Union

The Indian government, officially known as the Union of India (as per Article 300 of the Indian constitution), is based on the Westminster system. The Union in the polity is primarily the executive, legislature, and judiciary, with powers delegated to the prime minister, parliament, and supreme court, respectively, under the constitution. The president of India is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. At the same time, the elected prime minister leads the executive and is in charge of the Union government of India. The lower house, the Lok Sabha, is bicameral, while the upper chamber, the Rajya Sabha, is unicameral.

Government of the Union

Although the three arms of the federal union government of India have diverse functions, the constitution nevertheless allows for some interdependence. The president, vice president, and a Council of Ministers make up the executive branch, chaired by the prime minister. 

The two houses of parliament—the lower house, or Lok Sabha (House of the People), and the upper house, or Rajya Sabha—make up the legislative branch (Council of States). The Indian president is also a member of parliament. The Supreme Court sits at the pinnacle of the judicial branch, and its decisions are binding on state governments’ higher and lower courts.

Governments at the state and local levels

As the constitution specifies, the states’ government system is quite similar to that of the union in the polity. The governor and a council of ministers, led by the chief minister, make up the executive branch. The governor, like the president, is largely a ceremonial and nominal position. All states have a Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), which is popularly elected for terms of up to five years, and a small (and declining) number of states have an upper house, the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council), which is roughly equivalent to the Rajya Sabha, with memberships that may not exceed one-third of the assemblies. 

One-sixth of the members of these councils are appointed by the governor, with the remaining members being elected by various types of specially qualified voters. When no party can gather a workable majority, state governors are considered members of legislative assemblies, which they can suspend or dissolve. Each Indian state is divided into several districts, subdivided into tehsils, taluks, or subdivisions for administrative purposes. These are subdivided further into community development blocks, normally having roughly 100 settlements. A three-tiered local government system is enforced on these units. Each hamlet elects its governing council at the most basic level (gram panchayat). The village representative on the council of the community development block is also the head of a gram panchayat (panchayat Samiti). Each panchayat Samiti appoints a person to the district council.

Indian Union In Geography

India’s States and Capitals in 2022: India (Bharat) is in the southern region of Asia, the world’s largest continent, and is formally known as the Republic of India. A parliamentary system governs the country. According to the most recent data from 2022, India has 28 states and eight union territories (UTs) in the Indian union geography. India’s administrative, legislative, and judicial capitals are located in each state and union territory. A Chief Minister is in charge of each state. India ranks as the world’s second most popular country. It is also believed to be the world’s seventh-largest country. It can be tough to oversee the country’s activities because it is huge. The Indian constitution gives the central government the authority to split the country into states and union territories as it sees fit.

Difference Between States And Union Territories

• Administration and Control: The state is divided into administrative units with its own elected government. The Central Government controls and administers the Union Territories, constituent subdivisions.
• The Governor is the Executive Head of state, while the President is the Executive Head of union territories.
• Centre’s Relationship
• The federal government has a relationship with the Centre in the state.
• With the Centre, it is unitary. i.eThe Union has complete control over all powers of union territories.
• The Chief Minister is in charge of the administration in the state, and the people elect him.
• The President appoints the administrator in charge of the administration in union territories. (With the exceptions of Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu and Kashmir)

Conclusion

According to the union in the polity, foreign policy, military, communications, currency, corporate and non-agricultural income taxation, and railroads are the sectors where the union government has exclusive control. Law and order, public health and sanitation, local governance, betting and gaming, and taxation on agricultural revenue, entertainment, and alcoholic beverages are all subject to state legislation. Criminal law, marriage and divorce, contracts, economic and social planning, population control and family planning, trade unions, social security, and education are among the items on the concurrent list, though a union law generally takes precedence; these areas include criminal law, marriage and divorce, contracts, economic and social planning, population control and family planning, trade unions, social security, and education.