The Central Government has recently constituted the consultative committee for the Ministry of Cooperation for the current term, featuring mostly new members from both Houses of Parliament, with the exception of BJP MP Anurag Sharma from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, who retains his position.
The previous committee, established on October 23, 2019, consisted of 20 Lok Sabha members and 8 Rajya Sabha members. The reconstituted committee, however, is more streamlined, comprising only 9 members from the Lok Sabha and 4 from the Rajya Sabha.
Among the appointees is Lok Sabha MP Karan Bhushan Singh, son of prominent Uttar Pradesh politician Brij Bhushan Singh, who served on the previous committee. This generational shift underscores the government’s aim for continuity and fresh representation.
The committee reflects a broad political and regional representation, with members from the BJP, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Indian National Congress, Shiv Sena-Mahayuti Alliance, and DMK, hailing from states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.
Lok Sabha members include Shivmangal Singh Tomar (BJP, Madhya Pradesh), Dhariyasheel Mohite Patil (NCP, Maharashtra), Karan Bhushan Singh (BJP, Uttar Pradesh), Shreya M. Patel (Congress, Karnataka), Suresh Kumar Shetkar (Congress, Telangana), Anurag Sharma (BJP, Uttar Pradesh), Poonamben Maadam (BJP, Gujarat), Dabhi Bharatsinhji (Congress, Gujarat), and Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram (Shiv Sena-Mahayuti Alliance, Maharashtra). Rajya Sabha members are NR Elango (DMK, Tamil Nadu), Naresh Bansal (BJP, Uttarakhand), Rajni Ashokrao Patil (Congress, Maharashtra), and Lahar Singh Siroya (BJP, Karnataka).
Consultative committees, commissioned by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, provide oversight to their respective ministries. Distinct from standing committees, consultative committees are chaired by a cabinet minister, often joined by ministers of state, and are formed post-Lok Sabha elections to serve the full five-year term.
For the Ministry of Cooperation, this committee is chaired by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.
