Chandrababu strikes a balance with portfolios

 Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who formed a cabinet with a mix of young and old team of ministers on Friday, announced the portfolios. There are 18 new faces and first time ministers. Naidu apparently felt that the new minds will come up with new ideas and will be able to strive hard to deliver the assurances given by the NDA alliance during the elections.

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, who played a key role in firming up the alliance in the state, will be the Deputy Chief Minister and he has been given the portfolios of Panchayat Raj, Rural Development & Rural Water Supply, Environment, Forest, Science and Technology.

This is one of the key portfolios and a subject that is close to Pawan’s heart. It may be recalled that the rural roads in the state are in the worst condition as the previous government failed to even fill the potholes. Another major problem that was highlighted during the campaign was rural water supply.

Environment is one subject which is close to Pawan’s heart.

Naidu also took another major decision to merge school to college education into one department and named it as Human Resources Department. Normally only the Centre has an HRD ministry. It may be recalled that Lokesh during his Yuva Galam padayatra had promised that he will bring in radical reforms in the education system from KG to PG. Along with that he has been given IT, a sector in which he had proved his mettle in the TDP government between 2014-2019 and real time governance.

P Narayana, who played the most important role in land pooling in Amaravati for construction of capital in the previous TDP regime, has been once again given MAUD indicating that the works on the capital city would get top priority.

Being an agriculture based state and also one of the major states in terms of animal husbandry and fisheries, Atchannaidu has been given the responsibility to focus on bringing smiles on the faces of farmers and also develop cooperation and Marketing which can be the backbone of state economy.

Finance is the most important department under the present circumstances as the state is in a heavy debt trap and the worst financial situation where even employees are not paid salaries by the first of every month. This was one of the major poll issues. Payyavula Keshav who though is a first time minister has vast experience in finance matters both as MLA and PAC chairman.

BJP MLA Satya Kumar Yadav gets another key portfolio Health. Satya Kumar wanted a portfolio which would keep him connected with people. Another reason is that he is close to the central leadership in Delhi and can use his good offices in getting funds for developing the health sector.

Kollu Ravindra with Mines and Excise will have a great role in revamping the department which is facing several controversies into a highest revenue earning department. The government would soon come up with a new excise policy. Ravindra was the excise minister in the past as well.

Nadendla Manohar is another first time minister though he was the Speaker of the Assembly in undivided AP. He has been given Food and civil supplies, consumer affairs, a department which was in controversy during the YSRCP regime.

Naidu gave the home department to Vangalapudi Anita. The practice of giving Home to women started with the YSR government and is being continued.

Angani Satyaprasad, who has been a hardcore loyalist, has been given the Revenue department. Another youngster Kandula Durgesh gets Tourism. This is one department which is close to Naidu’s heart.

Another young MLA T G Bharat, who has strong background in Industries as he himself is an industrialist from Kurnool, has been given the portfolio of industries.

Similarly, Gottipati Ravikumar gets power. This is another key portfolio as one of the main requirements for any industry to be set is 24x7 power supply.