Ministers of state with independent charge to play key role in Narendra Modi's Cabinet

NEW DELHI: Super ministers of state (MoS), rather than the much-talked-about super-ministries, seem to be the most important differentiating factor in Narendra Modi’s council of ministers.

Although the official list of portfolios weren’t announced on Monday, senior BJP leaders said the 22 ministers of state who took oath will play key administrative roles, especially the 10 ministers of state who have independent charges. Each MoS with independent charge will manage one portfolio by himself or herself and will also assist a Cabinet minister who has a different portfolio.

This dual role, adopted for the first time in government formation, is aimed at making MoSes with independent charges the driving force of effective implementation, a senior BJP leader said. MoSes with independent charge include first-time ministers such as General VK Singh, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Prakash Javadekar and Dharmendra Pradhan. These MoSes, who will have dual charges, have been picked with an eye on their potential for administrative work, another senior BJP leader said.

In many cases, the second job of an independent MoS, where he or she assists a Cabinet minister, will be as heavyweight and high-profile as his first job. A senior BJP leader said an MoS who has a crucial economic portfolio as an independent charge but is also assisting a Cabinet minister with a high-profile remit will be expected to deliver on both fronts — that’s the Modi government’s most important bet. Since some of the Cabinet ministers are also first-timers either in the Union government or as ministers in any capacity, their being assisted by ministers of state becomes crucial.