Union and State Government

Overview

Union and State Government is a foundational civics topic for TS TET Paper II Social Studies. It tests your understanding of India's federal structure—how power is distributed between the Centre and States, and the roles of key constitutional functionaries. This topic directly connects to the Indian Constitution section and frequently appears in both content and pedagogy questions.

For the exam, you must know the qualifications, election methods, powers and functions of the President, Prime Minister, Parliament at the Union level, and the Governor and Chief Minister at the State level. Questions often test comparative understanding—how the PM differs from the President, or how the Governor's role parallels the President's at the state level. Mastering this topic also helps you teach civics effectively using real-world examples of democratic functioning.

The key mental framework: India follows a parliamentary system where the real executive power lies with the PM/CM (elected, accountable to legislature), while the President/Governor serves as the nominal/constitutional head (appointed, ceremonial role with some discretionary powers).

Key Concepts

• **Federal Structure with Unitary Bias**: India has a dual polity—Union government for national matters, State governments for state matters. However, the Centre is stronger (can create/abolish states, appoint Governors, impose President's Rule).

• **Parliamentary System**: The executive (PM/CM and Council of Ministers) is drawn from and accountable to the legislature. This differs from the presidential system where the executive is separately elected.

• **Nominal vs Real Executive**: President and Governor are nominal heads (act on advice of Council of Ministers). PM and CM are real executives wielding actual power.

• **Collective Responsibility**: The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the lower house (Lok Sabha at Centre, Legislative Assembly at State). If the government loses majority, it must resign.

• **Bicameral Parliament**: Union Parliament has two houses—Lok Sabha (lower, directly elected, more powerful) and Rajya Sabha (upper, indirectly elected, represents states).

• **President's Discretionary Powers**: Limited situations where President can act independently—appointing PM when no clear majority, dissolving Lok Sabha, returning bills for reconsideration.

• **Governor as Centre's Agent**: Unlike the elected President, Governor is appointed by the Centre and serves as a link between Union and State governments.

Key Facts

### The President of India