Top-level sources have told India Today that the central thrust of the current expansion and reshuffle exercise is to convey the message that the Modi government is a government of the poor, OBCs, Dalits and dispossessed people of the country.
A lot of emphasis has been laid on bringing in highly qualified MBAs, PHDs and post-graduates into the central government.
In a bid to augment the administrative acumen of the central government, the Prime Minister has reached out to key technocrats to bring them into his council of ministers.
Election-bound Uttar Pradesh has been given special attention, with efforts made to ensure that there is representation from all key communities and regions.
After this expansion, there will be 25 OBC ministers in the central government, which is a testament to the Prime Minister’s desire to give representation to the smallest and most dispossessed communities.
The reshuffle will see the addition of some younger faces, which will bring down the average age of the central government.
Sources have told India Today that there will be a record representation of the Dalit community.
Special effort has been made to bring in faces who have administrative experience in the states. Some ex-CMs are being brought into the union cabinet and also leaders who have long experience as ministers in state governments.
In comparison with the present, the number of women in the cabinet will go up after this reshuffle.
