The central government on Wednesday constituted various cabinet committees, including the country’s highest decision-making bodies on security, economic, and political affairs. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s allies in the NDA have got the highest representation in the panel since 2014.
Like previous years, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet comprises only two members– Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s name appeared in every cabinet commitee except Appointments and Accomodation, showcasing his stature in the Modi-led governmnet.
The members of the cabinet committees include Union ministers from the BJP and its NDA partners including Janata Dal (United), Telugu Desam Party, Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (S), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
Apart from PM Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, External Affiars Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Heavy Industries and Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy, and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Other members in the committee include Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Minister of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Cabinet Committee on Security
The Cabinet Committee on Security comprises PM Modi, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Jaishankar.
Apart from PM Modi, Rajnath Singh, Shah, Gadkari, Sitharaman, and Piyush Goyal, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs also includes Health Minister J P Nadda, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Micro.
Additionally, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, and Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, are also part the political affairs committee.
The new addition in this committee are TDP’s Naidu and Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Majhi.
Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs comprises Rajnath Singh, Shah, Sitharaman, Nadda, Naidu, Rijiju, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar, Minister of Jal Shakti C R Patil, and Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.
Union Minister of State for Law (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State for Law L Murugan are the special invitees in the committee.
Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth
The Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth comprises PM Modi, Shah, Rajnath Singh, Gadkari, Sitharaman, Goyal, Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Minister of Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan.
Special invitees in this committee are Minister of State for Statistics Rao Inderjit Singh and Minister of Aayush Prataprao Jadhav.
Cabinet Committee on Accommodation
The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation has Shah, Gadkari, Sitharaman, Goyal. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal is also a member of this committee.
Union Minister of State for Personnel and PMO Jitendra Singh is a special invitee in the committee.
Cabinet Committee on Skill, Employment and Livelihood
The Cabinet Committee on Skill, Employment and Livelihood includes the PM, Shah, Rajnath Singh, Sitharaman, Gadkari, Pradhan,Vaishnaw, Yadav, Puri, Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, an Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Union Minister of State for Skill Development and leader of Rashtriya Lok Dal Jayant Choudhary is the special invitee.