Union Cabinet/ Council of Ministers, India (2014- )
What it shows is that Team Modi is significantly richer, but remember we are comparing with five years ago, so the difference may be less than it appears. It also has slightly more female representation, as also Rajya Sabha presence, and is just a wee bit younger.
Of course, the BJP dominates the new council much more than Congress did UPA-2, but that's hardly surprising given the fact that BJP has a Lok Sabha majority on its own whereas Congress had just over 200 seats in the 543-member House
List of ministers in PM Narendra Modi's government
Track records of Pradhan, Piyush: 2014-17
See graphic, ' Track records of Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal: 2014-17 '
As in May 2014
NEW DELHI : The portfolios of the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were announced on Tuesday.
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi: Personnel, public grievances and pensions, department of atomic energy, department of space, all important policy issues and other portfolios not allocated to any minister.
Cabinet ministers
Rajnath Singh: Home affairs
Sushma Swaraj: External affairs, overseas Indian affairs
Arun Jaitley: Finance, corporate affairs, defence
M Venkaiah Naidu: Urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation, parliamentary affairs
Nitin Gadkari: Road transport and highways, shipping
D V Sadananda Gowda: Railways
Uma Bharati: Water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation
Najma A Heptulla: Minority affairs
Gopinathrao Munde: Rural development, panchayati raj, drinking water and sanitation
Ram Vilas Paswan: Consumer affairs, food and public distribution
Kalraj Mishra: Micro, small and medium enterprises
Maneka Gandhi: Women and child development
Ananth Kumar: Chemicals and fertilizers
Ravi Shankar Prasad: Communications and information technology, law and justice
Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati: Civil aviation
Anant Geete: Heavy industries and public enterprises
Harsimrat Kaur Badal: Food processing industries
Narendra Singh Tomar: Mines, steel, labour and employment
Jual Oram: Tribal affairs
Radha Mohan Singh: Agriculture
Thaawar Chand Gehlot: Social justice and empowerment
Smriti Irani: Human resource development
Harsh Vardhan: Health and family welfare
Ministers of state (independent charge)
V K Singh: Development of northeastern region (independent charge), external affairs, overseas Indian affairs
Inderjit Singh Rao: Planning (independent charge), statistics and programme implementation (independent charge), defence
Santosh Kumar Gangwar: Textiles (independent charge), parliamentary affairs, water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation
Shripad Yesso Naik: Culture (independent charge), tourism (independent charge)
Dharmendra Pradhan: Petroleum and natural gas (independent charge)
Sarbananda Sonowal: Skill development, entrepreneurship, youth affairs and sports (independent charge)
Prakash Javadekar: Information and broadcasting (independent charge), environment, forest and climate change (independent charge), parliamentary affairs
Piyush Goyal: Power (independent charge), coal (independent charge), new and renewable energy (independent charge)
Jitendra Singh: Science and technology (independent charge), earth sciences (independent charge), Prime Minister office, personnel, public grievances and pensions, department of atomic energy, department of space
Nirmala Sitharaman: Commerce and industry (independent charge), finance, corporate affairs
Ministers of state
G M Siddeshwara: Civil aviation
Manoj Sinha: Railways
Nihalchand: Chemicals and fertilizers
Upendra Kushwaha: Rural development, panchayati raj, drinking water and sanitation
P Radhakrishnan: Heavy industries and public enterprises
Kiren Rijiju: Home affairs
Krishan Pal: Road transport and highways, shipping
Sanjeev Kumar Balyan: Agriculture, food processing industries
Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava: Tribal affairs
Raosaheb Dadarao Danve: Consumer affairs, food and public distribution
Vishnu Deo Sai: Mines, steel, labour and employment
Sudarshan Bhagat: Social justice and empowerment
As in November 2014
List of Council of Ministers in the Union Cabinet of India headed by Sh Narendra Modi
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi: Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space; All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister
CABINET MINISTERS
Rajnath Singh: Home Affairs
Sushma Swaraj: External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs
Arun Jaitley Finance, Corporate Affairs, Information & Broadcasting
M. Venkaiah Naidu: Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Parliamentary Affairs
Nitin Gadkari: Road Transport and Highways, Shipping
Manohar Parrikar: Defence
Suresh Prabhu: Railways
D.V. Sadananda Gowda: Law & Justice
Uma Bharati: Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Dr. Najma A. Heptulla: Minority Affairs
Ramvilas Paswan: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Kalraj Mishra: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Maneka Gandhi: Women and Child Development
Ananthkumar: Chemicals and Fertilizers
Ravi Shankar Prasad: Communications and Information Technology
Jagat Prakash Nadda: Health & Family Welfare
Ashok Gajapathi Raju: Civil Aviation
Anant Geete: Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Harsimrat Kaur Badal: Food Processing Industries
Narendra Singh Tomar: Mines, Steel
Chaudhary Birender Singh: Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation
Jual Oram: Tribal Affairs
Radha Mohan Singh: Agriculture
Thaawar Chand Gehlot: Social Justice and Empowerment
Smriti Irani: Human Resource Development
Dr. Harsh Vardhan: Science and Technology, Earth Sciences
MINISTERS OF STATE (Independent Charge)
General V.K. Singh: Statistics and Programme Implementation (Independent Charge), External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs
Inderjit Singh Rao: Planning (Independent Charge), Defence
Santosh Kumar Gangwar: Textiles (Independent Charge)
Bandaru Dattatreya: Labour and Employment (Independent Charge)
Rajiv Pratap Rudy: Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), Parliamentary Affairs
Shripad Yesso Naik: AAYUSH (Independent Charge), Health & Family Welfare
Dharmendra Pradhan: Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge)
Sarbananda Sonowal: Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge)
Prakash Javadekar: Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge)
Piyush Goyal: Power (Independent Charge), Coal (Independent Charge), New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge)
Jitendra Singh: Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space
Nirmala Sitharaman: Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge)
Dr. Mahesh Sharma: Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge), Civil Aviation
MINISTERS OF STATE
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minority Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs
Ram Kripal Yadav: Drinking Water & Sanitation
Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary: Home Affairs
Sanwar Lal Jat: Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya: Agriculture
Giriraj Singh: Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir: Chemicals & Fertilizers
G.M. Siddeshwara: Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
Manoj Sinha: Railways
Nihalchand: Panchayati Raj
Upendra Kushwaha: Human Resource Development
Radhakrishnan P.: Road Transport & Highways, Shipping
Kiren Rijiju: Home Affairs
Krishan Pal: Social Justice & Empowerment
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan: Agriculture
Manuskhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava: Tribal Affairs
Raosaheb Dadarao Danve: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Vishnu Deo Sai: Mines, Steel
Sudarshan Bhagat: Rural Development
Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria: Human Resource Development
Y.S. Chowdary: Science and Technology, Earth Science
Jayant Sinha: Finance
Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: Information & Broadcasting
Babul Supriyo: Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti: Food Processing Industries
Vijay Sampla: Social Justice & Empowerment
May 2014: Background check: wealth, criminal record
30% of ministers face criminal cases
The Times of India May 28 2014 TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Forty of the 44 ministers in the Modi government are crorepatis with the wealthiest being finance minister Arun Jaitley . About 30% of the ministers have criminal cases pending against them. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) analysed self-sworn affidavits of 44 of the 46 ministers including PM Narendra Modi.
The details of two ministers --Prakash Javadekar and Nirmala Sitharaman -were not analysed as they are not members of either house.
Of the 44 ministers, 13 (30%) ministers have declared criminal cases against them while eight or 18% face serious criminal charges including cases related to attempt to murder, communal disharmony and electoral violations against themselves.
Cabinet minister Uma Bharati has the ignominy of a case related to attempt to murder pending against her besides another case of communal disharmony and election violations while rural development minister Gopinath Munde has a case of kidnapping pending against him.
An overwhelming 91% or 40 of the 44 ministers are crorepatis with the average asset of Rs 13.47 crore. Among the wealthiest are none other than finance minister Jaitley, followed by food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Gopinath Munde, Maneka Gandhi and Piyush Goyal.
The ministers with the lowest assets include Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava at Rs 65 lakh, Thaavarchand Gehlot with Rs 86 lakh and Sudarshan Bhagat with Rs 90 lakh worth of assets.
Nov 2014: Curriculum vitae of the new ministers
In the first cabinet expansion exercise of the Narendra Modi government, 21 ministers were inducted into the council of ministers on Sunday. Four ministers were allotted cabinet rank, whereas three took charge as Ministers of State (independent charge). The remaining 14 took oath as MoS.
The expansion takes the number of ministers in the Modi cabinet to 66.
Here is the list of newly sworn-in ministers and all that you need to know about them:
Cabinet ministers
Manohar Parrikar, 58: The former Goa chief minister took oath as a cabinet minister on Sunday. A metallurgical engineering graduate from IIT-Bombay, he has a reputation for honesty and simplicity. He was praised as the 'Common Man's CM' for flying without security or entourage and carrying his own briefcase. He is tipped to be the defence minister.
Suresh Prabhu, 61: He was the chemical and fertilizer minister in the first National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Prabhu, who later became the environment minister during NDA, is known as a performer. A former Shiv Sena member, he is part of international bodies on sustainable growth and climate change. A law degree holder with doctorate in climate change from Germany, Prabhu is a strong votary of a balance between economic development and environment protection. His website says he has “uncommon whiff of much needed fresh air” who introduced amendment to the Patents Act that gave fillip to the Indian generic medicine industry.
Jagat Prakash Nadda, 54: Brought up in Patna, Nadda was one of the youngest legislators to be elected to Himachal assembly. The veteran politician who earned recognition as a Himachal Pradesh leader, lost the race for BJP's presidency to Amit Shah after the Lok Sabha elections. His big leap into politics started during Emergency in 1977 as Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad secretary. Nadda is known to maintain a low profile and claims himself to be a disciplined solider of the R S S.
Birendra Singh, 68: A long-time Congress man, he joined the BJP before assembly elections in Haryana this August to protest against the grand old party not agreeing to sacking of then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. In his long political career, he had been Congress in-charge for many states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal, and was the chairperson of many parliamentary standing committees. He had joined the BJP apparently on the assurance that he would get a Union cabinet berth.
Ministers of State (independent charge)
Bandaru Dattatreya, 67: A minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he was president of the BJP in newly created state of Telangana. An R S S activist, he was the founding member of the party in residual Andhra Pradesh and was chairperson of several parliamentary standing committees. He had been elected to the Lower House for the first time from Secunderabad in the 10th Lok Sabha.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, 52: At an age of 38, he was inducted as one of the youngest ministers in the Vajpayee government in 2000. He was a minister of state and elevated with independent charge three years later and given the important portfolio of civil aviation. Alumni of Punjab University and MP from Bihar, he was in-charge of the party in Maharashtra, where the BJP emerged as the largest single party in the recently concluded assembly elections.
Dr Mahesh Sharma, 55: A doctor by profession, Sharma is an MP from Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida. He runs several charitable hospitals and clinics in the National Capital Territory. Sharma has been a long associate of the R S S and is former Noida MLA from the BJP.
Ministers of State
Hansraj Ahir, 59: He is a member of Lok Sabha from Chandrapur in Maharashtra and was instrumental in exposing the coal scam. It was on his letter to the Central Vigilance Commission that led to a CBI inquiry into the coal scam. He was face of the BJP in exposing the coal scam during the UPA regime and obtained relevant documents to embarrass the Manmohan Singh led government. An active Parliamentarian, Ahir had introduced a large number of private member bills in over 15 years as an MP.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, 57: A vocal BJP spokesperson and former minister of state for information and broadcasting, Naqvi had been the Muslim face of the party for long. Born in 1957 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Naqvi contested his first election on now-defunct Janata Party ticket in 1980 and was one of the ministers in Vajpayee’s cabinet in 1998. Known for freely airing his views, he created a flutter by saying that now even Dawood Ibrahim can join the BJP on decision to induct Bihar Janata Dal (United) leader Shabbir Ali during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Giriraj Singh, 54: His emergence on the national political scene had been rather dramatic. During Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission debarred him from campaigning after he asked all Modi detractors to go to Pakistan. And after the polls he was in the news for about Rs. 1.14 crore stolen from his house in Patna. A firebrand Bhumihar leader from Bihar was a minister in Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) and BJP alliance government, and influences vast pockets in southern Bihar, which goes to polls in 2015, and election-bound Jharkhand.
Ram Kripal Yadav, 57: A former Lalu Prasad supporter, he quit the party after being denied a ticket from Pataliputra. He contested on a BJP ticket and defeated Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti. A former deputy mayor of Patna and a law graduate, Yadav is known for his rhetoric in both the houses of Parliament, where he had represented Prasad’s RJD. An aggressive campaigner with vote base among backwards in Bihar, his induction will strengthen the BJP’s campaign to form the next government in the state in 2015 assembly elections.
Babul Supriyo, 44: It was on a flight with Baba Ramdev as co-passenger that singer Babul Supriyo’s political baptism took place. Ramdev reportedly asked Supriyo if he was interested in politics and contesting an election. The stocky singer’s induction gives West Bengal representation in the Modi cabinet. Supriyo’s thumping victory from Asansol on a BJP ticket was a huge boost for the party. Born and raised in Uttarpara, he is the musical heir to a prestigious musical family of West Bengal and the grandson of the noted composer, Banikantha NC Baral.
Jayant Sinha 51: The 51-year-old Hazaribagh MP, Jayant Sinha, is a former corporate honcho with wide experience in corporate governance and strategy consulting. He will be an asset in an economic ministry. Son of former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, he spent 12 years with McKinsey & Company as a partner apart from serving as president of Internet Business Capital Corp and in consulting positions at Stone & Webster and Synergic Resources Corporation, US. Sinha is an MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School; has an MS in Energy Management and Policy from the University of Pennsylvania; and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering with distinction from the IIT, Delhi.
Sanwar Lal Jat, 59: Sanwar Lal Jat had defeated Congress heavyweight Sachin Pilot from the Ajmer seat. His elevation balances the Jat-Rajput equation in Rajasthan. Jat is a powerful leader in the area and had quit the Vasundhara Raje Cabinet to contest the elections.
Mohan Kundariya: He is an influential leader from Patel community and MP from Rajkot. Powerful politician with strong roots in the Saurashtra region, he had served as minister in the Modi cabinet in Gujarat.
Ram Shankar, 50: A second-time Lok Sabha member from Agra, Shankar is an academician by profession and had been part of the party’s anti-corruption campaign. He was also part of several parliamentary committees in the 15th Lok Sabha. He was sworn in as member of state.
Vijay Sampla, 53: It is a rag to riches story for him. A Dalit employed as plumber in Saudi Arabia after his matriculation, he returned to Punjab a few decades ago and joined politics. A successful businessman now, Sampla was elected to Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur in Punjab and inducted into the cabinet for the first time.
YS Chowdhary, 53: It has been a meteoric rise for the TDP leader. A businessman from Hyderabad, he was unanimously elected to Rajya Sabha in 2010. His brief bio-data on the Rajya Sabha website says he is an engineer by profession but was hand-picked for the election to upper house by TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.
Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, 60: He is an MP from Banaskantha in Gujarat. He has been the BJP member since 1988, and had been the vice-president of Gujarat state unit from 2005 to 2010.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, 47: The lone women [new] induction in the Modi cabinet, Jyoti is an MP from Fatepur who defeated RLD’s Amar Singh. She was in news recently after a bid on her life and well-known R S S leanings.
July 2016: council of ministers
Gainers, losers, reshuffled
Rahul Kanwal , Maximum Government “India Today” 18/7/2016
See graphic
State’s representation in Ministry
Rahul Kanwal , Maximium Government “India Today” 18/7/2016
See graphic
2017, Sept: new council of ministers
CABINET MINISTERS
- Raj Nath Singh: Minister of Home Affairs.
- Sushma Swaraj: Minister of External Affairs.
- Arun Jaitley: Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs.
- Nitin Jairam Gadkari: Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
- Suresh Prabhu: Minister of Commerce and Industry.
- DV Sadananda Gowda: Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
- Uma Bharati: Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Ramvilas Paswan: Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
- Maneka Sanjay Gandhi: Minister of Women and Child Development.
- Ananthkumar: Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
- Ravi Shankar Prasad: Minister of Law and Justice & Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.
- Jagat Prakash Nadda: Minister of Health and Family Welfare.
- Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati: Minister of Civil Aviation.
- Anant Geete: Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
- Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal: Minister of Food Processing Industries.
- Narendra Singh Tomar: Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Mines.
- Chaudhary Birender Singh: Minister of Steel.
- Jual Oram : Minister of Tribal Affairs.
- Radha Mohan Singh: Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Thaawar Chand Gehlot: Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Smriti Zubin Irani: Minister of Textiles; and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
- Dr. Harsh Vardhan: Minister of Science and Technology; Minister of Earth Sciences; and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Prakash Javadekar: Minister of Human Resource Development.
- Dharmendra Pradhan: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- Piyush Goyal: Minister of Railways; and Minister of Coal.
- Nirmala Sitharaman: Minister of Defence.
- Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minister of Minority Affairs.
MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
- Rao Inderjit Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
- Santosh Kumar Gangwar: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- Shripad Yesso Naik: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).
- Dr. Jitendra Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space.
- Dr. Mahesh Sharma: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Culture; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Giriraj Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
- Manoj Sinha: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Communications; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.
- Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- Raj Kumar Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
- Hardeep Singh Puri: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Alphons Kannanthanam: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
MINISTERS OF STATE
- Vijay Goel: Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
- Radhakrishnan P.: Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping.
- SS Ahluwalia: Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi: Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Ramdas Athawale: Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Vishnu Deo Sai: Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.
- Ram Kripal Yadav: Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development.
- Hansraj Gangaram Ahir: Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary: Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal.
- Rajen Gohain: Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.
- General (Retd.) V K Singh: Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.
- Parshottam Rupala: Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- Krishan Pal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor: Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- Shiv Pratap Shukla: Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.
- Ashwini Kumar Choubey: Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Sudarshan Bhagat: Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- Upendra Kushwaha: Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
- Kiren Rijiju: Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Dr. Virendra Kumar: Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
- Anantkumar Hegde: Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- MJ Akbar: Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.
- Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti: Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
- YS Chowdary: Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Jayant Sinha: Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- Babul Supriyo: Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
- Vijay Sampla: Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Arjun Ram Meghwal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
- Ajay Tamta: Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles.
- Krishna Raj: Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Mansukh L. Mandaviya: Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
- Anupriya Patel: Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- CR Chaudhary: Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- PP Chaudhary: Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre: Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.
- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Dr. Satya Pal Singh: Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Gainers, losers, new entrants
See graphic: The union cabinet of 2017: the gainers, losers, and new entrants
States’ representation in Ministry
The Times of India, September 4, 2017
See graphic:
States' representation in Ministry, September 4, 2017
Ex-armymen, civil servants in the cabinet
10% OF CABINET - Seven ex-Armymen, babus in Team Modi, September 4, 2017: The Times of India
Bureaucrats and former military men account for nearly 10% of PM Narendra Modi's council of ministers.
The list includes a former home secretary , a retired diplomat, a former Mumbai police commissioner and an ex-Army chief. The presence of such a significant number of civil ser vants and ex-Armymen is seen as the PM's push to get projects implemented in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
Four former bureaucrats -Raj Kumar Singh, Hardeep Puri, Satyapal Singh and Alphons Kannanthanam -were sworn in on Sunday , taking the number of civil servants and ex-Armymen to seven. The strength of the council of ministers after Sunday's expansion now stands at 76. Puri and Alphons will have to get elected to either of the two Houses of Parliament in the next six months.
The other three ministers from bureaucratic or military background are former Army chief V K Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Arjun Ram Meghwal, a former IAS officer from Rajasthan. V K Singh, LS MP from Ghaziabad, is an MoS in the foreign ministry . Olympic medallist Rathore has been made MoS with independent charge of sports and youth affairs.Rathore is also an Mos in the I&B ministry . Meghwal is an MoS in the ministries of finance and water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation.
Kannanthanam, a 1979 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, has been given independent charge of tourism. He will also be an MoS in the electronics and information technology ministry . Hardeep Puri, who was India's ambassador to the UN, has independent charge of the housing and urban affairs ministry . Satyapal Singh, former Mumbai top cop, will be MoS in the HRD ministry and the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation. He had quit from service ahead of LS polls to begin his political stint.
2013-15: Expenditure on Prime Minister and cabinet
The Times of India Jan 02 2016
Pradeep Thakur
2014-15 Expenditure `2 Crore Less Than Budget Estimates
Narendra Modi may have toured the world like no other Indian prime minister during his first year in office, but his government has managed to keep the overall travel bill below the budgetary allocation by Rs 2 crore, according to the Union finance accounts for 2014-15.
As against the revised budget estimates (RE) of Rs 316.76 crore for 2014-15, passed by Parliament in the Budget last year, the tour expenses of the PM and his ministers during the first year actually came down by Rs 2 crore to Rs 314.76 crore. The actual expenditure is reflected in the finance accounts tabled in Parliament towards the end of the winter session. But more significant has been the savings on account of salaries and allowances of Modi's ministers. The reduction in salary bills and allowances of ministers during FY15 has been between 17%-24%. As against the salary bill of Rs 4.40 crore for Cabinet ministers and MoS in the RE, the actuals are at Rs 3.63 crore. Similarly, the actual expenditure on allowances to ministers has come down from Rs 9.50 crore (as projected in the RE) to Rs 7.20 crore during the first year.
The explanation given by the government in the Appropriation Accounts says the cut in the overall salary, allowances and tour bills have been possible due to “reduction in the strength of Cabinet... less foreign tours undertaken and economy measures“.
The travel bill of Modi government in its inaugural year is still about Rs 56 crore more than the Rs 258 crore the UPA-II Cabinet had spent in its last year in office (2013-14).
At Rs 10.83 crore, the salary and allowances bills of the 65-member Modi's council of l ministers have been brought e down by at least Rs 3 crore e from projected Rs 13.90 crore n in the RE, which was at the . same level as that of the 75 member UPA
2018
Smriti removed from I&B
Smriti removed from I&B, Goyal’s FM till Jaitley’s back, May 15, 2018: The Times of India
Rathore To Hold Independent Charge Of I&B
Prime Minister Narendra Modi temporarily assigned charge of the ministries of finance and corporate affairs to railway minister Piyush Goyal till Arun Jaitley recovers from a kidney transplant, while removing the controversyscarred Smriti Irani from the high-profile I&B ministry.
Smriti’s loss will be sports minister Rajyavardhan Rathore’s gain. The Olympic medallist, who was closely engaged with the Indian squad which participated in the Commonwealth Games and also served as junior minister in I&B, will now hold fullscale charge of the ministry.
Irani’s remit has now shrunk to the textiles ministry in what is being seen as a second setback for the young politician who had earlier lost the crucial HRD ministry.
The fresh demotion comes in the wake of a string of contentious measures by the I&B ministry during her tenure. There had been speculation about her departure since the PMO, in an unusual public rebuke, ordered the reversal of the ministry’s controversial guidelines purportedly meant to tackle “fake news”. Sources close to Irani had insisted that the guidelines were never issued and blamed the fiasco on bureaucrats, but her removal suggests that the PMO thought otherwise.
The odds appeared to have lengthened further against her after her recent run-in with Rashtrapati Bhavan over the handling of the national film awards function.
Modi signals continued support to Goyal
The recent controversy over the national film awards function saw the President’s office conveying its unhappiness to the PMO, tipping the scales against Irani, who also took on Prasar Bharti and officers belonging to the Indian Information Service.
Interestingly, Rathore will be the Modi government’s fifth I&B minister in four years. Irani's tenure lasted less than a year.
In stunning contrast, the new responsibility marks yet another boost for Goyal. With the addition, although temporary, of the responsibilities of finance and corporate affairs, he will have a sprawling jurisdiction along with railways and coal. In his new role as finance minister, Goyal will join the Cabinet Committee on Security, an important club which consists of the Prime Minister and the ministers of home, external affairs and defence.
Jaitley, who successfully underwent a kidney transplant, will be a “minister without portfolio until he recovers”. Top sources in the government emphasised that Goyal has been given charge of finance and corporate affairs as a stop-gap arrangement until the time Jaitley recovers.
In a late evening communique, Rashtrapati Bhavan also said that SS Ahluwalia would be the junior minister for electronics and information technology instead of KJ Alphons, the MoS (independent charge) for tourism.
Goyal, the BJP treasurer and a chartered accountant by training, has been given charge of the crucial finance ministry when has to iron out wrinkles in the implementation of goods and services tax (GST) and put the banking sector, grappling with a series of loan frauds and bad debt, back on track.
The finance ministry will also have to keep a close watch on revving up economic growth and keeping public finances under control against the backdrop of rising global crude oil prices.
Although Jaitley was attending to official work despite his ill health, the surgery at AIIMS on Monday will put him out of action for at least a couple of months, prompting to the PM to give the additional charge of the ministry to a person well versed with the nuances of the economy.
It also signals Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continued support for Goyal who was facing allegations related to the non-disclosure of the sale of his company to the Piramal Group, a charge that the minister has strongly rebutted.
Interestingly, unlike Irani who got the cabinet rank on her debut in May 2014, Goyal had to persevere as minister of state for coal and power before being promoted in September 2017.
2021
Major changes
July 8, 2021: The Times of India
From: July 8, 2021: The Times of India
From: July 8, 2021: The Times of India
See graphics:
The changes made to the Union Council of Ministers in July 2021
' PM Modi has sought to make the Council of Ministers younger and more diverse. A look at the composition, July 2021
The much-awaited Cabinet expansion turned out to be a bigger recast than expected. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday effected sweeping changes to his government, ushering in a new set of leaders in key roles with 36 fresh faces taking oath, seven others being elevated, and as many as seven cabinet and five junior ministers getting dropped.
Home minister Amit Shah has been given charge of the newly created cooperation ministry. In its scope and political messaging, the reshuffle was arguably the biggest such exercise in several years. It has brought in former CMs Narayan Rane and Sarbananda Sonowal, women leaders such as Meenakshi Lekhi, Shobha Karandlaje, Bharati Pawar and Pratima Bhowmik, politicians with strong grassroot connections and better-known faces like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The portfolio allocations reflected important roles for Dharmendra Pradhan who moved to education, Mansukh Mandaviya who has been given charge of health and chemicals & fertilisers, Kiren Rijiju, the new law minister, and Giriraj Singh, who got the politically significant rural development portfolio. There was also a wild card entry, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who bagged the meaty railways, communication and IT ministries. Virender Kumar, a low-key Dalit leader from MP, is the social justice and empowerment minister replacing Thaawarchand Gehlot.
Just as significant as the inductions and elevations were the exit of senior ministers like IT and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and I&B minister Prakash Javadekar, who have been public faces of BJP and the government. The exit of health minister Harsh Vardhan, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and chemicals and fertilisers minister Sadananda Gowda added up to a significant recast.
Only 2 current mantris were in Atal ministry
Social justice and empowerment minister Thaawarchand Gehlot quit a day earlier and was appointed as Karnataka governor.
The scope of the reshuffle can be judged by the fact that only two of the current ministers — defence minister Rajnath Singh and minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi — were in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee ministry. Given the younger age profile of the new ministers, the PM has sought to bring a new set that will have close to three years to gain experience of office before the next Lok Sabha polls. After the reshuffle, there are only two MoS (independent charge) Rao Inderjit and Jitendra Singh. Prahlad Patel, who held independent charge of culture, has lost the perch.
The new nominees reflect an effort to increase the profile of OBCs in the council of ministers, with the number reaching 27 in a ministry of 78. The attempt to reduce the bias towards upper castes is clearly intended to further expand BJP’s appeal among OBCs and make it a more inclusive platform. The emphasis on “backwards” has been complimented by picking nominees who have credentials as doctors, lawyers and community workers.
The chopping has extended to the MoS ranks with Santosh Gangwar, who held independent charge as labour minister, being shown the door. Similarly, ministers of state Babul Supriyo, Dhotre Sanjay Shamrao, Rattan Lal Kataria, Pratap Sarangi and Debasree Chaudhari are out. Lacklustre performance has seen them make way for choices the BJP brass feel will make a mark.
BJP’s electoral needs in UP, where party appears to have made a conscious effort to supplement its Hindutva (Kamandal) plank by bringing in non-Yadav “backwards” (Mandal), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal appeared to have been a major consideration.
The new ministers represent hard-nosed political calculations such as former CM Narayan Rane who is seen as a pugnacious Maratha leader who can be a counter to Shiv Sena and NCP in his area of influence in Konkan. Former CM Sarbananda Sonowal’s induction reaches out to Assamese sentiments after he made way for Himanta Sarma, who articulates Hindutva issues more sharply.
There are several ministers who reflect the criteria of havingdone a solid work at the state level. Virendra Kumar (MP); Pankaj Chaudhary, S P Baghel, Bhanu Pratap Verma and Kaushal Kishore (UP); Ajay Bhatt (Uttarakhand); Chauhan Devusinh (Gujarat); Bhagwanth Khuba (Karnataka); and Bhagwat Karad (Maharashtra) fit this bill. Ties with Bihar ally, JD(U), have been consolidated with the induction of its chief R C P Singh as steel minister and that of Pashupati Kumar Paras who has the backing of chief minister Nitish Kumar.
UP ally Anupriya Patel, leader of Kurmi outfit Apna Dal, has been brought back.
A socio-economic profile of the ministers in the Cabinet
From: July 9, 2021: The Times of India
See graphic:
A socio-economic profile of the ministers in the Union Cabinet in 2021 July
Firm on Bengal, BJP picks up 4 minister
July 8, 2021: The Times of India
The induction of four firsttime Lok Sabha MPs from West Bengal — Santanu Thakur, John Barla, Nishith Pramanik and Subhash Sarkar — indicates careful selection from regions where BJP either has a good presence, or it can improve on its current strength. Two ministers, including Babul Supriyo, have been dropped.
New Delhi MP Lekhi made junior EAM
July 8, 2021: The Times of India
BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, who was elected for a second consecutive term as MP from the New Delhi seat, was inducted into the Union Cabinet on Wednesday while health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was dropped in the reshuffle. Lekhi has been appointed as junior external affairs and culture minister.
Ministers who were dropped
Akhilesh Singh, July 8, 2021: The Times of India
The exit of 12 ministers came as a surprise element as well-known faces like health minister Harsh Vardhan, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad left the government.
The factors that led to their exit seem to range from slow pace of meeting targets to inadequate communication of policy and political goals in respective ministries. The articulation on the Covid situation was seen to be “bureaucratic” and seemed to lag in countering the opposition allegations during the second wave.
Edu minister Pokhriyal learnt to have quit largely over health issue
It was also felt that Harsh Vardhan did not take on AAP on issues of oxygen shortages as was needed. Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was holding crucial departments, including law and IT, has been visible and vocal in the government’s showdown with social media giant Twitter. He has also been fielded often as spokesperson on policy and political issues. The problems in the telecom sector and slow progress in the Bharatnet project are seen as problematic issues. As the party organisation may also be in for recast, the possibility of former ministers finding themselves in new roles can’t be ruled out. Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal is learnt to have had to quit largely on health grounds as he was struggling with post-Covid complications. The minister had to be hospitalised again after recovering from the infection. Though having helmed the new education policy, the leader may have been a little slow off the block in dealing with other issues relating to the ministry such as revision of school curriculum that is a major reform for the government. Sadanand Gowda’s exit is linked to multiple reasons including the strife in BJP in Karnataka as also a mediocre performance. A leader like Shobha Karandlaje, a loyalist of B S Yeddyurappa and a Vokkaliga, is a better bet for BJP.
Santosh Gangwar, who was MoS with independent charge, might have lost the job for opening a front against UP CM Yogi Adityanath when the party needed to present a united face during the second wave. He’d written a letter to Yogi alleging mismanagement during the second wave. Leaders belonging to his Kurmi caste have been accommodated, ruling out any possibility of unhappiness in the community.
The exclusions of ministers of state like Babul Supriyo, Sanjay Dhotre Shamrao and Pratap Sarangi is seen as a comment on their inability to make use of opportunities.
Tripura too gets a slot in Union ministry
Mohua Chatterjee, July 8, 2021: The Times of India
Tripura Lok Sabha MP Pratima Bhowmik is among the 16 firsttime members of Parliament to take oath as a minister in the Union council of ministers, reports Mohua Chatterjee. Bhowmik’s induction is a clear indication that BJP is preparing to retain the state it won for the first time in 2018, given that CM Biplab Deb is facing some dissent from within. TMC’s victory in Bengal and Mamata Banerjee’s attempt to revive the party’s fortunes in Tripura is seen as threat. Post its Bengal victory, TMC has started campaigning aggressively in Tripura. Bhowmik is the second woman from the northeast to make it to the council of ministers after Bijaya Chakraborty of Assam who was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
