The government missed what was probably the last chance to carry out comprehensive administrative restructuring on Wednesday, mainly because politics got in the way.
The fact that the small-scale industry department was taken away from a junior minister (Vasundhara Raje) and given to a minister of Cabinet rank (CP Thakur) makes it seem as if the small-scale industry had suddenly acquired a pivotal role in the government's economic scheme of things.
However, the fact is that the move is not indicative of some new thrust that the government is going to give to the economy, but simply that Thakur wanted coal, so did Shatrughan Sinha and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had to appear to deny that crucial portfolio to both while keeping them as Cabinet ministers.
So he gave the coal ministry to Karia Munda. Similarly, the information and broadcasting ministry has been downgraded from a Cabinet ministership to one of minister of state (Independent charge) ostensibly because in the post-convergence world, information and broadcasting will become less and less important.
But the fact is, even as talented and energetic minister as Ravishankar Prasad, it was felt, was not senior enough to be elevated to the rank of Cabinet minister. This is the first time in four decades that the information and broadcasting minister does not have Cabinet rank.
What was the rationale of elevating the agro and rural industries ministry to give it to a minister with independent charge? Earlier with Nikhil Chowdhury, this ministry went to Sanghapriya Gautam on Wednesday who is a first time minister but has been given independent charge.
Similarly, a minister with independent charge of the mines ministry given to Ramesh Bais might look good on the MP's curriculum vitae, but is hard to explain.
Just why does the ministry need a minister with independent charge when a minister of state would have done equally well?
If the government had really wanted to downsize and restructure the government, it should have abolished the steel ministry--a proposal hanging fire since the early 1990s when steel was decontrolled--or merged it with coal and mines; reorganised communication, information and broadcasting and information technology; hived off public distribution from the food ministry, merging it with poverty alleviation; and further beefed up health and family welfare.
This reshuffle should also have been a chance to correct regional imbalances in the council of ministers.
Instead these imbalances have been accentuated. Bihar is over-represented beyond all proportionit now has seven ministers in the government. By contrast, West Bengal has just two ministers and the entire Northeast has just one.
The only significant change in administrative structure effected through the reshuffle was the shifting of the Department of Personnel and Training back to the home ministry.
CBI has not gone to home ministry along with DoPT possibly because CBI is investigating the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and the Liberhan Commission is enquiring into the role of Home Minister L K Advani in the circumstances surrounding the demolition.
So it was feared that the organisation's autonomy might have been threatened. But the other threat exists as well- the temptation to use CBI against errant ministers.
This reshuffle could have set that issue at rest once for all by creating a structure that would have ensured CBI's autonomy.
