Modi to take final call on allocation of work to new junior ministers

The PMO has told the ministries that they must refrain from apportioning the departments without consulting Modi.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will himself take the call on allocation of work to new Ministers of State (MoS), instead of leaving it to the senior ministers they work under.

According to a report in The Indian Express, last week, the most senior secretaries of ministries where Ministers of State have been appointed were told to tabulate business in each department and send it to the Cabinet Secretariat for onward transmission to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The PMO has told the ministries that they must refrain from apportioning the departments without consulting the Prime Minister. The junior ministers therefore have not been handed their work charge. This will be done when the PM returns from Africa on Monday.

Earlier, during meetings of the Council of Ministers, most junior ministers were found to be unaware of Cabinet decisions and their work progress. A performance appraisal last month of several junior ministers showed that they were kept away from mainstream functions, with Cabinet ministers hesitant in sharing policy assignments.

Therefore, Modi has decided that the junior ministers must be more involved in the implementation of schemes.

The junior ministers will also be evaluated for promotion or ouster from the Council of Ministers based on their work. On July 5, only one minister of state – Prakash Javadekar – was promoted to Cabinet rank but his Environment Ministry portfolio was taken away. HRD Minister Smriti Irani was moved to textiles and other important ministries also saw a change of guard.

(This story originally appeared on Deccan Chronicle)