive. Political leaders who take the big decisions fall into this category.
2. Officers who are appointed on a long-term basis based on their qualification and experience. They are called the permanent executive or civil servants. They remain in office even when the ruling party changes.
3. 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.
4. The Minister is finally answerable to the people for all the consequences of her decision. Thatis why the minister takes all the final decisions.
5. The minister decides the overall framework and objectives in which decisions on policy should be made.
6. The minister is not expected to be an expert in the matters of her ministry. The minister takes the advice of experts on all technical matters.
7. The experts can tell the route, but the minister with a larger view decide the destination.

1. As head of the government, the Prime Minister has wide-ranging powers.
2. He chairs Cabinet meetings.
3. He coordinates the work of different Departments. His decisions are final in case disagreements arise between Departments.
4. He exercises general supervision of different ministries.
5. All ministers work under his leadership.
6. The Prime Minister distributes and redistributes work to the ministers.
7. He also has the power to dismiss ministers. When the Prime Minister quits, the entire ministry quit.

1. Prime Minister is the most important political institution in the country.
2. The President appoints the leader of the majority party or the coalition of parties that commands a majority in the LokSabha, as Prime Minister.
3. As head of the government, the prime minister has wide-ranging powers.
4. He chairs Cabinet meetings. He coordinates the work of different departments. His decisions are final in case disagreements arise between departments.
5. He exercises general supervision of different ministries. All ministers work under his leadership.
6. The Prime Minister distributes and redistributes work to the ministers. He also has the power to dismiss ministers.
7. When the Prime Minister quits, the entire ministry quits. The Cabinet is the most powerful institution in India and within the Cabinet the Prime Minister who is the most powerful.

Council of Ministers and Types of ministers:

Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the 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 the major ministries. Usually, the cabinet Ministers meet to take decisions in the name of theCouncil of Ministers.
2. Ministers of State with independent charge are usually in-charge of smaller Ministries. They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited.
3. Ministers of State or Deputy ministers are attached to and required to assist cabinet ministers in their work.

The President is the head of the State. The President of India is like the Queen of Britain whose functions are to a large extent ceremonial. The President is elected by all the Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of State Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).

1. The President supervises the overall functioning of all the political institutions in the country so that they operate in harmony to achieve the objectives of the state.
2. All governmental activities take place in the name of the President. All laws and major policy decisions of the government are issued in her name.
3. All major appointments are made in the name of the President. These include the appointment of the Chief Justice of India, theJudges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, theGovernors, the election commissioners, ambassadors to other countries, etc.
4. All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the President.
5. ThePresident is the supreme commander of the defence forces of India. President exercises all these powers only on the advice of the Council of ministers