CHAPTER - 03 HOW THE STATE GOVT. WORKS


NOTES

The government works at three levels- national, state and local.

Who is an MLA?

(i) Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly. In states, it is the MLA (Member of Legislature Assembly) who represents the people. The MLAs are elected by the people and they form the government.

· Every MLA is elected from one area. This area is known as his or her constituency.

· A political party whose MLA’s win more than half the number of constituencies in the state get majority. The political party is called the ruling party.

· All the other members form the opposition.

(ii) The head of the state is the Governor while the head of the government consists of the council of ministers headed by the Chief Minister.

(iii) After the elections, the MLAs belonging to the ruling party will elect their leader who will become the Chief Minister. The chief minister then selects other people as ministers. After the elections, it is the Governor of the state who appoints the chief minister and other ministers.

(iv) The chief minister and other ministers have the responsibility of running various government departments or ministries. They have separate offices.

A debate in the Legislative Assembly:

(i) In common usage, the word ‘government’ refers to government departments and various ministers who head them. The overall head is the chief minister. This is called the executive part of the government.

(ii) During debates in the Legislative Assembly, MLAs can express their opinions and ask questions related to the issue or give suggestions about what should be done by the government. Those who wish to, can respond to this. The concerned minister then replies to the questions and tries to assure the Assembly that adequate steps are being taken.

(iii) All the MLAs who gather together (assemble) in the legislative assembly are called the Legislature. They are the ones who authorise and supervise their work.

Working of the government:

(i) The legislative assembly is a place where leaders debate and discuss on important issues and make important bills.

(ii) In addition to legislative assembly, a 'press conference' is also a mode of knowing what the government does for the people.

(iii) The government works through various departments like public works department, agriculture, health and education.

(iv) The government has the power to make new laws for the state regarding health and sanitation. This act of making laws on certain issues is done in the Legislative Assembly of each state. The various government departments then implement these laws. Laws for the entire country are made in the Parliament.

EXERCISE

Q1. Use the terms 'constituency' and 'represent' to explain who an MLA is and how is the person elected?
Ans: Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly and each state is divided into different areas or constituencies on the basis of population for the purpose of elections. For example, the state of Himachal Pradesh is divided into 68 constituencies.  From each constituency, the people elect one representative who then becomes a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Each MLA belongs to a particular political party. MLAs are elected by the people and form the government, hence, they represent the people of the respective constituencies from which they are elected.

Q2. How did some MLAs become Ministers? Explain.
Ans: Every MLA belongs to a political party. Some MLAs become ministers when their party wins more than half the number of constituencies in a state and thus forms the majority. The political party that has the majority is called the ruling party and all other members are called the opposition. After the elections, The MLAs from the ruling party can elect the Chief Minister of the state. The Chief Minister then selects a few of the elected MLAs as ministers. Not all elected MLAs can become ministers. The Governor of the state appoints the Chief Minister and other ministers. The Chief Minister and other ministers have the responsibility of running various government departments or ministries. They have separate offices.

Q3. Why should decisions are taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers be debated in the Legislative Assembly?
Ans: Decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers should be debated in the Legislative Assembly as these decisions have to be approved by all the other members of the Legislative Assembly. The MLAs are collectively responsible for the work that the government does. They also have to answer questions that are asked in the Legislative Assembly and convince people asking the questions that proper steps are being taken. As they have been elected by the people to form the government, they are responsible and accountable to them. In a democracy, these members can ask questions, debate an important issue, decide where money should be spent etc.
For example, if there are issues pertaining to a change in government policy, the issues need to be discussed in the Legislative Assembly before implementing the change. All members of the Legislative Assembly including the members of the opposition should be a part of the discussion before any final decision is taken.

Q4. What was the problem in Patalpuram? What discussion/action was taken by the following? Fill in the table.

Public meeting
Legislative Assembly
Press Conference
Chief minister

Ans: The problem in Patalpuram was that there was a lack of clean drinking water and proper sanitation. In addition, people were dying of water-borne diseases and there was a shortage of proper medical facilities.

Public meeting - Demand for the MLA  to take responsibility for the deteriorating healthcare and sanitation conditions and put a stop to the innumerable deaths.
Legislative Assembly - Discussion on the need for proper sanitation and healthcare facilities by the MLAs. Explanation by the MLAs on the steps taken by the government.
Press Conference - Explanation by the Minister on the steps taken to improve medical facilities and provide tankers which would supply clean drinking water. Inform that the Chief Minister has promised funds for the same. Plans to start a campaign to inform people about the steps to stop diarrhea.
Chief Minister -Assured that a high-level inquiry committee will look into the needs of the district to provide sanitation facilities. A promise of funds for the measures suggested by the Health Minister. The promise of a proper and timely collection of garbage for better sanitation. Compensation announced for the families of those people who died due to diseases.

Q5. What is the difference between the work that MLAs do in the Assembly and the work done by government departments?
Ans: MLAs can express their opinions and ask questions related to the issue or give suggestions about what should be done by the government in the assembly and pass laws. They form the ruling government. The government departments, run by the chief minister and other ministers, implement the laws made by the Legislative Assembly. The work done by the government departments has to be approved by the members of the Legislative Assembly.