Consider the following statements: 1. The Council of Ministers in th

Consider the following statements:

  • 1. The Council of Ministers in the Centre shall be collectively responsible to the Parliament.
  • 2. The Union Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the President of India.
  • 3. The Prime Minister shall communicate to the President the proposals for legislation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2013
The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Statement 1 is incorrect, while statements 2 and 3 are correct.
Statement 1 is incorrect because the Council of Ministers in the Centre is collectively responsible to the *Lok Sabha* (House of the People), not the entire Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). This is a fundamental principle of parliamentary democracy as enshrined in Article 75(3) of the Constitution. Statement 2 is correct as per Article 75(2) of the Constitution; Union Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the President, though this power is exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister. Statement 3 is correct as per Article 78(a) of the Constitution, which makes it the duty of the Prime Minister to communicate to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the Union and proposals for legislation.
The collective responsibility to the Lok Sabha means that the Council of Ministers stays in power as long as it enjoys the confidence of the Lok Sabha. The individual responsibility of ministers to the President implies that a minister can be removed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Article 78 outlines the duties of the Prime Minister regarding communication with the President and providing information.
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