Cabinet System in India

Cabinet System in India: The Cabinet System in India forms an important part of the parliamentary form of government. It consists of Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is the highest decision-making body in the government and is responsible for formulating policies and making important decisions on various issues. The principle of collective responsibility and individual responsibility are a cornerstone of the cabinet form of government and the Lok Sabha, as the lower house of Parliament, holds the Cabinet accountable through debates and discussions.

In this article, you will read about the cabinet system in India, the cabinet form of government, functions of the cabinet system, cabinet committees, composition and classification of cabinet committees.

Cabinet System in India

The Cabinet System in India is a fundamental feature of its parliamentary form of government. It comprises senior ministers led by the Prime Minister is the real executive authority. The President of India appoints the Prime Minister and acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers. The principle of collective responsibility is a fundamental feature of the Cabinet System. The Cabinet meets regularly to discuss and decide on important policy matters and issues facing the country and serves three principal functions: to determine government policy, to implement government policy, and to carry out interdepartmental coordination and cooperation.

Brief History of the Cabinet System

During pre-independent India, the concept of a cabinet system evolved with the Executive Council of the Viceroy serving as an early precursor. The Cabinet System was formally established after India gained independence in 1947. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister, leading the interim government and later the first elected government. The Constitution of India, adopted in 1950, outlined the structure and function of the Cabinet System. Articles 74 and 75 of the Constitution deal with the roles of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers, and their relationship with the President.

Cabinet Form of Government

In a parliamentary democracy, the Cabinet consisting of the Prime Minister and senior ministers appointed by the President, functions as the highest decision-making body in the government. Cabinet ministers in the parliament usually belong to the majority party or coalition. It meets frequently to deliberate, discuss and make decisions in relation to the government functions. It represents the collective functions. It represents the executive branch of the government and guides the council of ministers for policy decisions. It supervises the implementation of its decision by the council of ministers.

The Cabinet is responsible to the Parliament, and its members are held accountable to the legislative body for their decisions and actions. It is responsible for the implementation of the policies and programmes of the government that ensures the efficient and smooth functioning of the government.

Constitutional Status

By the 44th Constitutional Amendment act, 1978 the word ‘cabinet’ was added to Article 352 of the Indian Constitution. It was not present in the original text of the constitution and now also only Article 352 defines the cabinet as “the council consisting of the Prime minister and other ministers of Cabinet rank appointed under Article 75”, but does not defines it powers and functions. It means the role of the cabinet is based on the conventions of parliamentary government developed in Britain.

Responsibility of Ministers

Various form of responsibility of the ministers are described below:

Collective Responsibilty

Article 75 states that the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the lok sabha. That is all the council of ministers are jointly repsonsilble to the Lok sabha for all their decisions and actions. When no confidence motion is passed in the lok sabha against the council of ministers, all the ministers need to resign including those ministers who are from Rajya sabha. Collective responsibilty also means that all the cabinet ministers are bound by the decision taken by the cabinet.

Individual Responsibilty

Article 75 states that the ministers hold office during the pleasure of the President. It means that the ministers can be removed by the President even when the council of ministers enjoy the confidence of the lok sabha. Although the President can remove a minister only in the advice of the Prime Minister.

No Legal Responsibilty

Indian constitution does not have any provision for the legal responsibilty. It means that the order passed by the President need not be countersigned by a minister. Additionally the court are not allowed to enquire into the nature of the advice given by the ministers to the President.

Difference Between Cabinet and Council of Ministers

The Difference Between Cabinet and Council of Minsters are as follows:

Aspect	Cabinet	Council of Ministers
Composition	Usually consists of key ministers, including senior ones, and is led by the Prime Minister.	Encompasses a broader group, including Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State.
Decision-Making Authority	Holds the highest decision-making authority and is crucial for major policy decisions.	Involves both major and minor decisions, with some decisions made collectively in the Cabinet.
Leadership	Headed by the Prime Minister, who is the chief executive and leader of the government.	Includes various ministers, and the leadership may be distributed among them based on portfolios.
Confidentiality	Deliberations within the Cabinet are confidential, and decisions are binding on all members.	May have a mix of confidential Cabinet decisions and broader discussions involving the entire Council.
Collective Responsibility	All members collectively share responsibility for government decisions.	Collective responsibility is a guiding principle, but its application may vary for Ministers of State.
Policy Formulation	Central in formulating major policies and decisions that shape the country’s direction.	Involved in policy formulation, but some decisions may be made at the level of individual ministries.
Accountability	Members are accountable to the Parliament for their actions and decisions.	Individual ministers are accountable for their specific portfolios, with the entire Council being collectively accountable

Functions of the Cabinet System

Functions of the cabinet are as follows:

• It is the highest decison making body.
• The Cabinet is responsible for formulating and shaping major policies of the central government.
• It is the main executive authority of the central government.
• Cabinet is the chief coordinator of the central government.
• It act as an advisory body to the President and its advice are binding on him.
• It looks after all the important legislative and financial matters.
• Cabinet exercise control over appointments at the higher level such as constitutional authorities.
• Cabinet deal with all the foriegn programme and policies.
• It act as a chief crisis manager and therefore deal with all the emergency situations.

Kitchen Cabinet

The cabinet consists of Prime minister as its head and around 15- 20 important ministers. It forms a small body but a still smaller body is called as “Kitchen Cabinet” or “Inner cabinet”. It forms the real centre of power and holds great significance. It consists of Prime minister and some of his trusted colleagues with whom he can discuss important matters. It can consists of not only cabinet ministers but also outsiders like family members and friends of the Prime minister.

Cabinet Committees

Cabinet committees are not mentioned in the constitution therefore they are extra-constitutional bodies. Their establishment is mentioned in the Rule of Business. Cabinet committees are of two types: Standing and ad hoc committees. Standing committees are permanent in nature and ad hoc committee are temporary in nature and are formed from time to time.to deal with the specific situation. All these committees are set up by the Prime minister according to the demand of the situtaion. Therefore, the composition, number of the committee varies from time to time.

The cabinet committees not only sort out the issues and formulates proposals but also take decisions. They can also review their decisions. They are based on the divison of labour and effective delegation and help reduce the workload of the cabinet.

Classification of Cabinet Committees

There is a total of eight cabinet committees which are as listed below:

• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth.
• Cabinet Committee on Security.
• Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Employment & Skill Development.
• Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.

Composition – Members of Committee

The number of members in the committe varies from three to eight and usually include cabinet ministers. Non cabinet ministers may also be appointed. Most of the committees are headed by the Prime minister but in other situation, other Cabinet ministers such as the Home Minister or the Finance Minister can also chair the committee.

Currently, all committees except Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are mainly chaired by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation is chaired by the Home Minister and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs is chaired by the Defence Minister.

Conclusion – Cabinet System in India

The Cabinet System in India is a pivotal component of its parliamentary form of government, featuring a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. As the highest decision-making body, it holds the responsibility for formulating policies and making crucial decisions on various national issues. Enshrined in Articles 74 and 75 of the Constitution, the Cabinet operates on the principles of collective and individual responsibility. The historical evolution of this system can be traced back to the post-independence era, with Jawaharlal Nehru becoming the first Prime Minister. The Cabinet, central to the functioning of a parliamentary democracy, serves the essential functions of policy determination, policy implementation, and interdepartmental coordination. It is accountable to the Parliament, particularly the Lok Sabha, which holds it responsible through debates and discussions.

The Cabinet System encompasses various committees, both standing and ad hoc, formed to address specific issues and reduce the workload of the main Cabinet. These committees, such as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Security, aid in decision-making and policy formulation. While Cabinet meetings are confidential, decisions made collectively by the Cabinet are binding on all members, reinforcing the concept of collective responsibility.

FAQs on Cabinet System in India

1. How many members are in cabinet of India?

There are 29 Cabinet Ministers, 3 Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 47 Ministers of State in the 2023 Council of Ministers.

2. How many types of ministers are there in cabinet?

There are three types of ministers in the cabinet: Cabinet ministers, minister of state, and deputy ministers. The council of ministers are headed by the Prime minister.

3. How are cabinet ministers elected?

There are three types of ministers in the cabinet. The Prime minister is appointed by the Prime minister and other ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime minister.

4. What is the Cabinet?

The cabinet is a small body that consists of Prime minister as its head and around 15- 20 important ministers. It is the highest decison making body. The Cabinet is responsible for formulating and shaping major policies of the central government.

5. What are the constitutional provisions related to the Cabinet?

The word ‘cabinet’ was added to Article 352 by the 44th Constitutional Amendment act, 1978 of the Indian Constitution. It was not present in the original text of the constitution and now also only Article 352 defines the cabinet.