Cabinet Committees

Cabinet Committees are extra-constitutional in emergence. In other words, they are not mentioned in the Constitution. However, the Rules of Business provide for their establishment.

• They are of two types: standing (permanent) and ad hoc (temporary).
• They are set up by the Prime Minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation. Hence, their number, nomenclature, and composition change from time to time.
• Their membership varies from three to eight. They usually include only Cabinet Ministers, but non-cabinet ministers are not debarred.

They are an organizational device to reduce the enormous workload of the Cabinet. They facilitate in-depth examination of policy issues.

Most Important Committees (Usually headed by the PM):

1. Political Affairs Committee: Deals with all policy matters pertaining to domestic and foreign affairs. (Often described as a "Super-Cabinet").
2. Economic Affairs Committee: Directs and coordinates the governmental activities in the economic sphere.
3. Appointments Committee: Decides all higher level appointments in the Central Secretariat, Public Enterprises, Banks and Financial Institutions.
4. Parliamentary Affairs Committee: Looks after the progress of government business in the Parliament. (Usually headed by the Home Minister).

Of all the Cabinet Committees, the most powerful is the Political Affairs Committee.