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Q77 (IAS/2024) Polity & Governance › Governance, Policies & Social Justice › Administrative machinery structure Official Key

What are the duties of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as Head of the Department of Military Affairs ? 1. Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee 2. Exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs 3. Principal Military Advisor to Defence Minister on all tri-service matters Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is option D (1 and 3 only).

The Chief of Defence Staff serves as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) as well as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs[2]. The CDS acts as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-services matters[5], making statements 1 and 3 correct.

However, statement 2 is incorrect. The CDS "will not exercise any military command, including over the three service chiefs"[6]. The CDS role is advisory and coordinative in nature rather than operational command. The three Service Chiefs retain their independent command over their respective forces.

Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 accurately describe the duties of the CDS as Head of the Department of Military Affairs, making option D the correct answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
  2. [2] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
  3. [3] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
  4. [4] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
  5. [5] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/oct/doc202110501.pdf
  6. [6] https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/quick-take/india-really-needed-a-chief-of-defence-staff/article30467960.ece
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
45%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. What are the duties of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as Head of the Department of Military Affairs ? 1. Permanent Chairman of Chiefs o…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a 'Major Reform' question. The creation of the CDS was the most significant defence restructuring in decades. The question tests the fundamental 'Red Line' of the post: Advisory vs. Operational Command. If you missed the specific limitation that the CDS does *not* command the Service Chiefs, you missed the core democratic safeguard of the reform.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), as Head of the Department of Military Affairs, serve as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) as well as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs"
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states the CDS was appointed as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
  • Also links the CDS appointment with the Department of Military Affairs by naming the CDS as Secretary of that department.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Chief of Defence Staff is the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and acts as the Principal Military Adviser to Raksha Mantri on all tri-services matters"
Why this source?
  • Directly affirms that the Chief of Defence Staff is the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
  • Describes the CDS's role as principal military adviser on tri-services matters, reinforcing the CDS's overarching tri-service role.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The creation of a Department of Military Affairs (DMA), with a Chief of Defence Staff as its head"
Why this source?
  • Specifies that the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) was created "with a Chief of Defence Staff as its head," confirming the CDS is head of DMA.
  • Connects the CDS role to the DMA, supporting the premise that the CDS serves in that departmental head capacity.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES > p. 279
Strength: 4/5
“~CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES Consultative committees are attached to various ministries/ departments of the Central Government. They consist of members of both the Houses of Parliament. The Minister! Minister of State in charge of the Ministry concerned acts as the chairman of the consultative committee of that ministry. These committees provide a forum for informal discussions between the ministers and the members of Parliament on policies and programmes of the government and the manner of their implementation. These committees are constituted 'by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. The guidelines regarding the composition, functions and procedures of these committees are formulated by this Ministry.”
Why relevant

Shows a general rule: the minister (or minister of state) in charge acts as chairman of consultative committees attached to that ministry/department.

How to extend

A student could extend this pattern to ask whether the head of a defence-related department (here the CDS as head of DMA) similarly chairs inter-service bodies linked to that department.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES > p. 279
Strength: 3/5
“~CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES Consultative committees are attached to various ministries/ departments of the Central Government. They consist of members of both the Houses of Parliament. The Minister! Minister of State in charge of the Ministry concerned acts as the chairman of the consultative committee of that ministry. These committees provide a forum for informal discussions between the ministers and the members of Parliament on policies and programmes of the government and the manner of their implementation. These committees are constituted 'by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. The guidelines regarding the composition, functions and procedures of these committees are formulated by this Ministry.”
Why relevant

Repeats the rule that the political head of a ministry/department normally functions as chairman of committees attached to that ministry.

How to extend

Use this as an analogy to test if administrative/functional heads (like CDS) are given analogous chairmanships of defence committees, or whether chairmanship is reserved for service chiefs or a political minister.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 23: Parliament > Secret a riat of Parliament > p. 234
Strength: 3/5
“Each House of Parliament has separate secretarial staff of its own, though there can be some posts common to both the Houses. Their recruitment and service conditions are regulated by Parliament. The secretariat of each House is headed by a secretariat-general. He/she is a permanent officer and is appointed by the presiding officer of the House.”
Why relevant

States that each House secretariat is headed by a permanent officer appointed by the presiding officer, illustrating that some institutional heads are explicitly designated as 'permanent' officers.

How to extend

A student could use this example of 'permanent' institutional office-holders to ask whether the CDS/DMA post is similarly codified as a permanent chair of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in official rules or notifications.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > 714 P Indian Polity > p. 714
Strength: 3/5
“Officers of the rank of Lieutenant General or equivalent rank 25. Additional Secretaries to the Government of India Additional Solicitor General, Advocate Generals of States Chairman, Thriff Commission Charged 'Affairs and Acting High Commissioners a pied and ad interim Chief Ministers of Union Territories and Chief Executive Councillor, Delhi , outside their respective Un ion Territories Chief Secretaries of State Governments out side their respective States Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General Deputy Speakers of Legislative Assemblies in Union Territories and Deput y Chairman, Delhi Metropolitan Council, outside their respective Union Territories Director, Central Bureau of Investigation Director General, Border Security Force Director General , Central Reserve Police Director, Intelligence Bureau Lieu te na n t Gove rnors o utside the ir respective Union Te rritories Members, Central Judiciary Tribunal”
Why relevant

Lists senior military ranks and high-level posts together, indicating there are formal lists/rules specifying roles and ranks for key positions.

How to extend

A student could look for an analogous formal list or government order that specifies who chairs the Chiefs of Staff Committee (e.g., names/ranks), and see whether CDS appears there as 'permanent chairman'.

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