Jayanti Natarajan likely to head Parliamentary panel on women's Bill

After a delay of nearly three months, a Parliamentary Standing Committees will soon be constituted, with senior Congress member Jayanti Natarajan likely to head the panel
scrutinising the Women's Reservation Bill.

Natarajan, a strong votary of the Women's Reservation Bill, is likely to head the Committee on Law and Justice, replacing EM Sudarsana Natchiappan of the party, whose panel has done all the groundwork on the Bill.

The formation of the Standing Committees, which has already been delayed, was discussed at a meeting of leaders of political parties convened by parliamentary affairs minister PK Bansal today in a bid to hammer out a solution.

Among the committees allotted to the Rajya Sabha, the Standing Committee on HRD is likely to be headed by Oscar Fernandes (Congress), home affairs by M Venkaiah Naidu (BJP), science and technology by Subbirami Reddy (Congress), commerce by
Shanta Kumar (BJP), industry by Satish Mishra (BSP), and transport, tourism and culture by Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on health and family welfare is likely to go to the Samajwadi Party. The earlier committee was headed by SP leader Amar Singh.