All You Need To Know About Cabinet Committees
Introduction
A group of ministers called a Cabinet committee has the authority to make decisions that are binding on all other ministries and departments. They serve as an organizational tool to lessen the Cabinet's massive workload while enabling thorough analysis of policy issues and efficient coordination.
Features of The Cabinet Committees
• They emerged outside of the Constitution. They are not listed in the Constitution, in other words. But their establishment is allowed by the Rules of Business.
• There are two varieties of them: Standing and Ad hoc. The former is enduring, whilst the latter is passing.
• The ad hoc committees are occasionally formed to address unique issues.
• They are established by the prime minister in accordance with the demands of the moment and the circumstances, and they are disbanded after their work is done. As a result, their quantity, nomenclature, and composition change with time.
• Cabinet committees typically have three to eight members, all of whom are Cabinet Ministers. Non-cabinet Ministers are not excluded from membership, though.
• They comprise senior Ministers in addition to the Ministers in charge of the relevant subjects.
• The Prime Minister presides over them for the most part. Their chairman may occasionally also be another cabinet minister. However, the Prime Minister always serves as its chair if he or she is a committee member.
• They make judgments in addition to resolving problems and creating ideas for the Cabinet's consideration. The Cabinet can, however, reconsider their choices.
List of Cabinet Committees
There are currently 8 Cabinet Committees:
1. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
3. Appointments Committee of Cabinet.
4. Cabinet Committee on Security.
5. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
6. Cabinet Committee on Accommodations.
7. Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth.
8. Cabinet committee on Employment and skill development.
Functions
Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
• It discusses issues with ties between the Centre and States.
• It also looks at political and economic concerns that need a broader view but don't affect internal or external security.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
• In order to develop a coherent and integrated economic policy, it is expected to examine economic trends, issues, and prospects, coordinate all actions requiring the highest level of policy decisions, and deal with the fixation of agricultural produce and essential commodity prices.
• The Public Distribution System and rural development are reviewed, as well as proposals for investments worth more than Rs 1,000 crore.
Appointments Committee of Cabinet
• It names candidates for positions such as director general of military operations, commanders of the air and army commands, director general of the defense intelligence agency, and the three service chiefs.
• It makes all significant selections for officers serving on Central deputations, including their shifts.
Cabinet Committee on Security
• It covers topics such as law and order, domestic security, foreign policy with consequences for either internal or external security, as well as economic and political issues related to national security.
• The Department of Defense Production, the Department of Defense Research and Development, and Services Capital Acquisition programs and programs for the purchase of security-related equipment are all taken into consideration in circumstances where capital defense expenditures exceed Rs 1,000 crore.
Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs
• It creates the agenda for Parliamentary sessions and keeps track of how business related to the government is proceeding in Parliament.
• It evaluates non-governmental activities and makes decisions regarding the official Bills and resolutions that should be presented.
Cabinet Committee on Accommodations
• It establishes the criteria or regulations governing the distribution of government accommodations.
• It also decides how much rent will be paid to non-eligible people and organizations who are given access to government housing.
• It may take into account providing lawmakers with accommodations from the General Pool.
• It may take into account suggestions for moving current Central Government Offices outside from the capital.
Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth
• It would identify any other crucial projects, as may be defined by it, with reference to manufacturing and infrastructure that require investments of Rs 1,000 crore or more and must be carried out on a time-bound basis.
• It will set deadlines for the relevant ministries to grant the necessary clearances and approvals in the identified sectors, and it will also keep track of how well these projects are coming along.
Cabinet committee on Employment and Skill Development
• All policies, programs, projects, and skill-development activities should be guided by it in order to increase workforce employability and efficiently fulfil the demands of the fast expanding economy while also identifying the advantages of the demographic dividend.
• Enhancing labor participation, fostering employment development and identification, and working to close skill availability gaps across different industries are all necessary.
• It will establish deadlines for the swift implementation of all skill-development efforts by the ministries and reevaluate the results on a regular basis.
• The prime minister is in charge of all cabinet committees, with the exception of the committees dealing with accommodations and parliamentary affairs.
• Currently, the Home Minister is in charge of the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, whereas the Defense Minister is in charge of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
• The Political Affairs Committee, frequently referred to as a Super-Cabinet, is the most influential of the Cabinet Committees.
Criticism of Cabinet Committees
• Sometimes they are founded on quite unimportant issues.
• Non-cabinet ministers are infrequently appointed, and membership is more heavily influenced by political factors.
In The News: Cabinet Committees
• The rise in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all required Rabi crops for the Rabi Marketing Season 2022–23 was agreed by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which is presided over by the Prime Minister.
• It is in accordance with the advice provided by the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), a statutory agency that provides the government with recommendations on the pricing strategy for important agricultural products.
• The recent approval of 56 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
• The most influential of all the panels, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, was recently reorganized. The Prime Minister and 12 Union Ministers make up the newly established Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
Conclusion
The "engine room of government" has been referred to as Cabinet Committees. As the government's workload grows, decisions made here have the same weight as those made in full cabinet, with only the most crucial ones being sent back for approval. Cabinet Committees thus play a significant role in Indian democracy.