Prime Minister of India
According to Great Britain, India’s government is parliamentary. According to the characteristics of such a system of government, the real power is vested in the cabinet. The Prime Minister is the head of this cabinet.
In the Republic of India, although the President is the constitutional head of the country, the omnipotence in running the country rests with the Prime Minister. The President appoints the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha with the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Generally, one cannot become the Prime Minister without being a member of any house of Parliament. A person can be the Prime Minister without being a Member of Parliament, but in this case, he has to become a Member of Parliament within six months. Otherwise, there is a rule to remove him from the post of Prime Minister immediately. The term of office of the Prime Minister is five years. During this time he serves as the leader of the Lok Sabha.
| Contents |
| Powers and functions of Prime Minister |
| Dismissal of Prime Minister |
| List of Prime Minister in India |
| Prime Minister – Notes PDF download |
The actual governing power of India is vested in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, although all powers of the Government of India are vested in the President. One of the responsibilities and duties of the Prime Minister is to form the cabinet, lead the cabinet, advise the President, distribute portfolios among the ministers, formulate the agenda of the cabinet and maintain coordination among the various departments. The Prime Minister decides which minister will run which department.
The Prime Minister is the link between the Union Cabinet and the President. According to the Indian Constitution, the Prime Minister informs the President of all important decisions of the Union Cabinet and the Prime Minister is obliged to inform him if the President wants to know about any matter.
Professor J.C. Johari has described the current situation of influence of the Prime Minister of India is “Presidentialisation of the Prime Minister’s Office.”
According to Article 74 (1) of the Constitution of India, to assist and advise the President in carrying out his functions, there shall be a Cabinet with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the head of that cabinet.
Pursuant to Article 75 (1) of the Constitution, the President appoints the prime minister. The President appoints other Ministers also on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Usually, the majority party leader in the Lok Sabha has to be declared as the Prime Minister.
Note: It is pertinent to mention that the candidate for the post of Prime Minister does not have to prove his majority in the Lok Sabha before being appointed. In 1980, the Delhi High Court explained the matter. The president might first appoint the prime minister and then ask him to prove his majority in the legislature within a given time.
In this way, many prime ministers have been appointed. Examples are Charan Singh (1979), V.P. Singh (1989), Chandrasekhar (1990), Narasimha Rao (1991), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1996), Devgaura (1996), i. K Gujral (1997) and again Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998).
Term of Prime Minister of India
The term of the Prime Minister is 5 years. According to the constitution, the president appoints the prime minister. But this power of the President is only formal. Prime Minister convenes the Cabinet with the President (Article 78). But the term of office of the Prime Minister can be increased from 5 years to 6 years during a state of emergency.
Recruitment, Eligibility, Salary of the Prime Minister.
Recruitment: The President appoints the Prime Minister. However, the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha usually becomes the Prime Minister.
Eligibility:
- Must be a citizen of India.
- Must be a Member of Parliament.
- Must be 25 years old (for a member of Lok Sabha)
- Must be 30 years old (for a member of Rajya Sabha)
- He must not hold any office of profit under the government of India or state govt.
Note: However, the prime minister can remain for six months without being a member of parliament.
The post of Prime Minister could be vacant for the following reasons:
- Death of prime minister
- No confidence in the legislature
- If the Lok Sabha has already been dissolved.
Salary: The salary of the Prime Minister of India is Rs. 280,000. He also enjoys benefits from other allowances.
Powers and functions of Prime Minister of India
1. The powers and functions of the Prime Minister depended on the relationship with the President, the Cabinet, the Parliament, its majority party and the people of India.
2. The Prime Minister is the real administrative head of India.
There are three types of ministers under the Prime Minister:
- Cabinet Ministers.
- Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
- Ministers of State.
These three ministers are collectively called the Union Cabinet.
3. Pursuant to Article 75 (3), the Union Cabinet is jointly responsible to the Legislature.
4. Pursuant to Article 75 (2), the Union Cabinet is jointly responsible to the Prime Minister.
5. The 39th Amendment to the Constitution (in 1975) states that Parliament shall set up a body to resolve disputes over the election of the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
6. The Prime Minister becomes the Chairman of inter-State relations between the states and center.
7. He is also the Chairman of the Planning Commission, Niti Ayog.
There is not much information mention in the constitution about the power and function of PM in India.
Dismissal of Prime Minister of India
- In order to dismiss the Prime Minister from his post, a motion of non-confidence should be brought in the Lok Sabha by the opposition.
- In that motion of no confidence, the signature of 2/3 part of the members of the parliament is mandatory.
- When the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister was passed in the Lok Sabha, subject to the President’s permission, the entire Cabinet was dissolved with the Prime Minister.
# List of Prime Minister in India
| Prime Minister | Duration | Party |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 15/7/1947 to 27/5/1964 (Died on 27th May 1964) | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Guljarilal Nanda | 27/5/1964 to 9/6/1964 | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Lal Bahadur Sastri | 9/6/1964 to 11/1/1966 He died on 11/1/1966 at Taskhand | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Guljarilal Nanda | 11/1/1966 to 24/1/1966 | Indian National Congress |
| Smt Indira Gandhi | 24/1/1966 to 24/3/1977 | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Morarji Desai | 24/3/1977 to 28/3/1979 | Janata Party |
| Sri Charan Singh | 24/7/1977 to 14/1/1980 | Janata Party |
| Smt Indira Gandhi | 14/1/1980 to 31/10/1984 She died on 31/10/1984 | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Rajiv Gandhi | 31/10/1984 to 1/12/1989 | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Biswanath Pratap Sing | 2/12/1989 to 10/11/1990 | Janata Dal |
| Sri Chandra Shekhar | 10/11/1990 to 21/6/1991 | Samajwadi Janata Party |
| Sri P.V Narasimha rao | 21/6/1991 to 16/5/1996 | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16/5/1996 to 7/6/1996 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Sri H. D. Devgoura | 7/6/1996 to 20/4/1997 | Janata Dal |
| Sri I. K Gujral | 21/4/1997 to 18/4/1998 | Janata Dal |
| Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 19/4/1998 to 22/5/2004 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Dr. Manmohan Singh | 22/5/2004 to 25/5/2014 | Indian National Congress |
| Sri Narendra Modi | 26/5/2014 to now 14th PM of India | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Download The Prime Minister of India Notes PDF
Notes: Vice-President of India
Notes: Fundamental Duties of Indian Constitution
Prime Minister of India – an important note for any competitive govt job exams such as IAS, UPSC, Banking, Railway, WBCS, etc. Dear Aspirants, if you are preparing for a competitive exam, this note is definitely going to be helpful for you.