Assembly & Parliament — REET EVS Notes

Rajasthan Assembly

The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is the state's legislative body, and it is unicameral — meaning Rajasthan has only an Assembly and not a Legislative Council, which would be an upper house. The Assembly has 200 members in total, each directly elected by the state's people, and its normal term runs for 5 years, unless it happens to be dissolved earlier than that.

The minimum age required to become an Assembly member, or MLA, is 25 years. Assembly sittings are presided over by the Speaker, a position that is filled by the members of the House electing one of their own to the role.

Structure of the Indian Parliament

The Indian Parliament is bicameral — the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha together make up Parliament.

Key figures for Rajasthan

Rajasthan Assembly seats

200

Rajasthan's Lok Sabha seats

25

Rajasthan's Rajya Sabha seats

10

Type of Assembly

Unicameral (only an Assembly, no Legislative Council)

Money Bill

A Money Bill can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, not the Rajya Sabha.

Speaker of the Assembly

Assembly sittings are presided over by the Speaker, elected by MLAs from among themselves.

Work of the Assembly and Parliament

The Assembly makes laws on subjects in the State List and the Concurrent List, passes the state budget, and holds the state government accountable for its work — the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers are answerable to the Assembly for everything they do. In much the same way, Parliament makes laws on Union List subjects, passes the central budget, and the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are accountable to Parliament, particularly to the Lok Sabha.

For any bill to become law, it must first pass both houses where a bicameral system exists, and only then finally receive the assent of the President (for a central law) or the Governor (for a state law). This layered process ensures that no law is passed without adequate debate and scrutiny along the way. In a unicameral state like Rajasthan, however, a bill only needs to pass through the single Assembly before going straight to the Governor for assent, which makes the process relatively faster than it is in bicameral states.

Using this in the classroom

At the primary level, children don't need to learn the complex constitutional process in detail — what they need is the basic understanding of 'who makes laws for our state and our country', the difference between an MLA and an MP, why elections happen at all, and how the public ends up being represented through them. Building this understanding strengthens the foundation of civic education in children from an early age.

It's also useful to explain that the Assembly and Parliament together represent the two higher tiers out of the three tiers of governance — gram panchayat, state and centre — and that all three tiers together complete India's democratic structure. This helps children better understand the logical link between Panchayati Raj at the local level and the Assembly-Parliament system above it.

Role of Governor, Chief Minister and President

Governor

The state's constitutional head, whose role includes giving assent to bills passed by the Assembly before they become law; the Governor is appointed by the President.

Chief Minister

The state government's real, day-to-day executive head, being the leader of whichever party or coalition holds a majority of seats in the Assembly.

President

The country's constitutional head and, importantly, an integral part of Parliament itself — no bill, however it started, becomes law without the President's assent.

Prime Minister

The central government's real, day-to-day executive head, being the leader of whichever party or coalition holds a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha.

How to teach children

Practice Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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