Punjab’s new Cabinet - A look at how Mann’s Cabinet is different from his predecessor Channi’s

Image credit: AAP

Report by Abhishek Sankhyayan: CM Bhagwant Mann's government has been formed in Punjab, and Cabinet ministers took oath today. AAP and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have promised ‘the Change’ to the people of Punjab. So is this change visible in the newly formed Cabinet? Let’s have a look at how Bhagwant Mann’s Cabinet is different from its predecessor Charanjit Singh Channi.  

Younger Cabinet – 46.9 years vs 60 years

Newly elected CM Bhagwant Mann is of 48 years and he is slightly older than his Cabinet which has an average age of 46.9 years. The Cabinet has the right mix of youth and experience. The senior most member, Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal is 60 years old. The youngest are Harjot Singh Bains (31 years) and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (32 years), who are MLAs from Roopnagar and Barnala seat respectively.

Charanjit Singh Channi is 58 years old and he was just two years younger than his cabinet. The average age of the last Cabinet of Punjab is marginally ahead 60 years. The oldest Cabinet member Fatehgarh Churian MLA - Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, was 78 years old, while the youngest one Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was 44 years old.

Lighter on Asset – 2.87 cr vs 23.69 cr

Average assets of total 11 members of the freshly formed Punjab government is Rs 2.87 cr. Lal Chand Kataruchak- MLA from Bhoa seat is financially poorest of Cabinet colleagues. He has just Rs 6.20 lakhs assets with him. The wealthiest of them is Hoshiarpur MLA Bram Shanker, who owns assets worth 8.6 cr.

On the other hand, average assets of the Channi government was Rs 23.69 cr. The wealthiest of them was 69-year-old Technical Education & Industrial Training Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh. Former Olympian and Sports Minister Pargat Singh was the least wealthy of them, owning assets worth Rs 3.16cr.

Criminal Cases : Serious criminal case against one Cabinet minister

As per ADR report  this time there are 27  MLAs who has serious criminal cases against them. The number is significantly higher (23%)  in comparison to 2017 when 11 (9%) MLA have such cases.

There are 6 ministers in the Mann Cabinet, who have minor criminal cases against them. Notably, there is a murder case against Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Dhaliwal. The case was registered in Rajasansi on 21 May 2019, but the arrest has been stayed by the High Court.  Apart from this, there is no case against 4 new ministers Harjot Bains, Brahmashankar Zimpa, Dr. Vijay Singla and Dr. Baljit Kaur.

While in the Channi government, there was one serious case (295 A-Insulting religious beliefs) against Kapurthala MLA  and Cabinet member Rana Gurjit Singh.

Education : 63% vs 64%

63% of Bhagwant Mann cabinet members are at least graduates, two of them Dr Vijay Singla and Dr Baljit Kaur are even professional doctors.

Channi govt has a minor edge here, 64 % of his Cabinet members are graduates. CM Channi, who himself is still pursuing PhD, was the most educated among his Cabinet peers.