Under article 80 of the Constitution, the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) is composed of not more than 250 members.
12 are nominated by the President of India from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art, and social service.
By nominating them to Rajya Sabha, the State not only recognizes their merit and confers honor on them, but also enables them to enrich the debates by their expertise and knowledge that they have in different areas.