& testbook.com Parliamentary System in India: Salient Features, Merits,Demerits & Reason Adopting in India 2021/09/15 Introduction: Unlike the USA, which follows a presidential system, India follows a parliamentary form of Government at both centre (under Article 74 and 75) and state (under Article 163 and 164). The Parliamentary System in India is also known as eabinet government or cabinet system or responsible government. Itis also termed as a prime ministerial government where the head of political administration is the Prime Minister. Such a Parliamentary System is widely followed in Britain, Japan, Canada along with India and other countries. This article will be very helpful for the UPSC aspirants as part of their Indian Polity Preparation in the upcoming UPSC Preliminary and Mains examination Also read: Schedules Of Indian Constitution for UPSC here Indian Parliamentar tem (UPSC Polity Notes): Download PDF Hi Salient Features of Indian Parliamentary System Features Description Dual executive | : The Prime Minister is the real executive or de facto executive who also heads the Council of ministers. The President is the nominal executive or head of the state. Rule of Majority The Political party with a majority forms the government whose leader is appointed as prime minister by the president. Other ministers are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister, Collective responsibility. The ministers can remove the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister through no confidence motion. They are collectively responsible to the parliament. Political Homogeneity ., The ministers either belong to the same political party or share similar 7 ideology when they form a coalition government. Dual membership . The ministers have to be a member of Parliament. | Thus, they have both legislature and executive roles. Secrecy The ministers adhere to the secrecy procedures and do not indulge in disclosing the information of the proceedings and policies or decisions of the government. Dissolution of lower house , The Legislature can be dissolved in a parliamentary system. | This can be done when the Lok Sabha is dissolved under recommendation of, the prime minister by the president. Know more about Preamble to the Indian Constitution here. Merits of Indian Parliamentary System Greater accountability The Ministers are responsible to the parliament. | These ministers are answerable to the Parliament during discussions and various motions. Greater representation .__ The ministers represent people from different sections of the society in a Parliamentary form of government. .__ This allows greater representation of people's interests. Harmony between Lgistdtate eit Executing .,_ There is greater cooperation between legislature and executive organs as they are interdependent in a parliamentary system of, government.‘The executive authority lies with the group of people known as the Council of Ministers. This checks the dictatorship tendencies. The executive in the Parliament can be removed by passing no confidence motion to restrict its authority. Provision of alternative government ., Due to the presence of the opposition party, an alternative government can always be formed. This opposition may also enjoy power upon securing a majority in the next elections and the leader may become alternative Prime Minister. Check out Indian Parliament And its Functions here. Demerits of Indian Parliamentary System Unstable government Ina parliamentary system, the government enjoys its powers till the support ofa majority of the legislators. A No-Confidence Motion can result in the collapse of the ruling government. Discontinuous policies .__ The uncertainty of the tenure of government does not allow continuation of long-term policies. .,_ The existing policies can moreover be changed by the next ruling party. Dominance of a The majority of the ruling party makes the cabinet exercise unlimited powers in the parliamentary system. ‘The cabinet functions in an autocratic form in such cases. Fusion of powers Both the roles are carried out by the same authority. Hence, separation of Legislature and Executive is not possible. Government by alae The ministers are chosen by the people based on their popularity and majority of votes secured. They are not necessarily experts in their respective fields.Know more about Major Amendment of the Indian constitution here. More responsible ‘The executives have more responsibility in the parliamentary system. Helps to avoid Legislative- debativelebnitiis The dual role of Legislature and executive is performed by the ministers. Thus, conflicts are avoided in this system of government. More inclusiveness Ina country like India, the inclusion of its vast diversity in terms of different sections of society is essential. ‘The parliamentary system allows greater representation of various sections of society in the government. This helps in building a united nation. eee During British rule, India had witnessed parliamentary form of government. This familiarity was also a reason for the adoption of this system. Difference between Parliamentary System of Britain and India The head is a Monareh and not elected by the people. ‘The head is Republic and elected by the people. The parliament is a sovereign body. The parliament enjoys limited powers. ‘The Prime minister is a member of the lower house. ‘The prime minister can be a member of any of the houses. Mi Ministers have a legal responsi sters do not have any legal responsibility. ‘They have a provision of a shadow cabinet formed by the opposition. ‘There is no such provision.‘Testbook offers daily test series, quizzes, mock tests and updated current affairs that are accurate and updated to prepare for UPSC/IAS, UPSC/CAPF, Banking, Railways, SSC and other such competitive examinations. These short notes will help you to get a good grasp on the topie for your exam for starting your UPSC/IAS civil service examination. You can now easily access all this. Download our Testbook App Now! Also check related Polity articles in the table below: Difference Between Presidential & Parliamentary Form of Parliamentary Session Government Decline of Indian Parliament ‘Types Of Majority In The Indian Parliament Motion of Thanks Parliamentary Privileges and Immunities Parliamentary System in India FAQs Q.1 What is meant by the term Coalition? Ans.1 When no party is able to secure a majority in the elections, they form a temporary alliance by joining different parties who contested the election to form the government. Q.2 What are constituencies? Ans.2 Constituencies are formed for the purpose of elections by making temporary alterations in the geographical boundaries on the basis of the population. There may be more than one constituency within a state, From each constituency one candidate is elected. Q.3 Who is the head of the parliament? ‘Ans.3 The leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha (also known as the Prime Minister) also functions as the parliamentary chairperson. Q.4 What is zero hour? Ans.4 The zero hour follows the question hour in the Parliament. During this hour members ean raise questions on important issues to the speaker (prior notice). It starts at 12 noon. Q.5 Who are the members in the parliament? ‘Ans.5 The members of the Parliament comprise members of Rajya Sabha (238 from states, 12 from Union territories) and Lok Sabha (530 from states, 20 from Union territories and 2 nominated Anglo-Indian). The Prime Minister and his Couneil of Ministers are also part of the parliament.testbook Supercoaching CRACK UPSC CSE with 20+ Super Teachers eee PTC Ty [alread The Complete Exam Preparation alt) ey