Following the expansion of the cabinet and allocation of departments in Bihar, a state-level 20-member committee has been formed. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will chair the committee, with Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary appointed as vice-chair. Notably, rebel MLAs who defected from RJD and Congress during the budget session of the assembly have been included in this committee.
CM Nitish Kumar to Head 20-Member Committee
The government has appointed all rebel MLAs as members of the state-level 20-member committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The notification for the formation of the 15-member Program Implementation Committee (20-Member Committee) was issued on Saturday, before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. According to it, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the chairman of this committee, while Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has been appointed as the executive chairman.
Members Included in the Committee
As per the government notification, JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha and BJP leader Lallan Kumar Mandal from Madhubani have been appointed as vice-chairmen of the state-level 20-member committee. Meanwhile, other members of the committee include rebel MLAs from RJD such as Chetan Anand, Prahlad Yadav, Neelam Devi, along with Sangita Kumari, Bharat Bind, former minister and Congress MLA Murari Prasad Gautam, Siddharth Sourav, Jagannath Thakur, Rajesh Verma, Bharati Mehta, and Chandan Singh.
Members Elevated to Deputy Ministerial Rank
Both vice-chairpersons of the committee have been given the rank of state ministers, and all members have been given the rank of deputy ministers in the state. Upon becoming members of the committee, the members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly will continue to receive their salaries, allowances, and facilities as before. After receiving this rank, they will receive all the benefits separately from the government.