Jaipur, April 9 : Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani announced the appointment of chairpersons and members for 16 Assembly committees, including 12 general committees and four financial committees. In a notable development, former Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje and Ashok Gehlot, along with former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, have been included together as members of the Assemblyâ??s Rules Committee.

Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani has been appointed as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rules Committee constituted by the Legislative Assembly.

Senior legislators from different parties have been included as members. According to the official list, the members of the committee include Vasundhara Raje, Ashok Gehlot, Shrichand Kriplani, Chandrabhan Singh Akya, Sachin Pilot, Harish Chaudhary, and Deepti Kiran Maheshwari. Out of the 16 committees, BJP MLAs have been appointed as chairpersons in 11, while Congress MLAs will head three committees.

The Speaker serves as the ex-officio chairman of two committees. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully has been appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, a key financial panel. Congress MLA Rajendra Pareek will head the Question and Reference Committee, while Narendra Budaniyan has been named Chairman of the Committee on Welfare of Backward Classes. The tenure of all committees will run until March 31 next year.

In another significant move, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has been inducted as a member of the General Purposes Committee. Traditionally chaired by the Speaker, this committee includes 16 members, among them senior legislators and the Leader of Opposition.

Notably, the Chief Minister was not part of this panel in the previous term. The composition of the committees reflects a mix of senior leadership across party lines, particularly in influential panels like the Rules Committee and the General Purposes Committee.

Meanwhile, representation of women in leadership roles within the committees remains limited. Of the 16 committees, only one is chaired by a woman. BJP MLA Kalpana Devi has been appointed to lead the committee related to the welfare of women and children.

The newly-formed committees are expected to play a crucial role in legislative oversight, policy review, and governance-related deliberations in the coming year.

The primary role of the Rules Committee is to review, amend, and recommend changes to the rules governing the functioning of the Assembly.

The newly-formed committee is expected to suggest reforms to ensure smoother and more efficient conduct of House proceedings.

/IANS