India - Government
Based on the etymolgy of India, it was the English name derives from the Indus River; the Indian name "Bharat" may derive from the "Bharatas" tribe mentioned in the Vedas of the second millennium B.C.; the name is also associated with Emperor Bharata, the legendary conqueror of all of India. The Government system in this country is the federal parliamentary republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 28 states and 8 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir*, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh*, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
National symbols
The Lion Capital of Ashoka, which depicts four Asiatic lions standing back to back mounted on a circular abacus, is the official emblem; Bengal tiger; lotus flower; national colors: saffron, white, green.
The flag
The National flag of India has three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation.
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note: similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band
The National Anthem
| Title | "Jana-Gana-Mana" (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Rabindranath TAGORE |
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note: adopted 1950; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem
More about the government of India
| Date of Independence | 15 August 1947 (from the UK) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Republic Day, 26 January (1950) |
| Legal system | common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1935 (preindependence); latest draft completed 4 November 1949, adopted 26 November 1949, effective 26 January 1950 |
| Amendments | Proposed by either the Council of States or the House of the People; passage requires majority participation of the total membership in each house and at least two-thirds majority of voting members of each house, followed by assent of the president of India; proposed amendments to the constitutional amendment procedures also must be ratified by at least one half of the India state legislatures before presidential assent; amended many times, last in 2020 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of India |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Droupadi MURMU (since 25 July 2022) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Narendra MODI (since 26 May 2014) |
| Cabinet | Union Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister, appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 18 July 2022 (next to be held in July 2027); vice president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 5 August 2022 (next to be held in August 2027); following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by Lok Sabha members of the majority party |
| Election results | 2022: Droupadi MURMU elected president; percent of electoral college vote - Droupadi MURMU (BJP) 64%, Yashwant SINHA (AITC) 35.9%; Jagdeep DHANKHAR elected vice president; percent of electoral college vote - Jagdeep DHANKHAR (BJP) 74.4%, Margaret ALVA (INC) 25.6% 2017: Ram Nath KOVIND elected president; percent of electoral college vote - Ram Nath KOVIND (BJP) 65.6%, Meira KUMAR (INC) 34.4%; Venkaiah NAIDU elected vice president; percent of electoral college vote - Venkaiah NAIDU (BJP) 67.9%, Gopal-krishna GANDHI 32.1% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of: Council of States or Rajya Sabha (245 seats; 233 members indirectly elected by state and territorial assemblies by proportional representation vote and 12 members appointed by the president; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years at various dates) House of the People or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 2 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Council of States - held by state and territorial assemblies being held from 12 January to 30 June 2024 for expiry of 68 seats House of the People - last held in 7 phases from 19 April to 1 June 2024 (next to be held in 2027) |
| Election results | Council of States (2022) - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BJP 97, INC 34, AITC 13, DMK 10, other 2, independent 2; composition as of March 2024 - men 206, women 32, percentage women 13.8% House of the People - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BJP 240, INC 99, SP 37, AITC 29, DMK 22, BJD 12, RJD 4, AAP 3, other 93 seats by party - BJP 303, INC 52, DMK 24, AITC 22, YSRCP 22, SS 18, JDU 16, BJD 12, BSP 10, TRS 9, LJP 6, NCP 5, SP 5, other 35, independent 4, vacant 2; composition as of March 2024 - men 446, women 77, percentage women 14.7%; total Parliament percentage women 14.3% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of 28 judges, including the chief justice) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Justices appointed by the president to serve until age 65 |
| Subordinate courts | High Courts; District Courts; Labour Court |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Sripriya RANGANATHAN (since 1 February 2024) |
| Chancery | 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 939-7000 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 265-4351 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Eric M. GARCETTI (since 11 May 2023) |
| Embassy | Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110021 |
| Mailing address | 9000 New Delhi Place, Washington DC 20521-9000 |
| Telephone | [91] (11) 2419-8000 |
| FAX | [91] (11) 2419-0017 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://in.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay) |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 42 (34 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Taj Mahal (c); Red Fort Complex (c); Ellora Caves (c); Hill Forts of Rajasthan (c); Sundarbans National Park (n); Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (c); Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (c); Dholavira: A Harappan City (c); Jaipur (c); Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (c); Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (n); Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (n); Khangchendzonga National Park (m) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in India
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about India
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