Modi Cabinet 2.0: Tasks cut out for Bhupender Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan

The ministry reshuffle indicates Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong and special focus for social sector, with key ministers drafted in to deliver the goods. Between Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, education, skilling, labour and employment, along with the looming issue of climate change, will all be closely covered.

Dharmendra Pradhan as education as well as for skill development and entrepreneurship is a clear indicator for need for synergy between education and skilling, as also elaborated upon in the new National Education Policy. The skilling ministry was carved out by the NDA government in 2014 from the erstwhile human resource development ministry for dedicated focus on skilling. With Pradhan, now helming both, the government is clearly looking at a concerted approach.

Pradhan also steps in at a time when the clock has begun ticking for major education reforms promised in the National Education Policy, such as the need for a major improvement in school learning levels besides critical regulatory reforms in higher education. One of the first set of bills he will be piloting between his two ministries will be one to set up a single higher education regulatory, the Higher Education Commission of India through the education ministry and important amendments to the Apprenticeship Act from MSDE. It will be a challenging assignment, given that the pandemic has kept all campuses shuttered for a second academic session in a row, lakhs of students have no access to devices or the internet for online classes and this is expected to bring in learning gaps and an overall slide in learning levels. Incidentally, Pradhan had chaired a group of ministers set up last year on E-education and digital learning and hence is already primed on the issues of concerm. Then there are record vacancies across top educational institutes that need immediate addressing. More than half of the central universities are without full time vice-chancellors, several IITs have no directors as is the case with many NITs as well.


What is done at the education and skilling ministries will also have bearing on the portfolio with Bhupender Yadav. He will be steering the labour and employment ministries not only through implementation of labour code revamps but will also have to address major unemployment concerns, build safety nets for migrant labour and attune labour rules to industry growth as well.