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Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia & Smriti Irani to hold Additional Ministerial Charges; 4 Personalities Nominated to Rajya Sabha

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On July 6, 2022, the Union Minister Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCI) has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Steel, while Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) will look after the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA).

  • These new appointments followed the acceptance of resignations of the Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, MoMA, and Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, Ministry of Steel from the Union Council of Ministers, by the President with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.
  • The Rajya Sabha term of former ministers ended on July 7, 2022.

Key Points:
i.With the resign of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, there will be no Muslim face in the Union Council of Ministers and among the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) 395 Members of Parliament (MP).
ii.Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was from BJP while Ram Chandra Prasad Singh belongs to Janata Dal (United) Party.

PT Usha, Ilaiyaraaja, V Vijayendra Prasad, and Veerendra Heggade nominated to Rajya Sabha

Apart from above, Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, sports icon Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, acclaimed screenwriter Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad and philanthropist and spiritual leader Veerendra Heggade were nominated to the Rajya Sabha. All these newcomers belong to Southern States.

  • Out of 12 seats which were nominated by the President on the recommendation of the Government, seven seats are currently vacant, of which four have now been filled.

About Ilaiyaraaja:
Hailing from Tamil Nadu, he has composed songs in several Indian languages and won numerous awards, including the national award five times.

  • His Birth name is R. Gnanathesikan and commonly known as Ilaiyaraaja. Ilaiyaraaja is nicknamed “Isaignani”.
  • He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan(2010), and Padma Vibhushan(2018) in the field of Art.

About PT Usha:
Hailing from Kerala, she is popularly known as the Payyoli Express who was the major face of track and field events in the 1980s. She has won 11 medals in Asian Games, including four Gold in 1986 Seoul Games. She is an awardee of Padma Shri in 1985, and Arjuna Award in 1983.

  • Currently, P.T Usha  is a member of the Board of Advisors of India’s International Movement to United Nations (I.I.M.U.N.).
  • Autobiography: “Golden Girl- The Autobiography of P.T. Usha” 

About Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad:
Belonging to Telangana, he is one of Telugu cinema’s leading screenwriters. His works showcase India’s glorious culture and have made a mark globally. He is the man behind blockbusters such as ‘Mersal’ in Tamil, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ in Hindi, and the ‘Baahubali ‘series and ‘RRR’ in Telugu.

  • Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad is the father of well known Movie Director S.S.Rajamouli.

About Veerendra Heggade:
Hailing from Karnataka, he has been the Dharmadhikari (head) of the Dharmasthala Temple since the age of 20. He is a known philanthropist who has established the Rural Development and Self-Employment Training Institute to provide awareness about self-employment opportunities and train rural youth. He is an awardee of Padma Bhushan(2000) & Padma Vibhushan(2015) for social work, and Karnataka Ratna (the highest civilian award in Karnataka).

Points to be Noted:
i.There are 245 members in Rajya Sabha. Of these, 233 members are elected, and 12 are nominated by the President on the recommendation of the Government. They are nominated under Article 80(3) of the Constitution, according to which they should have special knowledge or practical experience in matters like literature, science, art and social service.
ii.A nominated member is allowed to join a political party within the first six months of taking a seat.
iii.As per the constitutional limit, the strength of the Upper House cannot exceed 250.
iv.The Vice President of India serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and is in charge of it.

Recent Related News:
i.Dr. S Raju was appointed as the Director General (DG) of Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Kolkata, West Bengal. He succeeded R. S. Garkhal who superannuated on 31st March 2022.
ii.Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has been appointed as the Chief Coordinator of the G20 Summit, which will be hosted by India in 2023. His appointment is effective from May 01, 2022, and he will hold the post till December 2023.

About Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCI):
Union Minister – Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia (Constituency – Rajya Sabha Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS) -Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh (Constituency – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh)

About Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD):
Union Minister– Smriti Zubin Irani(Constituency- Amethi, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of state-Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai (Constituency- Surendranagar, Gujarat)