What does the Parliament do?

What exactly does Parliament do, beyond making laws? Do the two Houses share identical functions, or are there real differences in what each is empowered to do? Parliament's work spreads across several distinct functions:

• Legislative Function: Parliament enacts the laws of the country. In practice, though it is formally the chief law-making body, Parliament mostly approves legislation rather than originating it from scratch — the actual drafting of a bill is done by the bureaucracy, working under the supervision of the concerned minister, while the substance and even the timing of the bill are decided by the Cabinet. No major bill reaches Parliament without Cabinet approval. Members who are not ministers can also introduce bills of their own, but such bills stand almost no chance of being passed unless the government chooses to support them.
• Control of the Executive and ensuring its accountability: perhaps the single most important function of Parliament — making sure the executive does not overstep its authority and stays answerable to the people who elected it.
• Financial Function: government spending has to be paid for, and in a democracy it is the legislature, not the executive alone, that controls taxation and how public money is used. Any new tax the Government of India wants to impose needs Lok Sabha approval. Parliament's financial powers cover granting the government the resources it needs to run its programmes, requiring the government to account for money already spent and money it wishes to raise, and — through the budget and annual financial statements — preventing the government from overspending or misspending.
• Representation: Parliament represents the many different views held by members from different regions, social groups, economic classes, and religious communities across the country.
• Debating Function: Parliament is the highest forum for debate in the country, and there is no real limit on its power to discuss any matter. Members can speak on any issue without fear, which means Parliament can examine practically any question facing the nation — and these open discussions form the very heart of democratic decision-making.
• Constituent Function: Parliament has the power to discuss and enact changes to the Constitution itself. Both Houses share equal constituent powers, and every constitutional amendment needs to be approved by a special majority in both Houses. …