Question

The total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers, shall not exceed $15\% $ of the total strength of the Lok Sabha.
A. True
B. False

Answer 1

Hint: The Union Council of Ministers administers complete executive control over the Republic of India. It comprises the senior ministers, also referred as the 'cabinet ministers', junior ministers, called the 'ministers of state', and the deputy ministers. This council is generally led by the Prime Minister of India.

Complete answer:
In the year 2003, before the Amendment Act, the Prime Minister had the power to appoint any number of ministers in his council but due to an abrupt and drastic change following the amendment, it became imperative for the Prime Minister to stick to the law that was passed. Part of the reason being there were too many ministers in the council. Moreover, the Prime Minister was entitled to enlist any person to his ministry for a period of 6 months even if he is not a member of either of the Houses of the Parliament.
Significantly, the 91st Amendment Act stated that the total strength of ministers, including the Prime Minister of India should not exceed $15\% $ of the total strength of the entire Lok Sabha.

Thus, option (A) is correct.

Additional information: Union Cabinet which is a much smaller executive body is considered to be the supreme decision-making body of India. According to Article 75, only the Prime Minister and the ministers having a rank equivalent to the rank of a cabinet minister can become a member of the Union Cabinet.

Note: During the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the year 1998, there were 21 Cabinet Ministers and similarly 21 other ministers of the state. They were later increased to 22 in order to ensure political convenience.