When many people live together, rules become necessary to maintain order and harmony. The process of making rules, organising society and ensuring rules are followed is called governance; the system that does this is the government, and the more important rules are laws. A modern government has three organs. The legislature makes laws through an assembly of elected representatives; the executive (head of state, ministers and agencies) implements the laws; and the judiciary (the courts) decides whether laws have been broken and whether decisions are fair. These organs are kept separate — the ‘separation of powers’ — to provide checks and balances. Government also works at three levels: local (town or village), State, and Central or Union, each handling different matters, as seen when small, medium or massive floods are dealt with by different levels. The framework is democracy, from the Greek dēmos (people) and kratos (rule) — ‘rule of the people’. Since all people cannot rule directly, India is a representative democracy: citizens elect MLAs at the State level and MPs at the national level. With about 970 million voters in 2024, India is the world's largest democracy. Grassroots democracy encourages participation by ordinary citizens.
Rules, governance and governmentThe three organs of governmentSeparation of powers and checks and balancesThree levels of governmentDemocracy and representative democracy
Key terms
Governance
The process of taking decisions, organising society with rules, and ensuring those rules are followed.
Legislature
The organ of government that makes, updates or removes laws through an assembly of representatives.
Executive
The organ of government that implements the laws, including the head of state, ministers and enforcement agencies.
Judiciary
The system of courts that decides whether laws have been broken and whether decisions are fair.
Separation of powers
Keeping the three organs of government separate so each can check the others and keep balance.
Democracy
A system of ‘rule of the people’, in India working through elected representatives.
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