The Prime Minister on Tuesday halved the number of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) from the earlier 12 to six at present, while reducing the number of the GoMs from 27 to 15. Earlier, all the EGoMs were chaired by Mr. Mukherjee.
The six EGoMs wound up by the government include those on the Food Security Act, the National Highways Development Project, issues related to SEZs, and under-recoveries of oil marketing companies.
Mr. Antony will now chair the EGoMs on gas pricing, mass rapid transit systems, and ultra mega power projects, Mr. Chidambaram the ones on telecom spectrum allocation, and reforms in the central public sector enterprises, and Mr. Pawar the one on drought.
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Mr. Chidambaram will now head the GoMs on the Civil Aviation, Prasar Bharati, amending the Competition Act, setting up a coal regulator and revision of criterion to exclude socially advanced persons from the list of OBCs, in addition to the ones he already heads on Media and the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Mr. Antony will chair the GoMs on identifying a site for the National War Memorial, to consider the reports of the Administrative Reforms Commission, on steps to tackle corruption and on issues related to the Commonwealth Games.