Junior ministers may at last get work to do

The main complaint of Ministers of State in the Union Council of Ministers of not getting enough work and feeling ignored in policy decisions could be tackled soon. Cabinet Ministers hardly take the MoS under them seriously, who are reduced to inaugurate conferences or cut ribbons at fairs.

Their powers are restricted and they cannot clear any important file relating to policy matters or monetary implications without their seniors having a look at it.

It is particularly true of the “Youth Brigade”, mostly close to Rahul Gandhi, who were inducted with fanfare and high expectations, but who have been unable to function to their full potential and break new ground in administration.

To lend an ear to the grievances of the Ministers of State, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a meeting of junior ministers on January 19. A senior Cabinet minister has indicated that structural reform was in the offing.

Information and &Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni has said a mechanism would soon be evolved to ensure that junior ministers participate in policy-making decisions of their respective ministries. “When a government is formed and portfolios are allocated, it takes some time for senior ministers and their deputies to understand each other, their strengths, weaknesses and decision-making prowess,” Soni said when asked why junior ministers felt sidelined in governance.

“Within six months or so, a mechanism will definitely be evolved where ministers of state (MoS) will be able to assist their senior ministers in a more able manner in processes of decision-making,” she said. Responding to media reports that many junior ministers had been complaining of not having much work, Soni agreed that Cabinet ministers should ensure that they give more work to their associates. “I think it is up to us, senior ministers, to allocate more work to our junior ministers. The PM has given all of us a responsibility and we should try to live up to his expectations. Our deputies shouldn’t feel they don’t have work. Allocating work to them gives them an opportunity to know and understand their ministries and ministers,” she said.

Cabinet Ministers are reportedly jittery over the PM meeting their deputies. The PM could also use the occasion to advise MoS like Shashi Tharoor, who has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, to be more disciplined and not rush to the media at slightest provocation.

- Asian Tribune -