It was the first day, first show -- the new Narendra Modi Cabinet was up and running. It was Modi government’s first Cabinet expansion in two years, which saw 36 new faces being inducted, with 30 ministers accorded a Cabinet rank from the earlier 15.

Health ministry saw the biggest reshuffle. Mansukh Mandaviya takes charge of the crucial ministry, succeeding Doctor Harsh Vardhan. The ministry has been at the core of the criticism after the outbreak of the second wave and the oxygen crisis. Mandaviya, who takes charge at such a crucial juncture, faces the challenges of vaccinating majority of Indians by the end of this year and ramping up vaccine production.

Former IAS officer Ashwani Vaishnaw, who also holds an MBA degree from Wharton School, has been handed over the reins of the IT ministry. Vaishnaw's predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad's run-in with the social media giants over the new IT t rules was a key flashpoint that the new minister also needs to navigate.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, who crossed over to the BJP after two decades in the Congress, is the new Civil aviation minister. He takes charge at a time when the aviation sector has been badly hit owing to the travel curbs.

Scindia's predecessor Hardeep Puri is the new petroleum minister. Softening the sky-rocketing fuel prices and reducing oil imports could top his immediate agenda.

Kiren Rijiju is the new law minister. He has his job cut out in ensuring that India’s legal framework becomes more attractive for foreign investors and that the ghost of the retro tax is buried for good.

To talk about the key challenges that lay ahead of the economy-facing ministries, and what the priorities of the new Cabinet should be, CNBC-TV18 spoke with Shazia Ilmi of the BJP, political analyst Manisha Priyam and Aditi Phadnis, political editor at Business Standard.

For the entire discussion, watch this video

(Edited by : Bivekananda Biswas)

First Published:Jul 8, 2021 6:47 PM IST