India’s New Council Of Minister

India’s Council of Minister is an integral part of the Union Executive, responsible for aiding and advising the President in the exercise of his functions. The structure, composition, and functioning of the Council of Ministers are defined by the Constitution of India, primarily in Articles 74 and 75.

Structure and Composition

1. Prime Minister: The head of the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, typically the leader of the party or coalition with the majority in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament).
2. Cabinet Ministers: Senior ministers in charge of major ministries. They are the key decision-makers and form the core group within the Council of Ministers. The Cabinet is a subset of the Council of Ministers and meets regularly to discuss and decide on crucial government policies.
3. Ministers of State (Independent Charge): These ministers handle specific portfolios independently and do not report to a Cabinet Minister. They attend Cabinet meetings only when issues related to their departments are on the agenda.
4. Ministers of State: They assist Cabinet Ministers and may handle specific responsibilities within a ministry. They usually do not attend Cabinet meetings unless required.

Functions and Responsibilities

• Policy Formulation: The Council of Ministers is responsible for formulating and implementing government policies across various sectors. This includes domestic policies, foreign affairs, defense, finance, and social welfare.
• Administration: Each minister oversees the administration of their respective departments, ensuring that policies are implemented effectively and efficiently.
• Legislative Functions: Ministers play a crucial role in the legislative process. They introduce bills, participate in debates, and ensure the passage of legislation that aligns with the government’s agenda.
• Advisory Role: The Council of Ministers advises the President on various matters, including the issuance of ordinances when Parliament is not in session.
• Executive Authority: The executive authority of the Union is vested in the President, but it is exercised by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. This includes decisions on national security, economic policies, and internal administration.

Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process within the Council of Ministers is collective. Major decisions are usually made during Cabinet meetings, where discussions and deliberations take place. The Prime Minister plays a central role in coordinating and leading these meetings.

Accountability

The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. This means that the entire Council must resign if it loses the confidence of the Lok Sabha. This principle ensures that the executive remains accountable to the elected representatives of the people.

Prime Minister

Shri Narendra ModiMinistry of Personnel, Public Grievances and PensionsDepartment of Atomic EnergyDepartment of SpaceAll important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any MinisterContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account

Cabinet Ministers

Shri Raj Nath SinghMinistry of DefenceContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Amit ShahMinistry of Home AffairsMinistry of CooperationContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Nitin Jairam GadkariMinistry of Road Transport and HighwaysContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Jagat Prakash NaddaMinistry of Health and Family WelfareMinistry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Shri Shivraj Singh ChouhanMinistry of Agriculture & Farmers WelfareMinistry of Rural Development	Smt. Nirmala SitharamanMinistry of FinanceMinistry of Corporate AffairsContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Dr. Subrahmanyam JaishankarMinistry of External AffairsContactTwitter Account	Shri Manohar LalMinistry of Housing and Urban AffairsMinistry of Power
Shri H. D. KumaraswamyMinistry of Heavy IndustriesMinistry of Steel	Shri Piyush GoyalMinistry of Commerce and IndustryContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Dharmendra PradhanMinistry of EducationFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Jitan Ram ManjhiMinistry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan SinghMinistry of Panchayati RajMinistry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying	Shri Sarbananda SonowalMinistry of Ports, Shipping and WaterwaysContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Dr. Virendra KumarMinistry of Social Justice and EmpowermentContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan NaiduMinistry of Civil Aviation
Shri Pralhad JoshiMinistry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public DistributionMinistry of New and Renewable EnergyFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Jual OramMinistry of Tribal Affairs
Shri Giriraj SinghMinistry of TextilesFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Ashwini VaishnawMinistry of RailwaysMinistry of Information and BroadcastingMinistry of Electronics and Information TechnologyContactTwitter Account
Shri Jyotiraditya M. ScindiaMinistry of CommunicationsMinistry of Development of North Eastern RegionFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Bhupender YadavMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate ChangeContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Gajendra Singh ShekhawatMinistry of CultureMinistry of TourismFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Smt. Annpurna DeviMinistry of Women and Child DevelopmentFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Kiren RijijuMinistry of Parliamentary AffairsMinistry of Minority AffairsFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Hardeep Singh PuriMinistry of Petroleum and Natural GasContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Mansukh L. MandaviyaMinistry of Labour and EmploymentMinistry of Youth Affairs and SportsFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri G. Kishan ReddyMinistry of CoalMinistry of MinesFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Chirag PaswanMinistry of Food Processing Industries	Shri C R PatilMinistry of Jal Shakti

Ministers of State (Independent Charge)

Shri Rao Inderjit SinghMinistry of Statistics and Programme ImplementationMinistry of PlanningContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Dr. Jitendra SinghMinistry of Science and TechnologyMinistry of Earth SciencesContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Arjun Ram MeghwalMinistry of Law and JusticeContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Jadhav Prataprao GanpatraoMinistry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH)
Shri Jayant ChaudharyMinistry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Ministers of State

Shri Rao Inderjit SinghMinistry of CultureContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Dr. Jitendra SinghPrime Minister’s OfficeMinistry of Personnel, Public Grievances and PensionsDepartment of Atomic EnergyDepartment of SpaceContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Arjun Ram MeghwalMinistry of Parliamentary AffairsFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Jadhav Prataprao GanpatraoMinistry of Health and Family Welfare
Shri Jayant ChaudharyMinistry of Education	Shri Jitin PrasadaMinistry of Commerce and IndustryMinistry of Electronics and Information Technology
Shri Shripad Yesso NaikMinistry of PowerMinistry of New and Renewable EnergyFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Pankaj ChaudharyMinistry of FinanceContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Krishan PalMinistry of CooperationFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri Ramdas AthawaleMinistry of Social Justice and EmpowermentContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Shri Ram Nath ThakurMinistry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare	Shri Nityanand RaiMinistry of Home AffairsContactFacebook AccountTwitter Account
Smt. Anupriya Singh PatelMinistry of Health and Family WelfareMinistry of Chemicals and FertilizersFacebook AccountTwitter Account	Shri V. SomannaMinistry of Jal ShaktiMinistry of Railways
Dr. Chandra Sekhar PemmasaniMinistry of Rural DevelopmentMinistry of Communications	Prof. S. P. Singh BaghelMinistry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and DairyingMinistry of Panchayati RajFacebook Account
Sushri Shobha KarandlajeMinistry of Micro, Small and Medium EnterprisesMinistry of Labour and Employment	Shri Kirtivardhan SinghMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate ChangeMinistry of External Affairs
Shri B. L. VermaMinistry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public DistributionMinistry of Social Justice and Empowerment	Shri Shantanu ThakurMinistry of Ports, Shipping and WaterwaysContact
Shri Suresh GopiMinistry of Petroleum and Natural GasMinistry of Tourism	Dr. L. MuruganMinistry of Information and BroadcastingMinistry of Parliamentary AffairsContact
Shri Ajay TamtaMinistry of Road Transport and Highways	Shri Bandi Sanjay KumarMinistry of Home Affairs
Shri Kamlesh PaswanMinistry of Rural Development	Shri Bhagirath ChoudharyMinistry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Shri Satish Chandra DubeyMinistry of CoalMinistry of Mines	Shri Sanjay SethMinistry of Defence
Shri Ravneet SinghMinistry of Food Processing IndustriesMinistry of Railways	Shri Durgadas UikeyMinistry of Tribal Affairs
Smt. Raksha Nikhil KhadseMinistry of Youth Affairs and Sports	Shri Sukanta MajumdarMinistry of EducationMinistry of Development of North Eastern Region
Smt. Savitri ThakurMinistry of Women and Child Development	Shri Tokhan SahuMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Shri Raj Bhushan ChoudharyMinistry of Jal Shakti	Shri Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa VarmaMinistry of Heavy IndustriesMinistry of Steel
Shri Harsh MalhotraMinistry of Corporate AffairsMinistry of Road Transport and Highways	Smt. Nimuben Jayantibhai BambhaniyaMinistry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Shri Murlidhar MoholMinistry of CooperationMinistry of Civil Aviation	Shri George KurianMinistry of Minority AffairsMinistry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Shri Pabitra MargheritaMinistry of External AffairsMinistry of Textiles

Conclusion

India’s Council of Ministers is pivotal in the governance of the country, with the Prime Minister at its helm. It ensures that the executive branch operates within the framework of the Constitution, maintaining a balance between different arms of the government and ensuring accountability to the Parliament and, by extension, the citizens of India.