Four ministers, three parties begin work on rural development

Three political parties and four ministers, three of them first-time MPs, are sharing the Ministry of Rural Development, which probably means the most to the government in terms of Budget allocations, as well as recognition for its work for the aam aadmi. Two decisions have already been taken, such as revamping the drinking supply scheme and redrafting the Relief and Rehabilitation Bill and the Land Acquisition Act Amendment Bill.

Agatha Sangma, the youngest minister in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government, is sharing space with Trinamool Congress MP and former school teacher, Sisir Adhikari, and first-time Congress MP from Jhansi, Pradeep Jain — all of them under Union Minister for Rural Development C P Joshi.

 

The four of them make one cosy team, having endless hours of discussion with key bureaucrats on various flagship schemes, though it is another matter that the two Congress ministers share between them the key schemes of the ministry, leaving the most low-profile departments to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Trinamool ministers.

While Sangma is handling the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Adhikari is entrusted with the Department of Land Resources, both being two of the low-profile departments of the ministry. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), the Indira Awas Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana under the Department of Rural Development are shared by the two Congress ministers.

So far, the ministry has taken two important decisions. Yesterday, Joshi cleared the decision to redraft the Land Acquisition Act Amendment Bill and the Relief and Rehabilitation Bill, both of which were spiked in Parliament in the previous government.

The Trinamool Congress, which has been vocal about the rights of displaced villagers and farmers, wants to have a say when the draft is redone. However, no drafting committee has been set up yet.

The ministry has also decided to revamp the drinking water supply scheme, which has been a damp squib in the last decade.

Joshi, however, declined to comment on any of these as he kept himself busy with bureaucrats in discussing other schemes, mainly NREGS, and how they could be changed for the better. “I will not speak on any scheme or decisions till June 30,” Joshi told Business Standard today.

Asked about the division of work, he said, pointing at the three ministers of state sitting with him: “We are all working together on everything.”

Sangma and Adhikari have found offices in Krishi Bhawan, while Pradeep Jain managed to get an office only in Nirman Bhawan.

Ironically, while officials of the ministry sit in Krishi Bhawan, those of land resources and water supply departments sit in Nirman Bhawan. This will create a lot of delays as bureaucrats would have to shuttle between different buildings to meet their ministers, officials said.

Sources in the ministry said it was tough getting office space in Krishi Bhawan and some of the ministers literally grabbed whatever space they could get.

The sources also said that Sangma being given just water supply might want to have some more subjects notably Capart and National Institute of Rural Development under her if she is to make any impact in the North East from where she has been elected. Similarly Adhikari has to be content with the department of land reforms which is the least visible section of the ministry. The work of the deparmtnet is important but no one gets to know about it. If there are 50 Government sponsored advertisements on NREGP in a year, there are just two on land reforms, while there is just one release to publicize the annual President’s award for Nirmal Gram on rural sanitation, says a ministry official.

Pradeep Jain of the Congress has on his shoulders the bulk of the department of rural development including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sampoorna Grameen Swarojgar Yojna Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna and Indira Awas Yojana besides Capart and NIRD.

Whether this will cause any heart burn among the non Congress ministers is yet to be seen.