Council of Ministers: Eligibility, Working - Parliament and The Making Of Laws

There is a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advice the President in the exercise of his functions. The President acts in accordance with such advice. The Cabinet Ministers hold the highest rank and make all important decisions. Other categories of ministers are Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers. They have to abide by the decisions made by the Cabinet.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an appointment as a minister, a person must be a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. A person who is not a member can be appointed for six months. But then he or she has to obtain membership of any House of Parliament during this time. Usually, the Prime Minister and most of the other ministers are members of the Lok Sabha.

Working of the Council of Ministers

The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers. The whole body works together under this person as a team. They hold Collective Responsibility. This means that all of them together are answerable to the Parliament for any decision taken by the Prime Minister. If a vote of no-confidence is passed against the Prime Minister, they all have to resign. Cabinet Ministers hold charge of different portfolios or departments of the Central Governments like finance, defense, etc. A Minister of State can also hold independent charge of a department.

Organization of the Council of Ministers

The council comprises three categories of ministers. The Cabinet is the most important component of the Council of Ministers. Important portfolios like finance, defense, external affairs, railways, and home affairs are held by ministers of the Cabinet rank.

It is the inner circle of ministers who are responsible for formulating government policies. The Cabinet is a cohesive group working under the Prime Minister as a team. Ministers of State have no say in the formulation of national policies. Ministries of lesser importance are usually assigned to Ministers of States. They attend Cabinet meetings only on invitation.

Deputy Ministers as the name implies work under Cabinet Ministers and are assigned functions by the Minister under whom they may be working. The whole council of ministers meets rarely. Most decisions are taken by the Cabinet.

The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers hold office at the pleasure of the President. However, they remain in office as long as they enjoy majority support in the Lok Sabha. If the Prime Minister wants to get rid of a minister, he usually asks him to resign. The minister complies to avoid the odium of dismissal.

Collective responsibility: -

The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of the People. The responsibility for anything going wrong under one Ministry has to be shared by everyone. If it loses the confidence of the Lok Sabha, the entire Council has to resign. It may alternatively recommend to the President to dissolve the House.

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