Keep counting the committees

• UPA Coordination Committee: The grouping of allies, headed by Sonia Gandhi, is represented by leaders of the coalition parties. Sonia’s aides Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel feature in this panel, which until now has met on the farmers’ package and the Budget.

• Congress-Left Coordination Committee: Left’s noises over FDI prompted this nine-member committee with six from the Left. Mixes economics and politics. Has PM, Sonia and FM as members.

From Left: H.K.S. Surjeet, Sitaram Yechuri, A.B. Bardhan, D. Raja, Abani Roy and Debabrata Biswas. Will meet every Monday when Parliament is in session, otherwise twice a month.

• Central Advisory Board of Education: More than 100 members will get together as a permanent institution to guide education policy. HRD Minister Arjun Singh chairs it with six other ministers and state Education ministers. Crucial are 32 experts including: Azim Premji, J.J. Irani, Jean Dreze and Mahasweta Devi.

• Urdu Medium Education Committee: A four-member committee headed by Rafiq Zakaria asked to find out what can be done to improve Urdu-medium schools which have a dismal pass percentage.

• National Commission of Farmers: Formed by the NDA govt, the then chairman Somapal had barely begun work when the regime changed. UPA brought M.S. Swaminathan as head, ousted most members.

• NCERT History Textbook Committee: Three-member panel of historians to decide what should be done to school textbooks. If its recommendation to replace the existing ones is accepted, Prof S. Settar, Barun De and J.S. Grewal will continue meeting until September to frame questions to match the new books. If not, their job is over.

• NCERT Search Committee: A four-member panel set up to identify educationists for NCERT directorship. Headed by Prof Yash Pal, it met twice to shortlist nominees from among whom the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet will select the NCERT chief.

• Committee to Free Delhi of Slums: Formed on June 25. Time-frame: Five years. Headed by the DDA Vice-Chairman, the 7-member panel was to submit the report within 15 days. The report is still awaited.

• Await a Godhra Enquiry Committee from Laloo Prasad Yadav. He has announced it in Parliament but its constitution is yet to be notified.