Question

How is the council of ministers formed at the national level?

Answer 1

Eligibility

According to Article 84 of the Constitution of India, which sets the principal qualifications for member of Parliament, and Article 75 of the Constitution of India, which sets the qualifications for the minister in the Union Council of Minister, and the argument that the position of prime minister has been described as 'first among equals',

A Cabinet Minister must:

be a citizen of India.be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. If the person chosen as the cabinet minister is neither a member of the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha at the time of selection, he or she must become a member of either of the houses within six months.be above 25 years of age if he or she is a member of Lok Sabha or above 30 years of age if he or she is a member of the Rajya Sabha.not hold any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments.

If however a candidate is elected as the cabinet minister he/she must vacate their post from any private or government company/ sector and may take up the post only on completion of his /her term.

Additionally

Must belong to the ruling/willing alliance of parties at the centre.His/Her party/alliance should have the “ Vote of confidence “ in the lower house.

Cabinet Ministers once elected shall be responsible to the Lower house i.e Lok Sabha irrespective of the house they themselves belong.

How they are appointed?

The prime minister leads the functioning and exercise of authority of the Government of India. He is invited by the President of India in the Parliament of India as leader of the majority party to form a government at the federal level (known as Central or Union Government in India) and exercise its powers. In practice the prime minister nominates the members of their Council of Ministers to the president. They also work upon to decide a core group of Ministers (known as the Cabinet) as in-charge of the important functions and ministries of the Government.

The prime minister is responsible for aiding and advising the president in distribution of work of the Government to various ministries and offices and in terms of the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961.

The co-ordinating work is generally allocated to the Cabinet Secretariat

While generally the work of the Government is divided into various Ministries, the prime minister may retain certain portfolios if they are not allocated to any member of the cabinet.