Question

Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:

Modi 3.0 Cabinet highlights: PM Modi allocates portfolios; Rajnath, Shah, Sitharaman, Jaishankar retain ministries. - The Mint, June 11, 2024

1. State any three qualifications which a person should possess to be eligible for appointment as Prime Minister.
2. What do you understand by ‘cabinet’?
3. How is the Prime Minister a link between the Cabinet and the President?

Answer 1

1. Three Qualifications for the Prime Minister:
   To be eligible for appointment as the Prime Minister of India, a person must fulfil the following criteria:
   • Citizenship: Must be a citizen of India.
   • Parliamentary Membership: Must be a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha (or get elected to either House within six consecutive months of appointment).
   • Minimum Age: Must have completed at least 25 years of age if they are a member of the Lok Sabha, or 30 years of age if they represent the Rajya Sabha.
2. Meaning of ‘Cabinet’: The Cabinet is a small, high-powered inner core of senior ministers chosen from within the larger Council of Ministers. It includes the heads of the most crucial federal portfolios, such as Defence, Home Affairs, Finance, and External Affairs, and serves as the supreme decision-making body responsible for directing government policy.
3. Prime Minister as a Link Between Cabinet and President:
   Under Article 78 of the Indian Constitution, the Prime Minister serves as the chief constitutional channel of communication between the Cabinet and the President through the following duties:
   • Reporting Decisions: The Prime Minister is responsible for conveying to the President all Cabinet decisions on administration and proposed laws.
   • Providing Information: The Prime Minister must furnish any administrative or legislative data that the President formally requests.
   • Submitting Individual Decisions: If the President requires it, the Prime Minister must submit any matter decided by an individual minister for the collective consideration and review of the entire Cabinet.