PM Modi reviews performance before rejig

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday undertook an exhaustive review of all Union ministries’ budgetary allocations and the actual amounts spent by them on key programmes under their individual jurisdictions. The meeting came amid heightened speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle may take place anytime in July.

Though the Prime Minister normally meets his council of ministers in the last week of every month to review the performance of Central ministries, sources aware of the development said that at Thursday’s nearly-five-hour meeting he focused on the budgetary spends of all ministries in the last two years and went through detailed PowerPoint presentations.

It is learnt that the Prime Minister will conduct budgetary spending review meetings of all ministries after every quarter. The meeting heightened speculation that the reshuffle may happen soon, especially since it came a day after Mr Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had a five-hour meeting. The Modi-Shah meeting is learnt to have discussed the possibilities of cutting and pruning the Union Cabinet.

Whenever the exercise takes place, the unwritten age bar of 75 years would mean that minority affairs minister Najma Heptullah and micro, small and medium enterprises minister Kalraj Mishra may face the axe. While Ms Heptullah turned 75 last year, Mr Mishra attains that age on July 1. Other ministers who may be replaced are environment minister Prakash Javadekar and health minister J.P. Nadda. Their names have been routinely doing the rounds ever since speculation of a reshuffle gained ground.

With the Uttar Pradesh elections due next year, some leaders from the state may be included in the Union Cabinet. Yogi Adityanath’s name, too, is doing the rounds.

Incidentally, in Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday expanded his Cabinet, inducting four ministers and five ministers of state, while two senior ministers — Babulal Gaur and Sartaj Singh — were dropped, reportedly because of their age.

While Babulal Gaur, 85, was state home minister, Sartaj Singh, 76, held the PWD portfolio. Both resigned following instructions from the BJP high-command before the oath-taking ceremony.