6.3 The Legislature and Its Functions

The Legislature, India’s Parliament, is far more than a place that makes laws. It is the central forum of the democracy, where the people’s representatives debate, decide, spend, and keep watch over the government. Let us look at everything the Legislature does.

Function 1: Making and changing laws

The Law-Making Function The most important job of the Legislature is to make new laws, change existing laws, and remove outdated ones. These laws govern almost every part of life, education, the environment, taxes, crime, trade and more. Because the law-makers are elected by the people, the laws are meant to reflect the will of the people.

Function 2: Controlling the nation’s money

The Power of the Purse The government cannot raise or spend money as it pleases. Every year, during the Budget Session, the government must present its budget, its plan for taxing and spending, to Parliament, and Parliament must approve it. This “power of the purse” is one of the Legislature’s strongest controls over the Executive: a government that cannot get its budget passed cannot function.

Function 3: Holding the Executive accountable

The Legislature constantly watches over the government. Through debates, questions and committees (which we explore in section 6.6), MPs force ministers to explain and justify their actions. Because the government is drawn from and answerable to Parliament, this scrutiny is continuous, this is the heart of the parliamentary system.

Function 4: Representing the people

Each MP represents the people of their constituency. In Parliament, they raise the concerns, problems and demands of those they represent, a road that needs building, a price that is too high, an injustice that needs fixing. Parliament is where the diverse voices of a vast country come together.

Function 5: Other key functions

More That Parliament Does

• Constitutional functions: Parliament can amend the Constitution when needed, and it takes part in electing the President and Vice-President of India.
• Deliberation: it debates the great national issues of the day, giving every viewpoint a hearing.
• Oversight of finances: beyond passing the budget, it checks how public money has actually been spent.

A working machine of democracy

Think About It Of all the Legislature’s functions, which do you think is the most important, making laws, controlling money, or holding the government accountable? Give a reason. (There is no single right answer, this is about thinking through why each matters.)

Remember the Five Functions The Legislature: (1) makes laws, (2) controls the nation’s money (the budget), (3) holds the Executive accountable, (4) represents the people, and (5) performs constitutional functions (amendments, electing the President/Vice-President).

Let’s Explore Imagine you are an MP for your area. Write down one law you would propose, one question you would ask a minister, and one local problem you would raise on behalf of your constituency. This shows the law-making, accountability and representation functions in action.

Parliament makes the laws, but it does not carry them out. That is the job of the Executive, the subject of the next section.