Union Council of Ministers
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The incumbent Union Council of Ministers of theThird Modi ministry,2024 at theirswearing in | |
| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 15 August 1947 |
| Type | Highest executive body of theGovernment of India |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of India |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
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| Website | english. gov.in |
TheUnion Council of Ministers,[1]also called Union Cabinet is theprincipal executive organof theGovernment of India,which functions as the senior decision-making body of the executive branch. It is chaired by the prime minister and consists of the heads of each of the executive government ministries. Currently, the council is headed by prime ministerNarendra Modiand consists of 29 members, including the prime minister. The council is subject to theParliament of India.
A smaller executive body called theUnion Cabinetis the supreme decision-making body in India; it is a subset of the Union Council of Ministers who hold important portfolios andministriesof the government.[2]
Regulation
Pursuant toArticle 75(3),the Council of Ministers is responsible collectively to the lower house of theIndian parliament,called theLok Sabha(House of the People).[3]When a bill introduced by a minister in the Lok Sabha is not approved by it, the entire council of ministers is responsible and not the minister. The council of ministers upon losing the confidence of Lok Sabha shall resign to facilitate the formation of a new government.
A minister shall take any decision without being considered by the council of ministers perArticle 78(c).All union cabinet members shall submit in writing to thePresidentto propose a proclamation of emergency by the president in accordance withArticle 352.
According to theConstitution of India,the total number of ministers in the council of ministers must not exceed 15% of the total number of members of the Lok Sabha. Ministers must be members of parliament. Any minister who is not a member of either of the houses of the parliament for six consecutive months is automatically stripped off his or her ministerial post.[3]
Ranking
There are five categories of the council of ministers as given below, in descending order ofrank:
- Prime Minister:Leader of the Union Council of Ministers.
- Deputy Prime Minister(if any): Presides as prime minister in his absence or as the senior most cabinet minister.[4]
- Cabinet Minister: A member of the Union cabinet; leads aministry.
- Minister of State (Independent charge): Junior minister not reporting to a Cabinet Minister.
- Minister of State(MoS): Deputy Minister reporting to a Cabinet Minister, usually tasked with a specific responsibility in that ministry.
Appointment
Pursuant toArticle 75,a minister who works at the pleasure of thepresident,is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Since at least the turn of the millennia, evidence indicates that anMP's electoral performance enhances the likelihood of being granted a ministerial portfolio.[5]
Removal
- Upon death
- Upon self resignation, or resignation or death of the prime minister
- Upon dismissal by the President for minister's unconstitutional acts perArticle 75(2)
- Upon direction from the Judiciary for committing violation of law
- Upon ceasing eligibility to be a member of Parliament
- Under the provision of "Collective Responsibility" under Article 75, the Prime Minister and the entire Council of Ministers resign if aVote of No Confidenceis passed in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament
Council of Ministers in state governments
Every state in India is governed by its council of ministers with rules and procedures similar to the union council of ministers perArticles 163, 164 and 167(c).
In March 2020, the Supreme Court of India used its powers for the first time to do "complete justice" underArticle 142of the Indian Constitution to remove a minister functioning in the state of Manipur.
Current Union Council of Ministers
Council portfolios are as follows:[6]
Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
Ministers of State
See also
- List of longest-serving members of the Union Council of Ministers of India
- National Democratic Alliance
- Council of Ministers of Narendra Modi
- Union government ministries of India
References
- ^Article 58 of theConstitution of India
- ^Wikisource: Constitution of India/Part XVIII
- ^abWikisource:Constitution of India/Part V#Article 74.7BCouncil of Ministers to aid and advise President.7D
- ^Rajendran, S. (13 July 2012)."Of Deputy Chief Ministers and the Constitution".The Hindu.Bangalore.ISSN0971-751X.OCLC13119119.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2018.Retrieved7 March2018.
- ^Ladwig III, Walter C. (23 December 2019)."Executive Particularism and Ministerial Selection in India".Legislative Studies Quarterly.44(4). Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis: 469–493.doi:10.1111/lsq.12261.Archivedfrom the original on 16 February 2020.Retrieved21 January2020.
- ^The Hindu (9 June 2024)."Modi Cabinet 2024: List of Cabinet Ministers".Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2024.Retrieved9 June2024.
- ^The Hindu (9 June 2024)."Modi Cabinet 2024: List of Cabinet Ministers".Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2024.Retrieved9 June2024.
- ^"Full list of ministers with portfolios in Modi 3.0 government: Who gets what".The Hindu.Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2024.Retrieved10 June2024.
- ^The Hindu (9 June 2024)."Three MPs from Andhra Pradesh sworn in as Union Ministers".Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2024.Retrieved9 June2024.
External links
- Union Council of Ministers at theNational Portal of India
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