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Home / IAS Preparation / parliament upsc notes

Functions of Parliament of India: Organs, Composition & More | UPSC Notes

Last Updated on Jun 18, 2025
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The Parliament of India is the cornerstone of the country's democratic system and governance. Comprising two houses, the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), the Indian Parliament plays a pivotal role in shaping and implementing legislation, representing the diverse voices of the nation, and upholding the principles of democracy. It is within these hallowed halls that elected representatives come together to debate, discuss, and decide on matters of national importance, making it a symbol of India's vibrant and diverse democratic fabric.

Parliament of India UPSC Notes is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Polity subject in the Mains General Studies Paper-II syllabus and General Studies Paper-1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus.

From the UPSC CSE point of view, you can read the full article on Parliament of India UPSC and get detailed information about the Indian Parliament, members of lok sabha and rajya sabha and its functions. This article will be very helpful for the UPSC aspirants as part of their Indian Polity Preparation.

GS Paper

General Studies Paper II

Topics for UPSC Prelims

Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, President's Role, Parliamentary Sessions, Legislative Powers, Parliamentary Committees

Topics for UPSC Mains

Structure and Functioning of Indian Parliament, Role and Powers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Importance of Parliamentary Committees in Governance, Role of the President in Parliamentary Procedures

About Parliament of India

The Parliament acts as the Legislative organ of the government. Article 79-122 of the Indian constitution deals with the parliament, its organisation, composition, duration, procedures, privileges, powers, officers etc. These articles are mentioned in the Part V of the Indian constitution. The parliament consists of-

  • The Lok Sabha (also known as the Lower house or House of the people).
  • The Rajya Sabha (also known as the Upper house or the Council of States).
  • The President.

The leader of the majority party i.e., the Prime Minister is also the chairperson of the Parliament.

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Functions of Parliament of India

The different functions of the Parliament in India has been mentioned in Chapter II of Part V of the Indian Constitution. Here is the list of the Parliament in India and its functions under various heads and departments:

Legislative Functions

The parliament has a major role to play in the legislative sector of the country which is as follows: 

  • It is the duty of the Parliament to legislate on every matter mentioned in the Union and Concurrent List. 
  • The Parliament also plays an important role in passing laws on the State Lists under certain circumstances and as per certain articles such as 249, 252, and 253.
  • The Parliament can enact law at any time either amending or differentiating the state legislature law. 

Also read: Schedules of Indian Constitution for UPSC here

Executive Functions

The parliament is an important part of the country as it takes control of the executive functions with several ways: 

  • The Parliament can any time remove a cabinet from the power which is possible by a vote of no-confidence. 
  • It can also oppose the demand in the bill of finance brought by the Government.
  • The adjournment motion is an important executive function of the Parliament in which the attention is brought to the public emergency interest. 
  • A Committee is appointed by the Parliament to check on the departments if they are keeping the promises made to the Parliament. 
  • The ministers are responsible for every action taken by the Parliament. 

Read about the Difference Between Censure Motion & No Confidence Motion here.

Financial Functions

The Parliament is the head of this department and without parliamentary approval, the Executive cannot function. These are the financial functions of the Parliament: 

  • The tax imposition must be approved by the Parliament
  • Cabinet prepares the Union Budget which is later submitted to the Parliament for their approval. 
  • The Parliament plays a major role in the money bills. 
  • The two departments of the Parliament are appointed to keep a tab on how the money is being spent given by the legislative to the executive which is Public Accounts Committee and Estimates Committee. 

Also, check the Types of Majorities In Indian Parliament here.

Electoral Functions

The election of the President and Vice President includes the Parliament as well. Both houses of the Parliament get the right to vote/elect the President. It is also possible to remove a President from office if a resolution is passed by the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha agrees to it.

Amending Powers

The Parliament has an important role to play when it comes to amending the laws of the Indian Constitution. It is necessary to pass the amendments in both of the houses i.e, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to make them effective. 

Read about the Important Major Amendments of the Indian Constitution here.

Judicial Functions 

The Parliament have some major judicial powers which are as follows: 

  • It can remove the President from the position. 
  • If the President violates the Constitution of India, they can be impeached. 
  • The Parliament can also remove the judges of the High Court and Supreme Court.
  • It can punish the members if they breach their given privileges when they are still under their oath. 

Other Functions

It has the power to increase/decrease/alter the boundaries of the states and Union Territories. It is also known as the miniature nation. The Parliament contains major information and therefore it is an important part of the country. All the national and international importance and issues are discussed in the Parliament before any final decision. 

Also read: Election Commission of India for UPSC here

Major Organs of the Parliament of India

The Parliament of India consists of two main organs. They are Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Let's discuss each organ in detail.

The Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha, or House of the People, is the lower house of India's Parliament, directly elected by the citizens and responsible for making key legislative decisions.

Composition

Maximum strength of the members – 552. Out of this, 530 members are the representatives of states and 20 members are representatives of Union Territories. The President nominates 2 members from the Anglo-Indian community.

Representation of States

The members are elected directly by the people from constituencies of the state. Any person above the age of 18 years of age is allowed to vote at such an election. Earlier the voting age was 21, which was reduced to 18 by the 61st constitutional amendment act.

Representation of Union Territories

The parliament is empowered to prescribe the manner of choosing representatives of the union territories in the Lok Sabha. The Union Territories Act 1965, allows direct election for members of Lok Sabha from Union Territories.

Nomination of members

The President can nominate 2 members from the Anglo-Indian Community. This provision was extended till 2020 by the 95th amendment act 2009.

Duration

It is not a permanent body and is formed for a term of 5 years. It can be dissolved by the president or it shall be dissolved automatically after expiry of its tenure. The term of Lok Sabha can be extended for 1 year in case of national emergency.

Check the article on Emergency Provisions of Indian Constitution here.

The Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, is the upper house of India's Parliament, representing the states and union territories.

Composition

Maximum strength of the members – 250. Out of these 238 members are elected indirectly and 12 are nominated by the President. Fourth schedule of the constitution deals with allocation of seats to states and union territories in the Rajya Sabha.

Representation of States

The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies. The system of election followed is in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. The allocation of seats is on the basis of population.

Representation of Union Territories

The members are elected indirectly due to absence of state legislative assemblies in the union territories. Proportional representation system is followed. Representation in Rajya Sabha is allowed only to the Union territories like Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Puducherry. This is because the population of other UTs is very small.

Also read: Difference between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha here

Nomination of Members

The members are nominated by the President on the basis of their knowledge in fields of art, literature, science or social service. The number of nominated members does not exceed 12.

Duration

It is a permanent body that cannot be dissolved. Its one third members retire every year and can be re-elected or re-nominated for any number of times.

Know more about Emergency provisions of the constitution here.

Importance of Parliament of India

The Parliament engages in discussions on both national and international matters, with the opposition playing a crucial role in presenting alternative viewpoints to keep the public informed. The parliamentary system of governance facilitates the active participation of individuals from diverse ethnic, racial, linguistic, and ideological backgrounds in the creation of laws and policies.

Often referred to as a "mini-nation," a Parliament in a democracy is responsible for deliberating on significant issues prior to the passage of legislation or resolutions. Additionally, the Parliament holds the authority to alter, diminish, or expand the boundaries of states and Union Territories. The House of Commons also functions as an information source, with ministers obligated to provide requested information when requested by members of the Houses.

Read more about the Prime Minister And Council Of Ministers!

Challenges Faced by the Parliament of India

The Parliament of India has to cope with these challenges, if it has to rise to play the role as the cornerstone of the democratic framework of the country.

  • Legislative Gridlock: The first and foremost factor is frequent legislative logjams over important bills, as these disruptions and loss of consensus between political parties delay this process and hamper necessary reforms.
  • Quality of Debates: The second factor is the fast deteriorating quality of debates in Parliament. Often, disruptions and unruly scenes had eclipsed substantive debates on various policy and governance issues.
  • Frequent Disruptions: The incidence of disruptions and adjournments has risen over time and started impacting the efficiency with which Parliament functions. These disruptions, to say the least, for political posturing, result in the wastage of precious hours of work.
  • Inadequate Representation: Though representative of the diverse demographic composition of India, many would assert that marginalized communities, such as women and social groups, are underrepresented in Parliament and thereby provide a dent to inclusive policy-making.
  • Accountability and Transparency: Accountability and transparency are far from reality. Accusations of corruption, lack of transparency in decision-making processes, and non-accountability mechanisms erode public confidence in the institution.
  • Legislative Competence and Overreach: Ensuring the right balance of legislative competence between Parliament and state legislatures themselves and preventing overreach into the jurisdiction of sister branches of government is an ongoing challenge in the federal scheme of things in India.

Key Takeaways for UPSC Aspirants

  • Structure: Bicameral; the Parliament consists of Lok Sabha, the House of the People, and Rajya Sabha, the Council of States.
  • Roles and Functions: The Parliament is to make laws, exercise control over the executive, and exercising financial control represents the will of the electorate.
  • Lok Sabha: This is the House of the People, consisting of directly elected members by the people, and its term is five years.
  • Rajya Sabha: It is a permanent house, but its members have a staggered six-year term, and representatives are chosen by the states and union territories.
  • Sessions: It conducts three sessions: the Budget session, the Monsoon session, and the Winter session.
  • Legislative Process: The bills introduced, debated, and passed require assent from both Houses.
  • Committees: It is assisted by a large number of standing and ad-hoc committees for close scrutiny and effective functioning.
  • Powers: It has wide-ranging powers under the Constitution and holds an important place in Indian democracy.

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Parliament of India UPSC FAQs

The Parliament system in India is a democratic system of governance where the legislative authority is vested in the Parliament, consisting of two houses: the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).

The President of India is the head of the Parliament.

There is no specific Minister of Parliament in India. The government is led by the Prime Minister, who is the head of the executive branch.

The "new Parliament of India" refers to the upcoming redevelopment project to construct a new parliament building. The "old Parliament of India" refers to the existing Parliament House, which has been in use since 1927.

The Parliament of India consists of a total of 545 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Lok Sabha and a maximum of 250 members in the Rajya Sabha.

Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar is considered the father of Lok Sabha, as he was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha after it came into existence in 1952.

No, the Prime Minister is not the head of Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister is the head of the government, while the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the head of the Lok Sabha, which is the lower house of the Parliament.
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