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Union Executive – UPSC GS2

This module of the GS Paper 2: Polity, Governance, Social Justice & IR course covers president, vice-president, prime minister, council of ministers and attorney general. It has 4 study lessons and a 32-question practice quiz. Free lessons can be read in full; premium lessons show a preview.

Lessons in this module

1. The President: Election, Impeachment and Constitutional Position

Free 7 min

Articles 52–78 in Part V deal with the Union executive: the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers and the Attorney General. The President is the head of the Indian State, the…

2. Powers of the President: Veto, Ordinance and Pardon

Premium 7 min

All executive actions of the Government of India are formally taken in the President's name (Article 77). The President makes rules for convenient transaction of business (the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules and…

3. Prime Minister, Council of Ministers and the Cabinet

Premium 7 min

In the parliamentary system, the Prime Minister is the head of government and the Council of Ministers headed by the PM exercises real executive power. Article 74 provides for a Council of Ministers "to aid…

4. The Vice-President and the Attorney General of India

Premium 7 min

Article 63 provides for a Vice-President of India, who occupies the second-highest office in the country. The office is modelled on the American Vice-President, but with one key difference: the American Vice-President succeeds to the…

 Module quiz: Union Executive (32 questions)

Maps & infographics in this module

Organisation chart of the presidential electoral college showing included and excluded members
Weighted votes give parity between the states as a whole and Parliament.
Five-step flowchart of the impeachment procedure for the President of India
The only ground is violation of the Constitution; no President has ever been impeached.
Flowchart showing a passed bill and the four options before the President: assent, withhold, return or keep pending
For constitutional amendment bills, assent is obligatory.
Table comparing the pardoning powers of the President and the Governor on five points
Delay in deciding mercy petitions can itself justify commutation (Shatrughan Chauhan, 2014).
Organisation chart of the Union executive from the President to the Prime Minister, ministers and cabinet committees
Real executive power lies with the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
Three cards explaining collective, individual and legal responsibility of ministers
Collective responsibility is the core of parliamentary government.

Frequently asked questions

Lessons: The President: Election, Impeachment and Constitutional Position; Powers of the President: Veto, Ordinance and Pardon; Prime Minister, Council of Ministers and the Cabinet; The Vice-President and the Attorney General of India.

Answer: Members of state legislative councils. MLCs are excluded.

Answer: Vice-President. Article 56.

Answer: Supreme Court. Article 71.

Answer: violation of the Constitution. Article 61.

Related modules

Polity and the Constitution4 lessons
Constitution Making and Basic Features5 lessons
Fundamental Rights5 lessons
DPSP and Fundamental Duties2 lessons
Parliament3 lessons
Judiciary4 lessons
Federalism and Centre–State Relations5 lessons
State Government2 lessons
Local Government3 lessons
Constitutional Bodies and Elections4 lessons
Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies3 lessons
Amendments and Basic Structure2 lessons
Governance2 lessons
Governance in Practice4 lessons
Social Justice2 lessons
Welfare of Vulnerable Sections3 lessons
Health, Education and Hunger3 lessons
International Relations2 lessons
India and its Neighbourhood5 lessons
India and the Major Powers4 lessons
India and the Wider World5 lessons

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