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Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today reconstituted the Inter-State Council, nominating six Cabinet ministers, including Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, to the body.
The other members are Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, Road Transport and Highways, and Shipping Minister T.R. Baalu and Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj. According to a Home Ministry spokesman, four more ministers were included as permanent invitees. They are Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, Water Resources Minister P.R. Dasmunsi and Chemical and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Patil would also be the chairman of the Council’s 15-member Standing Committee.
Apart from five Union Ministers, the Standing Committee comprises the chief ministers of West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat.
