Rajnath added to four more cabinet committees

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was added to four more committees of the Union cabinet late on Thursday, a day after the Cabinet Secretariat released the list of committees reconstituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the exercise reflecting the special stature granted to Home Minister Amit Shah, who was made part of all the eight panels.

The move about Rajnath Singh came amid speculation that he was unhappy over not being given his due in the formation of the panels. Singh is the de facto number two in the cabinet who was not part of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. He was only part the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). 

Now Rajnath Singh has been made the member in six panels, one of which he is heading, according to a late evening release issued by the government. 

It was the second list of cabinet committees issued by the Cabinet Secretariat in the last two days. 

Significantly, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which makes appointments to key positions like Central Vigilance Commission and CBI Director, consists of only Modi and Shah.

Among the eight committees, two are new ones which will oversee investment and employment. 

According to the latest list of cabinet committees, the Prime Minister is heading six committees, while Home Minister Amit Shah is heading the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and is part of all the remaining seven. 

Rajnath Singh is heading the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. 

The Prime Minister heads the Appointments Committee, CCEA, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, CCS, Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth and the Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development. 

Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is also part of seven Committees. She is part of Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, CCEA, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, CCS, Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth and the Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development. 

Union Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari is a member of four committess, in cluding Cabinet Committee on Accomodation and Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth. He is also a special invitee in the Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development. 

Here is the latest list of the members of the committees:

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs

Cabinet Committee on Accommodation:
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs
Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Minister of Commerce and Industry

Special Invitees:
Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing &Urban Affairs; Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs
Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Minister of Rural Development: and Minister of Panchayati Raj.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and Minister of Law and Justice.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries.
S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs
Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Minister of Commerce &Industry
Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Steel.

Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs:
Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence 
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs
Ramvilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Minister of Rural Development, and Minister of Panchayati Raj.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and Minister of Law and Justice
Thawar Chand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Prahlad Joshi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal and Mines.

Special Invitees:
Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs

Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs
Ramvilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture &Farmer Welfare, Minister of Rural Development: and Minister of Panchayati Raj.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and Minister of Law and Justice
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare; Minister of Science and Technology; and Minister of Earth Sciences,
Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Minister of Commerce and Industry
Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise
Prahlad Joshi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal and Mines.

Cabinet Committee on Security:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi 
Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs.

Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi 
Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Minister of Micro. Small and Medium Enterprises
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi 
Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs.
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs
Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Minister of Rural Development: and Minister of Panc'ayati Raj.
Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce and Industry
Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Minister of Human Resource Development
Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas: and Minister of Steel
Mahendra Nath Pandey, Minister of Skill Development and Enterpreneurship
Santosh Kumar Gangwar, MOS(I/C)Labour and Employment
Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State(I/C) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Minister of State(I/C) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Special Invitees:
Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries.
Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development and Textiles
Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C) Culture, MOS (I/C) Tourism.