Chapter 3 – How the State Government Works
- What is State Government? (What is State Government?)
- India has a federal system, which means that it has two or more levels of government:
- Central Government : For the entire country.
- State Government: For each state.
- Local Government : Such as Panchayati Raj and Municipalities.
- This chapter mainly focuses on the functioning of the State Government.
- The state government looks after the needs and problems of the people within their state, such as health, education, roads, electricity, etc.
- Who are legislators? (Who are MLAs?)
- An MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) is a member of the State Legislative Assembly.
- They are directly elected by the people.
- Every state is divided into different constituencies. From each constituency, the people elect a representative who becomes the MLA.
- Role of Legislators:
- They represent the people in the Legislative Assembly.
- They form the government.
- They help in making laws.
- They question the functioning of the government.
- Chief Minister and Council of Ministers
- After Elections:
- The political party which has more than half of the number of MLAs (i.e. gets a majority) is called the ruling party.
- The MLAs of the ruling party elect their leader, who becomes the Chief Minister (CM).
- The Chief Minister then selects his Council of Ministers. These ministers are the heads of various departments (such as health, education, finance).
- The governor appoints the chief minister and other ministers.
- Opposition :
- The party which does not have a majority is called the opposition party.
- The role of the opposition is to highlight the shortcomings in the policies and actions of the government and to raise the issues of the people.
- Legislative Assembly
- The Legislative Assembly is the place where all the legislators (of both the ruling party and the opposition) gather to discuss and debate various issues.
- Sessions of Legislative Assembly:
- Legislators get an opportunity to put their point of view in front of the public and ask questions to the government.
- The Chief Minister and other ministers are accountable to the Legislative Assembly.
- They respond to issues related to their departments.
- Law Making:
- The State Government makes laws in the Legislative Assembly.
- For any new law, a bill is introduced first.
- The bill is debated, and when it is passed by a majority vote, it becomes law (after the governor’s consent).
- Working of the Government
- Work of Departments:
- The Chief Minister and the ministers run the government through their respective departments.
- Example: The Health Minister looks after health facilities through the Department of Health; The education minister looks after schools and colleges through the education department.
- – Officials and Employees:
- Each department has government officials and employees who help implement laws and policies made by ministers.
- Press Conference :
- Ministers often call press conferences so that they can inform the public about the decisions and policies of the government.
- Two Aspects of Government
- As MLAs:
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- All the MLAs who sit in the Legislative Assembly represent the people of their respective constituencies.
- They raise their problems and concerns in the Assembly.
- As Executive:
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- The Chief Minister and the Ministers, who are from the ruling party, are part of the Executive.
- They lead various government departments and implement laws and policies.
- Participation in Democracy
- In a democracy, people participate in electing the government and holding it accountable.
- Citizens participate in the functioning of the government in various ways:
- Voting in Elections: Choosing your representatives.
- Protests and Demonstrations: Expressing your disagreement or demands.
- Public Opinion: Through the media, newspapers, TV channels.
- All these methods help in sensitizing the government to the needs of the people.