Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)

Explanation — While both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, Reason (R) does not explain Assertion (A) directly. Assertion (A) describes what happens when there is a clear majority, while Reason (R) talks about a situation where there is no clear majority and the President's discretionary power. Therefore, Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

Both (A) and (R) are false.

Explanation — It is the Cabinet that is consulted by the Prime Minister on all important decisions. Also, it is not the Council of Ministers but the Cabinet which advises the President indirectly, through the Prime Minister. Hence, both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are false.

Prime Minister

He/she has to become one within six months of appointment

P and R

Q and S

Deputy Ministers

The Cabinet

Summoning the Lok Sabha

Q and R

Prime Minister

P and S

President

the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

P and S

The three categories of Ministers in the Council of Ministers are-

1. Cabinet Ministers
2. Minister of State
3. Deputy Ministers

Cabinet Ministers are the most important category of ministers as they hold important portfolios.

The principle of collective responsibility implies the following:

1. The decisions taken in the meetings of the Cabinet are equally applicable to all the Ministers even though they may differ among themselves on a particular policy.
2. All Ministers jointly share the responsibility for the government's policies and performance. The Ministers must function as a team in supporting and defending government policies inside as well as outside Parliament.
3. A Vote of No-Confidence against one Minister is a vote against the whole Ministry. Such a Ministry that has lost the confidence of the Lok Sabha has to resign.

Prime Minister is the head of the Union Council of Ministers.

A minister being a member of Parliament has a normal term of office of 5 years. But Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers can remain in office so long as they enjoy the majority support in the Lok Sabha. If the Lok Sabha passes a vote of no -confidence against the Council of Ministers then they have to resign collectively even before completion of their 5 years term.

In case a non-member is appointed as a Minister, he must be elected or nominated to the Parliament six months from the date of his appointment. Failing this, he will have to resign from the post of a Minister.

The Council of Ministers is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Each minister is individually responsible to the Parliament for the department under his/her control. For this reason, if the Railway Minister is owning the responsibility of the mistakes and shortcomings of his/her department then only he/she needs to resign. The rest of the members of the cabinet will not resign and continue working.

(a) Three administrative functions of the Cabinet are as follows-

1. Policy Making — The Cabinet formulates both external and domestic policies of the Government. Individual Ministers have reasonable freedom of action, but on all major matters they have to consult the Cabinet.
2. Implementation of Policies — Once a policy decision is taken by the Cabinet on any subject, it is conveyed to the Minister of State and the Deputy Minister of the concerned Ministry. They work out the details and pass it to the civil servants under that Ministry to implement the decision.
3. Coordinating the Functioning of Various Ministers — The Cabinet coordinates the working of various departments for the smooth implementation of government policies.

(b) Three legislative functions of the Cabinet are as follows-

1. Amendment to the Constitution — The Cabinet is instrumental in planning and moving the Amendment to the Constitution.
2. Summoning the Houses of Parliament — Although the Houses are summoned by the President, initiative in this matter is taken by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
3. Issuing Ordinances — Cabinet also advises the President to issue ordinances when the Parliament is not in session.

(c) Four financial functions of the Cabinet are as follows-

1. Budget — The Finance Minister prepares the Annual Budget containing estimates of income and expenditure for the ensuing year.
   1. Though the budget is passed by Parliament, usually no changes are made in the budget figures against the wishes of the Cabinet.
   2. Any amendment to the budget proposals against the wishes of the Cabinet that may be passed by the Lok Sabha amounts to a vote of No-Confidence in the Ministry. It happens only when the Ministry has lost the support of the majority in the Lok Sabha. In such a situation the Ministry must resign.
2. Finances of the Government — The Cabinet is responsible for the expenditure of the government for presenting the demand for grants and also for raising necessary income by various means including taxation.
3. Introduction of Money Bills — A Money Bill can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only by a Minister.

(a) Three functions of Council of Ministers are-

1. Policy Making — The Cabinet formulates both external and domestic policies of the Government. Individual Ministers have reasonable freedom of action, but on all major matters they have to consult the Cabinet.
2. Implementation of Policies — Once a policy decision is taken by the Cabinet on any subject, it is conveyed to the Minister of State and the Deputy Minister of the concerned Ministry. They work out the details and pass it to the civil servants under that Ministry to implement the decision.
3. Finances of the Government — The Cabinet is responsible for the expenditure of the government for presenting the demand for grants and also for raising necessary income by various means including taxation.

(b) Parliament ensures Cabinet's responsibility to the people, in general, and to the Parliament as a whole. The methods adopted by the Parliament are —

1. A vote of No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers.
2. Rejection of a Government bill.
3. Passing a bill opposed by the Government.
4. Voting a cut in the Budget.
5. Passing an amendment to a bill against the wishes of the Government.
6. Reducing the salaries of the Ministers.
7. Asking questions.
8. Adjournment motions.
9. Rejecting some government measures.

(c) The Cabinet formulates both external and domestic policies of the Government.

1. It takes decisions on matters such as defence, economic policy, security needs, President's rule in State, formation of new States, industrial policy, imports and electoral reforms.
2. Individual Ministers have reasonable freedom of action, but on all major matters they have to consult the Cabinet.

(a) Three qualifications which a person should possess to be eligible for appointment as Prime Minister are-

1. He should be a citizen of India.
2. He must have completed 25 years of age in case he is a member of Lok Sabha and 30 years in case of Rajya Sabha.
3. He must be a member of either house of Parliament.

(b) While the President is the nominal head of State, the Prime Minister is the real head of the nation.

1. Leader of the Lok Sabha — As the Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in Parliament, he is said to be the leader of the House.
2. Spokesperson of the Government — The Prime Minister is the chief spokesman of the Government in the Parliament. He makes all important announcements on national policies on the floor of the House.
3. Defender of Government Policies — The Prime Minister defends the Government in the Parliament. When a policy or a Minister comes under attack in the Parliament, the Prime Minister comes to defend the issue involved.
4. Intervention in case of Controversial Issues — There are some controversial issues like the language issue, Centre-State relations, price-rise and atrocities on women over which members lose their temper. If an ugly situation arises in any of the Houses, the matter generally ends with the intervention of the Prime Minister.

(c) The Prime Minister is a link between the Cabinet and the President.

1. Our Constitution lays down that it shall be the duty of the Prime Minister to communicate to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the Union and the proposals for legislation.
2. A Minister cannot discuss any matter of national policy with the President on his/her own.

(a) The Prime Minister occupies a unique position in the Parliament as can be seen by the following points-

1. Leader of the Lok Sabha — As the Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in Parliament, he is said to be the leader of the House.
2. Spokesperson of the Government — The Prime Minister is the chief spokesman of the Government in the Parliament. He makes all important announcements on national policies on the floor of the House.
3. Defender of Government Policies — The Prime Minister defends the Government in the Parliament. When a policy or a Minister comes under attack in the Parliament, the Prime Minister comes to defend the issue involved.
4. Intervention in case of Controversial Issues — There are some controversial issues like the language issue, Centre-State relations, price-rise and atrocities on women over which members lose their temper. If an ugly situation arises in any of the Houses, the matter generally ends with the intervention of the Prime Minister.

(b) Three powers of the Prime Minister as a Chairperson of the Cabinet are as follows-

1. Power to Allocate Portfolios and to Reshuffle the Council of Ministers — It is the Prime Minister who allocates departments or portfolios to the Ministers. He can reshuffle his Council of Ministers whenever he pleases.
2. Power to Select and Dismiss Ministers — The Prime Minister chooses the Ministers and has the power to dismiss them too. He can ask an erring Minister to resign.
3. Power to Direct and Coordinate Policy — The Prime Minister coordinates the working of various departments so that administration is carried on smoothly. In critical matters such as, foreign, defence, economic and technological affairs, he coordinates the policy of the Government.

(c) Three ways in which the Constitution ensures the pre-eminent position of the Prime Minister in relation to the Union Council of Ministers are as follows-

1. Appointment of Council of Ministers — The Prime Minister chooses the ministers and, on his advice, the President appoints them.
2. Power to Allocate Portfolios and to Reshuffle the Council of Ministers — It is the Prime Minister who allocates departments or portfolios to the Ministers. He can reshuffle his Council of Ministers whenever he pleases.
3. Power to Dismiss Ministers — The Prime Minister has the power to dismiss the ministers. He can ask an erring Minister to resign.

(a) Madhavrao's resignation reflects Individual Responsibility. This is because he was directly in charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry and not the entire Council of Ministers.

(b) Two important differences between Individual and Collective Responsibility are as follows:

(c) Collective Responsibility can be considered more crucial and important because it ensures accountability at a larger scale. This can be clearly noticed when a vote of No-Confidence against one minister is considered a vote against the whole Ministry, in the case of which the whole Ministry has to resign.

If I am appointed as the Prime Minister of India, my guiding principles for choosing my cabinet will be firstly, to have only people without any criminal background considered for my cabinet. Secondly, my ministers should be honest, dedicated, self-less and above all not corrupt. I will also appoint young men who are technically sound as Ministers in my cabinet so that their experience and passion could be used to develop the country.

Yes, historically we have seen that when a number of parties join together to form a coalition government, such a government is weak. Due to the conflicting interests of the different parties involved, compromise and tolerance becomes the norm and the narrow agenda of regional parties takes priority over national needs. National economy becomes weak as the fiscal requirements of individual states and regions takes precedence.

The coalition partners have no common ideology. As a result, they are always living in this fear that the government can fall anytime. So, they try to maximise the financial gains for their respective parties in a short span of time. This combined with a lack of accountability in a coalition towards the people increases corruption leading to major scams.
Hence, a coalition government is weak and unable to strengthen the nation.

If I were appointed as the Prime Minister of India for a day, I would focus on two immediate changes that could have a lasting impact:

1. Implement Strict Accountability for Government Officials

(i) I would introduce a real-time monitoring system to track the efficiency and transparency of government officials and bureaucrats.

(ii) This is because corruption and delays in public services affect millions of people. A transparent and accountable system would ensure that government officers perform their duties efficiently and serve the citizens effectively.

2. Prioritize Education and Skill Development

(i) I would launch a nationwide initiative to integrate practical skill-based education in schools and colleges, ensuring students are job-ready upon graduation.

(ii) This is because many graduates struggle with unemployment due to a lack of practical skills. Enhancing vocational training and technology-based learning would bridge the gap between education and employment.

These two changes would promote good governance and empower the youth, laying the foundation for long-term national progress.