New Delhi, Oct 24 (TruthDive): Few NDA ministers’ assets have increased nominally after coming to power while that of many others have decreased.
Five months in office, the Railway minister, MoS for Public Enterprises and Heavy Industries and Minister for Finance and Defence are those who assets value increased while external affairs, health minister and MoS for NE development assets value dipped.
Out of the 44 ministers in NDA ministry, 41 of them are crorepatis. Two of them have more than Rs 100 crores and three of them have Rs 30 crores and more. Four NDA ministers have less than Rs 1 crore assets and two ministers have liabilities more than Rs 40 crores. ADA and National election watch survey reports reveal the current status of the NDA ministers.
As NDA is going in for a makeover for railways and lined up many modernization schemes and invited FDI, DV Sadananda Gowda, its Railways Minister’s assets rose from Rs 9.88 crores by Rs 10.46 crores in the last five months to touch Rs 20.35 crores. This increase is pegged at the declared value of assets on taking charge as minister in NDA ministry.
Pon Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu and Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises was a second to see rise of Rs 2.98 crore and the richest minister Arun Jaitley had only Rs 1.01 crore increase. Arun Jaitley with Rs 114 crores, Badal with Rs 108 crores and Goyal with Rs 94 crores are the top three richest ministers in NDA.
The statement said that NDA has the distinction of 16 NDA MPs on becoming ministers who have shown a decrease in assets. Sushma Swaraj, the External Affairs Minister showed a decrease of Rs 3.89 crores (from Rs 17.55 crores declared during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections). She is followed by ex-Army Chief V K Singh the Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region.
VK Singh who had Rs 4.11 crores declared a decrease to Rs 3.13 crores. Next comes Harsh Vardhan the Health Minister who declared a decrease of Rs 1.28 crores. The watchdog observed that though the total value of the asset was given, there was a separate list of the assets they held, that made the whole exercise futile.