Cows, crypto, crores: A peek into what Union ministers own
Recent asset declarations from ministers reveal a diverse range of portfolios including cryptocurrency investments and foreign assets. While some officials claim livestock such as cows and sheep, others report ownership of older cars. Notably, sev...
New Delhi: Union ministers' latest asset declarations for 2025-26, offer a curious snapshot of political wealth - where cryptocurrency, foreign investments and multi-crore properties sit alongside cows, sheep, ageing cars and agricultural land.
An analysis of the declarations of the 30 Cabinet ministers and five ministers of state with independent charge shows portfolios that are far from uniform. The disclosures also cover spouses and dependent children. Allied-party ministers HD Kumaraswamy, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Jayant Chaudhary have made detailed disclosures. Kumaraswamy and Manjhi have even reported livestock. The former Karnataka chief minister lists 34 cows and 273 sheep, up from 52 sheep last year, while Manjhi has four cows and three calves.
Jayant Chaudhary is the only minister in the declarations reviewed to report cryptocurrency. His latest statement shows crypto assets for both himself and his wife, Charu Singh - continuing an investment disclosed last year. But while some ministers own livestock, more than half have not mentioned cars in their own name or immediate household. Cars are reported by around 15 ministers including Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Lalan Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and G Kishan Reddy. Kishan Reddy lists a 1995 Maruti 800 valued at Rs 1.1 lakh. Senior Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman have not declared a car; Sitharaman lists a Bajaj Chetak scooter.
Delhi-NCR ownership is similarly uneven. Around a third of the cabinet and independent charge ministerial households have identifiable NCR properties, including Lalan Singh, Jual Oram and others. Rao Inderjit Singh has also declared several land and properties in Gurugram. Firearm declarations remain rare, with Virendra Kumar, Annpurna Devi, Lalan Singh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat among those declaring them.
Overseas investments are mostly concentrated in the Scindia family, with Jyotiraditya Scindia and his wife declaring funds and ETFs linked to the UK, US, Europe and Japan, including BlackRock, iShares, Vanguard and Schroders.
Many of these assets were also disclosed in the ministers' 2024 election affidavits. Several properties were acquired before they became ministers or were inherited, underlining that the declarations reflect accumulated family wealth and not necessarily assets acquired during their tenure.
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Under the ministerial Code of Conduct, annual asset declarations are furnished by August 31. The PMO publishes the Union Council's declarations online.
