History & Civics
Answer
The differences between collective responsibility and individual responsibility of the Council of Ministers are as follows:
| Collective Responsibility | Individual Responsibility |
|---|---|
| According to Article 75(3) of the Constitution, the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. | The Ministers are individually responsible to the President. |
| 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. | Each Minister is answerable to Parliament for the department under his control. It is obligatory for him to answer all the questions asked by the MPs, regarding matters such as personal lapse, departure from official policy by him or by his department, breach of oath of secrecy and so on. |
| 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. | A minister may be dismissed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister even when they may have the confidence of the Legislature. |
Related Questions
The Prime Minister is
- appointed by the President
- appointed by President on the recommendation of the Speaker
- elected by the Lok Sabha
- elected by the Upper House
The Ministers are individually responsible to
- the Prime Minister
- the President
- the people
- the Parliament
Generally the Prime Minister is
- a member of Rajya Sabha
- a member of Lok Sabha
- not a member of either House of Parliament
- an experienced administrator
Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:
Madhavrao Scindia tended his resignation as Civil Aviation Minister on January 9, 1993 following the crash of TU-154 aircraft which was carrying 165 persons on board including the crew. Although all the passengers survived the crash Madhavrao resigned on moral grounds as the aircraft had been leased from Russia.
(a) Does Madhavrao's resignation reflect Individual Responsibility or Collective Responsibility? Justify.
(b) State two important differences between Individual and Collective Responsibility.
(c) Which of these two responsibilities is more important? Why?