Centre reconstitutes eight cabinet panels, NDA allies find place in key bodies
- In Reports
- 11:18 AM, Jul 04, 2024
- Myind Staff
The Union government reconstituted eight Cabinet committees on Wednesday, incorporating members from NDA allies into the pivotal Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), according to a notification issued on Wednesday.
The crucial Cabinet Committee on Security, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, remains unchanged. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) also remains the same, with Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah as its only members.
In the reconstitution of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy from the Janata Dal (Secular) and Minister of Panchayati Raj and Animal Husbandry Lalan Singh of the Janata Dal (United) were added as members. This marks the first inclusion of key panel members from NDA allies since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The last Bharatiya Janata Party ally to be part of this committee was Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal in August 2020.
The Cabinet panels are periodically reconstituted to accommodate changes in portfolios or the inclusion or exclusion of new ministers. The most recent reconstitution was carried out on December 8, 2023.
CCEA is the highest executive body that takes decisions related to industrial policies, finalises big-ticket investment proposals and major infrastructure projects such as dams or power plants, and looks at other key economic issues.
Headed by PM Modi, the economic affairs panel also includes Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, S. Jaishankar, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The Prime Minister-led CCPA, which makes key political decisions for the government, now also includes two allies: MSME Minister Jitin Ram Majhi of HAM and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party. The last time this panel had two members from alliance partners was during its reconstitution on August 18, 2020.
The other members of this panel include Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Health Minister JP Nadda, Piyush Goyal, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy.
Three ministers—Pralhad Joshi, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Giriraj Singh—were removed from this panel due to changes in their portfolios. Smriti Irani, who was part of this panel in the previous NDA government, is no longer a minister after losing in the 2024 elections.
The inclusion of allies in key bodies reflects the strengthened position of the allies in the third term of the Modi government, where the BJP holds 240 seats and allies occupy 53 Lok Sabha berths. A senior government official highlighted that during the final years of the previous NDA government, there were no reshuffles to include new allies, even as old allies like the Akalis and the Shiv Sena (UBT) departed from the ruling alliance.
The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, which allots residential bungalows to the ministers, has one change. Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal has replaced Hardeep Singh Puri, who handles the petroleum ministry.
Nadda, Lalan Singh, Rammohan Naidu, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, and Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil have been added to the Parliamentary Affairs Committee led by Rajnath Singh. The panel's membership has been expanded from nine to ten members. Anurag Thakur, Arjun Munda, Pralhad Joshi, and Piyush Goyal have been moved out of the panel, which is responsible for determining the schedule of Parliament sessions and setting their legislative agenda.
The Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth has been expanded to include 11 members, up from eight previously. New members Pralhad Joshi, Giriraj Singh, Hardeep Puri, and LJP leader Chirag Paswan (who is also the Food Processing Minister) have joined the panel. Former Union Minister Narayan Rane is no longer part of the panel. Other notable members include IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Gadkari is no longer part of the Cabinet Committee on Skill, Employment and Livelihood while Tourism Minister Gajendra Shekhawat has been added to the panel. NDA ally Jayant Chaudhary, MoS (independent charge) skill development, of the Rashtriya Lok Dal is a special invitee to this committee.
Image source: Hindustan Times
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