Modi Govt Drops Cabinet Panels on Aadhaar, Prices
NEW DELHI: After a final approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Cabinet, the Centre has notified the latest rules for transaction of its business, including changes in the list of Cabinet Committees and their functions, under which four panels of the UPA Government, such as on prices and Aadhaar have been dropped, and a new one on skill development added.
The amended transaction of business rules came into effect from June 25, according to the latest notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat. The decision to amend the First Schedule of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules were approved in the Cabinet meeting held a fortnight ago. After Modi formed the Central Government on May 26, he had taken forward his governance reforms and discontinued four Groups of Ministers (GOM), including those on WTO matters and Natural Calamities, that functioned under the UPA Government under Manmohan Singh.
Modi reconstituted key Cabinet Committees on Security, Economic, Political and Parliamentary Affairs and abolished the EGOMs and GOMs that had major roles in the Manmohan Singh Government due to the coalition nature of the UPA regime. Among the major changes in the Cabinet Committee was in the composition of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). In the UPA Government, the ACC had as its members the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, with the minister of the respective department, for which an appointment was being considered, also present.
In the Modi Government, the ACC only has Home Minister Rajnath Singh as its member, apart from the PM himself. This is a major departure from the previous government, and an indication of the primacy of Modi and his office in the scheme of things in the new government. However, the function of the ACC has been left unchanged by the Modi Government, according to the Annexure I to the First Schedule in the amended transaction of business rules.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in the Modi Government has more responsibilities such as monitoring of the general price situation nationwide and deciding appropriate corrective measures, availability of agricultural commodities, export of essential commodities, issues relating to the Aadhaar, and such, which were being performed by the Cabinet Committees on Prices and Unique Identification Authority of India.
The Skill Development committee would provide direction and consider all policies, programmes, schemes, and initiatives for skill development, aimed at increasing the employability of the workforce and mapping the benefits of demographic dividend. It will also direct and coordinate all activities relating to skill development, enhancing workforce participation, fostering employment growth and identification, and removal of the gaps between the requirements and availability of skills in different sectors.