(FE)
Prime Narendra Modi on Wednesday constituted two cabinet committees to address the growth needs of the economy amid reports indicating an economic slowdown. The five-member cabinet committee on growth and investment led by the Prime Minister will have home minister Amit Shah, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, railway minister Piyush Goyal and transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari as members.
Modi will head another committee on skill development and employment. The members of the 10-member committee are Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan, minister for agriculture and rural development Narendra Singh Tomar, skill and entrepreneurship minister Mahendra Nath Pandey and ministers of state Santosh Kumar Gangwar (Labour) and Hardeep Singh Puri (Housing and Urban Affairs).
Sagging economic growth is a major concern for the Narendra Modi government. The GDP growth for the January-March quarter was 5.8 percent, the lowest in the five years of the NDA government. The GDP growth for 2018-19 was 6.8 percent, against the target of 7.2 percent set by the government.
