Prime Minister of India

Prime Minister of
the Republic of India
भारत गणराज्य के प्रधानमंत्री
Emblem of India
Narendra Modi
Government of India
Prime Minister's Office
Style The Honourable (Formal)
His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of
Reports to Parliament of India
Residence 7 Race Course Road
Seat Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India
Appointer President of India
by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the Lok Sabha
Term length so long as General Elections are held no more than five years apart. No term limits are imposed on the office
The prime minister is by convention the leader of the victorious party
Inaugural holder Jawaharlal Nehru
Formation 15 August 1947 (1947-08-15)
Salary 2 million (US$32,000) (annual, including 960,000 (US$16,000) MP's salary) [1]
Website Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister of India, as addressed to in the Constitution of India, is the chief of government, chief adviser to the President of India, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in the parliament. The prime minister leads the executive branch of the Government of India. The incumbent Prime Minister of India is Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party.


The prime minister is appointed by the president to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive.

Origins and history

India follows a Parliamentary system of government. In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of the government and head of the executive branch. In such systems, the head of state or the head of state's official representative (i.e., the monarch or president or governor-general) usually holds a purely ceremonial position.

The prime minister is expected to become a member of parliament within six months of beginning their tenure, if they are not a member already. They are expected to work with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature.

Constitutional framework and position of prime minister

The Constitution envisages a scheme of affairs in which the President of India is the head of the executive in terms of Article 53 with office of the prime minister as heading the Council of Ministers to assist and advise the president in the discharge of the executive power. To quote, Article 53 and 75 provide as under;

The executive powers of the Union shall be vested in the president and shall be exercised either directly or through subordinate officers, in accordance with the Constitution.
— Article 53(1), Constitution of India
There shall be a Council of Ministers with the prime minister at the head to aid and advise the president who shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice.
— Article 74(1), Constitution of India
Like most parliamentary democracies, a head of State's duties are mostly ceremonial. The Prime Minister of India is the head of government and has the responsibility for executive power. With India following a parliamentary system of government the prime minister is generally the leader of a party (or coalition of parties) that has a majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The prime minister, in common with all other ministers at Central & state level, either has to be a current member of one of the houses of Parliament, or be elected within six months of being appointed.[2]

Role and power of the prime minister

The prime minister leads the functioning and exercise of authority of the Government of India. He is invited by the President of India in the Parliament of India as leader of the majority party to form a government at the federal level (known as Central or Union Government in India) and exercise its powers. In practice the prime minister nominates the members of their Council of Ministers[3][4][5] to the president. They also work upon to decide a core group of Ministers (known as the Cabinet)[3] as in-charge of the important functions and ministries of the Government of India.

The prime minister is responsible for aiding and advising the president in distribution of work of the Government to various ministries and offices and in terms of the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961.[6] The co-ordinating work is generally allocated to the Cabinet Secretariat[7] While generally the work of the Government is divided into various Ministries, the prime minister may retain certain portfolios if they are not allocated to any member of the cabinet.

The prime minister, in consultation with the Cabinet, schedules and attends the sessions of the Houses of Parliament and is required to answer the question from the Members of Parliament to them as the in-charge of the portfolios in the capacity as Prime Minister of India.[8]

Some specific ministries/department are not allocated to anyone in the cabinet but the prime minister himself. The prime minister is usually always in-charge/head of:

The prime minister represents the country in various delegations, high level meetings and international organisations that require the attendance of the highest government office[9] and also addresses to the nation on various issues of national or other importance.[10]



According to Article 84 of the Constitution of India, which sets the principal qualifications for member of Parliament, and Article 75 of the Constitution of India, which sets the qualifications for the minister in the Union Council of Minister, and the argument that the position of prime minister has been described as 'first among equals',[11] A prime minister must:

  • be a citizen of India.
  • be a member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. If the person chosen as the prime minister is neither a member of the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha at the time of selection, he or she must become a member of either of the houses within six months.
  • be above 25 years of age if he or she is a member of Lok Sabha or above 30 years of age if he is a member of the Rajya Sabha.


The Prime Minister is required to make and subscribe in the presence of President of India before entering office, the oath of office and secrecy, as per the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India.

Oath of office:

Oath of secrecy:


By Article 75 of the constitution of India, remuneration of the prime minister as well as other ministers are to be decided by the Parliament[12] and is renewed from time to time. The original remuneration for prime minister and other ministers were specified in the Part B of the second schedule of the constitution, which was later removed by an amendment.

In 2010, the prime minister's office reported that he did not receive a formal salary, but was only entitled to monthly allowances.[13] That same year The Economist reported that, on a purchasing-power parity basis, the prime minister received an equivalent of $4106 per year. As a percentage of the country's per-capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product), this is the lowest of all countries The Economist surveyed.[14]

Prime Minister monthly pay and allowances
Salary in Oct 2009 Salary in Oct 2010 Salary in Jul 2012
100000 (US$1,600) 135000 (US$2,200) 160000 (US$2,600)

See also


  1. ^ a b "Pay & Allowances of the Prime Minister" (PDF). Retrieved 14 June 2013. 
  2. ^ Section 75(5) of the Constitution of India
  3. ^ a b "Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  4. ^ "Ministers of State (Independent Charge)". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  5. ^ "Ministers of State (without Independent Charge)". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  6. ^ "(Allocation of Business) Rules 1961". Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  7. ^ "Cabinet Secretariat,Govt.of India". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  8. ^ "PM's answers to Parliamentary Questions". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  9. ^ "Recent Visit of the Prime Minister". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  10. ^ "Recent National Messages of the PM". Retrieved 2008-06-05. 
  12. ^ The Constitution of India, Article 75-6
  13. ^ "A Raise for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?". Wall Street Journal. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2012. 
  14. ^ "Leaders of the fee world: How much a country's leader is paid compared to GDP per person". The Economist. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2012. 

External links

  • The Prime Minister of India (Official site)
  • Former Prime Ministers of India (Official site)