New Delhi [India], August 20 : Congress on Wednesday appointed Salman Khurshid as chairperson of the party's Foreign Affairs Department, days after the senior leader Anand Sharma resigned from the position earlier this month.
The party also announced the appointment of two vice chairpersons of the department -- Brijendra Singh and Arathi Krishna, according to an official statement issued by the Congress.
The Congress appreciates the contributions of the outgoing Chairperson, Anand Sharma, who announced his resignation on August 10.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Wednesday pressed the Centre to act on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education's report recommending reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backwards Classes (OBC) in private higher educational institutions (HEIs).
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a statement, said that the Committee chaired by senior party leader Digvijaya Singh has presented its report to Parliament advocating for the implementation of reservations in private HEIs.
The statement highlighted that Article 15(5) of the Constitution, introduced by the UPA Government under Dr Manmohan Singh in 2006 through the 93rd Amendment, empowers the government to mandate reservations for SC, ST, and OBC students in private HEIs.
Jairam Ramesh stressed that the demand for reservations in private educational institutions can no longer be ignored. He also recalled that the Congress, in its 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto "Nyay Patra," had pledged to bring such legislation.
"The Parliamentary Committee has now given renewed impetus to this demand. The ball is now in the Modi Government's court," he said.