HRD ministry's HR problem

The resignation of Union Cabinet ministers from the Andhra region protesting against the creation of Telangana has created a piquant situation for at least one ministry. Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister M M Pallam Raju, who requested the prime minister to accept his resignation, subsequently made it public that he would not be attending office. This may not have mattered much except that he was scheduled to chair a high-profile annual event of the ministry. This is a day-long meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) that is attended by all state education ministers as well as dignitaries from various disciplines (Tata's J J Irani and Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar Shaw were once nominated members of CABE). Given the importance of the event, it is scheduled way in advance. With Pallam Raju's sudden unavailability, ministry officials have had no option but to ask his junior minister Jitin Prasada to step in. But even this change has created tediously tricky issues of protocol. Ministry officials now also have to make sure that protocols are respected and anyone who is senior in rank to a minister of state is duly informed that the HRD minister will not be present.