Ministers who matter for India’s auto sector

While all eyes were on who prime minister Narendra Modi would choose as his finance minister, and all the media speculation that it would be Arun Jaitley did turn out to be accurate, there are other ministers whose policy decisions will impact the auto sector. These are the ministers appointed to head the portfolios of industry, roads and surface transport, and oil and gas.

The heavy industries and public enterprises minister in the new government is Anant Geethe who was also in the Vajpayee government. His predecessor, Praful Patel, had been one of those behind the national mission on hybrids and electric vehicles. It remains to be seen what push the new incumbent gives the Automotive Mission Plan.

The road transport, highways and shipping portfolio has been given to Nitin Gadkari who oversaw the construction of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Reportedly, he told a TV channel on the morning after his appointment that he would attempt to double the road network and take forward the work that was done under the Golden Quadrilateral.

Both industry and road transport also have ministers of state. In the Indian scheme of things, a minister of state is a junior minister in the council of ministers appointed to assist a cabinet minister or have independent charge of a ministry.

Another key minister for the auto sector may well be minister of state, Dharmendra Pradhan who gets independent charge of petroleum and natural gas.

Photograph: The president, Pranab Mukherjee and the vice-president, Mohammed Hamid Ansari with prime minister Narendra Modi and the other members of the Council of Ministers after the swearing-in ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on May 26. (Press Information Bureau)