Cabinet Committees

Now, imagine this: the Cabinet is already a small, high-powered group — around 15–20 senior ministers.
But even this body cannot possibly handle every detail of governance.

There are hundreds of ministries, thousands of policy issues, and an endless stream of decisions to be made.

So, to make the system efficient, the government created Cabinet Committees — smaller, subject-specific groups of ministers that deal with particular areas in depth.

⚙️ Why Cabinet Committees Exist

The simple logic is division of labour and specialization.
Just as in any large organization, top leadership delegates work to committees —
similarly, the Prime Minister and Cabinet divide their workload through these committees.

They help in:

• Filtering and fine-tuning proposals before they go to the full Cabinet,
• Ensuring coordination among ministries, and
• Allowing quick decisions in emergencies or complex policy areas.

📘 Features of Cabinet Committees

Let’s go point by point so you understand both their constitutional position and practical significance.

1️⃣ Extra-Constitutional in Nature

They are not mentioned in the Constitution.
They have evolved by convention and administrative practice, though the Rules of Business (framed under Article 77(3)) provide for their creation.

👉 So they are extra-constitutional but legal — based on executive rules, not constitutional text.

2️⃣ Two Types: Standing and Ad Hoc

• Standing Committees → Permanent in nature, handle continuous subjects like economy, security, or appointments.
• Ad hoc Committees → Temporary, created to deal with specific issues (e.g., drought relief, new education policy), and disbanded once the task is done.

✅ Example:
An ad hoc committee was formed during the COVID-19 crisis for vaccine strategy coordination.

3️⃣ Created by the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister decides:

• How many committees will exist,
• What they’ll be called, and
• Who will serve on them.

So, the number, name, and composition change over time depending on priorities.
For example, committees on Investment and Skill Development were added in recent years.

4️⃣ Membership

• Usually composed of Cabinet Ministers,
• But sometimes Ministers of State (non-Cabinet rank) can also be members,
• Non-members may attend meetings as special invitees.

5️⃣ Headed by PM or Senior Ministers

Most are chaired by the Prime Minister, but sometimes senior ministers head them.
However, if the PM is part of any committee, he automatically presides.

6️⃣ Powers and Functions

• They analyze and sort out issues before they reach the Cabinet.
• Some have decision-making power, while others recommend proposals.
• The Cabinet can review or overrule their decisions.

7️⃣ Administrative Utility

Cabinet Committees are essentially an organizational device to:

• Reduce the Cabinet’s workload,
• Enable in-depth examination of issues,
• Ensure coordination and speed, and
• Implement the principle of effective delegation.

So, they make the system more streamlined and specialized.

📋 List of Cabinet Committees

At present, there are 8 Cabinet Committees functioning under the Union Government.
Let’s look at each with its main area of focus 👇

Cabinet Committee	Main Function / Focus Area
1. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs	Handles all major policy matters related to domestic and foreign affairs. Often called the “Super-Cabinet.”
2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs	Directs and coordinates economic and industrial policies, investment, production, and pricing.
3. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)	Decides high-level appointments in Central Government, Public Enterprises, Banks, and Financial Institutions.
4. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs	Manages government’s legislative business in Parliament — scheduling bills, ensuring floor coordination.
5. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)	Handles all issues of defence, internal security, atomic energy, and intelligence.
6. Cabinet Committee on Accommodation	Deals with allotment of government accommodation to MPs, officials, and organizations.
7. Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth	Focuses on policies to boost investment, exports, ease of doing business, and industrial growth.
8. Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development	Works on policies for job creation, skill development, and increasing women’s workforce participation.

🧠 Most Powerful Committee: Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA)

Often nicknamed as the “Super-Cabinet”, because:

• It handles all crucial political, foreign, and economic policy decisions.
• It resolves inter-ministerial disputes before issues reach the full Cabinet.
• It is headed by the Prime Minister and includes the Home, Finance, Defence, and External Affairs Ministers.

So, in a sense, the CCPA is the inner nerve centre of the executive system.

👥 Groups of Ministers (GoMs)

Now, apart from Cabinet Committees, another flexible coordination mechanism evolved — called Groups of Ministers (GoMs).

Let’s understand what they are and why they exist.

Nature and Purpose

A Group of Ministers is an ad hoc committee set up by the government to:

• Examine specific issues that cut across multiple ministries, and
• Recommend solutions to the Cabinet.

Sometimes, certain GoMs are also empowered to take final decisions on behalf of the Cabinet — especially in urgent or specialized matters.

So they act like inter-ministerial coordination bodies — bridging gaps among ministries.

✅ Example:
GoMs on Natural Resources, Infrastructure, or Corruption issues have been formed in the past.

Composition

Each GoM includes:

• The ministers heading the relevant ministries,
• Other senior ministers or experts (if required).

Once their recommendations are finalized and submitted, the GoM is disbanded.
So they are temporary and task-oriented.

📊 Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) On GoMs

The Second ARC (2005–2009) critically examined the functioning of GoMs and made some important observations and suggestions.

⚠️ Observations

1️⃣ A large number of GoMs had been created — many of them did not meet regularly, causing delays in decision-making.
2️⃣ This led to bureaucratic bottlenecks and slowed down governance.

✅ Recommendations

1️⃣ The use of GoMs should be more selective and purposeful, not excessive.
2️⃣ GoMs should be empowered to take decisions on behalf of the Cabinet — wherever appropriate.
3️⃣ Each GoM should have clear mandates and fixed time limits for completing its work.
4️⃣ Coordination mechanisms must ensure that GoMs function effectively and resolve inter-ministerial issues quickly.

In short, ARC suggested:

“Use fewer GoMs, but make them more powerful and time-bound.”

💬 In Summary

“The Cabinet is already a small brain of the government,
but when even that brain feels overloaded, it creates smaller nerves —
these are the Cabinet Committees, which process and prioritize issues before they reach the Cabinet table.”

And the Groups of Ministers are like temporary task forces — set up when a problem requires quick, multi-ministerial cooperation.

Together, they make governance more nimble, efficient, and specialized, without violating the principle of collective responsibility.