Banner for the Parliament module of UPSC GS2

GS2 · Module 6 of 22

Parliament – UPSC GS2

This module of the GS Paper 2: Polity, Governance, Social Justice & IR course covers composition, law-making, budget, committees and parliamentary privileges. It has 3 study lessons and a 24-question practice quiz. Free lessons can be read in full; premium lessons show a preview.

Lessons in this module

1. Parliament: Composition, Membership and Presiding Officers

Free 7 min

Parliament (Articles 79–122, Part V) consists of the President, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States, the upper House) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People, the lower House). The President is not a member…

2. Law-making in Parliament: Bills, Joint Sitting and the Budget

Premium 7 min

Parliament passes four kinds of bills, each with its own procedure: Ordinary bills – any matter other than finance; can be introduced in either House. Money bills (Article 110) – concerned only with matters such…

3. Parliamentary Committees, Devices and Privileges

Premium 8 min

Parliament meets for limited days and handles a huge volume of complex business. Committees – small groups of members, appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the presiding officer, working under the presiding…

Module quiz: Parliament (24 questions)

Maps & infographics in this module

Prime Minister Morarji Desai in Parliament during US President Jimmy Carter's address, 1978. Credit: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.

Table comparing the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on seven points — The Lok Sabha is more powerful on money matters and government formation; the Rajya Sabha represents the states.

Horizontal bar chart of Rajya Sabha seats for eight largest states, led by Uttar Pradesh with 31 — Population-based allocation means larger states have a bigger voice in the upper House.

Six-step flowchart of an ordinary bill from first reading to presidential assent, including joint sitting for deadlocks — Most of the real scrutiny happens at the committee stage of the second reading.

Six-step flowchart showing the stages of the Union Budget from presentation to the Finance Bill — Only the Lok Sabha votes on demands for grants; charged expenditure is not voted.

Table comparing the Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee and Committee on Public Undertakings by members, origin and role — Ministers cannot be members of any financial committee.

Frequently asked questions

Lessons: Parliament: Composition, Membership and Presiding Officers; Law-making in Parliament: Bills, Joint Sitting and the Budget; Parliamentary Committees, Devices and Privileges.

Answer: 250. 250, including 12 nominated members.

Answer: the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Constitution does not fix it.

Answer: President on the opinion of the Election Commission. Article 103.

Answer: Lily Thomas. Lily Thomas (2013).

Join to unlock every lesson, revision note and mock test

Structured GS1–GS4, CSAT and Essay courses with maps, infographics, module quizzes and full-length mocks.

Create a free account See plans

Parliament – UPSC GS2

Lessons in this module

1. Parliament: Composition, Membership and Presiding Officers

2. Law-making in Parliament: Bills, Joint Sitting and the Budget

3. Parliamentary Committees, Devices and Privileges

Maps & infographics in this module

Frequently asked questions

What is covered in Parliament for UPSC GS2?

The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha is:

The term of a member of the Rajya Sabha (six years) is fixed by:

Disqualification of an MP on grounds other than defection is decided by the:

In which case did the Supreme Court hold that legislators convicted with two years' or more imprisonment are immediately disqualified?

Related modules

Join to unlock every lesson, revision note and mock test