Although Prime Minister Modi's meticulous restructuring exercises of his cabinet almost two-thirds of the way into the term of the BJP-led coalition government at the Center cannot but be seen as a ‘corporate-style' performance assessment of his council of ministers with the necessary ‘perks' thrown in for the go-getters, it has been the tactical approach and the breaking of conventions that has described the politics of the cabinet rejig this once. While the induction of a former diplomat, an ex- Police Commissioner and two former bureaucrats indicates Modi's focus on professionalism and administrative experience, not to mention the ‘rarely attempted' appointment of a woman as the Defence Minister of the country, it is the prudence in entrusting the Union Sports Ministry to an individual who has had the distinction of representing the country several times in various international meets besides winning laurels for his achievements with a podium stand. With Olympic silver-medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the helm in the sports ministry, the much cherished dream of many sportspersons and fans alike of having one from their ‘fraternity' holding the top sports spot in the country stands fulfilled. It is quite embarrassing to have politicians whose only claim to any sort of sporting activity was merely restricted to the hectic ‘sprinting' for votes during elections heading the sports ministry all these years. This practice of having politicians quite strangers to any type of game dominating sports and recreational activities has been the greatest impediment for the growth of sports in the country. But we now have a politician, an accomplished sportsman himself, who has taken over the stewardship of the sports ministry, the country has much more to look forward to. With responsible planning and management of resources, Rathore should be able to bring smiles on the faces of Indians for long starved of a decent tally of medals in major international events. Having experienced the travails of aspiring sportspersons in the country, the minister should well know what ails the system today.
PACHU MENON via email
