Roles and Responsibilities of the Chief Minister According to the Indian Constitution, the elected head of the Council of Ministers in an Indian state is the Chief Minister. In reality, the Governor is guided by the Chief Minister in the various powers that the Governor exercises, although as the Constitution outlines, the Chief Minister is individually responsible to the Governor. Power and Authority of Chief Minister All major decisions in the state are taken by the Chief Minister with the support of the Council of Ministers. Since the Chief Minister is the real head of the state, the development of the state, in terms of financial, technological, and human development indices, rests solely on the powers of the Chief Minister, who must be financially aided by the Centre, in terms of resources and materials. The CM has a pivotal role in the financial matters of a state, including the budget, basic infrastructural and developmental priorities of the state, planning growth of the state and others. Being the senior most member of the Cabinet which is the executive branch of the state government, the Chief Minister is invested with the power to dismiss any Cabinet member or Council of Ministers, based on the performance of the Minister within the administrative capacities of the state. Inside the page Power and Authority of Chief Minister Salary of Chief Minister Facilities of Chief Minister Selection Process of Chief Minister Term of Office and Retirement Age Pension of Chief Minister List of Chief Ministers for all states of India Congress Ruling States in India BJP Ruling States in India Women Chief Ministers in India Non BJP and Congress Chief Ministers in India Salary of Chief Minister The salary of a Chief Minister of a state in India, like that of the Prime Minister of the country, is accompanied by a number of other allowances, besides the basic pay, such as constituency allowances, sumptuary allowances and daily allowances. The salary of the CM is decided by the respective state legislatures in the country, as per Article 164 of the Indian constitution. Thus it varies from one state to another, although the salary of the Chief Minister of a state in India varies between Rs 20,000 - Rs 30,000 per month, excluding other emoluments. The lowest paid Chief Minister in the country presently is the Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar, who draws a salary of very meagre amounts. Facilities of Chief Minister The facilities given to the Chief Minister of a state can include medical facilities, residence facilities, reimbursement of electricity and phone charges, travelling facilities, among other things. The amounts allotted for each of these facilities to the Chief Minister vary from one state to another, as these are specifically detailed in the respective state legislatures of the country. Medical facilities: In accordance with the Medical Attendance Rules, the Chief Minister is entitled to free medical treatment, reimbursement and free accommodation in all hospitals run by the Government and other referral hospitals declared by the government. Residence facilities:The Chief Minister is entitled to a rent-free furnished residence, the value of which amounts to Rs 20,000 per month. The amount however, can vary from one state to another. In case, the Chief Minister decides to stay in his or her own house, the value of the house is paid to the Chief Minister. Reimbursement of electricity and phone charges: The Chief Minister is entitled to a fixed amount of money as reimbursement of phone call charges made in a month. The amount can vary from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 depending from one state to another. A fixed quantity of electricity units are allotted free of cost to the Chief Minister, for the monthly consumption of electricity. Travelling facilities: The Chief Minister is allotted a fixed amount of money for his or her travelling expenses within the jurisdiction of the country, in a year. This amount also varies, as outlined in Article 164 of the Indian Constitution. For instance, for the Delhi Chief Minister, the travelling expenses are fixed at Rs 50,000 per year. The Chief Minister’s family members are also allotted a certain free travelling expense in a year. Selection Process of Chief Minister The appointing authority is the Governor, who suggests a vote of confidence procedurally in the state legislature to establish the selection of the Chief Minister. Term of Office and Retirement Age The tenure of the Chief Minister is a period of five years, when the state legislative assembly is dissolved and fresh elections are held in the Vidhan Sabha. However, the tenure of the Chief Minister can be terminated by the Governor before the period of five years, when the majority party loses the confidence vote in the state legislative assembly. The Chief Minister can also resign from his or her post as CM before the completion of five years. There is no age for the retirement of the Chief Minister. Although, the minimum age for becoming the Chief Minister is 25 years of age, there is no upper limit till when he or she can serve in the post of a Chief Minister. Pension of Chief Minister According to the Constitution of India, the Chief Minister of a state in the country is entitled to a certain amount of pension after his or her retirement. However, the amount varies with the respective state legislatures. In the case of death of the Chief Minister, his or her spouse is entitled to a pension too. Interesting Facts about Chief Minister The first woman Chief Minister in the history of independent India was Sucheta Kriplani of the Indian National Congress. She remained the CM of the state of Uttar Pradesh from 1963 to 1967. Closely following her was Nandini Satpathy who governed Orissa as a CM from 1972 to 1976. The first Dalit Chief Minister of any Indian state has been Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party. As a Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati also has a significant record of being one of the longest-serving Chief Ministers in the country, being in power for a total of 2554 days. Jyoti Basu of the CPI(M) is the longest-serving Chief Minister of any state in India. He remained the CM of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, being in power for 8539 days. It was under his regime that the historic Operation Barga was carried out in Bengal, a model soon replicated in other parts of the country. Nadendla Bhaskara Rao has served the shortest-term as a Chief Minister of India. He remained the CM of Andhra Pradesh for a very brief period of only 31 days in 1984. In a more recent instance, the nascent Aam Aadmi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, stayed in the governance of Delhi for 49 days, after which Kejriwal resigned. Kejriwal came to power in the 2013 Vidhan Sabha elections in Delhi, with the support of Congress. However, the government resigned as its pet anti-graft legislation, the Jan Lokpal Bill, was not passed in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, by either the Congress or the BJP. The only female Chief Minister to lead her government for three consecutive terms in any state of independent India is Sheila Dikshit of the INC. Dikshit remained the CM of Delhi for a continuous term from 1998 to 2013. The only Chief Minister of a state in India to have been blamed of causing religious intolerance in the country is Narendra Modi, the present Chief Minister of Gujarat. Modi is accused of gearing the mass murder in the 2002 Godhra riots in the state, killing thousands of innocent victims.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:28:29 +0000
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