Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first mega cabinet reshuffle in his second term will be the ‘youngest-ever’, with record representation of OBCs, SCs and STs plus more women. It is expected that the new cabinet to be announced today at 6pm, will place special emphasis on the representation of ‘soshit, pidit, vanchhit and adivasi’ (the underprivileged and tribal communities), sources informed.
A record number of Schedule Castes will also be represented on the council, and about 24 ministers from Other Backward Classes (OBC) will also be inducted. It is the government’s plan to provide a representation of even the smallest communities, with a focus on each state and its relevant regions. There will be an increased representation of women in the council, and the average age of the leaders will be the lowest in the history of Independent India, the sources said. In addition, the sources said that special attention will be given to including people with administrative experience, either at the state or federal level.
Earlier this week, Narendra Modi’s meeting with top ministers and the BJP chief at his residence at 5pm on Tuesday had been postponed amid growing speculation about a cabinet reshuffle later in the week. It is expected that BJP chief JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and party national general secretary BL Santhosh will be present at the meeting.
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Following a series of interactions during the first two weeks of June, PM Modi said he would focus on the performance of the various ministries in light of the massive challenges posed by Covid-19, which has wreaked havoc across the country in its second wave. Both cabinet and ministers of state are expected to attend these meetings. Meetings generally last between three and five hours. Modi met with numerous BJP leaders, including those who represent farmers, youth, SC/ST and women. His next meeting was with the party’s general secretaries.
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