Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Prime minister

The prime minister is the head of the government and also the real executive of the Indian system. Although the prime minister is appointed by the president, no system of appointment is given in the constitution. However, as a convention, the leader of the largest party in the parliament becomes the prime minister. 

The Appointment of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers

• No direct election to the post of PM:  The President designates the head of the greater party or the alliance of gatherings that orders a greater part in the majority in Lok Sabha as Prime Minister
• If a single party or alliance does not achieve a majority, the person with the best chance of gaining majority support is picked by the President
• The Prime Minister’s term is not fixed. As long as he is the head of the majority party or coalition, he remains in power
• Following the Prime Minister’s appointment, the President appoints other Ministers on the Prime Minister’s advice
• Ministers can be chosen by the Prime Minister as long as they are members of Parliament. A person who is not a member of Parliament can sometimes be appointed as a Minister. However, within six months of being appointed as Minister, such a person must be elected to one of the Houses of Parliament

Powers of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister’s and ministers’ powers, as well as their relationships, are not well-defined in the Constitution. However, as the government’s leader, the Prime Minister has broad powers, including the ability to:

• He is in charge of chairing Cabinet sessions and coordinating the work of various Departments
• In the event of a conflict between Departments, his decisions are final
• He exercises general supervision of different ministries
• All ministers work under his leadership
• The Prime Minister assigns work to the ministers and redistributes it
• He also has the authority to remove ministers from office
• When the Prime Minister resigns, the entire cabinet resigns as well
• The de facto commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the prime minister is the most powerful person in India

In recent decades, the Prime Minister’s powers in all parliamentary democracies across the world have grown to such an extent where parliamentary democracies are frequently referred to as Prime Ministerial governments

Council of Ministers

The authority name for the body that exercises executive authority in India. The council of ministers consists of Cabinet ministers, the ministers of state, and other ministers of lower ranks. The Prime Minister leads the council of ministers.  

• The council of ministers normally consists of 60 to 80 Ministers of various grades. Given below are different grades of ministers included in the council of ministers

• Cabinet Ministers are usually top-ranking members of the ruling party or parties in control of key ministries. Cabinet Ministers typically gather to make decisions on behalf of the Council of Ministers. The inner ring of the Council of Ministers is hence the cabinet
• Smaller Ministries are generally in control of Ministers of State with independent charge. They only attend Cabinet sessions if they are specifically invited
• Pastors of State are entrusted with helping Cabinet Ministers and are expected to do so

• As it is impractical for all ministers to meet regularly and debate everything, parliamentary democracy is also known as the Cabinet form of government. Decisions are made in cabinet sessions
• The Cabinet is always supposed to work like a team: Even if the ministers may have different opinions, everyone has to own up to every decision of the Cabinet. No minister is allowed to openly criticize any decision taken by the government even if it concerns another Ministry or Department

Removal of the Council of Ministers

There are many reasons which can lead to the removal of the Council of Ministers. Here are the reasons that can lead to  their removal

• Death
• Self resignation
• Dismissal by the president for a minister’s unconstitutional acts
• After being directed by the judiciary for violation of any law
• If ineligible to be a member of the parliament
• If a vote of a no-confidence motion is passed in the Lok Sabha or the lower house of the parliament

Cabinet Secretariat

• Secretaries, who are civil servants, work in every ministry. The secretaries give the ministers the required background knowledge to make judgments
• The Cabinet Secretariat assists the Cabinet as a whole. Many senior public workers are involved in this as they endeavour to coordinate the operations of various ministries

Conclusion

We can conclude that the Prime Minister of India is the head of the executive branch of the central government. He is the presiding member of the Council of Ministers of the head of the federal cabinet. The prime minister is in charge of selecting and dismissing any member of the cabinet. The prime minister is also in charge of allocating posts to members within the government. 

The Council of Ministers is the body that exercises executive authority in India. It consists of various grades of ministers. The Council of ministers consists of Cabinet ministers, the minister of states. The smaller executive body called the Union Cabinet is in charge of taking decisions and hence, the supreme decision-making body of India.