Chidambaram heading 7 Group of Ministers, 2 Empowered Group of Ministers

NEW DELHI: Home Minister P Chidambaram has taken a major share of the pie of the Empowered Group of Ministers and Group of Ministers after the exit of Pranab Mukherjee.

Chidambaram now heads seven out of the 15 Group of Ministers (GoM) and two Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoMs), followed by Defence Minister A K Antony who chairs three EGoMs and four GoMs.

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who a fortnight ago had threatened to pull out of government contending lack of say in governance to coalition partners, has been made chairman of one EGoM and three GoMs.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also pruned the number EGoMs from the earlier 12 to six at present. Earlier, all the EGoMs were chaired by Mukherjee.

The list of GoMs has also been brought down to 15 from the earlier 27.

The six EGoMs wound up by the government include those on the Food Security Act, National Highways Development Project, issues related to SEZs, and under-recoveries of oil marketing companies.

Antony chairs the EGoMs on gas pricing, mass rapid transit systems, and ultra mega power projects, Chidambaram heads EGoMs on telecom spectrum allocation, and reforms in the Central public sector enterprises.

Pawar has been made the chairman of the EGoM on drought.