NEW DELHI: In a signal of Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s growing prominence in NDA 3.0, PM Narendra Modi has appointed him to lead a group he has formed to track the progress of key government projects.
The monitoring group has already held its first meeting, top official sources said. It was attended by all union secretaries and railway board chairman.
The group will have Chouhan as its leader, with Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh as part of it. All secretaries to the government have been directed to attend the monitoring group meetings which Chouhan will take on a monthly basis.
Chouhan, known for turning around the agriculture sector in Madhya Pradesh where he was CM for 18 years, will be required to monitor major government announcements, project status and completion deadlines and report the progress to the PMO.
Chouhan’s appointment to a key panel is being seen as significant in both the government and the ruling BJP, with PM Modi reposing faith in him to deliver on key government agenda. Chouhan is also currently the BJP election in-charge for Jharkhand.