New Rajya Sabha members nominated to different committees

New Delhi, July 23 A day after administering the oath to 45 of the 61 newly- elected members of Rajya Sabha, Vice President and the house's Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday nominated the new members to different Parliamentary Standing Committees.

Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has been nominated to the Committee on External Affairs, BJP leader Jyotiaditya Scindia to the Committee on HRD, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to Urban Development and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar to Defence.

Besides, Thambi Durai has been nominated for the committee on HRD, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal-Secular supremo Deve Gowda to Railways, and Congress leaders K.C. Venugopal to Transport, Tourism and Culture and Mallikarjun Kharge to Commerce.

BJP leader Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe has been appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on Human Resource Development further to the expiry of the membership of Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya. Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athawale, being a Minister, is not nominated to any committee.

With this, those who have taken oath on July 22 will get to participate in the meetings of respective committees. The remaining 16 new members would participate only after their swearing-in.

In all, Chairman Naidu has nominated 65 members on different committees, including filling up of some vacancies.

Among the 61 newly-elected members of the Rajya Sabha, 43 are first-timers including Deve Gowda, Pawar, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and the BJP's Bhubaneshwar Kalita.

They also include Priyanka Chaturvedi, who last year quit the Congress to join the Shiv Sena, Scindia, who dumped the Congress earlier this year to join the BJP, and Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil along with Rajiv Satav.

( With inputs from IANS )