Question

What do you mean by collective and individual responsibility of the Council of Ministers?

Answer 1

Instructions:

• Give the meaning and types of Council of Ministers.
• Explain collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers.
• Explain individual responsibility of the Council of Ministers.

Solution:

• Article 74 (1) of our Indian Constitution provides for Council of Ministers.
• The duty of the Council of Ministers is to advise and assist the Government.
• The Council of Ministers are headed by the Prime Minister and consist of three categories of ministers:
  • Cabinet Ministers
  • State Ministers, and
  • Deputy Ministers

Collective responsibility:

• The entire Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Parliament.
• If the Parliament passes a censure motion against any one minister, then the entire Council of Ministers will have to resign.
• Our constitution makers introduced this provision in the Constitution to promote harmony and unity among the ministers.

Individual responsibility:

• Every Minister is personally responsible for their own department.
• The Prime Minister can ask a minister to resign if their work is not satisfactory.
• If the minister does not submit their resignation, the Prime Minister can ask the President to remove the concerned minister.