The Indian government has set up two new panels of ministers to plan reforms in the economy and social sectors. Home Minister Amit Shah will lead the economic reforms panel, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will head the social sector panel. This move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, where he emphasized the need for modern reforms to make India a developed nation by 2047.
Amit Shah’s panel has 13 members, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, with Ashwini Vaishnaw as the convener. The panel will work on reforms in technology, finance, industry, commerce, infrastructure, logistics, science, and governance.
Rajnath Singh’s 18-member panel will focus on education, healthcare, defence, skill development, social welfare, housing, labour, and public health. Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are part of the panel, and Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is the convener.
Both panels must submit monthly progress reports and a full roadmap after three months. The Finance Ministry’s Department of Economic Affairs will provide support. The panels can invite experts and officials as needed.
The goal is to suggest reforms that are practical and measurable. These include reducing compliance rules for citizens and businesses, creating jobs, improving productivity, and removing obstacles at central, state, and local levels. The panels will also propose changes to laws, draft new laws for emerging sectors like digital health, fintech, and the gig economy, and recommend institutional reforms.
The government wants these panels to act quickly. Amit Shah has previously helped coordinate important reforms like GST, disinvestment, and price control measures. The panels aim to ensure reforms are actionable and help India move towards being a developed and competitive nation.
