How the State Government Works — AP Class 7 Civics

1. About the Chapter

'Who RULES your state? How do they make DECISIONS?' This chapter explains how state governments work in India — the legislature, executive, and the people who run them. We focus on ANDHRA PRADESH throughout.

Key Themes

Structure of state government
Role of MLAs and the Legislative Assembly
The Governor
Chief Minister and Council of Ministers
How laws are made
AP Legislative Assembly

2. Why We Need a State Government

The Federal System

India has a FEDERAL system — power is DIVIDED between the CENTRE (national) and STATES.

Level	Government	Matters
National	Union Government (Delhi)	Defence, foreign affairs, railways, currency
State	State Government (capital city)	Police, agriculture, health, education, local govt
Local	Panchayat / Municipality	Village roads, water supply, sanitation

Subjects Under State Government

Law and order (POLICE)
Agriculture
Health and hospitals
Education (schools)
Local government (Panchayats)
Irrigation
Roads (state highways)
'These are the things that AFFECT your DAILY life'

3. The State Legislature — The Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha)

What is the Legislative Assembly?

'The Vidhan Sabha is the HOUSE OF PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVES in the state.'

Aspect	Detail
Members called	MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly)
Term	5 years (unless dissolved earlier)
Minimum age for MLA	25 years
Head of Assembly	Speaker (elected by MLAs)

How MLAs are Elected

The state is DIVIDED into CONSTITUENCIES
Each constituency elects ONE MLA
People VOTE for their preferred candidate
The candidate with the MOST votes WINS (First-Past-the-Post system)
'Your MLA is YOUR VOICE in the state government'

AP Legislative Assembly

Aspect	Detail
Total seats	175
Current ruling party	YSR Congress Party
Current Chief Minister	Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
Speaker	Chennamaneni Raghunandan Rao (varies)
Location	Amaravati (Legislative Assembly building)

Qualifications to be an MLA

Citizen of India
25 years of age or more
Registered voter in ANY constituency of the state
Not DISQUALIFIED by any law (criminal conviction, government contract)

4. The Governor

What is a Governor?

'The Governor is the CONSTITUTIONAL HEAD of the state — appointed by the President of India.'

Aspect	Detail
Appointment	By the President of India (on advice of central government)
Term	5 years
Role	CEREMONIAL head — but has IMPORTANT constitutional powers

Powers of the Governor

Power	Function
Executive	Appoints Chief Minister. All government is in Governor's name.
Legislative	Summons and prorogues Assembly. Addresses first session.
Discretionary	Can RESERVE bills for President's approval
Emergency	Reports to President if state cannot run constitutionally
Justice	Pardons, reprieves, etc. (under President's pleasure)

AP Governor

The Governor of AP is the CONSTITUTIONAL head. The REAL executive power lies with the Chief Minister.

5. The Chief Minister and Council of Ministers

Chief Minister (CM)

'The Chief Minister is the REAL HEAD of the state government.'

Aspect	Detail
Appointment	Appointed by Governor
Requirement	Leader of the MAJORITY party in Vidhan Sabha
Term	5 years (continues as long as majority support)
Role	HEAD of Council of Ministers. All executive decisions.

Powers of the CM

Form the Council of Ministers
Allocate PORTFOLIOS to ministers
PRESIDE over Cabinet meetings
ADVISE Governor on appointments
Coordinate work of ALL departments
REPRESENT the state in national meetings

Council of Ministers

Rank	Role
Chief Minister	Head of government
Cabinet Minister	Head of a MAJOR department (Home, Revenue, etc.)
Minister of State	JUNIOR minister, assists cabinet minister
Deputy Minister	LOWEST rank

How Ministers are Chosen

CM chooses ministers from elected MLAs
Each minister gets a DEPARTMENT (portfolio)
Ministers COLLECTIVELY responsible to the Assembly
'The Council of Ministers is the ENGINE of the state government'

Collective Responsibility

ALL ministers must SUPPORT every government decision in public. If they DISAGREE, they must RESIGN.

6. How a Law is Made in the State

The Process

Draft Bill: Ministry prepares a draft
Cabinet approval: Cabinet APPROVES the Bill
Introduction: Minister introduces Bill in Vidhan Sabha
Discussion: MLAs DEBATE the Bill — ask questions, suggest changes
Voting: MLAs VOTE — if majority votes YES, Bill is PASSED
Governor's assent: Governor SIGNS the Bill
Law: Bill becomes an ACT (law)

Example: How a Law to Free School Textbooks Might Pass

Education Minister drafts Bill for free textbooks
Cabinet approves
Bill introduced in Vidhan Sabha
MLAs debate: 'Will this help poor children? Do we have the BUDGET?'
Vote: Majority YES → Bill passed
Governor signs → It becomes LAW in AP

7. Comparison Table: State Government Structure

Position	Role	How Selected
Governor	Constitutional head	Appointed by President
Chief Minister	Real executive head	Elected MLA — leader of majority party
Cabinet Minister	Department head	Appointed by CM from MLAs
MLA	People's representative	ELECTED by people of constituency
Speaker	Presides over Assembly	Elected by MLAs

8. Common Mistakes

Thinking the Governor is elected — The Governor is APPOINTED by the President, not elected.
Believing the CM is 'above the law' — The CM is answerable to the Assembly and the courts.
Confusing the CM with the Governor's powers — The CM is the REAL power; the Governor is CEREMONIAL (except in certain situations).
Forgetting that ministries are COLLECTIVELY responsible — All ministers support ALL decisions.
Thinking state governments can make ANY law — States can only make laws on the STATE LIST. Union list + Concurrent list also exist.

9. Exam Focus

2 Marks

Q: Who is the head of the state government? A: The Chief Minister (the Governor is the constitutional head, but the CM is the real executive head).

Q: How is an MLA elected? A: The state is divided into constituencies. People vote for their preferred candidate. The candidate with the MOST votes wins.

4 Marks

Q: Explain the role of the Chief Minister in the state government. A: The CM is the HEAD of the state government. He/She forms the Council of Ministers, allocates portfolios, presides over Cabinet meetings, coordinates all departments, and represents the state. The CM must have the MAJORITY support of the Vidhan Sabha.

6 Marks

Q: Describe the structure of the state government in AP. A: AP has a state government with THREE wings: (1) Legislature — the Vidhan Sabha (175 MLAs) which makes laws, (2) Executive — the CM and Council of Ministers who implement laws, and (3) Governor — the constitutional head appointed by the President. The government is formed by the party with MAJORITY seats. MLAs are elected directly by people. The CM is the leader of the majority party. The Governor gives assent to bills. The state government handles state subjects like police, agriculture, health, and education.

10. Quick Self-Test

How many MLAs does the AP Legislative Assembly have? Answer: 175
Who appoints the Governor of AP? Answer: The President of India
What is the minimum age to become an MLA? Answer: 25 years
What is the term of the Legislative Assembly? Answer: 5 years
Who presides over the Legislative Assembly? Answer: The Speaker
What is 'collective responsibility'? Answer: All ministers must support every government decision in public or resign.
What happens after the Vidhan Sabha passes a Bill? Answer: It goes to the Governor for assent, then becomes an Act.
Who has MORE real power — the Governor or the CM? Answer: The Chief Minister

11. Conclusion

'The state government is CLOSEST to the people — it handles your SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, and POLICE.' Understanding how it works helps you BECOME a better citizen. In AP, the government runs on the principle of DEMOCRACY — your vote ELECTS the MLAs who form the government. 'Democracy is NOT just about VOTING every 5 years — it is about HOLDING your government ACCOUNTABLE every day.'

Key takeaways:

India has a federal system: Centre + State + Local
State has Legislature (Vidhan Sabha), Executive (CM + Ministers), Governor
MLAs are ELECTED by the people
CM leads the government; Governor is constitutional head
AP has 175 MLAs and a Legislative Assembly
Laws are made through: Bill → Discussion → Vote → Governor's assent → Act

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