Cabinet Committees under Modi 3.0 announced: Here's all you need to know about high-profile committees

Cabinet Committee 2024: The Modi government on Wednesday (July 3) constituted various cabinet committees, including the country's highest decision-making bodies on security, economic, parliamentary and political affairs. The members of the cabinet committees included Union ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners like Janata Dal (U), Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (S), Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).

Seven Union ministers representing National Democratic Alliance parties have found a place in the various cabinet committees that were reconstituted. The BJP's allies have got the highest representation since 2014. 

What are various Cabinet committees in India?

The Union Cabinet consists of several high-profile committees, each with specific functions. The Prime Minister sets up these committees, which include selected members of the Cabinet, and can modify their numbers and functions as necessary. The ministers in the committees and special invitee list are JDS' HD Kumaraswamy, JDU's Rajiv Ranjan Singh, TDP's Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, HAM's Jitan Ram Manjhi, LJP's Chirag Paswan, Shiv Sena's, Prataprao Jadhav, and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary.

The eight Cabinet committees are-

1. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)
2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
3. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
4. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs
5. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
6. Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth
7. Cabinet Committee on Accommodation
8. Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is part of at least six committees, Home Minister Amit Shah is on all eight, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is on six, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is on seven.

What are these committees and how are they important? | READ

1. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) comprises Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar.

The CCS is the country's highest decision-making body on all issues related to security and strategic affairs.

2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) 

Apart from PM Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has Rajnath Singh, Shah, Sitharaman, Jaishankar, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Heavy Industries and Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy as its members.

Others in the committee are- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh. The committee discusses and takes decisions related to issues of economy and trade. Established on July 14, 1990, the CCEA is responsible for high-level economic decision-making. 

Functioning of CCEA- 

• Economic policy formulation: Developing and implementing policies impacting agriculture, industry, infrastructure, and services.
• Approval of large-scale projects: Ensuring alignment with national priorities.
• Budget allocations: Distributing funds according to economic priorities.
• Foreign investment oversight: Approving FDI proposals and international economic collaborations.
• Policy reforms: Implementing reforms to improve economic efficiency and competitiveness.
• Crisis management: Formulating measures to stabilise the economy during downturns.

3. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs comprises Modi, Rajnath Singh, Shah, Gadkari, Sitharaman, Goyal, Health Minister J P Nadda, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi, Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy. This body handles major political issues of the country.

4. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs comprises Rajnath Singh, Shah, Nadda, Sitharaman, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Naidu, Rijiju, Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Minister of Jal Shakti CR Patil.

The special invitees in the committee are Union Minister of State for Law (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State for Law L Murugan. The committee takes decisions like convening parliamentary sessions, etc.

5, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet

Like previous years, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet comprises only two members- Modi and Shah. This committee makes appointments in top bureaucratic, strategic and security posts in the country.

6. Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth

The Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth comprises PM Modi, Rajnath Singh, Shah, Gadkari, Sitharaman, Goyal, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and Minister of Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan.

Special invitees in the committee are Minister of State for Statistics Rao Inderjit Singh and Minister of Aayush Prataprao Jadhav. This body handles all investments and growth related issues.

7. Cabinet Committee on Accommodation

The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation has Amit Shah, Gadkari, Sitharaman, Goyal and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal as its members. Union Minister of State for Personnel and PMO Jitendra Singh is a special invitee in the committee, which takes decisions related to the accommodation of Union ministers, bureaucrats and senior functionaries of the government.

All committees, except those on Accommodation and Parliamentary Affairs, where the Prime Minister is a member, are chaired by PM Modi. The Prime Minister can change the number of committees or modify their function. For example, the Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth was introduced by the Modi government in 2019. The Manmohan Singh government had 12 Cabinet committees.

8. Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development

The Cabinet Committee on Skill, Employment and Livelihood comprises the Prime Minister, Rajnath Singh, Shah, Gadkari, Sitharaman, Vaishnaw, Pradhan, Yadav, Puri, Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Union Minister of State for Skill Development Jayant Choudhary is the special invitee in the committee, which handles issues related to skill, employment and livelihood.

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