Modi scraps 4 Cabinet committees

UIDAI panel disbanded, pending issues to be taken up by CCEA

In yet another move by the NDA government to end the UPA government’s style of functioning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday scrapped four Cabinet committees, including one for the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), as part of his efforts to streamline decision-making processes.

The Cabinet Committee on Prices, the Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities and the Cabinet Committee on World Trade Organisation Matters were also disbanded, an official statement said.

With regard to the Cabinet Committee on UIDAI-related issues, the statement said major decisions have already been taken and the remaining issues will be brought to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

 The UIDAI, which allots Aadhaar numbers, was one of the pet projects of the Congress-led UPA government to check corruption and bring transparency in governance.

The functions of the Cabinet Committee on Prices will now be handled by the CCEA, while activities of the Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities will be handled by the committee under the Cabinet Secretary whenever natural calamities occur.

The prime minister will be re-constituting the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, the CCEA, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Security.

By scrapping these committees, Modi intends to send a clear signal that the NDA government aims to take quick decisions by removing multiple layers in the decision-making process.

Earlier, Modi had abolished all the 30 Group of Ministers (GOMs) and Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoMs) and told ministries and departments to take decisions on pending matters. 

The Congress had attacked Modi over his decision saying it was “symptomatic of an autocratic regime” and noted that “no single person can be repository of all wisdom”.