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Question 52 of 78 · Union Executive: President, VP & PM
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The Council of Ministers at the Union level consists of three categories of ministers, namely:

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Answer: Option A — Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers

Detailed Solution

The Council of Ministers at the Union level consists of three categories of ministers: Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.

Cabinet Ministers:

  • They head important ministries such as Home, Defence, Finance and External Affairs.
  • They are members of the Cabinet, attend its meetings and play a key role in deciding policies.
  • Their responsibilities extend over the whole government.

Ministers of State:

  • They may be given independent charge of ministries or departments, or may be attached to Cabinet Ministers.
  • Those with independent charge perform the same functions as a Cabinet Minister for their ministries, but are not members of the Cabinet.
  • They attend Cabinet meetings only when invited for matters relating to their ministry.

Deputy Ministers:

  • They are not given independent charge of ministries.
  • They are attached to Cabinet Ministers or Ministers of State to assist them in administrative, political and parliamentary duties.
  • They are not members of the Cabinet and do not attend its meetings.

Parliamentary Secretaries:

Sometimes Parliamentary Secretaries are also appointed. They assist senior ministers in parliamentary duties, but they are not members of the Council of Ministers.

Size of the Council:

The 91st Amendment Act, 2003 limited the total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, to 15 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha.

Cabinet versus Council of Ministers:

  • The Council of Ministers is a wider body, while the Cabinet is a smaller body of senior ministers.
  • The word "Cabinet" was added to the Constitution only by the 44th Amendment, in Article 352.

Individual responsibility:

Each minister holds office during the pleasure of the President, which in practice means as long as the Prime Minister wants him.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The other combinations include persons, such as advisers, secretaries and Governors, who are not ministers.

Quick tip

Remember: Council of Ministers = Cabinet Ministers + Ministers of State + Deputy Ministers; size capped at 15 per cent of the Lok Sabha.

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Union Executive: President, VP & PM — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Union Executive: President, VP & PM, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the Union Executive: the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, and the Attorney General. It includes their election or appointment, qualifications, powers, removal, and the relationship between the President and the Council of Ministers. Common questions cover the electoral college that elects the President, impeachment under Article 61, the President's ordinance-making power (Article 123) and pardoning power (Article 72), and the fact that the Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Lists of past Presidents and Prime Ministers are also tested. Practise the Union Executive questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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