History & Civics
The Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister aids and advises the President. In this context, answer the following questions:
(i) Mention any three points to distinguish between the Council of Ministers and the Cabinet.
(ii) Who appoints the Cabinet Ministers? Mention any two administrative powers of the Cabinet.
(iii) The President is the nominal head of the Indian Union. Mention any four functions of the Prime Minister with reference to the President.
Prime Minister
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Answer
(i) Difference between the Council of Ministers and the 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 senior Ministers holding important portfolios such as Defence, Finance, Home, 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. The Prime Minister always consults them. The decisions of the Cabinet are binding on all the ministers. |
| In the day-to-day working of the government, the Council of Ministers as a whole rarely meets. | The Cabinet is a small cohesive group of senior Ministers who determine the policy and programme of the Government; so they meet as frequently as possible. |
(ii) The President appoints the Cabinet ministers as per the advice of the Prime Minister. Two administrative powers of the Cabinet are:
- Policy making: The Cabinet formulates both external and domestic policies and decides on crucial government matters concerning various domains like defense, economy and foreign affairs.
- Coordination: The Cabinet ensures smooth collaboration and coordination between different government departments for effective policy implementation.
(iii) The President of India is referred to as a nominal head of the Indian Union because of the following reasons -
- All authority vested in the President is exercised by the Prime Minister. He/She is the principal advisor of the President. Thus, the President is the nominal head and the Prime Minister is the real executive of the Indian Union.
- It is on the advice of the Prime Minister that the President summons and prorogues the Parliament and dissolves the Lok Sabha.
- The Prime Minister chooses the ministers and, on his/her advice, the President appoints them. The ministers may be dismissed on the advice of the Prime Minister.
- He/She advises the President on various appointments to important posts such as the Judges of the Supreme Court, the Governors and Ambassadors.
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