Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been appointed a member of the standing committee on defence in the parliament. The parliament restructured its standing committees, with the formation of 24 key committees. The Defence Affairs Committee will be chaired by BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has been given chairmanship of the Communications and Information Technology committee. Actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut is also part of the committee, making it her first official role in parliamentary affairs.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will lead the Foreign Affairs Committee, which also includes BJP MP Arun Govil, known for his portrayal of Lord Ram. Meanwhile veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh will lead the Parliamentary Committee on Women, Education, Youth, and Sports Affairs, and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav will chair the Health Affairs Committee.
Standing committees are responsible for:
recommending the formulation of policies and introduction of new billsÂ
overseeing various union ministries
scrutinising budgetary allocations
reviewing bills introduced in Parliament
advising the government on key issues
