The Union government constituted various Cabinet Committees, including the country’s highest decision-making bodies on security, economic and political affairs.

What is a Cabinet Committee?

• Cabinet Committees are extra-constitutional, meaning, they are not mentioned in the Indian Constitution. 

• Cabinet Committee is a group of ministers which can take collective decisions that are binding across various ministries/departments. 

• They are partly designed to reduce the burden on the Union Cabinet by allowing smaller groups of ministers to take decisions on specific policy areas. 

• The Cabinet Committees are constituted or reconstituted when a new government takes over or the Cabinet undergoes a reshuffle.

• The Prime Minister constitutes Standing Committees of the Cabinet and sets out the specific functions assigned to them.

• The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961, facilitating smooth transaction of business in ministries/departments of the government.

• This Secretariat provides secretarial assistance to the Cabinet and its Committees, and also assists in decision making in government by ensuring inter-ministerial coordination, ironing out differences amongst ministries/departments and evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing/ad hoc committees of secretaries. Through this mechanism new policy initiatives are also promoted.

Various Cabinet Committees and its functions

Cabinet Committee on Security: 

• To deal with all defence related issues.

• To deal with issues relating to law and order, and internal security.

• To deal with policy matters concerning foreign affairs that have internal or external security implications including cases relating to agreements with other countries on security related issues.

• To deal with economic and political issues impinging on national security.

• To review the manpower requirements relating to national security including proposals concerning creation of posts carrying the pay scale or pay band plus grade pay equivalent to that of a joint secretary to the government of India and higher, and setting up new structures to deal with security related issues.

• To deal with all matters relating to atomic energy.

Members of the Cabinet Committee on Security:

According to an official notification, the Cabinet Committee on Security comprises of: 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh 

• Home Minister Amit Shah 

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman 

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

• To review on a continuous basis economic trends, problems and prospects for evolving a consistent and integrated economic policy framework for the country.

• To direct and coordinate all activities in the economic field requiring policy decisions at the highest level including foreign investment.

• To deal with matters relating to fixation of prices of agricultural products and price control in respect of industrial raw materials and products.

• To deal with increase in the prices of essential commodities or bulk goods under any form of formal or informal control.

• To lay down priorities for public sector investment.

• To review the performance of Central Public Sector Enterprises and consider the cases relating to their structural reorganisation or financial restructuring.

• To review progress of activities related to rural development including those concerning small and marginal farmers.

• To review the accomplishments of the ministries, agencies and Public Sector Undertakings/other bodies involved in implementation of prioritised schemes or projects.

• To consider issues relating to disinvestment.

• To consider measures required for making the Public Distribution System more efficient and effective and to determine the prices of articles supplied through the system.

• To consider issues relating to the Unique Identification Authority of India.

Members of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs:

• PM Narendra Modi 

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh 

• Home Minister Amit Shah 

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar 

• Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari

• Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan 

• Heavy Industries and Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

• Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh

Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs

• To watch the progress of government business in Parliament and to give such directions as may be necessary from time to time, in order to secure smooth and efficient conduct of such business.

• To scrutinise, and to consider the attitude of the government on non-official Bills and resolutions to be presented to Parliament.

• To review legislations undertaken by state legislatures from an all-India point of view.

• To consider proposals to summon or prorogue the Houses of Parliament.

Members of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs:

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

• Home Minister Amit Shah

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

• Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh

• Health Minister J.P. Nadda 

• Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar 

• Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu 

• Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram 

• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju 

• Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil.

The special invitees in the Committee are Union Minister of State for Law (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State for Law L. Murugan.

Cabinet Committee on Accommodation

• To determine guidelines or rules and terms and conditions to govern out-of-turn allotment of government accommodation.

• To decide upon the allotment of government accommodation to various categories of non-eligible persons and organisations and the rate of rent to be charged from them.

• To consider the question of allotment of accommodation from the general pool to the Members of Parliament.

• To consider proposals regarding shifting of existing central government offices to places outside Delhi and the location of new offices in Delhi.

• The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation will be submitted to the Prime Minister for his information before they are issued.

Members of the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation:

• Home Minister Amit Shah

• Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

• Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

Minister of State (lndependent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and

Technology Jitendra Singh is a special invitee.

Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth

• To consider measures to promote investment and growth.

• To consider sector specific reforms and other measures aimed at export promotion, import substitution, accelerating capital inflows, etc.

• To consider various measures for improving Ease of Doing Business including rationalisation and simplification of rules and regulations, etc.

• To consider measures to fast-track requisite approvals and implementation of key ongoing as well as new projects.

• To consider any other matter relating to boosting investment and growth.

Members of the Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth:

• PM Narendra Modi

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

• Home Minister Amit Shah

• Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

• Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi

• Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh

• Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

• Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia

• Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

• Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan

Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development

• To consider policies, programmes and other measures for employment generation and skill development.

• To consider measures aimed at developing skills and enhancing employability of workforce for effectively meeting the emerging requirements of the economy.

• Identification and removal of gaps between the requirement and availability of skills in different sectors.

• To consider measures aimed at increasing workforce participation with particular emphasis on women workforce.

• To consider measures for expeditious implementation of employment generation and skill development initiatives by ministries/departments and to periodically review the progress in this regard.

Members of the Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development:

• PM Narendra Modi

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

• Home Minister Amit Shah

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

• Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

• Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

• Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

• Tourism Minister Gajendra Shekhawat

Jayant Chaudhary, MoS (independent charge) skill development is a special invitee to this committee.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)