The Union Council of Ministers exercises executive authority in the Republic of India. It consists of Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of state and Ministers of State (Independent Charge). The council is led by the Prime Minister of India.
A smaller executive body called the Union Cabinet is the supreme decision-making body in India. Only the prime minister and ministers of the rank of cabinet minister are members of the Union Cabinet in accordance with Article 75.
Regulation
Pursuant to Article 75(3), the Council of Ministers is responsible collectively to the lower house of the Indian parliament, called the Lok Sabha (House of the People). When a bill introduced by a minister in the Lok Sabha is not approved by it, the entire council of ministers is responsible and not the minister. The council of ministers upon losing the confidence of Lok Sabha shall resign to facilitate the formation of a new government.
A minister shall take any decision without being considered by the council of ministers per Article 78(c). All union cabinet members shall submit in writing to the President to propose a proclamation of emergency by the president in accordance with Article 352.
According to the Constitution of India, the total number of ministers in the council of ministers must not exceed 15% of the total number of members of the Lok Sabha. Ministers must be members of parliament. Any minister who is not a member of either of the houses of the parliament for six consecutive months is automatically stripped off his or her ministerial post.
Ranking
There are five categories of the council of ministers as given below, in descending order of rank:
- Prime Minister: Leader of the executive of the Government of India.
- Deputy Prime Minister (if any) : presides as prime minister in his absence or as the senior most cabinet minister.
- Cabinet Minister: A member of the cabinet; leads a ministry.
- Minister of State (Independent charge): Junior minister not reporting to a Cabinet Minister.
- Minister of State (MoS): Deputy Minister reporting to a Cabinet Minister, usually tasked with a specific responsibility in that ministry.
Appointment
Pursuant to Article 75, a minister who works at the pleasure of president, is appointed by The President on the advice of The Prime Minister. Since at least the turn of the millennia, evidence indicates that an MP’s electoral performance enhances the likelihood of being granted a ministerial portfolio.
Removal
- Upon death.
- Upon self resignation
- Upon dismissal by the President for minister’s unconstitutional acts per Article 75(2).
- Upon direction from the Judiciary for committing violation of law.
- Upon ceasing eligibility to be a member of Parliament.
- Under the provision of “Collective Responsibility” under Article 75, the Prime Minister and the entire Council of Ministers resign if a Vote of No Confidence is passed in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament.
Council of Ministers in state governments
Every state in India is governed by its council of ministers with rules and procedures similar to union council of ministers per Articles 163, 164 and 167(c).
For the first time in March 2020, the Supreme Court of India used its powers to do “complete justice” under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution to remove a minister functioning in the state of Manipur.
Current Union Council of Ministers
Council portfolios are as follows:
Cabinet Ministers
Current Union Council of Ministers
Council portfolios are as follows:[8][9][10]
Cabinet Ministers
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister. |
Narendra Modi | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Defence | Rajnath Singh | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of External Affairs | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Home Affairs Ministry of Co-operation |
Amit Shah | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Finance Minister of Corporate Affairs |
Nirmala Sitharaman | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Road Transport and Highways | Nitin Gadkari | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Commerce and Industry Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister of Textiles |
Piyush Goyal | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Women and Child Development | Smriti Zubin Irani | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Tribal Affairs | Arjun Munda | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Law and Justice | Kiren Rijiju | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Education Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship |
Dharmendra Pradhan | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | Narendra Singh Tomar | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment | Dr. Virendra Kumar | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Health and Family Welfare Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers |
Mansukh L. Mandaviya | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry of Labour and Employment |
Bhupender Yadav | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Minority Affairs | Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises | Mahendra Nath Pandey | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ministry of Coal Ministry of Mines |
Pralhad Joshi | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Jal Shakti | Gajendra Singh Shekhawat | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises | Narayan Tatu Rane | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries | ||||||
| Parshottam Rupala | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |||
| Minister of Railways Minister of Communications Minister of Electronics and Information Technology |
Ashwini Vaishnaw | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ministry of AYUSH |
Sarbananda Sonowal | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Rural Development Minister of Panchayati Raj |
Giriraj Singh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Civil Aviation | Jyotiraditya Scindia | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Steel | Ramchandra Prasad Singh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | JD(U) | ||
| Minister of Food Processing Industries | Pashupati Kumar Paras | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | LJP | ||
| Minister of Power Minister of New and Renewable Energy |
Raj Kumar Singh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs |
Hardeep Singh Puri | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Culture Minister of Tourism Minister of Development of North Eastern Region |
Kishan Reddy | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of Information and Broadcasting Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports |
Anurag Thakur | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Reference: Official Government of India publication, 31 May 2019 | ||||||
Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Planning Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs |
Rao Inderjit Singh | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Science and Technology Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Earth Sciences Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy Minister of State in the Department of Space |
Jitendra Singh | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
Minister of State
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways | Darshana Jardosh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Raosaheb Danve | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles | Darshana Jardosh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel | Faggan Singh Kulaste | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development | Faggan Singh Kulaste | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs | V. Muraleedharan | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Arjun Ram Meghwal | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs | V. Muraleedharan | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Meenakshi Lekhi | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture | Arjun Ram Meghwal | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Meenakshi Lekhi | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Minister of State in the Ministty of Civil Aviation |
General (Retd.) V. K. Singh | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | Ramdas Athawale | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | RPI(A) | |
| Abbaiah Narayanaswamy | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Pratima Bhoumik | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution | Ashwini Kumar Choubey | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Ashwini Kumar Choubey | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs | Nityanand Rai Yadav | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Ajay Kumar Mishra | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Nisith Pramanik | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | Shobha Karandlaje | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Kailash Choudhary | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries | Dr. L. Murugan | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Sanjeev Kumar Balyan | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | Dr. L. Murugan | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Education | Annpurna Devi Yadav | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Dr. Subhas Sarkar | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs | Renuka Singh | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Bishweswar Tudu | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry | Som Parkash | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Anupriya Patel | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | AD(S) | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment |
Rameswar Teli | 30 May 2019 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development Minister of State in the Ministry of AYUSH |
Dr. Mahendra Munjapara | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance | Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Pankaj Choudhary | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice | S. P. Singh Baghel | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism | Ajay Bhatt | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Shripad Naik | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence | Ajay Bhatt | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Minister of State in the Ministry of Co-operation |
B. L. Verma | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers |
Bhagwanth Khuba | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises | Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti | Bishweswar Tudu | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Prahlad Singh Patel | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines |
Raosaheb Danve | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications | Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs | John Barla | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj | Kapil Patil | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs | Kaushal Kishore | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Power Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises |
Krishan Pal | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries | Prahlad Singh Patel | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology |
Rajeev Chandrasekhar | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways | Shripad Naik | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |
| Shantanu Thakur | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | ||
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports | Nisith Pramanik | 7 July 2021 | Incumbent | BJP | |