What is the main difference between individual departmental responsibility and collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers?

Correct answer: Individual responsibility relates to a department and collective responsibility to the whole government

Correct answer: A. Individual departmental responsibility means that a minister must answer for the work, decisions, administration, and problems of the department assigned to that minister. Parliament may ask that minister questions about a scheme, expenditure, delay, or failure. Collective responsibility is wider: all ministers stand together for the decisions and continuation of the entire government, especially its ability to retain the confidence of the Lok Sabha. A minister therefore has a specific departmental duty and also shares responsibility for the Cabinet’s common decisions. A is correct because it clearly separates these two levels. B is wrong because neither principle is limited to electing the President. C is wrong because these are principles of executive accountability, not judicial appointments. D is wrong because they have nothing to do with permanent membership of the Rajya Sabha. Memory cue: individual means “my department”; collective means “our government.”