# Union Council of Ministers

The Union Council of Ministers is the principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions. It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India and consists of the heads of each of the executive government ministries. Currently, the council is headed by Narendra Modi and consists of 71 fellow members. The council is answerable to the Lok Sabha.
A smaller executive body called the Union Cabinet is the supreme decision-making body in India; it is a subset of the Union Council of Ministers who hold important portfolios and ministries of the government.

## 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). The council of ministers upon losing the confidence of Lok Sabha shall resign to facilitate the formation of a new council.
A minister can take any decision without being considered by the council of ministers per Article 78(c). If needed, 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 Union Council of Ministers.
* 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 Union 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 is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and functions until the pleasure of the President of India. 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, or resignation or death of the prime minister
* 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 the union council of ministers per Articles 163, 164 and 167(c).
In March 2020, the Supreme Court of India used its powers for the first time 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

| 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 | 9 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Defence | Rajnath Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Home Affairs Minister of Co-operation | Amit Shah | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Road Transport and Highways | Nitin Gadkari | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Health and Family Welfare Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers | Jagat Prakash Nadda | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister of Rural Development | Shivraj Singh Chouhan | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Finance Minister of Corporate Affairs | Nirmala Sitharaman | 9 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of External Affairs | S. Jaishankar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Power Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs | Manohar Lal Khattar | 9 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Heavy Industries Minister of Steel | H. D. Kumaraswamy | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | JD(S) |
| Minister of Commerce and Industry | Piyush Goyal | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Education | Dharmendra Pradhan | 9 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises | Jitan Ram Manjhi | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | HAM(S) |
| Minister of Panchayati Raj | Lalan Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | JD(U) |
| Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways | Sarbananda Sonowal | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment | Virendra Kumar Khatik | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Civil Aviation | Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | TDP |
| Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister of New and Renewable Energy | Prahlad Joshi | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Tribal Affairs | Jual Oram | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Textiles | Giriraj Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Information and Broadcasting Minister of Railways Minister of Electronics and Information Technology | Ashwini Vaishnaw | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Minister of Communications | Jyotiraditya Scindia | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Bhupender Yadav | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Culture Minister of Tourism | Gajendra Singh Shekhawat | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Women and Child Development | Annpurna Devi | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Minority Affairs | Kiren Rijiju | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas | Hardeep Singh Puri | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Labour and Employment Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports | Mansukh L. Mandaviya | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Coal Minister of Mines | G. Kishan Reddy | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of Food Processing Industries | Chirag Paswan | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | LJP(RV) |
| Minister of Jal Shakti | C. R. Patil | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |

### 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 Culture | Rao Inderjit Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Science and Technology Minister of State (Independent Charge) 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 | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs | Arjun Ram Meghwal | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayush Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | SS |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister of State in the Ministry of Education | Jayant Chaudhary | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | RLD |

### Ministers of State

| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture | Rao Inderjit Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| 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 | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs | Arjun Ram Meghwal | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs | L. Murugan | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | SS |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | Anupriya Patel | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | AD(S) |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Education | Jayant Chaudhary | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | RLD |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Education | Sukanta Majumdar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology | Jitin Prasada | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Power Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy | Shripad Yesso Naik | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance | Pankaj Chaudhary | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Co-operation | Krishan Pal Gurjar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Co-operation | Murlidhar Mohol | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | Ramdas Athawale | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | RPI(A) |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | B. L. Verma | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | Ram Nath Thakur | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | JD(U) |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | Bhagirath Choudhary | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs | Nityanand Rai | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs | Bandi Sanjay Kumar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers | Anupriya Patel | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | AD(S) |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti | V. Somanna | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti | Raj Bhushan Choudhary | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways | V. Somanna | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways | Ravneet Singh Bittu | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development | Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | TDP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development | Kamlesh Paswan | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications | Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | TDP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying | S. P. Singh Baghel | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying | George Kurian | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj | S. P. Singh Baghel | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment | Shobha Karandlaje | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Kirti Vardhan Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs | Kirti Vardhan Singh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs | Pabitra Margherita | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution | B. L. Verma | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution | Nimuben Bambhaniya | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways | Shantanu Thakur | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism | Suresh Gopi | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | L. Murugan | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways | Ajay Tamta | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways | Harsh Malhotra | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines | Satish Chandra Dubey | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence | Sanjay Seth | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries | Ravneet Singh Bittu | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs | Durga Das Uikey | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports | Raksha Khadse | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region | Sukanta Majumdar | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development | Savitri Thakur | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs | Tokhan Sahu | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel | Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs | Harsh Malhotra | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation | Murlidhar Mohol | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying | George Kurian | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |
| Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles | Pabitra Margherita | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | BJP |