The Union Executive

In India, the executive power is vested in the President.

Explanation: The executive power of the union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or indirectly through his subordinates. He appoints the Prime Minister and other ministers who hold office during his pleasure. All the executive actions are formally taken in his name in accordance with the Indian constitution.

The tenure of the President is of five years.

Explanation: The President holds office for a term of five years. The President can hold office beyond his term of five years until his successor assumes charge. He can resign from his office at any time by writing a resignation letter to the vice President.

The Council of Ministers is led by the Prime Minister.

Explanation: The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers which is the real executive authority. The Council of Ministers is chosen by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the President. The executive powers rest with the Council of Ministers.

The President, the Prime Minister, the Council of Minister are called the – The union executive

Explanation: The union executive consists of the President, the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is called the real executive, and the President is called the nominal executive. This body is set up to look into the implementation of laws. Hence it is also called the “Law Implementation body”.

During the Parliamentary session, the period around 12 noon is known as - The zero hour

Explation: This hour is not mentioned in the rules of procedure. It is an informal device for the members of Parliament to raise their questions without any prior notice but no one is bound to answer those questions. Alternatively, the time gap between the question hour and the agenda is known as zero hours. It is an Indian innovation in the field of Parliamentary procedures and has been in existence since 1962.

The judges of the Supreme Court and high court and the President can be impeached by the Parliament before the expiry of their term if in any case there is the violation of the constitution by them. As per the Indian constitution, President of India can be removed in a case through his acts or actions; the constitutional norms are violated. Impeachment is first of the two stages in the process for removing a government's official without that official's agreement. Following is the procedure being followed to remove the acting President or the judges:

1. The motion for impeachment can be initiated in either of the houses. Once it is introduced, the process is carried on further.

2. The impeachment charges initiated by either of the houses should be signed by one-fourth members of the house and a 14 days' notice should be given to the official to be impeached.

3. After the resolution is passed by a majority of two-thirds of the total membership of that house, it is sent to the other house for the charges to be investigated.

4. If the other house also sustains the charges and passes the impeachment resolution by a majority of two- thirds of the total membership, then the President stands removed from his office.

In India, no President has far been impeached so far.

It is mentioned under article 75 of the Indian Constitution. It says that the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. This means that the government stays in office as long as it enjoys the confidence and support of the majority.

1. It can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha. If the sabha wants to remove the ministry from the office, it can do so by passing the no-confidence motion.

2. If it is passed in the Lok Sabha, the Council of Ministers must resign from the office. It needs the support of 50 members to be admitted.

It need not state the reasons for its adoption. It is moved for ascertaining the confidence of Sabha in the Council of Ministers. It can be moved against the entire Council of Ministers only. In the case of the majority party, it has no relevance left.

It means the large size of the ministry or the party. It is basically done to remain in power at any cost. It is done by including more and more ministers in the party or ministry. It seems a very complex procedure. This is the by-product of the wishes and desires of those politicians who are willing to do anything to remain in power. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati expanded her cabinet by inducting 56 new ministers into it.

The Council of Ministers is appointed headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President. It is the real executive authority. It implements the decision taken by the Cabinet. Its functions are determined by the Cabinet. Being a central executive body of the government, the council performs wide-ranging functions which make its role critical and decisive. Few functions of the council are listed below:

• It forms public policies to be executed which will lead to progress and development.

• Preparation and monitoring of legislative agenda.

• It exercises executive control over administration through appointments and rulemaking.

• It reviews the work of planning and planning commission.

• It operates funds like contingency funds of India and consolidated fund.

• It is collectively responsible to the lower house of the Parliament.

• It implements the decision taken by the cabinet.

• It helps in coordination among various ministers and other organs of the government.

• Its financial function is to manage the economy through fiscal control and operation of funds.

In the Parliamentary form of government, Executive is responsible for its policies and acts. It exercises its control in the following ways:

1. It supervises the activities of the executives with the help of committees like committee on government assurance, a committee on petitions, committees on subordinate legislation, etc.

2. The Parliament exercises control over the executive through question hour, zero hours, half an hour discussion, short duration discussion, calling attention motion, adjournment motion, no-confidence motion, censure motion, and other discussions.

3. Parliamentary control is also exercised through its power of ratification. A bill can become law only with the approval of the Parliament.

4. The ministers are collectively responsible to the Parliament in general. Each minister is individually responsible for the efficient administration of the ministry under his charge.

Thus in this way the Parliament can effectively control the executive and ensure a more responsible government.

If I become the Prime Minister of my country there are certain works which I would prioritize as I think that they are the need of the hour.

1. At first, I would form policies which will be actually effective in removing caste system by its roots from our society. In this way, the discrimination of people on the basis of class, caste, race, gender, religion etc., can be curbed.

2. Secondly, I would ensure free and elementary education to every child in rural as well as urban areas. I will see to it that there is physical and socioeconomic access to education and there are proper infrastructural facilities for the pupil. There should not be a dearth of experienced teachers in schools.

3. My third priority would be to look at the safety of women. The necessary steps would also be taken immediately for their health. By this way, the female mortality rate can be reduced, and the sex ratio can be improved.

4. After this, I would turn towards sanitation and hygiene issue. "Cleanliness is next to godliness". Only by keeping our country clean we can reduce health issues.

5. Last but not least, I would try to eradicate poverty by generating employment opportunities for poor people. So that they can get two squares meal a day.

I would undertake all the necessary and stringent methods for the proper implementation of the above-mentioned policies.

India got independence on 15^th August 1947 from the British rule. Since then there have been 14 Presidents. Following is the chronological list of Presidents of India:

1. Rajendra Prasad (elected in 1952 and 1957)

He was the first President of independent India and also the longest-serving President. He was a freedom fighter also during the Indian independence movement.

2. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (elected in 1962)

He was a prominent philosopher and writer and also received Bharat Ratna award in 1954 before becoming the President. He was the first President from south India.

3. Zakir Hussain (elected in 1967)

Husain was vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University and a recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna. He died in office, the first to do so. He was also the first Muslim President.

• Varahagiri Venkata Giri

Following the death of President Zakir Husain, Giri was appointed as Acting President.

• Mohammad Hidayatullah (elected in 1969)

He served as Acting President until the election of Giri as the President of India. He has also served as the chief justice of India.

4. Varahgiri Venkata Giri (elected in1969)

He was the first person to have served as both an acting President and President of India. He was a recipient of Bharat Ratna.

5.Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (Elected in 1974)

He was the second Indian President to die in the office. He was a minister before being elected as the President.

5. Basappa Danappapa Jatti (elected in 1977)

He was the vice President of India during Ahmed's term of office and was sworn in as Acting President upon Ahmed's death.

6. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy (elected in1977)

He was the first chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and unanimously elected speaker of the Lok Sabha.

7. Zail Singh (elected in1982)

He was the chief minister of Punjab and he became Union Home Minister. He was also secretary general to Non- Alignment Movement.

8. Ramaswamy Venkataraman (elected in 1987)

He was jailed by the British for his involvement in the Indian Independence Movement. After his release, he was elected to independent India’s Provisional Parliament as a member of the Congress Party in 1950 and eventually joined the central government.

9. Shankar Dayal Sharma (elected in1992)

Sharma was the CM of Madhya Pradesh and the Indian Minister for Communications.

10. Kocher Raman Narayanan

He served as India's ambassador to Thailand, Turkey, China and the United States of America. He was the first Dalit President. He also received doctorates in science and law.

11. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (elected in 2002)

He was an educator and engineer who played a leading role in the development of India's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.He also received the Bharat Ratna.

12. Pratibha Patil (elected in 2007)

She was also the first female governor of Rajasthan

13. Pranab Mukherjee (elected in 2012)

He held various posts in the cabinet minister for the Government of India such as Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, and Defense Minister.

14. Ram Nath Kovind (elected in 2017)

He was governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017 and a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2006. He is the second Dalit President after K R Narayanan and was an active member of RSS since his youth.