The Prime Minister’s Office has prepared an unusual report card with a score next to each ministry: the number of ‘‘actionable points in the Common Minimum Programme’’ on which the Ministry has reported back to the PMO. Of the ‘‘262 actionable points’’ in the CMP, the report card shows that the PM’s Council of Ministers failed to report any progress on 99. Several senior members of the Cabinet are miffed at this bizarre classification given that the ‘‘actionable points’’ in the CMP range from ‘‘maintaining a credible nuclear weapons programme’’ to ‘‘pursuing an independent foreign policy’’ to ‘‘promoting multi-polarity in world relations.’’ Result: Finance and Defence have scored zero while Laloo’s Railways Ministry is seen to have been very responsive as it had only one reference in the CMP. ‘‘Railway reforms would be pursued. Public investment for its modernisation, track renewal and safety will be substantially increased.’’ The Ministry has reported the steps it has taken on this so it has got 1 on 1. • Defence: It has got zero out of six. Of the six ‘‘actionable CMP points’’ the Ministry was meant to report on include: ensuring ‘‘no delays’’ in modernisation of the armed forces; spend all funds at the earliest; ‘‘credible muclear weapons programme,’’ ‘‘verifiable confidence-building measures with its nuclear neighbours.’’ • Home Ministry: It scores 4 out of the 18 priorities that the CMP had outlined for it. The NCMP stated : ‘‘The UPA government is determined to tackle terrorism, militancy and insurgency in northeast as a matter of urgent priority.All north eastern states will be given special assistance to upgrade and expand infrastructure’’..to ‘‘The government will enact a model comprehensive law to deal with communal violence.’’ • Finance which had 9 priorities against its name also drew a blank as did the Department of Revenue which had a scorecard reading 0 on 6 while banking and insurance had shown progress in 15 of the 16 priorities in the CMP. For the Finance Ministry, the CMP’s target is nothing short of the grand: ‘‘targeting subsidies sharply at the poor and the truly needy like small and marginal farmers, farm labour and urban poor with a detailed roadmap to be unveiled in Parliament within 90 days’’.to ‘‘Special schemes to unearth black money and assets will be introduced’’.and ‘‘Competition in the financial sector will be expanded.Public sector banks will be given full manegerial autonomy.’’ • Agriculture: It reported on 9 of the 12 points earmarked for it. These include: ‘‘greater say’’ to farmers in the organisations that supply inputs to them; ‘‘Constitutional amendment to ensure democratic, autonomous and professional functioning of cooperatives.’’ • External Affairs: Has reported on 8 of the 15 CMP points. These include: pursuing an independent foreign policy, promoting ‘‘multi-polarity’’ in world relations; building closer ties with SAARC neighbours, increasing trade and investment with China and ‘‘pursue border issues seriously.’’
