After serving as the HRD minister for two years, Smriti Irani took charge of the Ministry of Textiles yesterday.
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Posing questions for Javadekar, who will assume his role as the HRD Minister tomorrow, Kanhaiya asked if he will resolve the issues that Irani failed to solve, which included the removal of FTII Chairman Gajendra Chauhan and the increase in the budget of the New Education Policy.
Ms Javadekar, who was flanked by ministers of state for HRD Upendra Kushwaha and Mahen-dra Pandey, said that there are ample opportunities as well as challenges in the sector on which they will work jointly.
Irani preferred to sidestep questions on controversies surrounding her tenure in the HRD Ministry and said: “I feel your (media’s) heavy presence here at the Textiles Ministry shows that you and I will continue to be together”.
On her new assignment, Irani said that textiles is one of the most important sectors that has the potential “to employ and skill and to scale up the Prime Minister’s dream of Make in India”. Citing this, Irani said the PM saw her capable of implementing his vision.
Modi effected a major cabinet expansion and reshuffle on Tuesday, inducting 19 new faces while changing several portfolios.
“I want to assure all the teachers across the country that we all will chalk out the road map of India’s new eductation policy and education has to be student-centric”.
Irani, who had come under heavy fire in the controversies surrounding the suicide of Hyderabad University scholar Rohith Vemula and the sedition row at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, will now take charge as Textiles Minister. “I would only say that “Kuchh to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna” (People will talk, it is their business)”.
Radhika’s younger son Raja Vemula said, “We don’t expect the new HRD minister to be any better …”
Javadekar had said on Wednesday, that dialogue is the key to avoid agitations. He also met ministry officers on the same day to take stock of the pending projects and challenges.
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“I value everyone’s opinion and at the same time we will have a larger discussion on it. My doors will be open for any suggestion”, he said. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry was earlier with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
