The Centre has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) chaired by Rajnath Singh for better implementation of various welfare schemes meant for SC, ST, OBC, minorities and women, and the panel met for the first time on Thursday, sources said.
The development comes ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and some other states early next year.
Education Minister and the BJP''s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan is a member of the GoM. Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Arjun Munda, Kiren Rijiju and Virendra Kumar are also part of the panel.
The GoM met for the first time on Thursday at Defence Minister Singh''s residence, the sources said.
Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are also members of the GoM, but they could not attend the meeting due to some other engagements, according to the sources.
They said a wider discussion was held on various welfare schemes meant for the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minorities and women, and to improve their implementation and effectiveness.
The broader objective of the GoM is to work for empowerment and prosperity of backward classes and minorities, they said.
During the meeting, several ministers suggested various measures to further increase the penetration of various welfare schemes among the targeted beneficiaries, the sources said.
The GoM assumes importance as it comprises top Union ministers and is formed just months before assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh.
The ruling BJP is aiming to further consolidate its hold among OBC, SC and ST communities to retain power in Uttar Pradesh and other states as these caste groupings together can swing the elections.
Political observers are of the view that in the aftermath of the second wave of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several steps to inject a new energy and zeal in the government to improve the overall situation.
The prime minister is also scheduled to held several ''Chintan Shivir'' with his council of ministers on improving the efficiency of the government, the sources said.
