What is the restriction on the size of the Council of Ministers according to the 91st Amendment Act (2003)?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option 2 -It cannot exceed 15% of the total number of members of the House of the People or Assembly
The 91st Amendment Act (2003) states that the size of the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total number of members of the House of the People or the Assembly in the case of the States.
Size of the Council of Ministers:
Before the 91st Amendment Act (2003), the size of the Council of Ministers was determined according to exigencies of time and requirements of the situation. But this led to the very large size of the Council of Ministers. Besides, when no party had a clear majority, there was a temptation to win over the support of the members of the Parliament by giving them ministerial positions as there was no restriction on the number of the members of the Council of Ministers. This was happening in many States also. Therefore, an amendment was made that the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15 percent of the total number of members of the House of the People (or Assembly, in the case of the States).