1. In our political system the head of the state exercises only nominal powers. The President of India is like the Queen of Britain whose functions are to a large extent ceremonial. ThePresident supervises the overall functioning of all the political institutions in the country so that they operate in harmony to achieve the objectives of the state.
2. The President represents the entire nation but can never claim the kind of direct popular mandate that the Prime Minister can. The same is true of his powers. All government activities do take place in the name of the President. All laws and major decisions of the government are issued in his name, all international treaties and agreements are made in his name but the President exercises these powers only on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
