Former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has been included in the all-important Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs headed by prime minister Narendra Modi.
Sonowal was made a Union cabinet minister and was given the portfolio of ports, shipping and waterways, and AYUSH last week. He joining the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs holds significance as the earlier minister holding the portfolio was not part of the powerful committee.
The government reconstituted the cabinet committees on July 12. Newly-inducted Union ministers Bhupender Yadav, Mansukh Mandaviya along with Sarbananda Sonowal have been included in the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs along with Smriti Irani and Giriraj Singh in place of former ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan, and the late Ram Vilas Paswan.
Sarbananda Sonowal, who gracefully exited the post of Assam chief minister even though his government was voted back to power in the assembly elections in March-April, was given the portfolio of ports, shipping and waterways, and AYUSH last week.
However, there has been no change in the composition of the country’s highest decision-making body on security affairs — the Cabinet Committee on Security — and the appointments committee of the cabinet, which takes call on all important appointments in the government in the rank of joint secretary and above.
The members of the Cabinet Committee on Security are prime minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The two-member Appointments Committee of the Cabinet comprises the prime minister and the home minister.
Union ministers Virendra Kumar, Kiren Rijiju and Anurag Singh Thakur have been included in the reconstituted Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, according to a notification issued by the cabinet secretariat on July 12 evening.
