Portfolio allocation: Fadnavis goes Modi way

A look at the portfolio allocation to ministers by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shows he is serious about his commitment to provide "maximum governance and minimum government."

Synergy is the operative word in allocation of portfolios as seen from several cases where many ministers handled portfolios of related subjects.

For instance, there were earlier separate ministers for school and higher education, medical education and sports and youth welfare. Now, to ensure better coordination, the new government has entrusted the job to a single minister, in this case Vinod Tawde.

Tawde said he has been given charge of human resource development. Notably, there was no concept of a HRD ministry earlier in the state.

Similarly, tribal development and social justice, which earlier had two ministers, will now be handled by a single minister.

Though this arrangement is till further expansion of the ministry, a senior bureaucrat said the new approach is cohesive and will help focus energy and resources in a much more productive manner.

Revenue and agriculture portfolios will be handled by a single minister, in this case by senior leader Eknath Khadse. These are related departments, but earlier had separate ministers apparently to "accommodate" aspirants.

Khadse will also handle animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries, which earlier had separate minister.

The most significant change has come with the decision of Fadnavis to keep Home portfolio with himself.

By limiting the number of ministers to 10, Fadnavis has also raised hopes in the Shiv Sena camp that there may still be scope for the former allies to work together in the new regime, where the BJP has usurped Sena's role of the 'Big Brother'.

Meanwhile, following criticism of a lavish swearing-in ceremony at Wankhede stadium, Fadnavis, adopting austerity measures, flew to Nagpur by a scheduled flight in economy class instead of using a government aircraft.