Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:
As railway and transport minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri sent his resignation twice to Nehru after train accidents. Only once he was persuaded to take it back…..When it appeared that Nehru seemed inclined to accept the (second) resignation, thirty MPs appealed to Nehru not to let Shastri go. They were of the view that while Shastri should be lauded for having offered to resign, his resignation should not be accepted, as he was not personally responsible for the accident.
(Source:https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/lal-bahadur-shastri-sent-nehru-his-resignation-set-gold-standard-for-politicians/304341/)
(a) Does Shastri's resignation reflect Individual Responsibility or Collective Responsibility? Justify.
(b) Highlight two important differences between both types.

Question

Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:
As railway and transport minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri sent his resignation twice to Nehru after train accidents. Only once he was persuaded to take it back…..When it appeared that Nehru seemed inclined to accept the (second) resignation, thirty MPs appealed to Nehru not to let Shastri go. They were of the view that while Shastri should be lauded for having offered to resign, his resignation should not be accepted, as he was not personally responsible for the accident.
(Source:https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/lal-bahadur-shastri-sent-nehru-his-resignation-set-gold-standard-for-politicians/304341/)
(a) Does Shastri's resignation reflect Individual Responsibility or Collective Responsibility? Justify.
(b) Highlight two important differences between both types.

KnowledgeBoat · Accepted Answer

(a) Lal Bahadur Shastri's resignation reflects Individual Responsibility. This is because he was himself in charge of the Railway and Transport Ministry and not the entire Council of Ministers. (b) Two important differences between Individual and Collective Responsibility are as follows: Individual Responsibility Collective Responsibility 1. The Ministers are individually responsible to the President, i.e., they hold office during the pleasure of the President and may be dismissed by him/her, on the advice of the Prime Minister even when they may have the confidence of the Legislature. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Parliament and has to resign if it loses the confidence of the Lok Sabha. 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. 2. Each Minister is answerable to Parliament for the department under his/her control. It is obligatory for him/her to answer all the questions asked by the MPs, regarding the functioning of his/her department. All Ministers jointly share the responsibility for the government's policies and performance. The Ministers must function as a team in supporting and defending government policies inside as well as outside Parliament.

History & Civics

Prime Minister

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	Individual Responsibility	Collective Responsibility
1.	The Ministers are individually responsible to the President, i.e., they hold office during the pleasure of the President and may be dismissed by him/her, on the advice of the Prime Minister even when they may have the confidence of the Legislature.	The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Parliament and has to resign if it loses the confidence of the Lok Sabha. 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.
2.	Each Minister is answerable to Parliament for the department under his/her control. It is obligatory for him/her to answer all the questions asked by the MPs, regarding the functioning of his/her department.	All Ministers jointly share the responsibility for the government's policies and performance. The Ministers must function as a team in supporting and defending government policies inside as well as outside Parliament.