Portfolios allotted, CM keeps most, Deputy CM gets 5, Mickky 2

PANAJI: Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar allocated ministerial portfolios on Saturday afternoon, keeping the crucial portfolios of home, finance, mines, and education to himself. Parsekar, in addition to personnel, and vigilance, will look after any other departments or subjects not allotted to others.
Deputy CM, Francis D’Souza, who created a crisis-like situation in the party 10 days ago when he staked his claim to the CM’s post, has been given, as addition, the heavyweight, albeit tough ministries of town and country planning (TCP) and health, along with law.Retaining revenue and urban development, he ends up with the second-highest number of portfolios after Parsekar. TCP and law were earlier held by Parrikar, while health was with Parsekar.
Whether D’Souza has been rewarded or not is not clear, as it will be a challenge for him to resolve the Regional Plan 2021 issue, which Parrikar had put on the backburner, say analysts. He will have to do a lot of tightrope walking in the formulation of RP 2021.
Despite BJP’s 2012 manifesto promise to scrap the RP 2021 and bring in a new one in its place, the government has failed to act on it.
The portfolio distribution exercise has been a fine balancing act in which Parsekar has ensured most of his cabinet ministers retained the major portfolios they held under erstwhile CM and present Union defence minister, Manohar Parrikar.
The portfolios were allotted soon after Navelim MLA (independent) Avertano Furtado, and Nuvem MLA, Goa Vikas Party (GVP) supremo Francisco ‘Mickky’ Pacheco, were sworn into the week-old Parsekar cabinet by governor Mridula Sinha at Raj Bhavan, Dona Paula. Furtado took the oath in Konkani, while Pacheco preferred English.
Parsekar’s balancing act, observed political analysts, is on account of the resentment within the BJP over the induction of two non-BJP ministers. Till two days ago, BJP’s Sakhali MLA, Pramod Sawant, was tipped to be inducted into the cabinet, but the party think-tank felt it better to bring in Pacheco as part of BJP’s ‘Mission Salcete’ and in view of the 2017 assembly polls. Aware of the possible resentment, Parsekar did not alter the key portfolios of the BJP ministers.
On the coalition side, MGP’s Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavalikar has been relieved of one portfolio—cooperation, but retains factories and boilers, craftsmen training, and has been given printing and stationery additionally. Older brother Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar has retained all his four old portfolios of public works department (PWD), transport, river navigation, and non-conventional energy.
Furtado too will continue with his earlier ministries of fisheries, labour and employment, and has now been given the NRI portfolio held earlier by D’Souza. Two days ago, the BJP cleared Furtado’s name much to the disappointment of supporters of Velim (independent) MLA Benjamin Silva. In March 2012, when BJP took the support of the two independent MLAs, Silva was promised a ministerial berth in the second half of the assembly term.
When contacted, Silva said, “I am happy that Furtado and Pacheco have been inducted into the cabinet. Several other MLAs were also hoping to find a berth in the cabinet; I, too, had placed the demand. But, after all, it’s the discretion of the BJP, and I am not disappointed, as my ultimate aim is development of my constituency. I am sure the new CM will usher in more development.”
Newly-inducted minister, Pacheco has been given the least number of portfolios—rural development, and archives and archeology. Rural development was held by his bête noir, Churchill Alemao, in the Digambar Kamat-led Congress government.
Power problems in the state may have increased over the last two years but Milind Naik retains the power portfolio along with state electrical inspectorate, and information and publicity. He has been additionally given legal metrology and official language.
Dilip Parulekar will continue to hold tourism, women and child development, protocol, and in addition, ports.
Dayanand Mandrekar has got the new portfolio of Panchayati Raj which was earlier with Parsekar, in addition to his old portfolios of water resources, civil supplies and price control, and art and culture.
Alina Saldanha will continue with her old portfolios of forests and environment, and museum.
Ramesh Tawadkar seems to have been rewarded as he has been given agriculture, and animal husbandry and veterinary services. In addition, he will hold his earlier portfolios of sports and youth affairs, and tribal welfare. It is seen as an attempt to placate the tribals who had supported BJP in the 2012 election, but later showed some resentment.
Mahadev Naik has got industries, handicrafts textile coir, social welfare, and cooperation.
Asked if BJP leaders had consulted him before finalizing the cabinet, Porvorim (independent) MLA Rohan Khaunte said they had consulted only BJP party MLAs and not others. Commenting on the induction of Furtado, Khaunte said Furtado was a minister in the previous cabinet and should have been inducted in the first batch itself. “Now he has been very justly inducted. It is a good thing, but we have to see the overall performance of the government in a month or two,” said Khaunte.