Cabinet Committee on Security

Cabinet Committee on Security

Subject – Polity

Context – Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) where he instructed the officials concerned to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan within the next few days and also provide all possible help to “Afghan brothers and sisters who are looking towards India for assistance.”

Concept –

• The committee is responsible for debates, discussions and appointments of/in the national security bodies.
• Major decisions with respect to the significant appointments, issues of national security, defence expenditure of India are taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
• CCS is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
• The following are the members of the CCS:
  • Prime Minister
  • Minister of Defence
  • Minister of Home Affairs
  • Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs
  • Minister of External Affairs.

Cabinet Committees

• There are 8 cabinet committees –
  • Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
  • Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.
  • Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
  • Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
  • Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
  • Cabinet Committee on Security.
  • Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth.
  • Cabinet Committee on Employment & Skill Development.
• All committees except Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are headed by the Prime Minister.
• They are extra-constitutional in emergence.
• In other words, they are not mentioned in the Constitution. However, the Rules of Business provide for their establishment.
• The executive in India works under the Government of India Transaction of Business Rules, 1961.These Rules emerge from Article 77(3) of the Constitution, which states: “The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.”
• The Prime Minister constitutes Standing Committees of the Cabinet and sets out the specific functions assigned to them. He can add or reduce the number of committees.
• In addition to cabinet committees, several Groups of Ministers (GoMs) are constituted to look into different issues/subjects.