The first meeting of the new Union Council of Ministers was held on Friday in New Delhi. The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Giriraj Singh, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal were among those who attended the meeting at the PMO in South Block.

Before the meeting, the PM took the first decision of his second term by enhancing the amount to be paid as part of ‘Prime Ministers Scholarship Scheme’ under the National Defence Fund.

“Our Government’s first decision dedicated to those who protect India,” Modi tweeted.

“Major changes approved in PM’s Scholarship Scheme under the National Defence Fund including enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks,” the tweet said.

Our Government’s first decision dedicated to those who protect India!

Major changes approved in PM’s Scholarship Scheme under the National Defence Fund including enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks. https://t.co/Vm90BD77hm pic.twitter.com/iXhFNlBCIc

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2019

The rates of scholarship have been increased from Rs 2,000 per month to Rs 2,500 per month for boys and from Rs 2,250 per month to Rs 3,000 per month for girls.

The ambit of the scholarship Scheme has also been extended to the wards of state police personnel who “were martyred during terror/naxal attacks”.

The quota of new scholarships for wards of state police personnel will be 500 in a year.

The PM had earlier today met some of the leaders of BIMSTEC countries who attended his swearing-in.

Thank you President @MaithripalaS for gracing the Swearing-in Ceremony. I look forward to further strengtheing India-Sri Lanka relations, which are time-tested and based on civilizational ties.

Our meeting today was extremely fruitful. pic.twitter.com/ExBsl9nk4i

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2019

Meanwhile, the first Parliament session of the 17th Lok Sabha will be held from 17 June till 26 July. All newly elected lawmakers will be administered the oath of office by Maneka Gandhi, who was appointed the temporary speaker on Thursday, before the Speaker’s election to be held on 19 June.

On the first day of the session, President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament.

Prime Minster Narendra Modi had taken oath on Thursday along with his council of ministers after leading BJP-led NDA to a big election victory in the Lok Sabha polls.

A total of 57 leaders from BJP and NDA allies were sworn in as ministers. Ministerial berths were allocated earlier today.

The BJP won 303 seats while the NDA bagged 353.