THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA

By the 18th century, India was under the control of the British East India Company.

• In 1858, the British crown abolished the East India Company and assumed direct rule over India.

• India was the “crown jewel” of the British Empire until independence was achieved in 1947.

JUST SO YOU KNOW

•Until 1947, India was never one single country but a collection of kingdoms and areas with no sense of unity.

•Until its independence in 1947, Pakistan, Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), Myanmar (formerly Burma), and distant places like Aden in present day Yemen--were all parts of British India and were all considered as India.

After India gained independence from Great Britain, it took nearly three years for the newly independent nation to complete its new constitution. The new constitution was a long and intricate document.

Republic of India

• India is a federal republic with a parliamentary system of government.

• The capital of India is New Delhi.

India is a Federal System

• India is made up of twenty-eight (28) states and seven (7) centrally administered Union Territories.– Two (2) states are partially claimed by

Pakistan and China.

India Is A Federal System

• It is relatively centralized, but its twenty-eight (28) states and seven (7) territories also govern themselves (similar to the United States).

• The federal government controls the most essential government functions:– defense– foreign policy– taxation– public expenditures– economic (industrial) planning

India’s Legislature

India has a bicameral parliament (2 chambers):– Rajya Sabha (Council of States)– Lok Sabha (House of the People)

India’s Legislature

•India’s legislature is called the Federal Parliament. It is divided into two houses.

•The upper house is the Council of the States, it and possesses considerable power, except in budget matters.

India’s Legislature•The powerhouse of India’s Federal Parliament is the House of the People. It is modeled after the British House of Commons.

•An interesting aspect of the lower house is that it reserves a certain number of seats for groups that were victims of past discrimination, including former untouchables (outcasts).

•The government exercises its broad administrative powers in the name of the president, whose duties are largely ceremonial.

•The president and vice-president are elected indirectly for 5-year terms by a special electoral college. Their terms are staggered, and the vice-president does not automatically become the president following the death or removal from office of the president.

•Real national executive power is centered in the Council of Ministers (cabinet), led by the prime minister.

Prime Minister

• The leader of the majority party in the Council of States (Lok Sabha) becomes the prime minister.

• The prime minister nominates a cabinet from members of parliament. – They are called the Council of Ministers

• Power is concentrated in the office of the prime minister where most of the important laws originate.

India’s Legislature

– The prime minister is responsible to the parliament.