Which of the following statements about the Council of Ministers is correct?

The correct answer is (B) Cabinet Ministers are a smaller group within the Council of Ministers.
Explanation:
· In India, the Council of Ministers is a constitutional body under Article 74 of the Constitution. It assists and advises the Prime Minister in the exercise of executive power.
· The Council of Ministers consists of three categories:
✔ Cabinet Ministers
✔ Ministers of State (MoS)
✔ Deputy Ministers
· Out of these, the Cabinet Ministers form a small, powerful, and core group within the larger Council of Ministers.
· The Cabinet is the decision-making authority, and only Cabinet Ministers attend Cabinet meetings unless specially invited.
· Hence, statement B is correct because Cabinet Ministers are indeed a smaller subset of the entire Council of Ministers.
Information Booster (Exam-Oriented Facts):
· The Prime Minister selects the Council of Ministers; they are formally appointed by the President (Article 75).
· The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
· The maximum number of ministers cannot exceed 15% of the strength of Lok Sabha (91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003).
· Only Cabinet Ministers have the power to:
✔ Frame major government policies
✔ Take key national decisions
✔ Lead important ministries like Home, Defence, Finance, External Affairs
Additional Knowledge (Option-wise):
Option A: The Council of Ministers is appointed by the Chief Justice — Incorrect
• The President appoints ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister, not the Chief Justice.
Option C: All members of the Council of Ministers are part of the Cabinet — Incorrect
• Only a selected group are Cabinet Ministers; others are MoS or Deputy Ministers.
Option D: Ministers of State rank higher than Cabinet Ministers — Incorrect
• The hierarchy is: Cabinet Minister > Minister of State > Deputy Minister.