Governors of India’s states have powers and responsibilities that are similar to those of the president of India at the national level. Governors in states &Â lieutenant governors in union territories such as Delhi’s National Capital Territory (NCT) are appointed authorities. The governor serves as a ceremonial leader, while the chief ministers of the states and their councils of ministers have real power. Except in the NCTs of Delhi and Puducherry, where the governor shares power with a council of ministers led by a chief minister, the real power in union territory lies with the lieutenant governor or administrator. Governors are rarely, if ever, from the state in which they are appointed.
Role of Governor of India
Just as the President is the head of the republic, the Governor is the head of a state. A state’s formal head is the Governor, whereas the executive head is the Chief Minister. The Governor takes all executive decisions on behalf of the state. In actuality, he simply offers his approval to various executive activities. He or she is incapable of making significant decisions. The Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers have the real power in a state’s executive dealings.
A 1956 change to the Indian Constitution allowed for the governorship of two or more states to be held by the same individual. Lieutenant governors are appointed in the Union Territories of Delhi, Andaman Nicobar Island, and Puducherry in addition to governors in the states. An Administrative Head governs all other union-territories (an IAS officer). Chandigarh is the sole exception. Punjab’s governor is also Chandigarh’s lieutenant governor.
The powers of the Lieutenant Governor of a union territory are the same as those of a state governor in India. Both are appointed by India’s President for a five-year term.
Legislative Powers
Because the Governor is considered a part of the State Legislature, he has the same powers as the President in terms of addressing and conveying messages, summoning, deferring, and dissolving the State Legislature. Although these are statutory authorities, the Governor must be directed by the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers before making decisions of this nature.
The Governor opens the state legislature and the first session of each year by addressing the Assembly and detailing the ruling government’s new administrative policies.
The Governor presents the annual financial summary to the State Legislature, as well as grant requests and money bill recommendations.
Eligibility Criteria
The following are the eligibility conditions for Governor appointments in India, according to the Indian Constitution:
- He or she must be a citizen of India.
- He or she cannot be a member of the Union or any other state’s legislature. The selection of a Governor from among the members of the Legislature is not prohibited, provided that he or she immediately ceases to be a member of the Legislature upon appointment.
Salary
The Governor’s (Emoluments, Allowances, and Privileges) Act of 1982 stipulates that a Governor’s monthly remuneration is Rs 1,10,000. The Governor is also entitled to a number of benefits and allowances, which will not be reduced during his five-year term in office.
Facilities
In addition to his monthly pay, the Governor is entitled to a number of special benefits, including medical care, housing, travel, phone and electricity bill reimbursement, and a variety of additional benefits. The Governor is furnished with a free official dwelling. The Governor and his or her family are also entitled to free medical care for the rest of their lives. The Governor is also given a set amount of money to cover his travel expenditures across the country.
Governor of India list
State | Governor |
Andhra Pradesh | Shri Biswa Bhusan Harichandan |
Arunachal Pradesh | Brig. (Dr.) B. D. Mishra (Retd.) |
Assam | Prof. Jagdish Mukhi |
Bihar | Shri Phagu Chauhan |
Chhattisgarh | Sushri Anusuiya Uikey |
Goa | Shri P.S. Sreedharan Pillai |
Gujarat | Shri Acharya Dev Vrat |
Haryana | Shri Bandaru Dattatraya |
Himachal Pradesh | Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar |
Jharkhand | Shri Ramesh Bais |
Karnataka | Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot |
Kerala | Shri Arif Mohammed Khan |
Madhya Pradesh | Shri Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel |
Maharashtra | Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari |
Manipur | Shri La. Ganesan |
Meghalaya | Shri Satya Pal Malik |
Mizoram | Dr. Kambhampati Haribabu |
Nagaland | Prof. Jagdish Mukhi |
Odisha | Prof. Ganeshi Lal |
Punjab | Shri Banwarilal Purohit |
Rajasthan | Shri Ganga Prasad |
Sikkim | Shri Ganga Prasad |
Tamil Nadu | Shri R. N. Ravi |
Telangana | Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan |
Tripura | Shri Satyadeo Narain Arya |
Uttar Pradesh | Smt. Anandiben Patel |
Uttarakhand | Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.) |
West Bengal | Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar |
Conclusion
We can conclude that The Governors are supported and assisted in carrying out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives by department and agency heads, many of whom they have the authority to select. A majority of governors can also appoint state court judges, usually from a nominations committee’s list of applicants. Although governors share many roles and responsibilities, the scope of gubernatorial power varies by state due to state constitutions, legislation, and tradition, and governors are frequently ranked by political historians and other observers of state politics based on the number and scope of their powers.