Handed over key departments which were earlier headed by senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, newly inducted ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj have their work cut out for them.
Over the past year, since Jain was arrested in May last year, work in key departments such as education and health has seen a slump. Because the G20 Summit is to be held in Delhi in September, and several meetings before that will also take place, the focus for the government has been on the public works department.
Advertisement
The department, which was headed by Jain till May last year, when he was arrested, was later transferred to Sisodia. It will now be headed by Atishi.
“For Atishi, who has been working on education alongside Manish ji since 2015, the tougher challenge will be handling PWD and power. These have been Satyendar Jain’s key domains since 2015,” said a party leader.
With summer around, making sure that Delhi does not face power cuts will be a big challenge. Added to this will be the pressure to make sure that the several infrastructure development projects started to ensure road redevelopment and beautification ahead of the G20 Summit are delivered on time.
Advertisement
For Bharadwaj, who was the DJB vice-chairperson before being appointed minister, dealing with an impending water crisis in the city will be a big challenge. With deficient rains in several parts of the country this year, the summer is expected to be hot and taps are likely to run dry. He has also been given the responsibility of running an entirely unfamiliar department — health. “Over the past few years, Saurabh has dealt with issues such as environment, water and transport, but health is the one sector where Jain had complete control. Even when Manish ji took charge of health, several projects were delayed. This is where Saurabh will have to dedicate his energies the most as it is AAP’s showcase department,” a leader said.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia 
Share
