Mission 45: Mandate To Deliver
Mission 45: Mandate To Deliver
Shri Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister of India on 26th May in the presence of media and guests from national as well as international locations. He has taken charge of the personnel, public grievances and pensions, department of atomic energy and department of space, along with critical policy issues and other portfolios not allocated to any other minister.
Arun Jaitley has been given the charge of 3 portfolios of corporate affairs, defence and finance. These are important portfolios and Jaitley understandably has a tough job at hand. Shaping India's economy to increase growth and battle inflation is not going to be easy by any standards. He may start with 3 or 4 big ticket reforms, but there is a long way to go before the Indian economy can shine again. At 44, this cabinet is one of the leanest in the history of India. India's first woman foreign minister will be Sushma Swaraj and she has also been assigned overseas affairs.
Rajnath Singh is to head the home ministry while M. Venkaiah Naidu has been given the portfolios of urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation and parliamentary affairs. Urban poverty is on the rise and Naidu must focus on how to generate stable opportunities and employment for the marginalised sections of society, so that they can have access to a brighter future. Nitin Gadkari has taken charge of road transport and highways as well as shipping.
D. V. Sadananda Gowda is the new railway minister. Railways is an important sector where urgent intervention is needed to make rail travel safer. More inspections and regulation in this sector is critically needed. Former army chief V. K. Singh has been given the post of minister of state for external affairs and overseas Indian affairs. He also has to manage the development of the north east. This is a very important charge. The North east requires even pace of growth and development so that it can progress with the rest of the nation.
Health is a critical concern as well. With antibiotic resistant bacterial diseases on the rise, there is an urgent need to step up and deal with pressing health concerns. The average Indian mother is facing paucity of healthcare services. Maternal and infant healthcare is an area where he must collaborate with Minister for women and child development, Maneka Gandhi to bring about better programs for the welfare of the people.
Uma Bharati has been charged with looking after water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation. These are important issues and she should adopt a scientific approach towards coming with practical solutions for the problems. India' s water crisis is just beginning. What direction it will take should become clear by 2020.
Najma Heptulla is the Minister for minority affairs. She has focused on helping certain communities such as the Parsis to raise their numbers. This is a good aim, but she should also take charge of safety for the minority communities living in rural hinterlands where local khaps pass harsh judgements against members of minorities. What is equally important is for her to promote the interests of marginalised and oppressed sections of the minority communities of India.
Proper sanitation facilities in rural areas is another urgent need right now. Gopinath Munde is the Minister for rural development, Panchayati Raj, drinking water and sanitation. He has to do something fast about the lack of potable drinking water among poorer sections of society. Their access to proper healthcare and sanitation facilities is also imperative. Ravi Shankar Prasad has been allocated communications and IT, law and justice and he also has a challenge ahead of him. Law and order conditions in the country are far from perfect. Justice delayed is justice denied and Indian judiciary needs reform. Communications and IT are both very important drivers of the Indian growth story. Each have to be nurtured with special care. Ram Vilas Paswan has been given consumer affairs, food and public distribution portfolios. He has to ensure that Indian grain does not rot in warehouses and it reaches the consumer in time. He also has to focus on food security for the poor.
Narendra Singh Tomar has been tasked with the mines, steel, labour and employment portfolios and he has to work towards improving employability of India's youth so that our demographic dividend pays off. Social justice and empowerment are also pressing needs. hawar Chand Gehlot has to ensure that women and poor sections of society are empowered so that they can access a better future and more opportunities. Smriti Irani has to cope with the challenge of developing the growth and tapping the potential of India's young working class.
She also has to spur productivity through an approach of seeing the workforce as an asset. Radha Mohan Singh has agriculture on the agenda. The prime point on his agenda should be to provide stable irrigation systems and adequate financing and training for the Indian farmer so that he does not have to look for divine assistance from the Gods or fall prey to moneylenders and the debt trap.
Jual Oram has to collaborate with V. K. Singh and bring peace, growth and development to the North East. The North East needs more railway lines, better communication networks, sustainable and balanced development and more educational institutions for varied disciplines so that the youth have bright future and a promising career. India has pinned its hopes on the 45. They must do their best. After all, they have the mandate to deliver.
