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| Grapes are sour, none should eat | | Harsh Dev says downsize ministry to 15 % | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Dec 3: When Harsh Dev Singh of the Panthers Party and another colleague of his party were ministers in the Mufti led jumbo sized ministry everything went well including the size of government and the expenditure incurring thereupon. However, after a long wait for the re-induction when doors are completely shut on any such possibility for the 'Panthers' during present ruling arrangement, the well learned legislator is now working on a 'proposed legislation' seeking to further downsize the government.
The present ministry in Jammu and Kashmir has 21 ministers including the Chief Minister. After legislation enacted in December 2005, the upper limit of the ministry strength was capped at 25 –which is 20 per cent of the combined strength of both Houses. Interestingly, when Harsh Dev was a Minister, the Mufti government at one point of time had 38 Ministers and a dozen other enjoying the status of either Cabinet Minister or Minister of State.
Now being out of the government, the Panthers Party has decided to table bill in the budget session of the state legislature seeking approval of the House for extending the central law, providing for restricting the size of the council of ministers to 15 per cent of the size of the Assembly.
In this connection Harsh Dev said that the move of the Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, to expand the council of ministers ,which was not required at all. He said that amendment to the central law carried out by the ruling coalition was aimed at providing gainful employment to political leaders. He explained that for a state like Jammu and Kashmir, which has to bank on the central financial support, expansion of the council of ministers, could be another burden because about Rs. two crores are spent on each minister annually.
Harsh Dev Singh explained that under the existing Act the state could have 20 per cent of the number of members of the two houses. He said as such the state could have 24 ministers. At present "we have 21 and three to four were to be added which means we are doubling the size of the ministry because if we follow the central law there should be only a 12-member of council of ministers." |
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