126-979: The National Health Mission ( NHM ) was launched by the government of India in 2013 subsuming the National Rural Health Mission and National Urban Health Mission. It was further extended in March 2018, to continue until March 2020. It is headed by Mission Director and monitored by National Level Monitors appointed by the Government of India.Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the recently launched National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). Main program components include Health System Strengthening (RMNCH+A) in rural and urban areas- Reproductive-Maternal- Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health, and Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases. NHM envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care services that are accountable and responsive to
252-461: A writ petition at the filing counter of the court or by addressing a letter to the Chief Justice of India , highlighting the question of public importance for redress. These are known as public interest litigations . India has a quasi-federal form of government, called "union" or "central" government, with elected officials at the union, state and local levels. At the national level,
378-570: A NDA -led government (a coalition of the BJP and its allies) since 2014. The prime minister and their senior ministers belong to the Union Council of Ministers —its executive decision-making committee being the cabinet . The government, seated in New Delhi , has three primary branches: the legislative, the executive and the judiciary, whose powers are vested in a bicameral Parliament ,
504-479: A Prime Minister and a Governor-General as the viceregal representative of the head of state, George VI . Its unicameral legislature, the Constituent Assembly , was tasked with drafting the country's constitution. The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 , making India a republic with a president as head of state, replacing the monarch and his viceregal representative,
630-521: A Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe . In HPS, only pregnant women who are Below the Poverty Line or belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe are eligible for cash benefits, irrespective of whether they choose to deliver in a government health facility or an accredited private institution. Women who are Below the Poverty Line and choose to deliver at home are entitled to a cash assistance of ₹500 per delivery. The cash entitlements under
756-652: A minority government ; Rao became the first PM of South Indian origin. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , India was on the brink of bankruptcy , so, Rao took steps to liberalise the economy, and appointed Manmohan Singh —an economist and a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India —as finance minister. Rao and Singh then took various steps to liberalise the economy, these resulted in unprecedented economic growth in India. His premiership, however,
882-519: A prime minister , and the Supreme Court respectively, with a president as head of state. The Council of Ministers are responsible to the House in which they sit, they make statements in that House and take questions from fellow members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the directly elected Lok Sabha rather than the (mostly) indirectly elected Rajya Sabha . As
1008-611: A candidate is elected as the prime minister, he must vacate his posts at any private or government companies and may take up the position only on completion of his term. The prime minister is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the President of India before entering office, the oath of office and secrecy, as per the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India. Oath of office: I, <name>, do swear in
1134-512: A constitutional crisis. Thus, in practice, the Council of Ministers cannot be dismissed as long as it holds the support of a majority in the Lok Sabha . The President is responsible for appointing many high officials in India. These high officials include the governors of the 28 states ; the chief justice ; other judges of the supreme court and high courts on the advice of other judges;
1260-550: A crucial role in the government of India by enjoying majority in the Lok Sabha . According to Article 84 of the Constitution of India, which sets the principle qualification for member of Parliament, and Article 75 of the Constitution of India, which sets the qualifications for the minister in the Union Council of Ministers, and the argument that the position of prime minister has been described as primus inter pares (the first among equals), A prime minister must: Once
1386-511: A focus to reduce maternal and child mortality, dedicated Mother and Child Health Wings with 100/50/30 bed capacity have been sanctioned in high case load district hospitals and CHCs which would create additional beds for mothers and children. A new initiative is launched under the National Health Mission to provide Free Drugs Service and Free Diagnostic Service with a motive to lower the out of pocket expenditure on health. As
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#17327811181671512-464: A majority in the Lok Sabha with support from Congress. But Shekhar's premiership did not last long, Congress proceeded to withdraw its support; Shekhar's government fell as a result, and new elections were announced. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the campaign trail for the general election of 1991 , and the Congress—under the leadership of P. V. Narasimha Rao —rode a sympathy wave to form
1638-490: A member of one of the houses of the parliament. The cabinet is headed by the prime minister , and is advised by the cabinet secretary , who also acts as the head of the Indian Administrative Service and other civil services. Other members of the council are either union cabinet ministers, who are heads of various ministries; or ministers of state, who are junior members who report directly to one of
1764-588: A month in power—the government announced the conduct of five underground nuclear explosions in Pokhran . In response to these tests, many western countries , including the United States, imposed economic sanctions on India, but, due to the support received from Russia, France, the Gulf countries and some other nations, the sanctions—were largely—not considered successful. A few months later in response to
1890-480: A new initiative District Hospitals are being strengthened to provide Multi-specialty health care including dialysis care, intensive cardiac care, cancer treatment, mental illness, emergency medical and trauma care etc. These hospitals would act as the knowledge support for clinical care in facilities below it through a tele-medicine center located in the district headquarters and also developed as centers for training of paramedics and nurses. The National Iron+ Initiative
2016-408: A person who is commanding support of majority members of Lok Sabha to form the government of India —also known as the central government or Union government—at the national level and exercise its powers. In practice the prime minister nominates the members of their council of ministers to the president. He also works upon to decide a core group of ministers (known as the cabinet), as in charge of
2142-528: A prime minister can resign from office; Morarji Desai was the first prime minister to resign while in office. Upon ceasing to possess the requisite qualifications to be a member of Parliament subject to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 . The prime minister leads the functioning and exercise of authority of the government of India. The president of India—subject to eligibility—invites
2268-481: A quarter of the 543 elected members of parliament had been charged with crimes, including murder. Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved high-level government officials, including cabinet ministers and chief ministers, such as the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam ( ₹ 700 billion (equivalent to ₹ 1.6 trillion or US$ 19 billion in 2023)), the Adarsh Housing Society scam ,
2394-410: A recommended name to the collegium for reconsideration, this, however, is not a full Veto power, and the collegium can still put forward rejected name. The prime minister acts as the leader of the house of the chamber of parliament—generally the Lok Sabha —he belongs to. In this role, the prime minister is tasked with representing the executive in the legislature, announces important legislation, and
2520-524: A scheme of affairs in which the president of India is the head of state; in terms of Article 53 with office of the prime minister being the head of Council of Ministers to assist and advise the president in the discharge of their constitutional functions. To quote, Article 53, 74 and 75 provide as under: The executive powers of the Union shall be vested in the president and shall be exercised either directly or through subordinate officers, in accordance with
2646-424: A sub-mission of an overarching National Health Mission (NHM), with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) being the other sub-mission of the National Health Mission. It was further extended in March 2018, to continue till March 2020. Some of the major initiatives under National Health Mission (NHM) are as follows: Community Health volunteers called Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have been engaged under
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#17327811181672772-454: A vote in the house where he is not a member. A secretary to the Government of India , a civil servant , generally an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is the administrative head of the ministry or department, and is the principal adviser to the minister on all matters of policy and administration within the ministry/department. Secretaries to the Government of India rank 23rd on Indian order of precedence . Secretaries at
2898-541: A whole is responsible to the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha is a temporary house and can be dissolved only when the party in power loses the support of the majority of the house. The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house and can never be dissolved. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected for a six-year term. The executive of government is the one that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of
3024-481: Is bicameral in nature, with the Lok Sabha being the lower house , and the Rajya Sabha the upper house . The judiciary systematically contains an apex supreme court , 25 high courts , and hundreds of district courts , all subordinate to the supreme court. The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation, such as the civil procedure code ,
3150-535: Is an attempt to look at Iron Deficiency Anaemia in which beneficiaries will receive iron and folic acid supplementation irrespective of their Iron/Hb status. This initiative will bring together existing programmes (IFA supplementation for: pregnant and lactating women and; children in the age group of 6–60 months) and introduce new age groups. This project is launched by MoS Health Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste at Mandla on 20 January 2017. Government of India The Government of India ( ISO : Bhārata Sarakāra, legally
3276-465: Is considered the lower house . The parliament does not have complete control and sovereignty , as its laws are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court . However, it does exercise some control over the executive . The members of the Council of Ministers , including the prime minister , are either chosen from parliament or elected there within six months of assuming office. The council as
3402-466: Is further expected to respond to the opposition's concerns. Article 85 of the Indian constitution confers the president with the power to convene and end extraordinary sessions of the parliament; this power, however, is exercised only on the advice of the prime minister and their council, so in practice the prime minister does exercise some control over affairs of the parliament. The official website of
3528-546: Is generally divided into various ministries, the prime minister may retain certain portfolios if he is not allocated to any member of the cabinet. The prime minister—in consultation with the cabinet—schedules and attends the sessions of the houses of parliament and is required to answer the question from the Members of Parliament to them as the in-charge of the portfolios in the capacity as prime minister of India. Some specific ministries/department are not allocated to anyone in
3654-477: Is on establishing a fully functional, community owned, decentralized health delivery system with inter-sectoral convergence at all levels, to ensure simultaneous action on a wide range of determinants of health such as water, sanitation, education, nutrition, social and gender equality. Institutional integration within the fragmented health sector was expected to provide a focus on outcomes, measured against Indian Public Health Standards for all health facilities. As per
3780-545: Is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board, the Cabinet Secretariat , the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the head of all civil services under the rules of business of the government. The cabinet secretary is generally the senior-most officer of the Indian Administrative Service . The cabinet secretary ranks 11th on the Indian order of precedence . The cabinet secretary
3906-411: Is the case in most parliamentary systems, the government is dependent on Parliament to legislate, and general elections are held every five years to elect a new Lok Sabha . The most recent election was in 2024 . After an election, the president selects as prime minister the leader of the party or alliance most likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Lok Sabha . In the event that
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4032-403: Is the chief executive of the government and the leader of the majority party that holds a majority in the Lok Sabha. The prime minister leads the executive of the Government of India. The prime minister is the senior member of the cabinet in the executive government in a parliamentary system. The prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet; allocates posts to members within
4158-541: Is to act following aid and advice tendered by the Prime Minister, who leads the Council of Ministers as described in Article 74 of the Constitution . The council of ministers remains in power during the 'pleasure' of the president. However, in practice, the council of ministers must retain the support of the Lok Sabha. If a president were to dismiss the council of ministers on his or her initiative, it might trigger
4284-522: Is under the direct charge of the prime minister . Presently, the Cabinet Secretary of India is Rajiv Gauba , IAS . India's independent union judicial system began under the British, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries . The Supreme Court of India consists of the chief justice and 33 associate justices, all appointed by the president on the advice of
4410-553: The Right to Information Act, 2005 passed in the parliament. Further, the government strengthened India's relations with nations like Afghanistan ; Russia; the Gulf states ; and the United States, culminating with the ratification of India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement near the end of Singh's first term. At the same time, the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks also happened during Singh's first term in office. In
4536-433: The Chief Justice of India and 33 sanctioned other judges, it has extensive powers in the form of original , appellate and advisory jurisdictions . As the final court of appeal of the country, it takes up appeals primarily against verdicts of the high courts of various states of the Union and other courts and tribunals. It safeguards fundamental rights of citizens and settles disputes between various governments in
4662-504: The Chief Justice of India . The jury trials were abolished in India in the early 1960s, after the famous case KM Nanavati v. the State of Maharashtra , for reasons of being vulnerable to media and public pressure, as well as to being misled. Unlike its United States counterpart, the Indian justice system consists of a unitary system at both state and union levels. The judiciary consists of
4788-627: The Coal Mining Scam ( ₹ 1.86 trillion (equivalent to ₹ 4.2 trillion or US$ 50 billion in 2023)), the mining scandal in Karnataka and the cash-for-votes scandal . Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India ( ISO : Bhārata kē Pradhānamaṁtrī ) is the head of government of the Republic of India . Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Council of Ministers, despite
4914-646: The Council of State of 60 members (of which 34 were elected and 26 nominated). The next structural modification to the governance of British India , the Government of India Act 1935 (the longest Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom until surpassed by the Greater London Authority Act 1999 ) was aimed at devolution of powers by establishing provincial governments and the creation of civil service institutions . However, it
5040-538: The Governor-General . It was based in large part on the Government of India Act 1935 , which was itself based on the uncodified constitution of the United Kingdom . It also drew notable inspirations from the constitutions of several other Commonwealth dominions and the French , Soviet , Japanese , German and American constitutions. India today prides itself in being the world's largest democracy , and
5166-567: The Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the country's premier civil service, which staffs most of the senior civil service positions; the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB); and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), except for the selection of its director, who is chosen by a committee of: (a) the prime minister, as chairperson; (b) the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha; and (c)
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5292-487: The Indian Armed Forces . The President of India can grant a pardon to or reduce the sentence of a convicted person once, particularly in cases involving the punishment of death. The decisions involving pardoning and other rights by the president are independent of the opinion of the prime minister or the Lok Sabha majority. In most other cases, however, the president exercises his or her executive powers on
5418-724: The Janata Dal and—with the help of several anti-Congress parties—also formed the National Front , a coalition of many political parties. In the general election of 1989 , the National Front—with outside support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left Front —came to power. V. P. Singh was elected prime minister. During a tenure of less than a year, Singh and his government accepted
5544-560: The Janata Party , in the general election of 1977 , and were successful in defeating the Congress. Subsequently, Morarji Desai —a former deputy prime minister —became the first non-Congress prime minister of India. Desai's government was composed of groups with opposite ideologies, in which unity and coordination were difficult to maintain. Ultimately, after two and a half years as PM; on 28 July 1979, Desai tendered his resignation to
5670-585: The Mandal Commission 's recommendations. Singh's tenure came to an end after he ordered the arrest of BJP member Lal Krishna Advani , as a result, BJP withdrew its outside support to the government, V. P. Singh lost the subsequent vote-of-no-confidence 146–320 and had to resign. After V. P. Singh's resignation, Chandra Shekhar along with 64 members of parliament (MPs) floated the Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) , and proved
5796-484: The Supreme Court of India , high courts at the state level, and district courts and Sessions Courts at the district level. The Supreme Court of India is situated in New Delhi , the capital region of India . The Supreme Court is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal under the Constitution of India , the highest constitutional court, with the power of constitutional review . Consisting of
5922-613: The Union Government or Union of India and colloquially known as the Central Government ) is the government of the Republic of India , located in South Asia , consisting of 36 states and union territories . The government is led by the prime minister (currently Narendra Modi since 26 May 2014) who exercises the most executive power and selects all the other ministers . The country has been governed by
6048-571: The attorney general ; the comptroller and auditor general ; the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners ; the chairman and members of the Union Public Service Commission ; the officers of the All India Services ( IAS , IFoS and IPS ) and Central Civil Services in group 'A'; officers of the Indian Armed Forces ; and the ambassadors and high commissioners to other countries on
6174-420: The chief justice . Unlike most other countries, the prime minister does not have much influence over the selection of judges, that is done by a collegium of judges consisting of the Chief Justice of India , four senior most judges of the Supreme Court of India and the chief justice —or the senior-most judge—of the concerned state high court . The executive as a whole, however, has the right to send back
6300-453: The constitution and the rule of law is obeyed by the cabinet and the legislature. The prime minister of India is the head of government and has the responsibility for executive power. The president's constitutional duty is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law per article 60 . In the constitution of India, the prime minister is mentioned in only four of its articles (articles 74, 75, 78 and 366). The prime minister plays
6426-473: The constitution empowers the union government to levy income tax , tax on capital transactions ( wealth tax , inheritance tax ), sales tax , service tax, customs and excise duties and the state governments to levy sales tax on intrastate sale of goods, taxon entertainment and professions , excise duties on manufacture of alcohol , stamp duties on transfer of property and collect land revenue (levy on land owned). The local governments are empowered by
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#17327811181676552-421: The executive , the legislature , and the judiciary , and powers are vested by the constitution in the prime minister , parliament , and the supreme court , respectively. The president of India is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces , while the elected prime minister acts as the head of the executive and is responsible for running the Union government. Parliament
6678-465: The general election of 2009 , the mandate of UPA increased. Prime Minister Singh's second term, however, was surrounded by accusations of high-level scandals and corruption. Singh resigned as prime minister on 17 May 2014, after Congress' defeat in the 2014 general election . In the general election of 2014 , the BJP-led NDA got an absolute majority, winning 336 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats;
6804-516: The head of government , the prime minister , is appointed by the president of India from the party or coalition that has the majority of seats in the Lok Sabha . The members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected for a term of five years by universal adult suffrage through a first-past-the-post voting system. Members of the Rajya Sabha , which represents the states , are elected by the members of State legislative assemblies by proportional representation , except for 12 members who are nominated by
6930-477: The penal code , and the criminal procedure code . Similar to the Union government, individual state governments each consist of executive, legislative and judiciary branches. The legal system as applicable to the Union and individual state governments is based on the English common and Statutory Law . The full name of the country is the Republic of India . India and Bharat are equally official short names for
7056-414: The president of India being the nominal head of the executive. The prime minister has to be a member of one of the houses of bicameral Parliament of India , alongside heading the respective house. The prime minister and his cabinet are at all times responsible to the Lok Sabha . The prime minister is appointed by the president of India ; however, the prime minister has to enjoy the confidence of
7182-671: The prime minister is not a member of either House upon appointment, he/she is given six months to be elected to either House of Parliament . The first seeds of responsible government during British colonial rule in India were sown by the Indian Councils Act 1909 , commonly known as the Morley - Minto reforms. The Act introduced elections to the Imperial Legislative Council (then the unicameral Legislature for British India). Before that, governance
7308-627: The 12th Plan document of the Planning Commission , the flagship programme of NRHM will be strengthened under the umbrella of National Health Mission. The focus on covering rural areas and rural population will continue along with up scaling of NRHM to include non-communicable diseases and expanding health coverage to urban areas. Accordingly, the Union Cabinet, in May 2013, has approved the launch of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as
7434-469: The 4th largest economy in the world. Even though much remains to be done, especially in regard to eradicating poverty and securing effective structures of governance, India's achievements since independence in sustaining freedom and democracy have been singular among the world's new nations. The Government of India is modelled after the Westminster system . The Union government is mainly composed of
7560-582: The BJP itself became the first party since 1984 to get a majority in the Lok Sabha. Narendra Modi —the Chief Minister of Gujarat —was elected prime minister, becoming the first prime minister to have been born in an independent India. Narendra Modi was re-elected as prime minister in 2019 with a bigger mandate than that of 2014. The BJP-led NDA won 354 seats out of which BJP secured 303 seats. External support from INC The Constitution envisions
7686-523: The Congress returned to power with an absolute majority. Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister a second time. In June 1984, Operation Blue Star —an Indian Army operation against Sikh militants inside the Golden Temple , the most sacred site in Sikhism—was conducted, resulting in reportedly thousands of deaths, both of the militants and civilians. In revenge, on 31 October of that year, Gandhi
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#17327811181677812-593: The Congress secured a supermajority , winning 401 of 552 seats in the Lok Sabha , the maximum number received by any party in the history of India. Vishwanath Pratap Singh —first finance minister and then later defence minister in Gandhi's cabinet—uncovered irregularities, in what became known as the Bofors scandal , during his stint at the Ministry of Defence ; Singh was subsequently expelled from Congress and formed
7938-515: The Constitution. There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and advise the president who shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice. The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Like most parliamentary democracies , the president 's duties are mostly ceremonial as long as
8064-462: The Government; is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet and is responsible for bringing a proposal of legislation. The resignation or death of the prime minister dissolves the cabinet. The prime minister is appointed by the president to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive. The Union Council of Ministers includes the prime minister, Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State (MoS). Each minister must be
8190-544: The Indian nuclear tests, Pakistan also conducted nuclear tests . Given the deteriorating situation between the two countries, the governments tried to improve bilateral relations. In February 1999, India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Declaration , in which the two countries announced their intention to annul mutual enmity, increase trade and use their nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes. In May 1999, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam withdrew from
8316-667: The Left Front, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) among others—proved a majority in the Lok Sabha, and Manmohan Singh was elected prime minister; becoming the first Sikh prime minister of the nation. During his tenure, the country retained the economic momentum gained during Prime Minister Vajpayee's tenure. Apart from this, the government succeeded in getting the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 , and
8442-697: The Naval Staff and commanders of operational and training commands. In addition, the ACC also decides the posting of Indian Police Service officers—the All India Service for policing, which staffs most of the higher level law enforcement positions at federal and state level—in the government of India . Also, as the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions , the PM also exercises control over
8568-536: The Parliament with the power to decide the remuneration and other benefits of the prime minister and other ministers are to be decided by the Parliament. and is renewed from time to time. The original remunerations for the prime minister and other ministers were specified in the Part B of the second schedule of the constitution, which was later removed by an amendment. In 2010, the Prime Minister's Office reported that
8694-414: The Prime Minister's Office is available in 11 Indian languages namely Assamese , Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada , Malayalam , Meitei ( Manipuri ), Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu, out of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic , in addition to English and Hindi . The eleven Indian language websites can be accessed at the following links: Article 75 of the Constitution of India confers
8820-428: The Republic of India in the Constitution, and both names appears on legal banknotes, in treaties and in legal cases. The terms "Union government", "central government" and " bhārat sarkār " are often used officially and unofficially to refer to the government of India. The term New Delhi is commonly used as a metonym for the Union government, as the seat of the central government is in New Delhi . The powers of
8946-411: The Scheme are as follows ASHA package of ₹600 in rural areas includes ₹300 for antenatal care and ₹300 for facilitating institutional delivery. In urban areas, ₹400 include ₹200 for antenatal component and ₹200 for facilitating institutional delivery. In 2013, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced direct payment of the entitlement to the beneficiary's bank accounts in 121 districts across
9072-546: The Scheme for promoting institutional deliveries among pregnant women. The Scheme has different eligibility criteria in Low Performing States (LPS) and High Performing States (HPS). In LPS, all pregnant women delivering in government health facilities are eligible for a cash benefit. Women who choose to deliver in accredited private institutions are eligible only if they are Below the Poverty Line or belong to
9198-436: The advice of the prime minister. Presently, the President of India is Droupadi Murmu . The vice president is the second-highest constitutional position in India after the president. The vice president represents the nation in the absence of the president and takes charge as acting president in the incident of resignation impeachment or removal of the president. The vice president also has the legislative function of acting as
9324-526: The budget will be presented on the 1st day of February. The budget has to be passed by the Lok Sabha before it can come into effect on 1 April, the start of India's fiscal year . The Union budget is preceded by an economic survey which outlines the broad direction of the budget and the economic performance of the country for the outgoing financial year India's non-development revenue expenditure had increased nearly five-fold in 2003–04 since 1990–91 and more than tenfold from 1985 to 1986. Interest payments are
9450-419: The cabinet but the prime minister themself. The prime minister is usually always in charge/head of: The prime minister represents the country in various delegations, high level meetings and international organisations that require the attendance of the highest government office, and also addresses to the nation on various issues of national or other importance. Per Article 78 of the Constitution of India ,
9576-431: The cabinet ministers, often overseeing a specific aspect of government; or ministers of state (independent charges), who do not report to a cabinet minister. As per article 88 of the constitution, every minister shall have the right to speak in, and to take part in the proceedings of, either house, any joint sitting of the houses, and any committee of parliament of which he may be named a member, but shall not be entitled to
9702-784: The call. As part of recent initiatives and further moving in the direction of universal healthcare, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakarm (JSSK) was introduced to provide free transport, free drugs, free diagnostic, free blood, free diet to pregnant women who come for delivery in public health institutions and sick infants up to one year. A Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services has been launched in February 2013 to screen diseases specific to childhood, developmental delays, disabilities, birth defects and deficiencies. The initiative will cover about 27 crore children between 0–18 years of age and also provide free treatment including surgery for health problems diagnosed under this initiative. With
9828-422: The chairman of the Rajya Sabha . The vice president is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both the houses of the parliament following the system of proportional representation employing the single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot conducted by the election commission . The Prime Minister of India , as addressed in the Constitution of India ,
9954-403: The country since the implementation of the scheme has been as follows The maternal mortality ratio in India since the implementation of the scheme has been as follows Many un-served areas have been covered through National Mobile Medical Units (NMMUs). Free ambulance services are provided in every nook and corner of the country connected with a toll free number and reaches within 30 minutes of
10080-564: The country's third prime minister. The first—and to date, the only—woman to hold the post, Indira's first term in office lasted 11 years, in which she took steps such as nationalisation of banks ; end of allowances and political posts, which were received by members of the royal families of the erstwhile princely states of the British Indian Empire . In addition, events such as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 ;
10206-468: The country. The number of beneficiaries under the Scheme from 2012–13 to 2014-15 were as follows Of the beneficiaries reported in 2014–15, 87% belonged to rural areas. In the same year, about 9 lakh ASHA workers also received incentives for promoting institutional deliveries among pregnant women. During 2006 - 2008, the Scheme may also have resulted in a 7% - 12% rise in the probability of childbirth or pregnancy in 10 states. The Infant Mortality rate in
10332-400: The country. As an advisory court, it hears matters which may specifically be referred to it under the constitution by the president. It also may take cognisance of matters on its own (or 'suo moto'), without anyone drawing its attention to them. The law declared by the supreme court becomes binding on all courts within India and also by the union and state governments. Per Article 142 , it is
10458-457: The development of roads. But during his reign, the 2002 Gujarat communal riots in the state of Gujarat took place; resulting in about 2,000 deaths. Vajpayee's tenure as prime minister came to an end in May 2004, making him the first non-Congress PM to complete a full five-year tenure. In the 2004 election , the Congress emerged as the largest party in a hung parliament ; Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)—with outside support from
10584-471: The duty of the president to enforce the decrees of the supreme court. In addition, Article 32 of the constitution gives an extensive original jurisdiction to the supreme court concerning enforcing fundamental rights. It is empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus , mandamus , prohibition , quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. The supreme court has been conferred with power to direct
10710-474: The establishment of a sovereign Bangladesh ; accession of Sikkim to India, through a referendum in 1975; and India's first nuclear test in Pokhran occurred during Indira's first term. In 1975, amid growing unrest and a court order declaring Indira's election to the Lok Sabha void, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed —on Indira's advice—imposed a state of emergency , therefore bestowing the government with
10836-415: The head of state's official representative (i.e., the monarch, president, or governor-general ) usually holds a purely ceremonial position and acts—on most matters—only on the advice of the prime minister. The prime minister must become a member of parliament within six months of beginning their tenure, if they are not one already. A prime minister is expected to work with other central ministers to ensure
10962-416: The higher level are assisted by one or many additional secretaries , who are further assisted by joint secretaries . At the middle they are assisted by directors/deputy secretaries and under secretaries. At the lower level, there are section officers, assistant section officers, upper division clerks, lower division clerks and other secretarial staff. The Civil Services of India are the civil services and
11088-409: The important functions and ministries of the government of India . The prime minister is responsible for aiding and advising the president in distribution of work of the government to various ministries and offices and in terms of the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 . The co-ordinating work is generally allocated to the Cabinet Secretariat . While the work of the government
11214-535: The launch of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a Sub-mission of an overarching National Health Mission (NHM) , with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) being the other Sub-mission of National Health Mission. Under the NRHM, the Empowered Action Group (EAG) States as well as North Eastern States, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have been given special focus. The thrust of the mission
11340-460: The legislature in India are exercised by the Parliament , a bicameral legislature consisting of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha . Of the two houses of parliament, the Rajya Sabha (or the 'Council of States') is considered to be the upper house and consists of members appointed by the president and elected by the state and territorial legislatures . The Lok Sabha (or the 'House of the People')
11466-425: The majority of Lok Sabha members, who are directly elected every five years , lest the prime minister shall resign. The prime minister can be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha , the upper house of the parliament. The prime minister controls the selection and dismissal of members of the Union Council of Ministers ; and allocation of posts to members within the government. The longest-serving prime minister
11592-422: The mission for establishing a link between the community and the health system. ASHA is the first port of call for any health related demands of deprived sections of the population, especially women and children, who find it difficult to access health services in rural areas. ASHA Programme is expanding across States and has particularly been successful in bringing people back to Public Health System and has increased
11718-474: The name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as Prime Minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Oath of secrecy: I, <name>, do swear in
11844-446: The name of God/solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Prime Minister for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister. The prime minister serves at 'the pleasure of the president', hence, a prime minister may remain in office indefinitely, so long as
11970-528: The needs of the people. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), now under National Health Mission is an initiative undertaken by the government of India to address the health needs of under-served rural areas. Launched on 12 April 2005 by then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , the NRHM was initially tasked with addressing the health needs of 18 states that had been identified as having weak public health indicators. The Union Cabinet headed by Manmohan Singh vide its decision dated 1 May 2013, has approved
12096-569: The non-binding advice of the Cabinet Secretary of India led-Senior Selection Board (SSB)—decides the postings of top civil servants, such as, secretaries , additional secretaries and joint secretaries in the government of India. Further, in the same capacity, the PM decides the assignments of top military personnel such as the Chief of the Army Staff , Chief of the Air Staff , Chief of
12222-554: The number of children they have. Special dispensation is provided to states that have low institutional delivery rates. These states are Uttar Pradesh , Uttarakhand , Bihar , Jharkhand , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , Assam , Rajasthan , Odisha , and Jammu and Kashmir , and are referred to as Low Performing States (LPS) under the Scheme. Other states and Union Territories are called High Performing States (HPS) owing to their higher institutional delivery rates. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) are also incentivised under
12348-489: The passage of bills by the parliament. Since 1947, there have been 14 different prime ministers. The first few decades after 1947 saw the Indian National Congress ' (INC) near complete domination over the political map of India. India's first prime minister— Jawaharlal Nehru —took oath on 15 August 1947. Nehru went on to serve as prime minister for 17 consecutive years, winning four general elections in
12474-402: The people themselves. But the handful of ministers is not expected to deal personally with the various problems of modern administration. Thus the ministers lay down the policy and it is for the civil servants to enforce it. The cabinet secretary ( IAST : Maṃtrimaṇḍala Saciva ) is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the Government of India. The cabinet secretary
12600-461: The permanent bureaucracy of India. The executive decisions are implemented by the Indian civil servants. In the parliamentary democracy of India, the ultimate responsibility for running the administration rests with the elected representatives of the people which are the ministers. These ministers are accountable to the legislatures which are also elected by the people based on universal adult suffrage . The ministers are indirectly responsible to
12726-405: The power to rule by decree ; this period is known for human rights violations such as mass sterilisation and the imprisonment of Indira's political opponents. After widespread protests, the emergency was lifted in 1977, and a general election was held. All of the political parties of the opposition—after the conclusion of the emergency—fought together against the Congress, under the umbrella of
12852-546: The president has confidence in him/her. However, a prime minister must have the confidence of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India . The term of a prime minister can end before the end of a Lok Sabha's term, if a simple majority of its members no longer have confidence in him/her, this is called a vote-of-no-confidence . Three prime ministers, I. K. Gujral , H. D. Deve Gowda and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been voted out from office this way. In addition,
12978-419: The president. India is currently the largest democracy in the world, with around 900 million eligible voters, as of 2019. In India, power is divided between the governments of the union and the states of India , the latter being ruled by the chiefs ministers . The state legislature is bicameral in five states and unicameral in the rest. The lower house is elected with a five-year term, while in
13104-468: The president; and his government fell. Thereafter, Charan Singh —a deputy prime minister in Desai's cabinet—with outside, conditional support from Congress, proved a majority in Lok Sabha and took oath as Prime Minister. However, Congress pulled its support shortly after, and Singh had to resign; he had a tenure of 5 months, the shortest in the history of the office. In 1980 , after a three-year absence,
13230-629: The process of economic liberalisation during his reign, resulting in economic growth. In addition to the development of infrastructure and basic facilities, the government took several steps to improve the infrastructure of the country, such as, the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY; IAST : Pradhānamaṃtrī Grāma Saḍaka Yojanā ; lit. Prime Minister Rural Road Scheme), for
13356-568: The process. His tenure ended in May 1964, on his death. After the death of Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri —a former home minister and a leader of the Congress party—ascended to the position of prime minister. Shastri's tenure saw the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 . Shashtri subsequently died of a reported heart attack in Tashkent , after signing the Tashkent Declaration . After Shastri, Indira Gandhi —Nehru's daughter—was elected as
13482-469: The recommendations of the Council of Ministers, among others. The President, as the head of state , also receives the credentials of ambassadors from other countries, while the prime minister , as head of government , receives credentials of high commissioners from other members of the Commonwealth , in line with historical tradition. The President is the de jure commander-in-chief of
13608-485: The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition; Vajpayee's government, hence, became a caretaker one after losing a motion-of-no-confidence 269–270, this coincided with the Kargil War with Pakistan. In the subsequent October 1999 general election , the BJP-led NDA and its affiliated parties secured a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha, winning 299 of 543 seats in the lower house . Vajpayee continued
13734-521: The scheme. As per the World Health Organization , the proportion of institutional deliveries in India almost tripled between 2005 and 2016, from 18% to 52%. The Janani Suraksha Yojana was implemented to ensure that pregnant women who are Below the Poverty Line (BPL) access health facilities for childbirth. It provides cash benefit to eligible pregnant women if they choose to deliver in a health facility, irrespective of their age and
13860-494: The single largest item of expenditure and accounted for more than 40% of the total non-development expenditure in the 2003–04 budget. Defence expenditure increased fourfold during the same period and has been increasing to defend from a difficult neighbourhood and external terror threats. In 2020–21, India's defence budget stood at ₹ 4.71 trillion (equivalent to ₹ 5.5 trillion or US$ 66 billion in 2023). In 2009, several ministers are accused of corruption and nearly
13986-477: The skill set of doctors at strategically located facilities identified by the states. Similarly, due importance is given to capacity building of nursing staff and auxiliary workers such as ANMs. NHM also supports co-location of AYUSH services in Health facilities such as PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals. Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention scheme implemented by the Government of India. It
14112-413: The state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the separation of powers . The executive power is vested mainly in the President of India , as per Article 53(1) of the constitution. The president has all constitutional powers and exercises them directly or through subordinate officers as per the aforesaid Article 53(1). The president
14238-405: The state government to levy property tax and charge users for public utilities like water supply , sewage etc. More than half of the revenues of the union and state governments come from taxes, of which 3/4 come from direct taxes . More than a quarter of the union government's tax revenues are shared with the state governments. The tax reforms, initiated in 1991, have sought to rationalise
14364-456: The tax structure and increase compliance by taking steps in the following directions: The non-tax revenues of the central government come from fiscal services, interest receipts, public sector dividends, etc., while the non-tax revenues of the States are grants from the central government, interest receipts, dividends and income from general, economic and social services. Inter-state share in
14490-480: The transfer of any civil or criminal case from one state high court to another state high court, or from a Court subordinate to another state high court and the supreme court. Although the proceedings in the supreme court arise out of the judgment or orders made by the subordinate courts, of late the supreme court has started entertaining matters in which the interest of the public at large is involved. This may be done by any individual or group of persons either by filing
14616-459: The union cabinet and the president officially communicate through the prime minister. Otherwise, the Constitution recognises the prime minister as a member of the union cabinet only outside the sphere of union cabinet. The prime minister recommends to the president—among others—names for the appointment of: As the chairperson of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), the prime minister—on
14742-554: The union tax pool is decided by the recommendations of the Finance Commission to the president. Total tax receipts of Centre and State amount to approximately 18% of national GDP. This compares to a figure of 37–45% in the OECD. The Finance minister of India usually presents the annual union budget in the parliament on the last working day of February. However, for the F.Y. 2017–18, this tradition had been changed. Now
14868-411: The upper house one-third of the members in the house gets elected every two years with six-year terms. Local governments function at the basic level. It is the third level of government apart from union and state governments. It consists of panchayats in rural areas and municipalities in urban areas. They are elected directly or indirectly by the people. India has a three-tier tax structure, wherein
14994-687: The utilization of outpatient services, diagnostic facilities, institutional deliveries and inpatient . There is one ASHA for 1000 population. The Rogi Kalyan Samiti (Patient Welfare Committee) / Hospital Management Society is a management structure that acts as a group of trustees for the hospitals to manage the affairs of the hospital. Financial assistance is provided to these Committees through untied fund to undertake activities for patient welfare. Untied Grants to Sub-Centers have been used to fund grass-root improvements in health care. Some examples include: NRHM has provided health care contractors to underserved areas, and has been involved in training to expand
15120-422: Was Jawaharlal Nehru , also the first prime minister, whose tenure lasted 16 years and 286 days. His premiership was followed by Lal Bahadur Shastri 's short tenure and Indira Gandhi 's 11- and 4-year-long tenures, both politicians belonging to the Indian National Congress . After Indira Gandhi's assassination , her son Rajiv Gandhi took charge until 1989, when a decade with five unstable governments began. This
15246-770: Was also a witness to the demolition of the Babri Masjid , which resulted in the death of about 2,000 people. Rao, however, did complete five continuous years in office, becoming the first prime minister outside of the Nehru—Gandhi family to do so. After the end of Rao's tenure in May 1996, the nation saw four prime ministers in a span of three years, viz. , two tenures of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ; one tenure of H. D. Deve Gowda from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997; and one tenure of I. K. Gujral from 21 April 1997 to 19 March 1998. The government of Prime Minister Vajpayee—elected in 1998 —took some concrete steps; in May 1998—after
15372-647: Was carried by an all-European Legislative Council and Viceroy's Executive Council . As such, no Indians were represented in government before 1909. India's current bicameral Parliament has its roots in the Government of India Act 1919 , commonly known as the Montagu - Chelmsford reforms, which introduced a greatly expanded Imperial Legislative Council . It comprised a lower house, the Central Legislative Assembly of 145 members (of which 104 were elected and 41 nominated) and an upper house,
15498-401: Was followed by the full terms of P. V. Narasimha Rao , Atal Bihari Vajpayee , Manmohan Singh , and Narendra Modi . Modi is the 14th and current prime minister of India, serving since 26 May 2014 . India follows a parliamentary system in which the prime minister is the presiding head of the government and chief of the executive of the government. In such systems, the head of state , or,
15624-559: Was launched on 12 April 2005 by the Prime Minister of India . It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women and to reduce neo-natal mortality and maternal mortality . It is operated under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as part of the National Rural Health Mission. The Scheme integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care, particularly in states with low institutional delivery rates. In 2014 -15, 10,438,000 women obtained benefits under
15750-415: Was shot dead by Satwant Singh and Beant Singh —two of her bodyguards—in the garden of her residence at 1, Safdarjung Road , New Delhi. After Indira, Rajiv —her eldest son and 40 years old at the time—was sworn in on the evening of 31 October 1984, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the office of prime minister. Rajiv immediately called for a general election. In the subsequent general election ,
15876-525: Was unpopular amongst Indians and is considered a failure as it did not give Indians self-rule and permanent dominion status (the form of government followed in Canada , Australia and New Zealand ) as was previously promised. Between midnight on 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950 , India was an independent, self-governing dominion of the Commonwealth of Nations , a constitutional monarchy with
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