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Council of Ministers and Prime Minister ICSE Class 10

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History & CivicsICSE Class 10 · Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Prime Minister and Council of Ministers: Appointment, Functions, Powers, Responsibility and Cabinet (ICSE Class 10 Civics)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The President appoints the Prime Minister, usually the leader of the majority in the Lok Sabha, and the other ministers on his advice. The Council of Ministers has three ranks (Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, Deputy Ministers) and holds office as long as it has the Lok Sabha's confidence. Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha and individually for their own departments. The Cabinet is the small inner body of the Council.

Notice the three ranks inside the Council, and that the whole Council is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, whose majority leader becomes Prime Minister

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility

1. Appointment. The President appoints the Prime Minister, by convention the leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Lok Sabha. If no party has a majority, he uses discretion to invite the person most likely to win a vote of confidence. Other ministers are appointed on the Prime Minister's advice, who also allots portfolios. A minister must be a member of either House, or become one within six months. The total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, cannot exceed 15 per cent of the Lok Sabha's strength (91st Amendment, 2003). They take oaths of office and secrecy administered by the President.

2. Ranks. (a) *Cabinet Ministers*: senior ministers heading key ministries such as Home, Defence, Finance, External Affairs. (b) *Ministers of State*: independent charge of a smaller department or assisting a Cabinet Minister; not in the Cabinet. (c) *Deputy Ministers*: assist, with no independent charge.

3. Tenure. Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the President, which in practice means as long as the Council has the support of the majority in the Lok Sabha (normally five years). It ends sooner if a no-confidence motion succeeds, the government is defeated on a Money Bill or important policy, or the Prime Minister resigns or dies. An individual minister can be removed on the Prime Minister's advice.

4. Functions of the Council.

  • *Policy making:* decides home and foreign policy.
  • *Administrative:* each minister runs a ministry; coordination; advises on key appointments.
  • *Legislative:* prepares and introduces most bills; advises on summoning, proroguing and dissolving; drafts the President's address and ordinances.
  • *Financial:* prepares the Budget, presented by the Finance Minister; decides taxes and spending.
  • *Emergency:* a National Emergency can be proclaimed only on the written advice of the Cabinet.

5. Position and powers of the Prime Minister. He is the real head of the government. By relationship:

  • *With the Council:* chooses ministers, allots and reshuffles portfolios, presides over the Cabinet, coordinates, can have a minister dismissed; his resignation ends the Council.
  • *With the President:* chief link (Article 78): conveys Cabinet decisions and information; advises on appointments and on summoning, proroguing and dissolving.
  • *With Parliament:* Leader of the Lok Sabha, announces policy, defends the government.
  • *As leader:* leader of the majority party and chief spokesperson in foreign affairs.

6. Responsibility. *Collective* (Article 75): all ministers answer together to the Lok Sabha; they share every Cabinet decision, support it in public or resign; if the House passes a no-confidence motion, the whole Council resigns ('swim and sink together'). *Individual:* each minister answers for his own ministry and may be asked to resign without the government falling.

7. Council of Ministers versus Cabinet. Size: Council is large, Cabinet small. Meetings: Cabinet meets regularly, the Council rarely as a whole. Role: Cabinet takes the decisions, the Council carries them out. Basis: Council is in Articles 74-75; the word Cabinet was inserted in Article 352 by the 44th Amendment (1978). The Cabinet is the nucleus of the Council.

Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility: key facts

Ranks
  • Cabinet Ministers
  • Ministers of State
  • Deputy Ministers
Three ranks, top to bottom.
Size limit
  • 15 per cent of Lok Sabha strength
  • 91st Amendment 2003
  • Minister must be MP within six months
Limits.
Responsibility
CollectiveArticle 75, to Lok Sabha
Individualown ministry
No-confidencewhole Council resigns
Two kinds.
PM links
  • With Council
  • With President (Article 78)
  • With Parliament
  • As leader
Four relationships.

How to answer Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility questions

Expect: functions of the Council (4-6 marks), powers of the PM (4-6 marks), collective responsibility (3-4 marks) and Council versus Cabinet (4 marks).

  1. 1Read whether the question says with reference to the Cabinet, the President or Parliament, and answer only that group.
  2. 2For functions, give the five heads with a line each.
  3. 3For responsibility, give the meaning and the consequence (resignation).
  4. 4For distinctions, use matching points: size, meetings, role, basis.

Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Swim and sink

Suppose a cricket team's selection committee takes a decision together, so the whole committee must resign if the decision is rejected by the club, even if one member disagreed.

Which principle is this?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. All members share a decision.
  2. Defeat on the decision removes all.
  3. A dissenter must support or resign.

Answer: It is collective responsibility: the whole Council of Ministers resigns if the Lok Sabha defeats the government.

Memory hook: One falls, all fall.

Own department

Imagine the sports captain is blamed for a lost kit and is asked to step down, but the rest of the committee carries on.

Which kind of responsibility is this?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. One person is answerable for his department.
  2. Only he resigns.
  3. The others continue.

Answer: It is individual responsibility; the minister answers for his own ministry and may resign or be dropped without the government falling.

Memory hook: Own desk, own blame.

Tricks to remember Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • C-M-D

    Cabinet, Ministers of State, Deputy ministers.

    Use it when: Ranks.

  • P-A-L-F-E

    Policy, Administrative, Legislative, Financial, Emergency.

    Use it when: Functions.

  • Swim and sink

    Collective responsibility.

    Use it when: Meaning.

Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Ranks · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the three categories of ministers in the Council of Ministers. [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Cabinet Ministers (1 mark).
  2. Ministers of State (1 mark).
  3. Deputy Ministers (1 mark).

Answer: The three ranks are Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.

Example 2: Appointment · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

How is the Prime Minister appointed? What happens if no party has a majority? [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. President appoints the leader of the majority (1 mark).
  2. If none, invites likely leader (1 mark).
  3. Asks to prove majority (1 mark).

Answer: The President appoints the leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister. If no party has a majority, the President uses his discretion to invite the person most likely to win the confidence of the House, and asks that person to prove the majority within a stated time.

Example 3: Collective responsibility · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain collective responsibility. What happens when the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion? [4]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Meaning (2 marks).
  2. Consequence (2 marks).

Answer: Collective responsibility means that the Council of Ministers is jointly responsible to the Lok Sabha for all its decisions, and every minister must support a Cabinet decision in public or resign. If the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion, the entire Council of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, must resign.

Example 4: Council versus Cabinet · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

A newspaper reports that 'the Cabinet met' while a student writes that 'the Council of Ministers met'. Explain, on four points, why the two bodies are not the same. [4]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Size (1 mark).
  2. Meetings (1 mark).
  3. Functions (1 mark).
  4. Constitutional basis (1 mark).

Answer: The Council is a large body with three ranks, while the Cabinet is a small inner body of senior ministers with the Prime Minister. The Cabinet meets regularly, but the Council rarely meets as a whole. The Cabinet takes the main decisions, and the Council carries them out through the ministries. The Council is provided for in Articles 74 and 75, whereas the word Cabinet was added to the Constitution only by the 44th Amendment (1978).

Example 5: Case: a minister's mistake · 6 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case. A minister is found to have ignored a serious safety problem in his department, and the Prime Minister asks him to resign. The rest of the ministry continues. (i) Which responsibility is shown? [1] (ii) Who may dismiss a minister, on whose advice? [1] (iii) Explain what would have happened under collective responsibility. [2] (iv) Which approach protects the government from falling over one failure? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Individual responsibility (1 mark).
  2. (ii) The President on the PM's advice (1 mark).
  3. (iii) The whole ministry would resign after a no-confidence (2 marks).
  4. (iv) Individual responsibility isolates the failure (2 marks).

Answer: (i) Individual responsibility. (ii) The President, on the advice of the Prime Minister. (iii) Under collective responsibility the whole Council would have to resign if the Lok Sabha defeated the government. (iv) Individual responsibility, because only the failing minister goes and the government continues.

Where students lose marks in Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Mixing Council and Cabinet

    Using the terms alike.

    Wrong working

    The Cabinet has all the ministers.

    Right working

    The Cabinet is a small inner body; the Council includes all three ranks.

    Do this: Compare size.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

  • Mistake: Giving PM powers for the wrong relation

    Not reading the question's limit.

    Wrong working

    PM presides over Parliament.

    Right working

    With reference to the President: link, advises; with Parliament: Leader of the Lok Sabha.

    Do this: Read the relationship word.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Wrong responsibility

    Mixing collective and individual.

    Wrong working

    The whole Council resigns when one minister fails.

    Right working

    Individual: the minister alone; collective: the whole Council to the Lok Sabha.

    Do this: Pair with examples.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

  • Mistake: Saying responsible to Parliament

    Missing the exact House.

    Wrong working

    The Council is responsible to Parliament.

    Right working

    Responsible to the Lok Sabha.

    Do this: Name the Lok Sabha.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Underline the relationship word in a question on the Prime Minister.
  • Define both kinds of responsibility with a consequence.
  • Remember the ceiling of 15 per cent and the six-month rule.

Practice questions on Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    What are the limits on the size of the Council of Ministers? [2]

    Hint

    15 per cent.

    Answer

    The total number of ministers including the Prime Minister cannot exceed 15 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha (91st Amendment, 2003); a minister who is not a member of Parliament must become one within six months.

  2. Q2 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    The President wishes to learn what the ministry has decided on a legislative proposal. Through whom does he get it, and what other duties does that officer have towards him? [4]

    Hint

    Article 78.

    Answer

    The Prime Minister is the link between the President and the Council of Ministers: he conveys Cabinet decisions on administration and legislation to the President and gives information the President asks for. He advises the President on appointments such as Governors, judges and ambassadors, and on summoning, proroguing Parliament and dissolving the Lok Sabha.

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Show how the Cabinet shapes the money and law-making business of Parliament. [4]

    Hint

    Budget, bills.

    Answer

    Financially, the Cabinet prepares the Budget, presented by the Finance Minister, and decides taxation and expenditure; Money Bills are introduced by ministers. Legislatively, most bills are prepared and introduced by ministers, and the Cabinet advises the President on summoning, proroguing and dissolving, and drafts ordinances and the President's address.

  4. Q4 · 5 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain why the Prime Minister is the central figure of the Council of Ministers. Give five reasons. [5]

    Hint

    Council formed, led, ended by PM.

    Answer

    (1) The Council is formed by his choice of ministers. (2) He allots and reshuffles portfolios. (3) He presides over Cabinet meetings and sets the agenda. (4) He coordinates the ministries and can have a minister dismissed or asked to resign. (5) His resignation or death ends the Council.

  5. Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    "The Cabinet is the real executive, though the President is the head." Examine. [6]

    Hint

    Article 74 and decisions.

    Answer

    Article 74 provides a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President, who acts in accordance with that advice. The Cabinet takes the main policy decisions, prepares the Budget, advises on appointments and on emergencies, and is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. The President signs in the name of the Union, but real power rests with the Cabinet, so the statement is correct, although the President keeps limited discretionary powers in unusual situations.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who appoints the Prime Minister?Show answer

    The President.

  2. 2.To which House is the Council responsible?Show answer

    The Lok Sabha.

  3. 3.Which article makes the PM the link with the President?Show answer

    Article 78.

  4. 4.In which amendment was the word Cabinet added?Show answer

    44th Amendment, 1978.

  5. 5.Maximum size of the ministry?Show answer

    15 per cent of the Lok Sabha.

  6. 6.Who has independent charge of a smaller department?Show answer

    A Minister of State, sometimes.

Council of Ministers, Prime Minister and Ministerial Responsibility: frequently asked questions

Can a non-member become a minister?

Yes, but he must become a member of Parliament within six months.

What is the tenure of the Council of Ministers?

As long as it has the Lok Sabha's confidence, normally five years.

Is the Cabinet in the Constitution?

The word was inserted in Article 352 by the 44th Amendment.

Who is the real head of the government?

The Prime Minister.