Man for all reasons: Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of Railways, Comms & IT

From trusted bureaucrat, to Wharton, MNC executive to businessman, and now politician, the man in charge of two weighty ministries is a unique all-rounder with specialist knowledge

In March this year, Parliament passed The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021. It didn’t attract much notice, though it should have. It allowed for the first-time captive mine owners the option to sell up to 50 per cent of the production of all minerals in the open market. What caught the attention of the senior members of government was the speech by a young Rajya Sabha member who in 30 minutes demolished all opposition to the Bill, using no verbosity but a mass of facts. He began his speech with the disclaimer that he had business