Newly inducted ministers find place in Cabinet panels
The only ally who has found a place in the eight committees is JD (U)’s RCP Singh
NEW DELHI: Union ministers who were sworn in last week during the expansion and reshuffle of the Union council of ministers have been included in various Cabinet committees reconstituted on Monday.
Newly inducted Union ministers Bhupender Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Mansukh Mandaviya have been included in the Cabinet committee on political affairs along with Smriti Irani and Giriraj Singh in place of former ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan, and the late Ram Vilas Paswan. This committee has a key role to play in addressing Centre-state issues and also examines economic and political issues that have no internal or external security implications.
Newly inducted ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, Narayan Rane and Ashwini Vaishnaw have been included in the committee to oversee investment and growth. The committee has the task to identify key projects required to be implemented on a time-bound basis, involving investments of ₹1,000 crore or more, or any other critical projects, as may be specified by the committee, in sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing, and to prescribe time limits for issue of requisite approvals and clearances by the ministries/ departments concerned.
In 2019, the Modi government set up two new committees, the committee on investment and growth, and employment and skill development. In the committee on employment and skill development, Vaishnaw and Yadav are the new additions.
In the Cabinet committee on Parliamentary affairs, the new inclusions are minister of law and justice Kiren Rijiju, information and broadcasting minister Anurag Singh Thakur, minister of social justice and empowerment Virendra Kumar and minister for tribal affairs Arjun Munda.
This committee has the mandate to draw the schedule of Parliament sessions, scrutinise non government business and takes a decision on the bills and resolutions to be presented.
While the appointments committee of the Cabinet has Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, the Cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) has the PM, defence minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, road, transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The CCEA has been trimmed. No inclusion has been made to replace Prasad and DV Sadanand Gowda.
The only ally who has found a place in the eight committees is Janata Dal (United)’s RCP Singh, who is a special invitee to the committee on skill development and employment. In the previous committee, allies who were part of the council of ministers such as Lok Janshakti Party’s Ram Vilas Paswan, Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant were also included. While the SAD and Sena have broken ties with the BJP, there is no representation from the LJP or Apna Dal in any of the committees.
The appointments committee has the role in the appointment of key positions such as that of the three service chiefs, Director General of Military Operations, chiefs of all air and army commands among others; while the CCEA has the mandate to review economic trends, problems and prospects for evolving a consistent and integrated economic policy and coordinate all activities requiring policy decisions at the highest level.
After being elevated as Cabinet minister, minister of housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has been included in the committee on accommodation where he was a special invitee earlier in his position as a minister of state.