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CABINET COMMITTEES

Role of Cabinet Committees:

• They are an organizational device to lessen the enormous workload of the Cabinet. They facilitate an in-depth examination of policy issues and effective coordination. They are based on the principles of division of labor and effective delegation.
• They not only resolve issues and frame proposals for the Cabinet’s consideration, but they also take decisions. The Cabinet can, of course, review their decisions.

Groups of Ministers:

• These are ad hoc bodies formed to give recommendations to the cabinet on certain emergent issues and critical problem areas.
• Some of these GoMs are empowered to take decisions on behalf of the Cabinet whereas the others make recommendations to the Cabinet.
• The institution of GoMs has become a viable and effective instrument of coordination among the ministries.
• Ministers heading the concerned ministries are inducted into the relevant GoMs and when the advice is crystallised they are disbanded.

Eight Cabinet Committees:

• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Security.
• Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth.
• Cabinet Committee on Employment & Skill Development.

Other Facts

• They are extra-constitutional in emergence.
• In other words, they are not mentioned in the Constitution. However, the Rules of Business provide for their establishment.
• The executive in India works under the Government of India Transaction of Business Rules, 1961.
• The Prime Minister constitutes Standing Committees of the Cabinet and sets out the specific functions assigned to them. He can add or reduce the number of committees.
• In addition to cabinet committees, several Groups of Ministers (GoMs) are constituted to look into different issues/subjects.