The new state Cabinet has been formed and portfolios allocated. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has retained finance, planning, and investment departments, besides tax & excise, state lotteries, economics & statistics, power, and non-conventional energy resources departments. Mama Natung is the new home minister, besides holding the portfolios of interstate border affairs, public health engineering & water supply, and indigenous affairs departments. The decision to allocate the education department to minister Pasang Dorjee Sona is a good move. Sona had an impeccable record as speaker of the arunachal Legislative Assembly in the last Assembly.
The education department needs a complete overhaul. The ailing education system needs innovative ideas to revamp the department. The people of the state will have major expectations from Sona to change the working culture of the department. It will not be easy and the new minister will need some time to implement his ideas. The state has new faces like Gabriel D Wangu, Ojing Tasing, Balo Raja, Kento Jini, Biyuram Wahge and Dasanglu Pul, who are all first-time ministers. They have been replaced in place of very senior leaders. The onus lies with them now to prove themselves in front of the people of the state. After a long gap, in Dasanglu Pul the state has a woman minister. It will be interesting to see how she performs as a minister. It is time all of them worked with utmost dedication and sincerity. The people of the state have given a massive mandate to the ruling BJP. It is time they paid back by working for the development of the state.