Syllabus:

GS2: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary

Context: In response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir), the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was convened and announced a series of extraordinary retaliatory measures against Pakistan.

Key Decisions by the CCS

• Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty: India will suspend the decades-old treaty governing water-sharing with Pakistan.
• Downgrading of Diplomatic Relations: India will reduce its diplomatic mission strength in Islamabad.
• Cancellation of SAARC Visas: All visas granted to Pakistani nationals under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) scheme will be cancelled.
• Closure of Attari-Wagah Border: The land border crossing between India and Pakistan will be shut.

• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is a key decision-making body in the Government of India, primarily responsible for matters related to national security and defence.
• A committee comparable to the current CCS structure was first formed in Independent India in 1947 by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The first emergency meeting of this committee was reportedly called during the Indo-Pak War of 1947–48. 
• It was reportedly chaired by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with Home Minister Sardar Patel and Defence Minister Baldev Singh as its members.
• It was after the 1999 Kargil War that the committee evolved to adopt the present formal structure of the Cabinet Committee on Security and became a high-powered committee for defence and national security.
• Composition:
• Chairperson: Prime Minister of India
• Members:
• Minister of Finance
• Minister of Defence (permanent invitee to the panel)
• Minister of Home Affairs
• Minister of External Affairs
• The National Security Advisor (NSA) acts as secretary-level coordinator on matters within its purview.

• Additional Attendees (as required): Defence Chiefs and senior bureaucrats may attend depending on the agenda.

• National Security: Debates and discussions on security-related issues, Major decisions on internal and external security and Law and order issues.
• Defence: Approval of defence-related expenditure and Policy decisions concerning defence and armed forces.
• Foreign Affairs: Security-related foreign policy matters.
• Appointments: Significant appointments within national security institutions.
• Atomic Energy: Matters concerning the use and control of atomic energy.

PYQ: Why do you think the committees are considered to be useful for parliamentary work? Discuss, in this context, the role of the Estimates Committee. (2018)