Indian Polity and Governance

Under Article 164 of the Constitution, the council of ministers in a state is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly (the lower house). This means they must maintain the confidence of the Assembly. The Legislative Council (upper house) cannot remove the ministry, and the governor's role is largely ceremonial.

The Governor of a state has the constitutional authority to nominate one representative of the Anglo-Indian community to the State Legislative Assembly. This is similar to the President's power to nominate Anglo-Indian members to the Lok Sabha. The Speaker or Chief Minister does not have this nomination power.

The Finance Commission is a constitutional body appointed by the President under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution. It recommends the distribution of financial resources between the Union and the States, and is constituted every five years. Article 280 specifically deals with the Finance Commission's constitution and duties.

The National Development Council includes the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of states, Administrators of Union Territories, and Union Cabinet Ministers. State Governors are not members as they hold constitutional positions rather than executive political roles.

India follows a parliamentary system where the President is the constitutional head of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises executive powers. The President's role is largely ceremonial.

According to Article 94 of the Constitution, the Lok Sabha Speaker can be removed only by a resolution passed by a majority of all then-members of the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister, President, and Rajya Sabha do not have the power to remove the Speaker.

Under Article 156 of the Indian Constitution, Governors hold office during the pleasure of the President. This means they can be removed by the President at any time without needing to give reasons. The Speaker, Prime Minister, and Election Commissioners do not serve 'during the pleasure' of the President.

Article 108 of the Indian Constitution states that the President shall summon a joint sitting of both Houses to resolve disagreements on ordinary bills. The Speaker of Lok Sabha presides over such sessions, but only the President has the constitutional authority to summon them. This is a crucial provision for legislative deadlock resolution.

The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, not by the Council of Ministers. The Council's actual roles include policy formulation, inter-departmental coordination, and advisory functions for appointments.

The head of the Punjab School Education Board is designated as the Chairman, not Chancellor (typically used for universities) or Vice-Chancellor (also a university title). This terminology is consistent with state education boards across India.

Article 331 of the Constitution originally allowed the President to nominate up to 2 Anglo-Indians to the Lok Sabha. This provision was intended to give representation to the Anglo-Indian community during the early years of the Republic. Note: This provision was discontinued by the 104th Amendment Act (2020).

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over its meetings and maintains order during proceedings. The Vice-President presides over Rajya Sabha, while the President addresses both Houses but does not preside over routine Lok Sabha meetings.

Article 54 of the Constitution specifies that the President is elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of State Legislative Assemblies. Nominated members and members of Legislative Councils (where they exist) do not vote.

Under Article 156, a Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President, meaning the President can remove a Governor from office at any time without assigning reasons. This is different from state legislators who can only be removed through specific constitutional processes like no-confidence motions.

The Planning Commission was set up by the order of prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.