Polity, Geography and Economy of India
Polity, Geography and Economy of India
Polity, Geography and Economy of India
Indian- Sub-continent
Contents:
1) Indian Geography
2) Indian Polity
3) Indian Economy
Indian Geography:
2. Indo Gangetic Plains: They are large alluvial plains dominated by three
main rivers, the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra along with their main
tributariesYamuna, Chambal, Gomti, Ghaghara, Kosi, Sutlej, Ravi, Beas,
Chenab, and Tistaas well as the rivers of the Ganges Delta, such as the
Meghna.
3. The Peninsular Plateau: Peninsular Plateau is the oldest part of India
known as the Indian Plate. The peninsular plateau can be sub divided into
several physiographical parts in India like the Aravallis, Bundelkhand,
Malwa, Deccan Plateau, Chhota Nagpur Plateau, Shillong Plateau,
Karnataka Plateau, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats.
4. Thar Desert: It is the world's seventh largest desert, by others the tenth.
It forms a significant portion of western India and covers an area of
200,000 to 238,700 km2 (77,200 to 92,200 sq mi). The desert continues
into Pakistan as the Cholistan Desert. Most of the Thar Desert is situated in
Rajasthan, covering 61% of its geographic area.
5. The Coastal Plains: Coastal Plains is the region between the coast and
mountain ranges of the peninsular plateau. This part of Indian
Physiography can be divided into western and eastern coast. With the
exception of Gujarat, the western coast is narrower than the eastern coast.
Indian Polity
Politics in India takes place within the framework of a constitution. India is a
federal parliamentary democratic republic in which the President of India is head
of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. India follows
the dual polity, i.e. double government which consists of the union at the centre
and states at the periphery.
Constitution of India
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents
according to which a state or other organization is governed. The Constitution of
India is a written constitution. It is partly rigid and partly flexible. It was framed by
a Constituent Assembly which was established for the purpose in 1946. It has 395
Articles and in 22 parts 12 Schedules. A number of amendments, (about 96)
passed since its enforcement in 1950, have also become a part of the
Constitution. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is considered as the father of Indian
Constitution.
Democracy:
The term originates from the Greek (dmokrata) "rule of the people", which was
coined from (dmos) "people" and (kratos) "power" or "rule" in the 5th century
BCE. It is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free
electoral system. But the most widely accepted definition is, In the phrase of
Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and
for the people. In democracy it is often said that there are 4 pillars of democracy
which are The Legislature, The Executive, The Judiciary and the Press.
Indian Flag:
3 colors of Indian flag and its significance:
Orange - Courage and Sacrifice
White - Peace and Truth
Green - Faith and Chivalry
Blue Buddhist Spinning Wheel or Chakra in center - signifies the spreading of
spiritual blessings and well being.
Indian Parliament:
The Parliament is the supreme legislative authority in India which comprises of
President, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Indias government is bi-cameral and the
separation of power is between centre and the state.
The President: He is the head of State as a component of Parliament. The
President of India is elected, from a group of nominees, by the elected members
of the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) as well as of the state
legislatures, and serves for a term of five years. Historically, ruling party (majority
in the Lok Sabha) nominees have been elected and run largely uncontested. If no
Standing committees
There are standing committees in the Indian Parliament. Each house of Parliament
has standing committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the Committee
on Petitions, the Committee of Privileges and the Rules Committee, etc.
Ad hoc committees
Ad hoc committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist
when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal ad
hoc committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills.
The Executive: Indian executive consists of the President, the Prime Minister and
the Vice President, cabinet and executive departments and agencies.
The Indian judiciary: The Indian justice system consists of a unitary system at both
state and federal level. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of India, High
Courts of India at the state level, and District Courts and Sessions Courts at the
district level.
Public Finance:
1) Consolidated fund of India: All payments of the government are done from this
fund but not without the approval of the Parliament
2) Contingency fund of India: In case of emergency, government is required to
incur expenses immediately without the approval of Parliament. It is utilized under
the jurisdiction of President of India.
Indian Economy:
The economy of India is the 10th largest in the world. Mumbai is the financial
capital of India. The independence-era Indian economy (from 1947 to 1991) was
based on a mixed economy combining features of capitalism and socialism. This
model contributed to widespread inefficiencies and corruption, and the failings of
this system were due largely to its poor implementation. In 1991, India adopted
liberal and free-market principles and liberalized its economy to international
trade under the guidance of Former Finance minister Manmohan Singh.
GDP:
It is the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced
within a country in a year, or other given period of time. GDP per capita is often
considered an indicator of a country's standard of living. The south western state
of Maharashtra contributes the highest towards India's GDP among all states.
RBI:
It is India's central banking institution, which controls the monetary policy of the
Indian rupee. It was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in
accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. RBI was
nationalised in the year 1949. The current governor of RBI is Raghuram Rajan and
the headquarters are located in Mumbai. The main functions are:
Monetary Authority
References:
1) Economy module by Chanakya Mandal
2) N Chandra: Constitution of India
3) Polity and Geography modules: UPSC, Chanakya Mandal