The Union Executive, which consists of the President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, is a powerful body in a Parliamentary democracy. In this context answer the following questions:
Mention the three categories of Ministers in order of their rank and status.
Topic: Categories of ministers
Answer
(1) CABINET MINISTERS — the senior-most, holding the important portfolios such as Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs. They attend Cabinet meetings and decide the policy of the government. (2) MINISTERS OF STATE — the second rank. They may hold independent charge of a department or assist a Cabinet Minister, but they do not ordinarily attend Cabinet meetings. (3) DEPUTY MINISTERS — the junior-most. They assist the Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State in their departments and are not members of the Cabinet.
One mark per category, and the question says IN ORDER OF RANK — so the sequence itself is part of the answer. Add one line on what each does; naming them alone is worth less. Hold on to the distinction that underlies this whole chapter: the COUNCIL OF MINISTERS is the whole body of all three ranks and never meets as one; the CABINET is only the top tier, which meets weekly and takes the decisions the rest are bound by.