Union Government reconstitutes six Committees of Cabinet

The Union Government on 11 September 2017 reconstituted six Committees of the Cabinet after recent ministry reshuffle.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and railway minister Piyush Goyal have been included in the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), reaffirming their elevation in the Union Cabinet.

Sitharaman and Goyal, along with petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, have also been included as permanent members of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

About Cabinet Committee

• Cabinet Committees are an organisational device to reduce the enormous workload of the Union Cabinet.

• They assist in-depth examination of policy issues and effective coordination.

• The Cabinet Committees are extra-constitutional in emergence, i.e., they are not mentioned in the Constitution.

• There are six Cabinet Committees:

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet: The Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. It decides all higher level appointments in the Cabinet Secretariat, Public enterprises, Banks and Financial Institutions.

Cabinet Committee on Accommodation: The Committee is chaired by the Home Minister of India. It is responsible for the allotment of accommodation for various top positions in the Government of India.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs:  The Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. It directs and coordinates the governmental activities in the economic sphere.

Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs: The Committee is chaired by the Home Minister of India. It looks after the progress of government business in the Parliament.

Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs: The Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. It deals with all policy matters pertaining to domestic and foreign affairs. Of all the Cabinet Committees, it is the most powerful committee. It is often described as a "Super-Cabinet".

Cabinet Committee on Security: The Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. It looks into the matters of defence expenditures and National Security.