Cabinet Committee System in India

Under the Government of India Transaction of Business Rules (TBR),1961 an executive arm of the government was assigned the task of conducting the business of it in an effective and convenient manner. The Cabinet Committee are organizations which are instrumental in reducing the workload of the Cabinet. These committees are extra-constitutional in nature and are nowhere mentioned in the Constitution.

Types and Composition of Cabinet Committees

1. Standing Cabinet Committee

• These are permanent in nature with a specific job. These are specified in the First Schedule of TBR
• The Cabinet Ministers are called its ‘members’ while the people without the rank of Cabinet Committee are called ‘special invitees’.

2. Ad-hoc Cabinet Committee

• These are temporary in nature and are formed time to time to deal with specific tasks.

The composition of a Cabinet Committee varies from 3 to 8 people. Even Ministers who are not the part of the Cabinet can be added to a Cabinet Committee. Usually, each cabinet committee has at least one Cabinet Minister. The members of the Cabinet Committee can be from both the ok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Cabinet Committees as of 13 February 2017:

1. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)

• This committee is responsible for all appointments of higher ranks in the Central Secretariat, Public Enterprises, Public Enterprises and Financial Institutions.

2. Cabinet Committee on Accommodation(CCA)

• This Committee is responsible for the allotment of accommodation for various top positions in the Government of India.

3. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)

• This committee deals with the activities pertaining to the economics of the country.

4. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs(CCPA)

• This committee looks into the matters related to the progress of government business in the Parliament of India.

5. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA)

• This committee is responsible for all issues related to domestic and foreign affairs.

6. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)

• This is one of the most important committees in India, it looks into the matters of defense expenditures and National Security.