Consolidate or disband Ministries- A step towards Minimum Government and Maximum Governance
- In Current Affairs
- 07:16 PM, Sep 13, 2016
- Shashank Davanagere
When our constitution was being written, it was decided that we would follow the Westminster form of government. The Prime Minister being the elected representative along with the Union Council of Ministers exercise executive authority.
The Union Council of Ministers comprise of:
- Cabinet Ministers – Member of cabinet; leads a ministry
- Minister of State (MoS) – Junior minister reporting to a Cabinet Minister.
- Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Junior Minister not reporting to a Cabinet Minister.
The Indian Constitution caps the maximum number of Ministers at 15% of the total members of Lok Sabha i.e. at 81. Currently, under Prime Minister Modi the strength of the UCoM is at 66.
Over the past 25 years, starting with Sri PV Narasimha Rao’s ministry, this is how the number of ministers in each ministry changed:
So historically, even though we were not in the digital world of today, we were able to live with a fewer number of ministers. When PM Modi said “minimum government, maximum governance” many, including yours truly, definitely did not think his ministry would be so huge. In many other countries of the world, particularly if one looks at “developed” world, then barring UK, rest have pretty small ministries.
USA has 23; Australia has 30; Israel has 30. United Kingdom has 109 [including secretaries and under-secretaries]. This shows that numbers doesn’t necessarily mean better. It doesn’t also necessarily mean worse.
In this day and age when much of our work is being digitized and everyday many processes are becoming digital, it is imperative that we take a step back and look at consolidating many of the UCoM.
The following is what I would do, if I were to do it. Of course, there are far more intelligent people than me who can come up with a better way to amalgamate the UCoM.
Portfolio |
Amalgamated Ministries |
Prime Minister |
|
Minister of Home Affairs |
|
Minister of External Affairs |
Minister of External Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs |
Minister of Finance |
Minister of Finance, Commerce and Industry |
Minister of Defence |
|
Minister of Railways |
|
Minister of Urban Development |
Minister of Urban Development, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation |
Minister for Transport |
Minister for Transport, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Minister of Shipping, Minister of Civil Aviation |
Minister of Law and Justice |
|
Minister for Water Resources |
Minister for Water Resources, Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation |
Minister of Minority Affairs |
|
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development |
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Panchayat Raj, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare |
Minister for Health |
Minister for Health, Minister Of Health and Family Welfare, Minister of Women and Child Development, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution |
Minister for Energy |
Minister for Energy, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Minister of Power, Minister of Coal, Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Minister of Mines |
Minister for Enterprises |
Minister for Enterprises, Minister of Food Processing Industries, Minister of Steel, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises |
Minister of Human Resource Development |
Minister of Human Resource Development, Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister of Tribal Affairs, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment |
Minister of Science and Technology |
Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology |
Minister of Public Grievances |
With the consolidation of Ministries the remaining can be disbanded. A few of these vestiges are:
It would also do India a whole lot of good in the long run if some of these disbanded ministries were to be recreated as agencies. For example, the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change can be replaced by a nodal agency on the lines of Environmental Protection Agency [5], the Department of Space folded into the premier institute of ISRO, a separate Sports Development Agency manned by real sportsmen supported by the Government instead of genuine sportsmen/women being undercut by “babus” etc.
For far too long we have been thinking inside of the box created in an age when information flow was slow, restricted and filtered. The digital age has ripped apart these barriers and the Government is getting unfettered and raw information from its citizens from all quarters of the country. So a real “smart” PMO would actually will not need so many ministers to implement its policies.
Given that Modi has shown the gumption to take on status quo which has existed since 1947, it is quintessential that he tackles the amalgamation too. While at it, he should also start thinking about getting the correct horses for courses i.e. getting technocrats as either Ministers or at the very least as supporting cast for the Ministers. At the end of the day, it is he who will get both brickbats and bouquets. If not Modi, then who can bell the cat?
References:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_the_United_States#Current_Cabinet_and_Cabinet-rank_officials
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_government_ministers_of_Sri_Lanka
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Turnbull_Ministry
- https://www3.epa.gov/
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