Why in News:
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted a no confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the Government on 26th July.
The motion was brought to the House by Congress Party MP Gaurav Gogoi amidst the Opposition’s ongoing protests demanding a statement on the situation in Manipur from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

What is a vote of no confidence?  
A government can only be in power in a parliamentary democracy if it holds a majority in the directly elected House. This rule is embodied in Article 75(3) of our Constitution, which specifies that the Council of Ministers is collectively accountable to the Lok Sabha.
The rules of the Lok Sabha provide a specific mechanism for examining this collective responsibility: a vote of no confidence. A motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers may be introduced at any time by any member of the Lok Sabha who can garner the support of at least 50 of his or her colleagues.
After that, a discussion on the motion ensues. The Treasury Benches respond to the issues raised by MPs who support the motion and highlight the government's deficiencies. Finally, a vote is held; if the motion passes, the government will be required to vacate the office.
A vote of no confidence can only be made in the Lok Sabha.

Should those in government be concerned?  
No. With a majority threshold of 272 in the Lok Sabha, the NDA government currently has 331 members, with the BJP alone boasting 303 MPs. This means that even if all non-NDA parties unite (which is highly improbable), the BJP has enough votes to survive a vote of no confidence.
The newly named INDIA alliance has 144 MPs, whereas 'neutral' parties like the BRS, YSRCP, and BJD have a combined strength of 70.
However, the motion of no confidence has historically been used as a tactic to force a discussion on a particular subject or issue. The Opposition is aware that it lacks the necessary votes to force the government to address their concerns about the situation in Manipur, but has nonetheless introduced the motion.

How many motions of no confidence have been made in the past?  
During the third Lok Sabha in 1963, Acharya J B Kripalani introduced the first motion of no confidence against the government led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Forty members of parliament took part in the four-day, 21-hour discussion of the motion.
In his response, Nehru stated, "A no-confidence motion seeks or should seek the removal of the governing party and its replacement." In this instance, it is evident that no such anticipation or hope existed. So, despite the fact that it was in many ways engaging and profitable, the discussion was somewhat unreal. Personally, I appreciate this motion and this discussion. I have always believed that periodic tests of this nature would be beneficial."
Since then, 26 additional motions of no confidence have been introduced in the parliament (not including the most recent one), with the most recent one introduced in 2018 by the TRS against the previous Narendra Modi administration.

Mains Practice question:
Q. Critically examine the utility of no confidence motion in ensuring the executive responsibility to the legislature.