Chairperson of the parliamentary sectoral committee on Natural Resources Dr Rupert Roopnaraine says that the committee will be visiting several areas to fulfil its mandate of monitoring the sector.
He said the committee held its first meeting since he was elected chair last Friday and discussions included how they were going to monitor the sector as well as specific programmes. He said they will be meeting every fortnight and will be visiting several locations. “Work is going forward now,” said Roopnaraine adding that “we are working quite harmoniously.”
The chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the four-constitutionally mandated Sectoral Standing Committees of the National Assembly were elected on February 7, almost a year since the members had been nominated, with the opposition and government each chairing two of them.
The members of these committees had been nominated since March 7, 2012 by the Committee of Selection. The Constitution mandated that the chair and vice chair come from opposite sides of the National Assembly. The Sectoral Committees have the responsibility for the scrutiny of all areas of government policy and administration. They have the power to examine all policies and administration for each sector to determine whether the execution of government policy is in consonance with the principle of good governance and in the best interest of the nation.
