PM Modi to chair Union Cabinet, Council of Ministers meeting today

The Union Cabinet and the Council of Ministers will meet on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out a major expansion and reshuffle of his ministers.

The two meetings will be held back-to-back. While the cabinet meeting is likely to take place at 5pm, the Council of Ministers may meet at 7pm.

It is usual for the Prime Minister to convene meetings of the Union Cabinet as well as the Council of Ministers after a reshuffle or expansion exercise.

Yesterday's exercise saw the induction of 15 Cabinet ministers and several Ministers of State. Seven ministers of state were elevated to Cabinet rank. Thursday's meeting will see many notable names missing who resigned ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle. The Prime Minister has brought in Mansukh Mandaviya as Health Minister, Kiren Rijiju as Law Minister, Jyotiratidya Scindia as Civil Aviation Minister and Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister.

Last week, the Prime Minister had chaired meetings of the Cabinet and the Council of Ministers. The Council had discussed the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic with the Prime Minister asking the ministers to create an environment where people follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get themselves vaccinated.

A total of 43 ministers took the oath of office in the presence of the Prime Minister at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) and Cabinet meetings scheduled were cancelled.