3 Apr, 2007
PATNA: Decks are being cleared for the much-awaited expansion of the 16-month-old Nitish cabinet. The merger of some departments on Saturday affecting some ministers is being viewed as a prelude to prune the number of departments as recommended by the Bihar State Administrative Reforms Commission (BSARC). Under the constitutional amendment, the maximum number of ministers must not exceed 15 per cent of the strength of the state assembly. Accordingly, there can be a maximum of 36 ministers in Bihar. Currently, the strength of the state cabinet is 27, including chief minister, thus leaving scope for nine more ministers. Of these, five will go to BJP and four to JD(U) under the coalition arrangement. Sources close to the chief minister said the restructuring process had been set in motion in the beginning of the year itself. "The expansion will take place very soon," the sources said adding that the reshuffle could see several existing portfolios under new heads. The exercise of the merger and bringing down the number of government departments from the present 47 to 36 will also affect some ministers. Some ministers have already been deprived of some departments they had been holding so far. Some more may also lose their departments following the ongoing restructuring. One of the ministers deprived of a particular department said: "Several ministers will face a similar situation once the process has been completed." Under the plan, the tourism department may be attached with the art, culture and youth affairs department. Transport will no longer be a separate department as it is likely to be tagged with the excise and prohibition and registration department. The new merged wing will be known as the revenue resources department.Incidentally, the registration wing has already been attached with excise and prohibition. In the animal husbandry and fisheries department, birds have also been included. Similarly, the commission has recommended clubbing mines and geology with forests and environment. Rajbhasha will come under the personnel and administrative reforms department. It has also been suggested that the parliamentary affairs department be merged with the cabinet secretariat. The bifurcation of the welfare department has already been been done as per the recommendation of BSARC. While some bodies related to education have already been scrapped, some more like the Bureau for Public Enterprises, Citizen's Council, Government Press in Patna and Gaya and the Hindi Promotion Board may also meet the same fate. BSARC has also recommended closing down most of the boards and corporations that have been in red for decades. This will put an end to the practice of nominating ruling party legislators as chairmen of various boards with ministerial status.
PATNA: Decks are being cleared for the much-awaited expansion of the 16-month-old Nitish cabinet. The merger of some departments on Saturday affecting some ministers is being viewed as a prelude to prune the number of departments as recommended by the Bihar State Administrative Reforms Commission (BSARC). Under the constitutional amendment, the maximum number of ministers must not exceed 15 per cent of the strength of the state assembly. Accordingly, there can be a maximum of 36 ministers in Bihar. Currently, the strength of the state cabinet is 27, including chief minister, thus leaving scope for nine more ministers. Of these, five will go to BJP and four to JD(U) under the coalition arrangement. Sources close to the chief minister said the restructuring process had been set in motion in the beginning of the year itself. "The expansion will take place very soon," the sources said adding that the reshuffle could see several existing portfolios under new heads. The exercise of the merger and bringing down the number of government departments from the present 47 to 36 will also affect some ministers. Some ministers have already been deprived of some departments they had been holding so far. Some more may also lose their departments following the ongoing restructuring. One of the ministers deprived of a particular department said: "Several ministers will face a similar situation once the process has been completed." Under the plan, the tourism department may be attached with the art, culture and youth affairs department. Transport will no longer be a separate department as it is likely to be tagged with the excise and prohibition and registration department. The new merged wing will be known as the revenue resources department.Incidentally, the registration wing has already been attached with excise and prohibition. In the animal husbandry and fisheries department, birds have also been included. Similarly, the commission has recommended clubbing mines and geology with forests and environment. Rajbhasha will come under the personnel and administrative reforms department. It has also been suggested that the parliamentary affairs department be merged with the cabinet secretariat. The bifurcation of the welfare department has already been been done as per the recommendation of BSARC. While some bodies related to education have already been scrapped, some more like the Bureau for Public Enterprises, Citizen's Council, Government Press in Patna and Gaya and the Hindi Promotion Board may also meet the same fate. BSARC has also recommended closing down most of the boards and corporations that have been in red for decades. This will put an end to the practice of nominating ruling party legislators as chairmen of various boards with ministerial status.
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