uttarakhand cabinet minister arvind pandey

‘Young’ ministers raring to work for Uttarakhand’s youth

Three “young” ministers, who are below 50 years of age, in the state’s new government are gearing up to resolve issues being faced by youngsters -- a section of voters the ruling BJP wooed big way during campaigning

Three “young” ministers, who are below 50 years of age, in the state’s new government are gearing up to resolve issues being faced by youngsters -- a section of voters the ruling BJP wooed big way during campaigning.

Three ministers are Arvind Pandey (45), Rekha Arya (38) and Dhan Singh Rawat (47). Pandey holds cabinet rank while Arya and Rawat are ministers of state.

Unlike the erstwhile Harish Rawat government, several of the newly-inducted ministers are relatively younger in age. Average age of 10 ministers is 54 years, in what is perhaps resonant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s preference for younger leaders.

“My effort will be to work for issues being faced by youngsters. Most important ones being lack of employment in the hills, skill development and setting up of small-scale industries in rural areas to prevent migration,” Arya, the MLA from Someshwar in Almora district, told HT.

The state’s youngest minister said she’ll chalk out a “detailed strategy” to deal with the issues once portfolios (departments) are distributed among ministers.

uttarakhand cabinet minister arvind pandey

Arvind Pandey, a fourth-time MLA, said: “Young blood will reflect in our (young ministers’) style of functioning.”