Newly appointed ministers get places in cabinet committees

The Union Ministers who were sworn in the past week have been included in several Cabinet committees, reconstituted on Monday. 

Following the cabinet expansion and reshuffling, the Union Ministers who were sworn in the past week have been included in several Cabinet committees, reconstituted on Monday.

Bhupender Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal and Mansukh Mandaviya, the newly inducted Union Ministers have been appointed in the cabinet committee on political affairs. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan and late Ram Vilas Paswan are replaced by Smriti Irani and Giriraj Singh.

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The cabinet committee on political affair will be responsible for addressing Centre-state issues along with examining economic and political issues that posses no internal or external security implication.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Narayan Rane and Ashwini Vaishnaw have been included in the committee to oversee investment and growth. This committee is will have to identify key projects that are to be implemented on a time-bound basis, having investments of Rs 1,000 crore or above, along with other critical projects as specified by the committee in sectors namely infrastructure, manufacturing. They will also have to prescribe time limits for the issue of requisite approvals and clearance by the ministries and the departments concerned.

In the committee of employment and skill development established by the Modi government in 2019, Vaishnaw and Yadav are the new inclusions.

The Cabinet committee on Parliamentary affairs have added minister of law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, information and broadcasting ministers Anurag Singh Thakur, minister of social justice and empowerment Virendra Kumar and ministers for tribal affairs Arjun Munda.

The committee on parliamentary affair has to formulate the schedule of Parliamentary sessions, scrutinize non-government business and take decisions regarding the bills and resolutions that are to be presented.

The appointments committee of the cabinet has Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with home minister Amit Shah. They are responsible for the appointment of key positions like three service chiefs, Director general of Military operations, Chiefs of all air and army commands.

The Cabinet committee on economic affairs have the Prime Minister along with defense minister Rajnath Singh, external affair minister S Jaishankar, the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan, education minister.

In CCEA no one has been appointed to replace Prasad and DV Sadananda. The committee is entrusted to examine economic trends, problems and prospects for evolving a consistent and integrated economic policies along with coordinating all activities that requires policy decision at a highest level.

Janata Dal (United)’s RCP Singh is the only to have a place in the eight committee. He is a special invitee to the committee on skill development and employment.

In the past committee, allies who were part of the council of ministers are Lok Janshakti Party’s Ram Vilas Paswan , Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Shiromani Akhali Dal (SAD) and Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant. As the SAD along with Sena have broken the ties with BJP, there is no representation from LJP or Apna Dal in any committees.

Minister of housing and Urban affairs, Harsdeep Singh Puri has been added in the committee on accommodation. He was a special invitee in his position as a Minister of state. The committee of accommodation are responsible for overseeing and drafting the rules required for the allotment of government accommodation.