PM, union ministers make public declaration of assets

Taking a cue from the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement that is sweeping India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and most of his ministerial team today declared their assets for public viewing.

According to the declarations posted on the website of the prime minister's office, Kamal Nath is the richest cabinet member, with assets of Rs263 crore. A senior Congress leader who is currently the urban development minister, Nath has previously held the highways and environment portfolios.

The prime minister himself has assets of a mere Rs5 crore; apart from a Maruti 800 car of 1996 vintage. One hopes that he doesn't actually use that car, otherwise it would deeply disappoint environmentalists - it would be nowhere near meeting current emission norms. Officially, he travels in a custom-made BMW.

The poorest was defence minister A K Antony, with assets of Rs1.8 lakh - not even enough to buy a Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's assets are Rs1.8 crore, while home minister P Chidambaram's assets are Rs11 crore - paltry amounts in today's economic environment.

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's assets amounted to Rs12 crore - hardly in keeping with the public perception of him being one of the biggest wheeler-dealers in the cabinet.

External affairs minister S M Krishna declared assets of Rs22.15 crore.

Of a government comprising as many as 77 union ministers, those declaring their assets comprised 32 cabinet ministers, seven ministers of state with independent charge, and 37 ministers of state.

Declarations by five others are still awaited. These are science and technology minister (and former Maharashtra chief minister) Vilasrao Deshmukh, women and child development minister Krishna Tirath, environment and forests minister Jayanthi Natarajan, minister of state for home Jitendra Singh and minister of state for information and broadcasting S Jagathrakshakan.

In the atmosphere created by Anna Hazare and his anti-corruption crusaders, most of the educated public would see these declarations as eyewash, and a weak response to the wave sweeping the country. The reactions of 'team Hazare' to these declarations are keenly awaited by observers.