Cabinet Reshuffle: 7 Women Ministers Inducted Into PM Modi’s Union Council. It’s Not Enough
For those interested in politics and women empowerment, the Huma Qureshi starrer Maharani on Sony LIV is a nice treat. One of my favourite moments in the show is when Huma’s Rani Bharti attends her first cabinet meeting after being appointed interim CM, and tells the CM’s second-in-command, “Why did you make me the Chief Minister of a cabinet that is only made up of men?” She says it quite naïvely, but there’s a very harsh truth in her words. We don’t see enough female politicians elected to positions of power. That was the 1990s. And this is 2021 where, before the reshuffle, there were a mere five cabinet and council ministers who were women. However, the cabinet reshuffle has kicked things up a notch. Modi Cabinet 2.0 has inducted seven new female ministers into the Union Council of Ministers, bringing the total up to 11.
Cabinet expansion: Women ministers in PM Modi's team don handloom sarees, reflect India's sartorial diversity
Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/DKsx7Sdqgp pic.twitter.com/bUN8hDkX3s
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) July 7, 2021
From the pre-shuffled cabinet, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also holds the additional charge of Ministry of Corporate Affairs remains untouched. As for Smriti Irani, she has been relieved of the portfolio of Ministry of Textile but will continue to hold the charge of Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD).
Additionally, BJP leader Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti continues to remain MoS (Minister of State) in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Ministry of Rural Development. And leader Renuka Singh Saruta is MoS in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
In addition to these four, seven fresh female entrants to the cabinet include the following:
1. Dr. Bharati Pawar (MoS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)
Dr Bharati Pawar is a Lok Sabha MP from Dindori, Maharashtra and a former member of the Nashik Zila Parishad.
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar takes oath as Union Minister of State. #CabinetExpansion | #Govt4Growth pic.twitter.com/LOdHLYfjM2
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 7, 2021
2. Annpurna Devi (MoS, Ministry of Education)
Annpurna Devi is a four-time MLA and former Minister of State for Irrigation, Women and Child Welfare in Jharkhand. Currently, she’s a Lok Sabha MP from Kodarma in Jharkhand.
Annpurna Devi takes oath as Union Minister of State.#CabinetExpansion | #Govt4Growth pic.twitter.com/g4tp0ed4su
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 7, 2021
3. Meenakashi Lekhi (MoS, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Culture)
Lekhi is a former New Delhi Municipal Corporation member, currently serving her second term as a Lok Sabha MP from Delhi, and is also a Supreme Court lawyer.
Meenakashi Lekhi takes Oath as Union Minister of State@M_Lekhi #Govt4Growth pic.twitter.com/NaCrXogn5a
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 7, 2021
4. Pratima Bhoumik (MoS, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)
She is a BJP MP from Tripura West, who creates history by becoming the first resident of Tripura to become a Union Minister in India.
Pratima Bhowmik from Tripura sworn in as the union minister. #CabinetReshuffle pic.twitter.com/ZSxkrnOsQ6
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) July 7, 2021
Also Read: From Kamala Harris To Mahua Moitra: How Women Politicians Use Power Dressing To Make A Statement
5. Anupriya Singh Patel (MoS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry)
Patel is a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh and served as an MoS in the Ministry of Health during PM Narendra Modi’s first term.
Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel takes Oath as Union Minister of State#Govt4Growth pic.twitter.com/epIDNxMPsb
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 7, 2021
6. Shobha Karandlaje (MoS, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare)
The two-time BJP MP from Karnataka’s Udupi-Chikmagalur has previously held portfolios like Power, Rural Development and Food and Civil Supplies in the Karnataka government.
My heartfelt gratitude to Sri @narendramodi Ji, Sri @AmitShah Ji & Sri @jpnadda ji for reposing faith in me and shouldering such huge responsibility!
Special thanks to people of Udupi-Chikmagalur & all the well-wishers.
It's a privilege to serve Maa Bharati in new role. pic.twitter.com/99qWir23VK
— Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) July 7, 2021
7. Darshana Jardosh (MoS, Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Railways)
She is a three-time MP from Surat, Gujarat who, prior to her election to the Lok Sabha, was a corporator in the Surat Municipal Council and a member of the Gujarat Social Welfare Board.
Took charge as Minister of State (MoS) for Railways at Rail Bhawan. pic.twitter.com/3ZaorSXoto
— Darshana Jardosh (@DarshanaJardosh) July 8, 2021
With the addition of these seven women ministers, the Modi Cabinet 2.0 boasts of 11 women ministers. A huge kudos to all these women for making it into these positions.
That being said, we still think that the ratio of male politicians to female politicians is rather abysmal and needs to better. And once that happens, it doesn’t mean that everything just magically improves for the women of this country. These women in powerful positions appointed to portfolios that play a huge role in the standing of women in the society, need to overcome their own patriarchal conditioning so that they can help other women. We’ve seen too many incidents lately, (NCW, for example) of female ministers and women holding important government positions say things that are blatantly sexist, thereby propagating misogyny. What would be the point of empowerment just on paper and for photo ops, if the condition of women in India does not really improve?
Here’s hoping!
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