Upto 60% Off on UPSC Online Courses

Avail Now

NCERT NOTES

Elevate your UPSC preparation with NCERT Notes – because every word matters on your journey to success.

Cabinet Ministers in India: Roles, Responsibilities, and Impact

November 27, 2023 2508 0

“This Government will function as a Cabinet and will be jointly responsible for its decisions” –  Nehru wrote to to Viceroy Lord Wavell 

Definition of Cabinet: Role in National Decision-Making

  • The Cabinet is the core of the Council of Ministers. It consists of 15 to 18 members, who are the senior most and in fact most effective ministers of the council. 
  • The PM along with the cabinet ministers deliberate and decide on various policies of national importance. 
  • The cabinet ministers hold the key and important portfolios such as Home, Defence, External Affairs, Atomic Energy, Petroleum inter alia. 
  • As the cabinet ministers jointly form the central decision-making authority of the nation, the Prime Minister selects them with much caution. 
  • The meetings of the cabinet under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister are held once in a week and in the case of necessity, more than once in a week and even in a day. 

Do You Know?

  • Cabinet was inserted in Art. 352 of the Constitution by the 44th Amendment Act 1978. It did not find a place in the original text of the Constitution.
  • It is important to note that it is the Cabinet and not the Council of Ministers who advises the President.

Role of Cabinet Ministers in Shaping Indian Governance

  • Cabinet is the highest decision-making authority in the Indian politico- administrative system. 
  • Cabinet envisages as chief policy formulating body of the Central government. 
  • It is the supreme executive authority of the Central government. 
  • PM is the chief coordinator of the Central administration. 
  • It is an advisory body to the president and its advice is binding on him (president can return advice for reconsideration only at once)
  • Cabinet is the chief crisis manager and thus deals with all emergencies. 
  • It deals with all major legislative and financial matters. 
  • Cabinet exercises control over higher appointments like constitutional authorities and senior secretariat administrators. 
  • Cabinet deals with all foreign policies and foreign affairs.

Why is the Cabinet system important in Government?

  • It is easier to build consensus 
  • More effective discussion and efficient time utilization
  • Less burden on public exchequer – Economic efficiency
  • More priority to secrecy 
  • More rational division of work – Large size Council of Ministers ties up too many tongues and less viewpoint is available. 

How is Executive power checked?

  • Legislative check
  • Judicial check through mechanism of judicial review
  • Opinion of media and public 
  • Opinion of International community
  • Ensure global constitutionalism (like treaties, conventions etc.) 

Perspectives from Cabinet on its role and significance in Governance:

  • Walter Begehot: 
    • The Cabinet, in a word, is a board of control chosen by the legislature, out of persons whom it trusts and knows, to rule the nation.”
    •  “The Cabinet is a hyphen that joins, the buckle that binds the executive and legislative departments together”.
  • Ramsay Muir: “The Cabinet is the steering wheel of the ship of the state.” 
  • Lowell: “The Cabinet is the keystone of the political arch”. 
  • Sir John Marriott: “The Cabinet is the pivot around which the whole political machinery revolves”. 
  • Gladstone: “The Cabinet is the solar orb around which the other bodies revolve”. 
  • Barker: “The Cabinet is the magnet of policy”. 
  • Sir Ivor Jennings: “The Cabinet is the core of the British Constitutional System. It provides unity to the British system of Government”. 
  • L.S. Amery: “The Cabinet is the central directing instrument of Government” 

What role does the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ play in Indian Politics?

What role does the 'Kitchen Cabinet' play in Indian Politics?

  • Kitchen Cabinet is the informal and non-constitutional body (extra-constitutional), unlike CoM which has constitutional status.
  • Every Prime Minister in India has had his ‘Inner Cabinet’–a circle within a circle. During the era of Indira Gandhi, the ‘Inner Cabinet’ which came to be called the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ was particularly powerful. 
  • The Kitchen Cabinet consists of an informal body of the Prime Minister and 2-4 influential colleagues in whom he has faith and with whom he can discuss every problem.
  • Outsiders like friends and family members of the Prime Minister can also be included.
  • Members of the kitchen cabinet advise the Prime Minister on important political and administrative issues and assist him in making crucial decisions. 
  • The philosophy of ‘kitchen cabinet’ also exists in the USA and Britain, it is not unique to the Indian politico- administrative system.
  • Various notations to Kitchen Cabinet:
    • ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ – by Indira Gandhi.
    • ‘Dehradun Brigade’ – by Rajiv Gandhi.
    • ‘Grand Council of India’ – by L. B. Shastri.

What are the merits and demerits of an Inner Cabinet System?

MERITS DEMERITS
Due to the small unit, a much more efficient decision-making body than a large cabinet.  Reduces the authority and status of the cabinet as the highest decision-making body.
Members can meet more often and deal with business much more expeditiously  Circumvents the legal process by allowing outside persons to play an influential role 
Helps in maintaining secrecy in making decisions on important political issues.  Could induce sense of mistrust among other members of cabinet

What distinguishes the Cabinet from the Council of Ministers in a Government?

Cabinet Council of Ministers
  • Smaller body consisting 15 to 20 ministers.
  • Wider body consisting of 60 to 70 ministers.
  • Includes the cabinet ministers only. It is a part of the CoM.
  • Includes all the three categories of ministers.
  • Collective functions: It meets, as a body, once in a week to deliberate and take decisions regarding the transaction of government business. 
  • No collective functions: It does not meet, as a body, to transact government business. 
  • In practice, it exercises the powers of the Council of Ministers and acts for the Council of Ministers. 
  • Theoretically it is vested with all powers. 
  • It directs and guides the Council of Ministers by taking policy decisions which are binding on all ministers.
  • Its functions are determined by the cabinet.
  • It supervises the implementation of its decisions by the Council of Ministers.
  • It implements the decisions taken by the cabinet.
  • No Classification within cabinet. It is the first category  of the Council of Ministers.
  • Its classification into a three-tier body is based on the conventions of parliamentary government as developed in Britain
  • Inserted by 44th Amendment 1978 in Art. 352. It did not find a place in the original text of the Constitution. 
  • Art. 352 only defines the cabinet saying that it is ‘the council consisting of the Prime Minister and other ministers of cabinet rank appointed under Art. 75.
  • Art. 352 does not describe its powers and functions.
  • Role of the cabinet in our politico-administrative system is based on the conventions of parliamentary government as developed in Britain. 
  • It is a constitutional body, dealt in detail by the Art. 74 and 75 of the Constitution
  • Its size and classification are not mentioned in the Constitution. 
  • Its size is determined by the Prime Minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation. 
  • According to the Salaries and Allowances Act of 1952, it has got a legislative sanction – defines a ‘minister’ as a ‘member of the Council of Ministers, by whatever name called, and includes a deputy minister’. 
  • It enforces the collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers to the Lok Sabha of Parliament. 
  • It is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha of the Parliament
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Need help preparing for UPSC or State PSCs?

Connect with our experts to get free counselling & start preparing

 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

THE MOST
LEARNING PLATFORM

Learn From India's Best Faculty

      

 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

<div class="new-fform">







    </div>

    Subscribe our Newsletter
    Sign up now for our exclusive newsletter and be the first to know about our latest Initiatives, Quality Content, and much more.
    *Promise! We won't spam you.
    Yes! I want to Subscribe.