Narendra Modi's third term as Prime Minister sees the formation of a new NDA government with a cabinet of 71 ministers. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) reports that a whopping 99% (70 ministers) of this cabinet are millionaires, with an average asset value of ₹107.94 crore. Six of these ministers have declared assets exceeding ₹100 crore. Leading the list is Pemmamsetti Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications from Guntur, with assets worth ₹5,705.47 crore.
Following him are:
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister for Telecom and Development of Northeastern States, with ₹424.75 crore.
H.D. Kumaraswamy, Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries, with ₹217.23 crore.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways and Information & Broadcasting, with ₹144.12 crore.
Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State for Planning, with ₹121.54 crore.
Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce, with ₹110.95 crore.
In Modi's 3.0 cabinet, experience is prioritized over youth. Of the 71 ministers, 66% (47 ministers) are aged between 51 and 70. Among them, 22 are between 51 and 60 years old, and 17 are between 31 and 50 years old, with only two aged between 31 and 40. The youngest is Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, the Minister for Civil Aviation from Srikakulam.
ADR also revealed that 28 of the new ministers face criminal cases, with 19 facing serious charges like attempted murder, crimes against women, and hate speech. Notable mentions include Shantanu Thakur and Sukanta Majumdar, who face attempted murder charges, and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, along with actor-politician Suresh Gopi, who are accused of crimes against women.
In terms of education, 11 ministers have only completed up to 12th grade, while 80% (57 ministers) hold graduate degrees or higher.
