For better synergy, maximum efficiency

May 28, 2014 03:50 am | Updated November 27, 2021 06:56 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday restructured some important Ministries to ensure better synergy and extract maximum efficiency.

The former party president, Nitin Gadkari, was allocated Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, indicating his stress on development of infrastructure, while bringing together the three sectors under one roof and under the charge of a senior Cabinet Minister.

Mr. Modi on Sunday dubbed the restructuring a “convergence of activities’’ under one Cabinet Minister who was given the charge of heading ministries in complementary sectors. This was evident in the Finance Ministry, which now encompasses the Corporate Affairs Ministry as well. In the same manner, the Overseas Affairs Ministry was brought under the External Affairs Ministry.

Another senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu was given the charge of a larger restructured Ministry of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, along with Parliamentary Affairs.

A not-to-be-missed feature is the key portfolio of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which was given to Jitendra Singh, a first-time MP from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. This Ministry exercises administrative supervision over the Central Bureau of Investigation. Dr. Singh, Minister of State with independent charge, will also be the MoS (independent charge) in the Prime Minister’s Office. Besides, he will have the responsibility of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space.

The Prime Minister has kept Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, along with the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, with himself.

Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has gone to Ravi Shankar Prasad, a prominent lawyer like his predecessor Kapil Sibal of the Congress. Mr. Prasad, who was a Minister of State in the Vajpayee-led government, was elevated to the Cabinet rank and also given the Law and Justice portfolio.

Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar, as MoS (independent charge), will have Information and Broadcasting along with Environment, Forest and Climate Change as well as Parliamentary Affairs.

Important Ministries like the Agriculture and Railways have also been retained by the BJP. While the Railways was given to D. V. Sadananda Gowda from Karnataka, veteran party leader from Bihar, Radha Mohan Singh, got Agriculture. The portfolio of Drinking Water and Sanitation has been brought under the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and entrusted to Maharashtra strongman Gopinath Munde.

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