Note 021
How Parliament Works: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and Law-Making
India's Parliament is the country's supreme legislative body. It consists of the President and two Houses: the Lok Sabha, or House of the People, and the…
Indian Democracy in 100 Notes · Theme 3 of 10
🏛️ Parliament & federalism
How laws are made, why Question Hour matters, how money is shared between the Centre and states, and the big structural debates: delimitation and One Nation, One Election.
Note 022
Question Hour, Debates and Disruptions: Is Disruption a Democratic Tool?
Question Hour is usually the first hour of a sitting, when members put questions to ministers and can ask follow-up, or supplementary, questions. In the…
Note 023
The Budget Session and Why the Budget Is a Political Document
The Union Budget is formally called the Annual Financial Statement, laid before both Houses under Article 112 of the Constitution. It sets out the…
Note 024
Opposition in Parliament: Role, Rights, and Limits
A parliamentary democracy needs an opposition, not merely a losing side. The opposition's job is to scrutinise government proposals, offer alternatives…
Note 025
Federalism in India: Strong Centre, Strong States, Constant Negotiation
India is described in Article 1 of the Constitution as a "Union of States", not as a federation formed by states coming together. That wording matters.…
Note 026
Finance Commission and GST Council: Sharing Money, Sharing Power
Two institutions sit at the heart of how money moves between the Centre and the states: the Finance Commission and the GST Council. They work differently…
Note 027
State Assemblies vs Parliament: Where Different Politics Live
India has two layers of elected legislature that often feel like different political worlds. Parliament in New Delhi makes laws for the whole country on…
Note 028
Delimitation and Representation: Why Boundaries Matter
Delimitation is the redrawing of constituency boundaries so that each elected representative speaks for a roughly equal number of people. Without it…
Note 029
Parliamentary Committees: The Quiet Work Behind the Noise
Television coverage of Parliament tends to show the noise: shouting, adjournments and walkouts. Much of Parliament's real work happens elsewhere, in…
Note 030
One Nation, One Election: The Idea, the Arguments For and Against
"One Nation, One Election" is the proposal to hold elections to the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies at the same time, rather than on…