India follows a parliamentary system in which the Executive is responsible to Parliament.
The Union Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to:
Lok Sabha
under:
Article 75(3)
Parliament exercises control over the Executive through:
The purpose is to ensure:
Executive accountability + Democratic control
In a parliamentary system:
Executive is responsible to the Legislature
At the Union level, the:
Council of Ministers
is collectively responsible to:
Lok Sabha
This means the government must retain the confidence of the elected House.
Question Hour is one of the most important instruments of parliamentary control.
Members can question Ministers about:
Questions force the Executive to:
Provide information + Explain decisions
A Starred Question requires:
Oral answer
The member may ask:
Supplementary questions
This allows members to seek immediate clarification from Ministers.
An Unstarred Question receives:
Written answer
Supplementary questions are:
Not allowed
It provides members with detailed information in written form.
A Short Notice Question concerns:
A matter of urgent public importance
and is asked with shorter notice than normally required.
It requires:
Oral answer
Zero Hour provides an opportunity for members to raise:
Matters of urgent public importance
It generally follows Question Hour.
Zero Hour is:
A parliamentary practice
and is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
Debates allow MPs to:
Debate provides:
Political and legislative scrutiny
of the Executive.
Parliamentary motions are important instruments of executive accountability.
Examples include:
They enable Parliament to:
Express approval or disapproval
and:
Demand government accountability
A No-Confidence Motion tests whether the:
Council of Ministers enjoys the confidence of Lok Sabha
If the government loses the motion:
The Council of Ministers must resign
Its constitutional basis is connected with:
Article 75(3)
which establishes collective responsibility to Lok Sabha.
A Censure Motion expresses:
Disapproval of a specific policy, action or conduct
of the government.
It is generally directed against:
A particular policy or action
Unlike a No-Confidence Motion, it does not necessarily test the government's overall majority.
An Adjournment Motion is used to raise:
A definite matter of urgent public importance
It interrupts the normal business of the House if admitted.
It is therefore a powerful mechanism of:
Executive scrutiny
A Calling Attention procedure allows a member to draw the attention of a:
Minister
to an urgent matter of public importance.
The Minister makes a:
Statement
and members may seek clarification.
Parliamentary Committees provide:
Detailed scrutiny
of government functioning.
They examine:
Committees are particularly important because detailed scrutiny is difficult during full House proceedings.
The Public Accounts Committee examines:
It helps determine whether public money was:
Legally authorised + Properly spent
The PAC therefore provides:
Post-expenditure parliamentary scrutiny
The Estimates Committee examines:
Estimates of expenditure
It can suggest:
It therefore focuses mainly on:
Future or proposed expenditure
The Committee on Public Undertakings examines:
Public Sector Undertakings
It also examines relevant:
CAG reports
This provides parliamentary oversight of public enterprises.
Department-related Standing Committees scrutinise:
They provide:
Detailed sector-specific scrutiny
Parliament controls government expenditure through:
This ensures that:
Public money is spent with parliamentary authorisation
Demands for Grants are voted by:
Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha can:
a demand.
Rajya Sabha can discuss the financial proposals but does not vote on Demands for Grants.
Cut Motions allow Lok Sabha members to propose reductions in:
Demands for Grants
The three major types are:
Demand reduced to:
Re. 1
It expresses disapproval of the underlying policy.
Demand reduced by:
A specified amount
It indicates that expenditure can be reduced.
Demand reduced by:
Rs. 100
It raises a specific grievance.
The Budget allows Parliament to examine:
The process ensures:
Legislative control over public finance
Parliament controls the Executive through its:
Law-making power
Government policies may require legislation.
Parliament can:
The Executive therefore cannot always implement major policies without:
Legislative authority
Parliament often delegates rule-making powers to the Executive.
However, Parliament can scrutinise delegated legislation through mechanisms such as:
Committee on Subordinate Legislation
This helps ensure that executive-made rules remain:
Within the authority delegated by Parliament
Article 105 provides parliamentary privileges.
These privileges protect the ability of MPs to:
Privileges therefore support:
Effective parliamentary scrutiny
The Opposition plays a central role in controlling the Executive.
It can:
Thus:
Opposition → Parliamentary accountability
The government must retain the confidence of:
Lok Sabha
because the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to it.
This provides the ultimate parliamentary check on:
Government survival
Article 75(3) establishes:
Collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers to Lok Sabha
This means ministers generally stand together as a political team.
If the government loses the confidence of Lok Sabha:
The Council of Ministers must resign
Ministers are also accountable for the functioning of their ministries.
Parliament can question them about:
This creates:
Day-to-day accountability
Parliament exercises control both:
Before expenditure
and:
After expenditure
Examples:
Examples:
The Comptroller and Auditor General audits government accounts.
Its reports are submitted to:
President
and laid before Parliament.
They are examined by parliamentary mechanisms, especially:
Public Accounts Committee
Thus:
CAG Audit + Parliamentary Scrutiny
strengthens financial accountability.
Parliament also plays a role in scrutinising constitutional emergency powers.
For example:
Certain proclamations require:
Parliamentary approval
within constitutionally prescribed periods.
When the President promulgates an:
Ordinance
it must be placed before Parliament when it reassembles.
Parliament can:
This provides legislative oversight over:
Executive ordinance-making power
The Executive may make:
under powers delegated by Parliament.
Parliamentary committees can examine whether such delegated legislation:
Parliamentary control is not unlimited or equally effective at all times.
Challenges include:
The Tenth Schedule imposes party discipline on legislators.
This can strengthen:
Government stability
but may also reduce:
Individual legislative independence
because members may be constrained by party directions in specified voting situations.
Parliamentary control is complemented by:
Judicial review
Courts can examine whether executive actions comply with:
Thus:
Parliamentary control + Judicial review
provide different forms of accountability.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| Article 75(3) | Collective responsibility to Lok Sabha |
| Article 105 | Parliamentary privileges |
| Article 112 | Annual Financial Statement |
| Article 113 | Demands for Grants |
| Article 114 | Appropriation Bills |
| Article 115 | Supplementary, Additional and Excess Grants |
| Article 116 | Votes on Account, Credit and Exceptional Grants |
| Article 123 | President's Ordinance-making power |
| Article 249 | Rajya Sabha resolution on State List |
| Article 352 | National Emergency |
| Article 356 | President's Rule |
| Article 360 | Financial Emergency |
Council of Ministers:
Collectively responsible to Lok Sabha
Question Hour:
Executive scrutiny
Zero Hour:
Parliamentary practice
No-Confidence Motion:
Lok Sabha
PAC:
CAG reports + Public expenditure
Estimates Committee:
Expenditure estimates
Demands for Grants:
Voted by Lok Sabha
Article 105:
Parliamentary privileges
Article 123:
President's Ordinance
Tenth Schedule:
Anti-Defection
"Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to Parliament."
False.
It is collectively responsible to:
Lok Sabha
"Rajya Sabha votes on Demands for Grants."
False.
Only:
Lok Sabha
votes on Demands for Grants.
"Question Hour is merely a method of obtaining information and has no accountability function."
False.
Questions are an important instrument of:
Executive accountability
"PAC examines only future expenditure."
False.
PAC primarily examines:
Actual expenditure
and CAG reports.
"Estimates Committee audits government expenditure after it has occurred."
False.
It primarily examines:
Expenditure estimates
and suggests economies and improvements.
"Parliament cannot scrutinise delegated legislation."
False.
The:
Committee on Subordinate Legislation
helps scrutinise delegated legislation.
"Every Ordinance automatically becomes permanent law."
False.
An Ordinance is temporary and must comply with the constitutional procedure governing ordinances.
Parliamentary Control
↓
Questions
↓
Debates
↓
Motions
↓
Committees
↓
Budgetary Control
↓
Legislative Scrutiny
↓
Privileges
↓
Opposition
↓
Executive Accountability
Article 75(3)
→ Collective Responsibility
→ Lok Sabha
Financial Control
→ Budget
→ Demands for Grants
→ Appropriation
→ PAC
→ CAG
Executive Rule-Making
→ Delegated Legislation
→ Committee on Subordinate Legislation
41. Mains Relevance
Parliamentary control over the Executive is the foundation of responsible government in India.
It operates through multiple mechanisms:
Questions + Motions + Debates + Committees + Financial Control + Legislative Scrutiny
However, effective accountability requires Parliament to have:
Adequate sitting time
Strong committee functioning
Meaningful debate
Effective opposition participation
Timely government responses
Greater legislative scrutiny
The ultimate objective is to ensure that the Executive remains:
Accountable, transparent and constitutionally responsible
to the elected representatives of the people.