Manohar Parrikar

Defence

Even as his ministry successfully cracked some long-pending defence deals in 2016, India saw three major attacks on its defence establishments. The minister was also in news for his controversial comments on India's nuclear doctrine and unnecessary boosting of surgical strikes which put the government in fix several time.

Rajnath Singh

Home Affairs

Cross-border firing incidents, crackdown on 'erring' NGOs and activities of Pakistan-based terror groups kept the home ministry busy in 2016 which saw the audacious attack on Pathankot airbase. Imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and subsequent revocation by the Supreme Court in both the states, over 120 days of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani were some other issues that Singh-led ministry had to deal with.

Arun Jaitley

Finance, Corporate Affairs

The past year sparked mixed reactions for Jaitley. His government finally succeeded in passing the goods and service tax bill which is expected to be beneficial for the consumer. However, the November 8 decision of demonetisation has threatened to put India's biggest tax reform in limbo and to entrench an economic slowdown. It will be interesting to see how Jaitley will calm down things in 2017 budget which will be presented on February 1.

Sushma Swaraj

External Affairs

From saving a couple's honeymoon to coming to the rescue of a PhD scholar even when she was in hospital, Sushma continued to be a messiah for Indians living abroad and citizens in distress. Her diplomacy on Twitter saved the day for many Indians, remained the talk of the town. Not to forget her striking speech at the United Nations general assembly where she refused to mince words in slamming Pakistan for perpetrating terrorism and categorically asserted that Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India.

Suresh Prabhu

Railways

Prabhu changed the narrative of railways with high-speed trains, Wi-Fi broadband services at stations and use of digital platforms to improve passenger amenities. However, the minister has to do more on account of passenger safety. The Prabhu-led ministry also introduced flexi fare system for premier trains -- Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi -- which will increase train tickets by up to 50%. The year 2016 was also saw a railway minister giving the rail budget speech for the last time as it will be presented with general budget from 2017.

Nitin Gadkari

Road Transport and Highways, Shipping

At the start of the year, Gadkari's objective was to expand the national highway network from 96,000 kms to 200,000 kms. To achieve this, the ministry must build 41 km road per day. But so far, he has managed to raise the rate to 24 kms per day.

Thanks to several hurdles such as land acquisition, legal issues, forest and wildlife clearances delayed his many ambitious projects.

Prakash Javadekar

Human Resource Development

The Rajya Sabha MP was given the mantle of HRD from Smirti Irani in July 2016. Javadekar has not got that much time to impress by his work. But unlike his predecessor, he has successfully saved his ministry from any unnecessary controversy.

Venkaiah Naidu

Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Information and Broadcasting

2016 remained a hectic year for Naidu's ministries which succeeded in getting the real estate bill passed in Parliament and giving momentum to Swachh Bharat mission in urban areas, getting close to the half-way mark of mission targets in constructing toilets. In 2016, 9.02 lakh affordable houses for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) scheme were approved. The year also saw the selection of 60 cities in three rounds for financial assistance from the Centre to develop them as smart cities.

Piyush Goyal

Power (Independent Charge), Coal (Independent Charge), New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge), Mines (Independent Charge)

2016 was a watershed year when solar tariff slumped to Rs 4 per unit and wind projects received a major thrust. The government is set to switch gears in 2017 to make India a hub for one of the largest installations of clean energy sources by 2022. His vision and committed action in making 24×7 power availability for all as envisioned by the PM is a stellar example of how ministries should work.

Dharmendra Pradhan

Petroleum and Natural Gas, (Independent Charge)

Initially started as a 'Give It Up' campaign, the Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry headed by Dharmendra Pradhan barred LPG subsidy to customers who earn more than Rs 10 lakh per annum. The amount saved was used to give over five lakh new LPG connections to those who still use firewoods or kerosene stoves for cooking.

Ravi Shankar Prasad

Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology

Like Javadekar, Ravi Shankar Prasad got the ministry in mid-year from Sadanada Gowda. However, he had to maintain a delicate balance of 'judiciary versus executive' debate which became sharper than ever. His ministry came under constant fire from the CJI for rising vacancies in the higher judiciary. Prasad ministry also kick up a major controversy after a law panel sought public views on Uniform Civil Code.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister

The PM dominates Indian politics in a way unseen in decades. No one knows what Modi would do next. His sudden surgical strike in PoK, just after he was seen to be softening towards Pakistan, and then demonetisation, have proved he is unpredictable. His move to abolish 86% of hard currency overnight on November 8 showed that he’s willing to risk imposing hardship on millions of people to implement his vision of a modern India: Free of corruption and a tougher line against archrival Pakistan. However, reviving the economy after his surprise move will be his biggest challenge in 2017.