What are the powers of the Indian Prime
Minister?
About the Indian Prime Minister
While the President is the legislative head, the Prime Minister is the executive head
of the nation. According to Article 75 of the Indian Constitution, the Prime Minister is
appointed by the people of India and selected by the president.
“ The Indian Prime Minister is the
Linchpin of the government”
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What are the types of ministers of India?
● Cabinet Ministers: These include crucial government ministries like finance,
defense, international affairs, etc.
● Ministers of State: Can be put together with cabinet ministers or given
independent ministries.
● Deputy Ministers: These can be put together with ministers of state or
cabinet ministers to help them with parliamentary and political duties.
What are the qualifications required to be the Indian Prime
Minister?
1. The candidate should be a citizen of India to be the Indian Prime
Minister.
2. The candidate shouldn't have any means of profit from any public
officer or the government of India.
3. The candidate should be a member of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha
4. If the candidate is not a member of the Lok Sabha, he should be above
25 years of age.
5. If the candidate is a member of the Rajya Sabha, he should be above
30 years of age.
6. If the candidate is not a member of Rajya or Lok Sabha during his
selection, he must become a member of Lok or Rajya Sabha within six
months.
What is the tenure of the Indian Prime Minister:
The Indian Prime Minister doesn’t have any fixed tenure as such. S/he stays in the
position as long as their party wins the majority in the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha
elections are held in a five-year term, and if their party wins the majority again, then
s/he can continue to stay in the position of Prime Minister.
What are the roles and responsibilities of the Indian Prime
Minister?
1. On the Prime Minister's advice, the President chooses the council of ministers
(Article 74 & 75)
Article 74: In various matters of national importance, the council of ministers
headed by the Prime Minister advises the President. S/he then takes
decisions upon that, although he can ask for reconsideration after
reconsideration, s/he has to be bound by the advice.
Article 75: The Indian Prime Minister is to be chosen by the President, and
the President will select other ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister.
You can read more about the Indian Constitution here:
https://www.thewonderowl.com/salient-features-constitution-india-civeilservices/
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2. The Prime Minister acts as the governing leader of the council of
ministers.
3. The Prime Minister is the sole representative speaker of the central
government.
What is the role of the Prime Minister with the President?
The Prime Minister is the communication link between the Cabinet of Ministers and
the President. The Prime Minister also plays the role of the head advisor to the
President. The President chooses the council of ministers based on the advice given
by the Indian Prime Minister.
Let’s discuss the powers of the Indian Prime Minister in detail.
What are the jurisdictions of the Indian Prime Minister?
We know that the legislative, executive, and judiciary are the three pillars of the
government.
Executive jurisdiction:
Being the head of the executive,e the Prime Minister advises the President on the
selection of the council of ministers and then:
1. The Prime Minister chooses the different departments for these ministers.
2. The Prime Minister can change these appointed departments per their wish.
3. The Prime Minister can resign ministers or ask the President to do so.
Legislative jurisdiction:
1. The Council of ministers can’t function if the Indian Prime Minister resigns or
dies.
2. On the Indian Prime Minister’s advice, the President calls for the Rajya or Lok sabha
sessions.
Military jurisdiction:
The Prime Minister of India is the political head of all the military powers such as the
Navy, Airforce, etc.
Other Powers:
1. The Prime Minister coordinates and implements the foreign policy of India.
2. During an emergency, the Prime Minister acts as the political head of disaster
management.
Those mentioned above are primarily the major powers of the Indian Prime Minister.
What are the limitations of the powers of the Indian Prime
Minister?
1. If the Prime Minister does not perform to the members' satisfaction,
they can vote of no confidence, and the Prime Minister will have to
resign.
2. The Prime Minister must resign by public opinion if a policy is
perceived as harmful.
3. The Prime Minister comes from a party with its unique ideology and
policies that they want to implement.
What happens in the case of a coalition government?
In a coalition government, more than one party joins to form the government. In
this type of government, the Lok Sabha becomes comparatively unstable as the
Indian Prime Minister needs to negotiate with other ruling parties before making any
decisions.
A majority government is more stable since the Prime Minister and council of
ministers are solely responsible for making decisions. Hence the parliament works
more efficiently.
Conclusion
Overall the Indian Prime Minister is the union head, leads the nation, and supervises
that the country runs smoothly with the help of the Council of Ministers and the
President.
References:
https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/powers-and-duties-of-indianprime-minister-1492423742-1
https://unacademy.com/content/bank-exam/study-material/generalawareness/prime-minister-of-india-power-and-limitation/
https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/council-ofministers-1