Our Political System

Contents: Preface. 1. Political systems: concepts, forms and types. 2. Indian polity: from the earliest times to the end of the colonial rule. 3. Political system: as established by the constitution. 4. The executive: government and administration. 5. Parliament and state legislatures: structure and functions. 6. The judicial system: Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts. 7. Indian federalism: Union-State Relations. 8. Decentralization and local government: Panchayati Raj Institutions. 9. Elections and political parties: problems and processes. 10. Independent offices: constitutional and statutory bodies. 11. Working of the political system: an appraisal. 12. Blueprint for good governance: a citizen-friendly polity. Annexure: Organisational structure. Select bibliography and references. Index.

"The present day Indian political system has grown out of a long evolutionary process and can be seen as a system that seeks to address the myriad socio-political, economic and cultural expectations of India as a modern nation state in a holistic manner. The present book, while tracing the political systems as existent in India in the ancient and medieval times, introduces the different components of modern Indian polity in terms of their structure and functional and how do they interact in making it citizen friendly. The book, written for the general reader in a simple and non technical language, is likely to appeal to a spectrum of readers including teachers and students, and any body interested in understanding the functioning of Indian polity."