Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has nominated 14 eminent citizens as Members of the high-profile National Advisory Council (NAC), it was officially announced here today.
The members are-- Prof M S Swaminathan, MP and eminent scientist, Dr Ram Dayal Munda, MP, Prof Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission, Prof Pramod Tandon, VC, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Dr Jean Dreze, GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, Ms Aruna Roy, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangatan, Rajsamand, Rajasthan, Mr Madhav Gadgil, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, Mr N C Saxena, Dr A K Shiv Kumar, Advisor, UNICEF, New Delhi, Mr Deep Joshi1, Ms Anu Aga, Thermax Ltd, Pune, Ms Farah Naqvi, Mr Harsh Mander and Ms Mirai Chatterjee, Coordinator, SEWA, Ahmedabad.
Reports said yesterday that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had finalised the names of 11 members of the NAC, headed by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, that will be an interface between the government and the civil society and convey UPA policies to the people.
The NAC, which will assist the government in framing important laws, will have more members and their names will be finalised shortly.
Ms Gandhi will have the status of a Cabinet Minister as Head of the NAC. The members of the Council are nominated by the Prime Minister in consultation with the Chairperson.
Funds for the functioning of this Council are provided from the budgetary allocation for the PMO.
Former Rural Development Secretary Rita Sharma will be the Member-Secretary.
The NAC is an advisory body set up to monitor the implementation of the UPA government's manifesto and the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently rubbished apprehensions expressed by some political leaders and parties that the NAC would be a 'Super Cabinet' as it is headed by Ms Gandhi.
The Union Cabinet has already sanctioned appointment of 35 officials and other staff members for the organisation.
This is the second stint by Ms Gandhi as the NAC Chairperson. She headed the NAC in UPA-1 but resigned in March 2006 after controversy that she was holding the 'office of profit.' The NAC was first set up in 2004.
1 comment:
Kudos to Sonia, Singh - Bhandaru Srinivas Rao (I.I.S.)
Last week, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre has announced a 14-member National Advisory Council. Significantly, for the first time, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and the UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, seems to have taken utmost care to ensure nominating only apolitical personalities with excellent professional and academic track records.
Does the ‘realization’ have come among the political parties, especially the Indian National Congress, while choosing people for such an important panel? Has the ‘mind set’ of Congress leadership changed for good?
The members of the high-profile NAC include eminent scientists, academics, intellectuals and civil society activists. While four members of the previous NAC -- Aruna Roy, Jean Dreze, N.C. Saxena and A.K. Shiva Kumar - have been re-nominated to the panel, the rest are new faces.
The new names include agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan, technocrat V. Krishnamurthy, also a member of Planning Commission, economist Narendra Jadhav, Mirai Chatterjee, coordinator of social security at NGO SEWA, civil rights activist Farah Naqvi, vice-chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Pramod Tandon, and former IAS officer and social activist Harsh Mander.
Ram Dayal Munda, MP, entrepreneur Anu Aga of Thermax Ltd and Madhav Gadgil of Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, have also been nominated to the new NAC that is expected to push for inclusive growth and social justice.
In its last incarnation during the first tenure of the United Progressive Alliance, the NAC became identified with signature social sector reforms such as introduction of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Information Act.
It is no secret that it is a brainchild of Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi Sonia. It is also informally called as UPA's Planning Commission for social agenda. On 23 March 2006, Sonia Gandhi had resigned from the post of chairmanship of the NAC after Office of profit controversy. On 29 March 2010, she was back as the chairperson of NAC.
Though it was initially meant to guide and implement in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA-I, now it was asked to play its role to foster the social agenda of UPA-II. The NAC serves as an interface between the government and the Congress party.
That the other members of this council are nominated by the Prime Minister in consultation with the Chairperson, give credence to my argument – that’s change in the ‘mind set of the party leadership.” The funds for the functioning of this council are provided from the budgetary allocation for the Prime Minister's Office.
I wish to join those millions, who wish to hail Sonia and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for overlooking claimants among political parties. Indeed, a good sign, as those who nominated not only high-profile and eminent personalities, but can guide the country impartially in designing and implementing the social agenda of the UPA-II to benefit those who need the help most.(22-06-2010)
Post a Comment