Even as minister Smriti Irani has 150 files piled up, she is reluctant to share tasks
Under the shadow of high profile Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani, her two junior ministers are craving for work. Even as HRD minister has over 150 files lying on her table, she is reluctant about sharing her work with the two MoS who are sitting idle inside their plush offices in Shastri Bhawan. Instead the two MoS attend to issues related to their constituency than the ministry.
“Not one file on issues that requires decision making has ever come to us. It is only once in a while that the minister goes to attend a central university function either in some north eastern states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” informed the office of Ram Shankar Katheria, MoS for higher education.
Katheria who was inducted into Modi’s cabinet in November last year, has not been a part of any important decision making meetings that involve appointments. No such file is ever been brought to his table. Katheria is known to be close to the sangh parivar. He was appointed as MoS with a view of sharing the load of higher education with Irani. However no such load sharing ever happened.
When contacted Katheria refused to comment on the issue, but his office said the minister does not wants to draw any controversies. “The minister has other important works in his area, that keep him occupied,” said his office.
With Irani having too many things on her plate, posts of directors and heads of IITs and IIITs are lying vacant. Names have been submitted to the minister for over a month now. But we are yet to hear from her,” said a senior official of the ministry.
Like Katheria, MoS for school education Upendra Kushwaha too has very little contribution in the ministry. “No policy related or appointment related files ever come to us. It travels only between the minister and the secretary,” informed his office. With Bihar elections approaching, Kushwaha who is an MP from the state is now busy with the affairs of the state than the ministry.
The only files that reach Kushwaha’s table are those related to parliamentary queries. The minister is occasionally present on events organised by the ministry. “The last function that the minister had attended was on the launch of Shala Darpan for the government schools,” informed his office.
However things were different during UPA government. When Kapil Sibal was the HRD minister, his MoS Shashi Tharoor was completely hands on with the affairs of school education. “Then decisions were taken, now files continue to be with the minister for months. We don’t know if she is not able to decide or she has too much of responsibility that keeps the files pending,” said an officer of the ministry on grounds of anonymity.
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