The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committees for 2024-2025 were constituted on Thursday, with the Congress members chairing four key committees, including the prestigious External Affairs Committee.
Key Leadership Positions in the Committees
- Defence: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is a member of the standing committee on Defence, which will be chaired by BJP’s Radha Mohan Singh.
- External Affairs: The External Affairs Committee will be led by Shashi Tharoor.
- Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports: This committee will be chaired by Digvijaya Singh.
- Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing: Former Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi, will head this committee.
- Rural and Panchayati Raj: Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka will take the lead on this committee.
- Finance: Bhartruhari Mahtab will chair the Finance Committee.
Other Notable Chairmanships
- Coal, Mines, and Steel: Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur will chair this committee.
- Water Resources: Rajiv Pratap Rudy will head the committee on Water Resources.
- Communications and Information Technology: Nishikant Dubey of the BJP has been appointed as the chairman of this committee.
- Home Affairs: Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agrawal of the BJP will oversee the Home Affairs Committee.
- Commerce: TMC’s Dola Sen will lead the committee on Commerce.
- Health and Family Welfare: This committee will be chaired by Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.
- Industry: Tiruchi Siva of DMK will head the Industry Committee.
MUST READ: AFSPA Extended In Nagaland, Arunachal: Six-Month Renewal Declared
Committee Responsibilities
The Industry Committee is tasked with overseeing and providing legislative oversight on issues related to commerce, trade policies, and economic development in relation to India’s commerce sector. It plays a vital role in reviewing policy matters and ensuring that the commerce sector contributes effectively to the nation’s economy.
Composition of the Communications and IT Committee
The Communications and IT Committee includes members from various parties, such as:
- Upper House Members:
- SP’s Jaya Bachchan
- SS-UBT’s Priyanka Chaturvedi
- BJD’s Sushmit Patra
- INC’s KTS Tulsi
- Lok Sabha Members:
- BJP’s Anil Baluni, Kangana Ranaut, and Poonam Madam
- TMC’s Mahua Moitra
Representation from Major Allies
Major BJP allies, including the TDP and Janata Dal (United), along with partners in Maharashtra such as Shiv Sena and NCP, will each head one committee:
- Energy: Shiv Sena’s Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne
- Housing and Urban Affairs: TDP’s Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy
- Petroleum and Natural Gas: NCP’s Sunil Tatkare
- Transport, Tourism, and Culture: JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha
Upcoming Tribute Event
A tribute event will be held on October 1, 2024, in the Central Hall, Samvidhan Sadan, to honor the birth anniversary of former Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
ALSO READ: Security Forces Seize Major Arms Cache In Manipur Search Operations