Governance & Constitutional/Statutory Bodies — Glossary

An advisory is a non-binding recommendation or guidance issued by an authority that informs or counsels action without imposing legally enforceable obligations on the recipient.

The Area is the seabed, ocean floor, and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, declared the common heritage of mankind under Part XI of UNCLOS.

The Aspirational Districts Programme is a NITI Aayog-led initiative launched in 2018 to rapidly transform India's most backward districts through real-time data-driven competitive and cooperative federalism.

The Atal Innovation Mission is the Government of India's flagship initiative under NITI Aayog to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.

The Attorney-General is the highest law officer of the state, serving as the government's chief legal adviser and primary representative in the courts.

The Central Vigilance Commission is India's apex statutory body for overseeing anti-corruption efforts and vigilance administration in central government organisations.

A Chairperson is the presiding officer who heads a constitutional body, statutory commission, regulatory authority, tribunal, or legislative council and directs its proceedings and decisions.

A Citizen's Charter is a published document in which a public service organisation declares its service standards, entitlements, time-limits and grievance-redress mechanisms to the citizens it serves.

The Committee on Public Undertakings is a parliamentary financial committee that examines the reports, accounts and autonomy of India's public sector enterprises.

The Composite Water Management Index is a NITI Aayog tool launched in 2018 that scores Indian states on water resource management across nine themes and 28 indicators.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is the constitutional authority under Article 148 that audits the accounts of the Union and State governments and safeguards the public purse.

The Consolidated Fund of India is the principal government account under Article 266(1) into which all revenues, loans raised, and loan repayments received by the Union flow.

Constitutional bodies are institutions established directly by the Constitution of India, deriving their powers, composition, and functions from specific constitutional provisions.

A "dated instance" is a specific, time-stamped historical event cited as concrete evidence to substantiate a general claim in an examination answer.

Digital India is a 2015 Government of India flagship programme to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy through e-governance, digital infrastructure, and citizen services.

Direct Benefit Transfer is the Government of India's scheme to credit subsidies and welfare payments directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts to curb leakage and ghost beneficiaries.

Directive Principles of State Policy are non-justiciable constitutional guidelines in Part IV (Articles 36–51) of the Indian Constitution directing the State to secure social and economic justice.

The Election Commission of India is the autonomous constitutional body established under Article 324 that superintends, directs, and controls elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President.

The Finance Commission is a constitutional body under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution, constituted every five years to recommend the distribution of tax revenues between the Union and the States.

A Governing Council is the apex deliberative and policy-directing body of an institution, comprising ex-officio and nominated members who set its strategic agenda.

Grants-in-aid are fiscal transfers from a higher tier of government to lower tiers or institutions, made under constitutional or statutory authority to support revenue or specific schemes.

The Hota Committee was a 2004 civil-services reform body, chaired by P.C. Hota, that recommended changes to the recruitment, training, and management of the All India and Central Services in India.

The JAM trinity is the integration of Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar biometric identity, and Mobile connectivity to deliver welfare subsidies directly to beneficiaries.

The Lokpal is India's national anti-corruption ombudsman, a statutory body empowered to inquire into corruption allegations against public functionaries including the Prime Minister.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 is the Indian statute that established the Lokpal at the Union level and mandated Lokayuktas in States to investigate corruption allegations against public functionaries, including the Prime Minister.

The Mahalanobis model was the theoretical framework underlying India's Second Five-Year Plan (1956-61), prioritising rapid industrialisation through state-led heavy and capital-goods industries.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India to regulate the conduct of parties, candidates and governments during elections.

Union of India v. Mohit Minerals (2022) is the Supreme Court judgment holding that GST Council recommendations are not binding on the Union and States and striking down IGST on ocean freight.

The National Commission for Backward Classes is a constitutional body under Article 338B that examines grievances and welfare safeguards of socially and educationally backward classes in India.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is a constitutional body under Article 338 that safeguards the rights and interests of Scheduled Castes in India.

The National Development Council was India's apex extra-constitutional body for approving Five-Year Plans, chaired by the Prime Minister with all Chief Ministers as members.

The National e-Governance Plan is India's 2006 framework of central, state, and integrated Mission Mode Projects to deliver public services electronically through shared infrastructure and common service centres.

The National Human Rights Commission is India's statutory apex body, established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, to protect and promote human rights.

NITI Aayog is the Government of India's premier policy think-tank, established in 2015 by an executive Cabinet resolution to replace the Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission was India's apex non-statutory advisory body, established in 1950 to formulate Five-Year Plans for centralised economic development, replaced by NITI Aayog in 2015.

The President is the constitutional head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces, exercising executive authority that is largely formal and bound by ministerial advice in parliamentary systems.

The Prime Minister is the head of government in a parliamentary system, leading the council of ministers and exercising real executive authority on behalf of a nominal head of state.

The Punchhi Commission was the Commission on Centre-State Relations, constituted by India in 2007 under retired Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi, which submitted its report in 2010.

The Right to Information is the legally enforceable entitlement of citizens to access information held by public authorities, codified in India by the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The Right to Information Act, 2005 is an Indian statute that empowers any citizen to seek time-bound access to information held by or under the control of public authorities.

The RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 amended the Right to Information Act, 2005 to empower the Central Government to fix the tenure, salaries and service conditions of Information Commissioners.

The Sarkaria Commission was a three-member body constituted by the Government of India in 1983 to examine and recommend reforms in Centre–State relations.

The SDG India Index is NITI Aayog's composite tool that scores and ranks Indian States and Union Territories on their progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India is the statutory regulator of the Indian securities market, established under the SEBI Act, 1992.

The Seven-Year Strategy is NITI Aayog's medium-term planning document released in December 2018, titled "Strategy for New India @ 75," outlining sectoral objectives for the period up to 2022-23.

Sevottam is an Indian framework and quality-management model for assessing and improving public service delivery, built around Citizens' Charters, grievance redress, and service-delivery capability.

A social audit is a public, participatory review in which intended beneficiaries verify a government scheme's records, expenditure and outcomes against actual ground reality.

A statutory body, provision, or power is one created, defined, or authorised by a specific Act of the legislature, deriving its existence and authority directly from statute.