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Government And Administration

The Rajasthan state comes under the authority of the Government of Rajasthan or more commonly called the State Government of Rajasthan. The entire state and 33 districts come under the Government of Rajasthan as they are entrusted with the responsibility of making Rajasthan one of the best states of India. The government is subdivided into legislative body, judiciary and the executive body.

Rajasthan is divided into 33 districts and seven divisions:

  • Jaipur Division: Jaipur, Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Dausa.
  • Udaipur Division: Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Dungarpur, Rajsamand
  • Ajmer Division: Ajmer, Bhilwara, Nagaur, Tonk.
  • Jodhpur Division: Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Pali, Sirohi.
  • Bikaner Division: Bikaner, Churu, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh.
  • Kota Division: Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar, Kota.
  • Bharatpur Division: Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur.


Just like the rules followed in other states, the Government of Rajasthan is formed through the efforts of the President of India and the Central government together. The head of the state is the Chief Minister and he/she is liable to handle all the duties and also entrusted with the special powers. The Vidhan Sabha is held in Jaipur which is the Rajasthan’s capital city while the Secretariat is also held here. The High Court of Rajasthan is located at Jodhpur with one the bench at Jaipur too. The Legislative Assemble of Rajasthan consists of 200 M.L.A who are appointed for the time span of 5 years until the house is dissolved.

Rajasthan Legislative Assembly

Origin and Structure

The House of people's representatives holds a very significant place in the country’s constitutional history as it was because of the merger of 22 princely states that the house was formed by the Union of India.

According to the Article 168 and Constitution of India, each state should form a legislative body consisting of Houses. The members of this House will be selected by the head of the Legislative Assembly who will coordinate with other regulatory bodies to take the decision.

For the first time, the legislature started in the year 1952 and now it holds the 13th term. But during a few years, the legislature could not take place like in 1967, 1977, 1980 and 1992 owing to the Presidential rule which was followed within the state.

The initial strength of the house which was fixed by the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly was 160 during 1952 but later on it was increased to 200 and the same exists even today.

Process for Conduct of the Business

The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly ensures smooth functioning of the house and this is the reason that rules of conduct are being formulated so that the business take place properly and decorum is also maintained during the meetings and other important areas. For the first time, the rules were formed in the year 1956 but later on many changes were also incorporated finally introducing the Eleventh Edition in the year 2013.

Sessions and Sittings

The State Governor makes sure the House is summoned on a regular basis and the time gap between two sessions should not exceed over six months. According to the rules, it is necessary for the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly to schedule the House at least thrice in a year. The propaganda of the House is set by the Business Advisory Committee who ensures that every session is conducted smoothly and all the major issues are resolved during that time. In case of emergency, the session can be called at any time of the year.

Procedural Devices

Questions: Three different types of questions can be raised:-

  • Starred Questions
  • Unstarred Questions
  • Short Notice Questions

The starred as well as unstarred questions should be submitted in a proper format with a notice period of 14 days while the short notice questions have a notice period of 10 days.

The unstarred questions are also answered during the intersession period and the member is free to serve the notice of one week as well. The reply to the question is sent directly to the member within the time gap of 15 days. A similar copy is also sent to the Legislative Assembly to ensure that the question has been answered.

Only the Speaker will decide whether the question has to be raised in the House or not.

Motions

If there are any urgent matters which require attention, the members can raise the same through a special call which includes Half an Hour Discussion, Notice under Rule 295, Calling Attention Motion and Adjournment Motion.

Legislation

The different kinds of proposals which are brought in the Legislative Assembly should be similar to the Bills. It can either be the Government Bills as well as the Private Members Bills. The Law Department of the State government is responsible for the Government Bills and will be approved through a series of three steps. In the first step, the bill is only introduced in the assembly. In the second step, the discussion will be done on the bill and taking every aspect into consideration. Once the bill is analyzed, it will be adopted in the House in the third step. Once the bill is approved, it is sent to the Governor or President to get their consent. If the President finds the bill to be justified, it is converted into a law of the state.

Budget Procedure

The Finance Minister is responsible for presenting the yearly budget and no discussion will take place on that day. After that, four days are given to the members when they can discuss the budget and give their suggestions. During the discussion, the members can decide the grants for different departments and even the Business Advisory Committee can participate in the discussion. Most of the decisions are taken by the Business Advisory Committee while others are left to the members.

When the grants are decided, the Bill is introduced so that the total grants can be calculated and the state government receives it.

Voting Procedure

Most of the decisions are taken through a voice vote but in case the opposition challenges any voice vote, the members have the freedom to move to the Ayes and Noes Lobby where they can sit and discuss and give their final verdict.

Committees

The Legislative Committees are subdivided into two groups; one is the Standing Committee while the other is the Ad-Hoc Committee. The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly consists of 18 Standing Committees, four of them are related to finance while others relate to different subjects. The final committee encompasses the Public Undertakings Committee, two Estimates Committees and Public Accounts Committee which IS elected through the proportional representation. By means of transferable vote, the members can be selected or by the speaker. Even the Chairman of the above committees IS appointed by the Speaker from the members themselves.

The main work of the Public Accounts Committee is to understand the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and find out the irregularities that it contains. Also the Public Undertakings Committee has to ensure that the various functions are examined properly as made available through the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The two Estimates Committees are entrusted with the task of monitoring the economies and finding out what kind of changes can be made or suggest other solutions to ensure a smooth and efficient economy. Also the improvements in the budget estimate are also the duty of the two Estimates Committees.

Committees are:

  • Committee on Subordinate Legislation
  • Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Tribes
  • Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes
  • Business Advisory Committee
  • House Committee
  • Rules Committee
  • Library Committee
  • Committee on Petitions
  • Committee on Privileges
  • Committee on Government Assurances
  • General Purposes Committee
  • Question & Reference Committee
  • Committee on Welfare of Women & Children
  • Committee on Welfare of Backward Classes

All the three committees are selected by the House members and the opposition party. The time gap for which the members are selected is for one year and after that they can be reselected again if both the parties agree. The ministers cannot be selected for the above committee except the Select Committees that handles the Government Bills. But the same rule is not applicable on the Leader of the House as the Chief Minister in most of the cases is the leader. The reports of all the three committees are given to the chairman but during the intersession period the same report can be submitted to the speaker as well. The Report of the Privileges Committee and Business Advisory Committee are generally not introduced in the House.

Privileges

The Article 194 clearly states the powers as well as the special privileges which are enjoyed by the House of Legislature. A few necessary privileges include freedom of speech for all the members, immunity regarding the court proceedings against anything said or the vote of the legislative members, Pursuing the court to set an inquiry for proceedings of the house, the members cannot be arrested for any civil case if the session of the House is going on etc.

CCTV

A CCTV device is installed in the Assembly Secretariat Premises so that the members can get a full view of what is happening in the assemble and for the people who are not present in the assembly at a particular time.

The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is known for its smooth functioning of the assemble maintaining the decorum of the House and ensure that all the proceedings take place in the right manner. Even the question hour is conducted within the disciplines and the code of conduct is laid down by the Constitution of India.

Building

Recently the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly has shifted to a new building which is designed in a modern style and is one of the finest legislative complexes within the country. The entire building is spread in an area of 16.96 acres and is located at Jyoti Nagar in the Pink City of Jaipur. The construction of the new building started on November 1994 while it was completed on March 2001.

The beautiful exteriors of the new building are adorned with traditional art pieces of Rajasthan like the Baradaries, Jharokas, Kamani, Chhatries, Todies and lots more. The special Bansi Paharpur stone is used for construction which makes the structure more appealing and attractive. On the other hand, the interiors are covered with paintings and art pieces that represent the traditions of Rajasthan including the decors of four regions namely the Mewar, Jaipur, Marwar and Shekhawati.

The height of the building is about 145 feet while the floor area is about 6.08 lac sqft. The hall is quite spacious and can accommodate about 260 members. Initially there are four floors in the building but in future the fifth floor can also be constructed and it will be meant for the Vidhan Parishad (Upper House).

Facilities at the building are:

  • Central air-conditioning upto third Floor.
  • Fire detection and fire fighting system.
  • Electronic Voting and sound system.
  • Audio-Video recording system.
  • Lifts 4 nos.
  • LAN and Personal Computers.
  • Two generator sets.
  • Three tube wells and pump house.
  • Security system with closed circuit TVMS and Parcel viewers.
  • Power supply from G.S.S. Chambal & Mansarovar.
  • EPABX including electronic mail system, Fax etc.

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