Tag: governor, chief minister and state council of ministers

The leader of the majority in the State Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister who selects his team of ministers. He submits the list to the Governor who formally appoints them as ministers. Normally, all ministers are taken from the members of the state legislature.

Elections to the state legislative assembly are held every five years. Based on the result of the election, the Governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The Governor appoints the Chief Minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly.

The Chief Minister has the prime responsibility of coordinating the work of all departments of the government. He has to see that all the ministers may work as a team and help each other. He resolves the conflict or deadlocks between any two or more departments. His decisions supersede the decisions of his ministers.

The Chief Minister presides over the meetings of the Cabinet. He prepares the agenda of its meetings, communicates it to the ministers and then presides over these. He can summon such meetings at any time. As chairman of the Cabinet he plays a key role in the deliberations held and the decisions taken.

The Constitution of India guarantees the citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression as the fundamental right. The government action and policies need not only be necessarily discussed in the legislature (Parliament or State legislature) but on other platforms also like holding a lawful public protest, demonstration, in newspapers, through mass media etc. An aggrieved person can also send a letter to the government office.

A government is headed by the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, in order to manage the functioning of the government, appoints ministers at various levels like cabinet ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers. Every government departments is headed by a cabinet minister who is directly accountable for the functioning of the particular department. The heads of the government departments who are bureaucrats, are responsible for the handling of the government decisions. The bureaucrats project and get the works completed. The ministers give approval to the work.

Ex-Gratia is Latin for "by favour", and is most often used in a legal context. When something has been done ex gratia, it has been done voluntarily, out of kindness or grace. In law, an ex gratia payment is a payment made without the giver recognising any liability or legal obligation.

The Union Territories are controlled by the President through an executive, who is selected by him with an appropriate designation. This designation is called either Lieutenant Governor or Chief Commissioner or Administrator. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Delhi, the overseer is called Lt. Governor, while in Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep he/she is known as Administrator.