Describe the powers and functions of the Prime Minister of India.

There is no direct election to the post of the Prime Minister. The President appoints the Prime Minister. But the President cannot appoint anyone he likes. He appoints the leader of the majority party or the coalition of parties that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha, as Prime Minister. In case no single party or alliance gets a majority, the President appoints the person most likely to secure a majority support. The Prime Minister does not have a fixed tenure. He continues in power so long as he remains the leader of the majority party or coalition. Since the Prime Minister is the head of the government, he enjoys wide-ranging powers : (i) He chairs Cabinet meetings and coordinates the work of different Departments. His decisions are final in case disagreements arise between Departments. (ii) He exercises general supervision of different ministries. All ministers work under his leadership. (iii) The Prime Minister distributes and redistributes work to the ministers. (iv) He also has the power to dismiss ministers. When the Prime Minister quits, the entire ministry quits. Thus, the Prime Minister is the most powerful person within the Cabinet.

How is the Prime Minister elected?

The Prime Minister is elected by the Members of Parliament. Out of 545 seats in Lok Sabha, any party who wins a majority of seats choose their leader to be the head of the Government. Article 75 of the Constitution provides that the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President but the President has to appoint the leader of the majority party in Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister. But when no party has a clear majority in the Lok Sabha the President can exercise his personal discretion in the appointment of Prime Minister.

The minimum age required for becoming the Prime Minister of India is _______________.

A person will be eligible to become the Prime Minister if he is a citizen of India and a member of either house of the Parliament. 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.

How is the President of India elected? Describe the powers and functions of the President?

The President of India is the head of the State. He exercises only nominal powers. He is not elected directly by the people. All the members of Parliament i.e. MPs and Members of State Legislative Assemblies i.e. MLAs elect him. A candidate standing for President's post has to get a majority of votes to win the election. This ensures that the President can be seen to represent the entire nation. The President supervises the overall functioning of all the political institutions in the country so that they operate in harmony to achieve the objections of the State. He exercises the following powers : (i) All the governmental activities take place in the name of the President. (ii) All laws and major policy decisions of the government are issued in his name. (iii) All major appointments are made in the name of the President. These include the appointment of the Chief Justice of India, the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts of the States, the Government of the States, the Election Commissioners, ambassadors to other countries, etc. (iv) All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the President. (v) The President is the supreme commander of the defence forces of India. But the President exercises all these powers only on the advice of the Council of Ministers. The President can ask the Council of Ministers to reconsider its advice. But if the same advice is given again, he is bound to act according to it. In the same way, a bill passed by the Parliament becomes a law only after the President gives assent to it. If the President wants, he can delay this for some time and send the bill back to the Parliament for reconsideration. But if the Parliament passes the bill again, he has to sign it.

Describe the three categories of ministers which constitute the Council of Ministers.

The Council of Ministers is the official name for the body that includes all the Ministers. It usually has 60 to 80 Ministers of different ranks (i) Cabinet Ministers are usually top-level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in-charge of the major ministries. Usually the Cabinet Ministers meet to take decisions in the name of the Council of Ministers. Cabinet is thus the inner ring of the Council of Ministers. It comprises about 20 ministers. (ii) Ministers of State with independent charge are usually in-charge of smaller ministries. They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited. (iii) Ministers of State are attached to and required to assist Cabinet Ministers.

Who among the following is a part of Political Executive?

Out of the given option Home minister is the political executive. One that is elected by the people for a specific period is called the political executive.

Why is the Prime Minister in India not directly elected by the people? Choose the most appropriate answer and give reasons for your choice.

In a Parliamentary democracy only the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha can become the Prime Minister. This is to ensure that the Prime Minister secures a majority support. This prevents him/her from being either a puppet or a dictator since he/she has to function along with a council of ministers.

Who was the member of the Rajya Sabha when first appointed as the Prime Minister of India?

Constitutionally, the Prime Minister may be a member of any of the two Houses of Parliament. Mrs. Indira Gandhi the First Lady Prime Minister of India was the first member of Rajya Sabha to be appointed as Prime Minister.

Explain the Council of Ministers.

The Prime Minister is the Head of the Government. He is the real executive authority. The council of ministers is the ministers which hold ministry in the Particular government and lead by the head I.e., Prime Minister. These ministers are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and perform executive functions. Articles 74 and 75 of the Constitution of India deal with the council of ministers and Prime Minister. Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.

Mention three important functions (powers) of the Prime Minister.

Functions (powers) of the Prime Minister are as below:1. He recommends persons who can be appointed as ministers by the president.2. He presides over the meetings of the council of ministers and influences its decisions.3. He is the principal channel of communication between the president and the council of ministers.

Council of Ministers | Definition, Examples, Diagrams

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Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Normally, only members of Parliament are appointed as Ministers. The Council of Ministers consists of all categories of Ministers- Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.

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Formation and Appointment of the Cabinet

Formation of the Cabinet: The Cabinet is composed of a small but important body of senior leaders of the party, who are included in the Council of Ministers. They hold important portfolios like railways, defence, finance, etc. and decide major policies of the Government. The cabinet takes important decisions which are communicated to the other Ministers.

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Appointment of the Cabinet

Appointment of the Cabinet: The Prime Minister selects his senior and trustworthy colleagues and advises the President to appoint them as Cabinet Ministers. The President then appoints them as Ministers as per the advice of the Prime Minister.

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Term of office of the Minister

The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are directly responsible to the Lok Sabha and can remain in office so long as they enjoy the majority support in the House (Lok Sabha). The Minister swears to (i) bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India; (ii) uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, (iii) faithfully and conscientiously discharge his duties without fear or favour, action or ill-will.

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Powers and functions of the Cabinet

The powers and functions of the Cabinet include:
(i) Policy Making - The Cabinet formulates both external and domestic policies of the Government.
(ii) Implementation of Policies: The business of the Government is managed jointly by the Council of Ministers and the civil servants concerned.
(iii) Coordinate the functioning of various ministers: The Cabinet coordinates the working of various departments for the smooth implementation of government policies.
(iv) Appointments: All major appointments, though made by the President, are decided upon by the Cabinet.

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Features of the Cabinet system

The features of the Cabinet system are:
(i) President as nominal head
(ii) Coordination between Ministers and Parliament
(ii) Leadership of the Prime Minister
(iv) Control of Parliament over the Executive.

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Distinction between Council of Ministers and Cabinet

Council of Ministers	Cabinet
The Council of Ministers consists of all categories of ministers- Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.	The Cabinet is a smaller group consisting of 15 to 18 senior ministers holding important portfolios such as Defence, Finance, Railways, etc.
The Prime Minister may or may not consult the other Ministers below the rank of Cabinet Ministers.	They are the most trusted colleagues of the Prime Minister and he always consults them.
In the day-to-day working of the government, the Council of Ministers as a whole rarely meets.	The Cabinet determines the policy and programme of the Government; so its members meet frequently.

Council of Ministers

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Council of Ministers

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Formation and Appointment of the Cabinet

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Appointment of the Cabinet

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Term of office of the Minister

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Powers and functions of the Cabinet

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Features of the Cabinet system

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Distinction between Council of Ministers and Cabinet

REVISE WITH CONCEPTS

President

Powers and Functions of the President of India

Prime Minister

Describe the powers and functions of the Prime Minister of India.

How is the Prime Minister elected?

The minimum age required for becoming the Prime Minister of India is _______________.

How is the President of India elected? Describe the powers and functions of the President?

Describe the three categories of ministers which constitute the Council of Ministers.

Who among the following is a part of Political Executive?

Why is the Prime Minister in India not directly elected by the people? Choose the most appropriate answer and give reasons for your choice.

Who was the member of the Rajya Sabha when first appointed as the Prime Minister of India?

Explain the Council of Ministers.

Mention three important functions (powers) of the Prime Minister.