Government of India

Government of India
Government of India · Public domain · source
Name	Government of India
Native name	भारत सरकार
Formation	1950
Seat	New Delhi
Headquarters	North Block, South Block
Chief executive	President of India

Contents

Government of India The Government of India administers the Republic of India from the national capital New Delhi and exercises authority under the Constitution of India adopted in 1950. It comprises institutions created by the Constitution of India including the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, the Parliament of India, and the Supreme Court of India, and interacts with entities such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Election Commission of India, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and the Attorney General of India.

Constitution and Legal Framework

The legal foundation rests on the Constitution of India which succeeded the Government of India Act 1935 and was influenced by jurists like B. R. Ambedkar, framers who referenced documents such as the United States Constitution, the Irish Constitution, and the British parliamentary system. Constitutional provisions enumerate fundamental rights, directive principles, and emergency provisions linked to events like the Indian Emergency (1975–1977). Landmark constitutional amendments include the First Amendment of the Constitution of India, the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India, and the 44th Amendment of the Constitution of India. Constitutional adjudication has occurred in cases before the Supreme Court of India such as disputes involving Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala and Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India.

The head of state is the President of India who acts on advice from the head of government, the Prime Minister of India. The Union Council of Ministers led by the Prime Minister includes Cabinet Ministers from parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress and coordinates with agencies such as the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), the Ministry of Finance (India), and the Ministry of External Affairs (India). Key executive functions involve appointments of officials including the Chief Election Commissioner of India, governors appointed to states, and representatives to international bodies such as the United Nations. Executive authority has been tested in crises like the Kargil War, the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and responses to natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

National legislation is enacted by the bicameral Parliament of India, composed of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Historic sessions in venues such as the Sansad Bhavan have debated statutes including the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Goods and Services Tax Act, and the Right to Information Act. Parliamentary practice derives from procedures used in the Westminster system and has seen major figures like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Narendra Modi. Parliamentary committees such as the Public Accounts Committee and the Estimates Committee scrutinize ministries, while parliamentary privileges and impeachment processes have involved offices such as the President of India and controversies like the Cash-for-questions scandal analogues.

The Supreme Court of India heads a hierarchy including high courts such as the Bombay High Court, the Calcutta High Court, and the Madras High Court and subordinate district courts. Judicial review, writ jurisdiction under Article 32, and PILs have produced rulings in matters involving personalities like S. R. Bommai and institutions such as the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Constitutional Bench has decided doctrines affecting federal relations and rights in cases such as Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala and I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu. Judicial appointments engage authorities like the Collegium system and the President of India and intersect with laws including the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Penal Code.

India's federal system comprises states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Kerala and union territories like Delhi and Puducherry with distinct arrangements exemplified by the Delhi Legislative Assembly and the Puducherry Legislative Assembly. Governors represent the President of India in states; chief ministers lead state cabinets informed by parties such as the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Interstate disputes have invoked mechanisms like the Inter-State Council and adjudication by the Supreme Court of India, while doctrines such as the Doctrine of Basic Structure affect centre–state relations. Emergency provisions include the National Emergency and President's Rule (Article 356) applied historically in states like Punjab and Bihar.

The civil services system includes the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service, and the Indian Forest Service, recruited through the Union Public Service Commission. Administrative reforms reference commissions such as the Second Administrative Reforms Commission and figures like Lalit Narayan Mishra and institutions such as the Central Secretariat Service. Bureaucratic roles operate in ministries — for example, the Ministry of Railways (India), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), and the Ministry of Education (India) — and coordinate with public enterprises including the Indian Railways and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.

Fiscal policy is managed by the Ministry of Finance (India), the Reserve Bank of India, and statutory bodies like the Finance Commission of India. Budgetary processes occur in the Parliament of India and produce annual documents such as the Union Budget with measures affecting markets like the Bombay Stock Exchange and reforms like the Demonetisation of 2016 in India. Taxation frameworks include laws like the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the Goods and Services Tax Act recommended by the NITI Aayog and previously by the Planning Commission (India). Fiscal federalism involves transfers under the Finance Commission and schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the National Rural Health Mission.