New Delhi: Narendra Damodardas Modi is India's 15th Prime Minister. Modi and his ministers took oath at a magnificent ceremony in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday evening.
The election campaign is over and there is no scope for rabblerousing speeches. It is time to get down to serious business and deliver. Narendra Modi's government has huge challenges at both the domestic and external level as it takes charge.
Here is a list of some key challenges in managing the affairs of the new government:
Finance Ministry: The new finance minister has to contain inflation, slowdown in the economy and stabilise the volatile rupee. These things are being blamed for the undoing of the previous UPA government.
He will also have to simply tax laws as promised by the BJP in its manifesto. The entire country is looking at the Finance Ministry, hoping that it will revive the sluggish economy. Narendra Modi also made it the main issue during his campaign.
How will his government handle the economic situation? One has to wait till the Union Budget, likely to be presented sometime in June. If he manages the economy, most of the other issues will be resolved on their own.
Defence Ministry: The morale of armed forces is low. The open war in the Army over General VK Singh's age, almost a dozen accidents in the Navy, delay in procurement of arms and ammunitions seem to have demoralised the services in the recent years. Lifting the morale of the forces would be the first major task of the next defence minister. The PM is expected to personally oversee all major issues related to the Defence ministry.
Home Ministry: In the last 10 years, except for the tenure of P Chidamabaram, the Home Ministry has been in the news mostly for wrong reasons. Both Shivraj Patil and Sushil Kumar Shinde had caused a lot of embarrassment for the previous government.
Containing terrorism to Naxal threats should be the top priority of the new government. Home Ministry also handles the most important and sensitive issue of Centre-State relations. If some non-BJP/NDA states take a confrontationist position with the Centre, the new home minister's skills will be tested.
External Affairs Ministry: Inviting all the SAARC heads of states to his swearing-in is being hailed as a masterstroke by Narendra Modi. India's relations with most of neighbouring countries are not good. Several issues have strained the relationship. The MEA will also have to strike a fine balance between both East and West. Insiders believe that Modi will free MEA from its obsession with Pakistan and America.
Africa, South and East Asia along with South America will the big challenges for the new government. In all these regions, India's interest clash with China's.
Agriculture: The Agriculture Ministry is facing numerous challenges. Under Sharad Pawar, it failed to reform its structure and respond to modern day challenges. Since Modi talks a lot about 'big push' in the agriculture sector, one can expect some radical changes. It also depends on external factors like monsoon and changes in weather etc. Several states have reported declining yields and new techniques, seeds and ideas are needed to rejuvenate this sector. The country awaits a second Green Revolution.
Ministry of Environment and Forest: This ministry has been in the news only for wrong reasons for the past 15 years. The scams, allegations of serious corruption and not taking a decision on clearing major projects have hit the image of the ministry very badly. As Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi had attacked the policy paralysis of the ministry many times. According to insiders he is already ready with a blueprint to make the ministry more transparent and pro-active. Even the corporate sector is also hoping that the situation will change under the new government.
Railways and Civil Aviation: Both the ministries need an urgent overhauling. Railways is facing a huge shortage of funds and most of its modernisation and expansion works are progressing at a snails pace. The condition of the Civil Aviation is even worse and national carrier Air India continues to bleed. If Narendra Modi strictly applies his 'minimum government and maximum governance' mantra to these two key infrastructure ministries, the country can expect better Railways and better aviation facilities.
Highways is another key ministry, which failed to deliver under the UPA government. Most of the National Highways work has been halted and the conditions of the roads have also been very bad. Modi is likely to take up road building works in a big way.
Rural Development Ministry: UPA's government's flagship schemes like MNREGA etc are being handled by this crucial ministry. As some critics say it was functioning more like an NGO and not like a government ministry under ministers like CP Joshi and Jairam Ramesh. Modi is expected to make some radical changes in the functioning of the ministry.
Ministries like Social Justice, Tribal Affairs, North East Affairs, Law, Commerce, Sports, Youth Affairs, Human Resources Development, Information and Broadcasting, Science and Technology are also waiting for a complete overhaul.
If the new government takes serious measures, the country can expect positive results in the next months. If it happens, New Year 2015 will not only be good for the Modi government but also for India.
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