Union and State Government

Overview

Union and State Government is a cornerstone topic in the Civics section of TN TET Paper II Social Studies. It tests your understanding of India's federal structure—how power is distributed between the Centre and States, and how key constitutional offices function. Questions typically ask about appointment procedures, tenure, powers, and relationships between different constitutional authorities.

This topic directly connects to the Indian Constitution unit and forms the basis for understanding how democratic governance operates at both levels. Expect 3–5 questions covering the President, Prime Minister, Parliament, Governor, and Chief Minister. Mastery here also helps with questions on legislative procedures, constitutional amendments, and the relationship between executive and legislature.

Students must know not just facts (like Article numbers and tenure) but also the functional relationships—who appoints whom, who is answerable to whom, and what happens during constitutional crises.

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Key Concepts

• **Federal Structure with Unitary Bias**: India has a dual polity—Union and State governments—but the Centre holds more powers during emergencies, making it "quasi-federal."

• **Parliamentary System**: Both Union and State levels follow the Westminster model where the executive (PM/CM) is drawn from and answerable to the legislature.

• **Nominal vs Real Executive**: President and Governor are nominal (constitutional) heads; PM and CM are real executives who exercise actual power.

• **Collective Responsibility**: The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the lower house (Lok Sabha at Centre, Legislative Assembly at State).

• **Bicameralism**: Parliament has two houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha); States may have one (Assembly) or two (Assembly + Council) houses.