Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh and the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi together have however managed probably one of the most experienced, talented and promising Council of Ministers in a long time, with a right blend of youth and experience, considering the situation they find themselves in.

Dr.Singh has gone in for the tried and tested, when it comes to majority of the major portfolios, and in fact have retained over half a dozen senior ministers in the important portfolios they held, showing faith and trust as well as confidence in their performance and abilities. This includes, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P.Chidambaram, Defence Minister A.K.Antony, Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

The surprise but welcome elevation of former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M.Krishna as the new Foreign Minister, brings with it more gravity to the top echelons of the Cabinet, considering his long experience in public life. His sobriety and sophistication should add to the key Ministry�s stature.

The appointment of Ghulam Nabi Azad as the Health Minister indicates the seriousness with which this Government is taking the health sector. Similarly moving Kamal Nath, considered as a successful Commerce Minister to the key infrastructure ministry of Road Transport and Highways, betrays the anxiety of the Prime Minister to put the ministry back on track, which was derailed by its previous occupant, T.R.Baalu, who finds himself out of the ministry.

However what has surprised most is the choice of Anand Sharma, who has been elevated to the Cabinet, for the Commerce and Industry portfolios. No one had a clue that he has had any experience in this crucial subject. But obviously it means that the Prime Minister is going to have a big say in this ministry.

On the other hand, the choice of Kapil Sibal for the all important HRD ministry indicates some new changes in the huge ministry, which encompasses education at all levels. Known for his liberal capitalistic views, he is bound to be different from his predecessor, Arjun Singh, who has finally been retired from active politics. Sibal will have to handle this portfolio with a lot of maturity, as he will find a lot of opposition to his views, though he is lucky not to have the left parties breathing down his shoulder.

Veerappa Moily as the new Law Minister will also have his hands full, though his experience as the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission in the last five years will come to his help. He will have the unique opportunity of implementing many of the legal reforms he had recommended as ARC chairman, apart from handling many sensitive cases.

The Cabinet formation which is essentially an exercise to blend different aspirations of regions, caste, religion and picking the right ones among them, cannot be faultless. And the Manmohan Singh-Sonia duo has committed some blunders too. For instance, the most glaring is the lack of a Cabinet Minister from Uttar Pradesh, despite the State giving 21 members to the Congress kitty. The over-representation of Maharashtra and Karnataka and under-representation of States like Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and pathetic representation from Orissa, is something they have been called to explain.

But these blunders have been tempered by a generous dose of new and young faces in the ministry, though some talented youngsters like Sandeep Dixit is bound to feel left out. However the induction of Sachin Pilot, Arun Yadav, Agatha Sangma, R.P.N.Singh, Pradeep Jain, Bharat Solanki to name a few, indicates the party�s wish to create a new generation of administrators, who can carry on for years to come. It is also heartening that all of them have been given important portfolios, in which they can contribute and also learn a lot.

The formation of the ministry which got delayed primarily due to the tantrums thrown by the DMK, has given one new Cabinet Minister in the form of M.K.Azhagiri. A lot of doubts have been raised about his competence and ability apart from his English language skills, to run a key ministry like the Chemicals and Fertilisers. However Azhagiri surprised many by his clear and correct pronunciation of the oath during the swearing-in ceremony, allaying some doubts atleast. The repeat of A.Raja in the crucial IT and Communications portfolio has disappointed many, especially considering his controversial role in his earlier tenure. Obviously, Prime Minister Dr.Singh was not able to resist the DMK�s demand for this portfolio, though he did manage to keep Baalu out of the ministry.

It looks incongruous that competent and capable people like Jairam Ramesh, Salman Khursheed, Prithviraj Chavan and Praful Patel continue to be Ministers of State though with independent charge, while people like Azhagiri, Raja or even Kumari Selja find themselves in Cabinet rank. But obviously the compulsion of keeping the Cabinet within manageable limits, have deprived them of their rightful place. However, they have all been handed very key portfolios like Environment and Forest (Jairam Ramesh), Civil Aviation (Praful Patel), Corporate Affairs and Minority Affairs(Salman Khursheed) and a host of ministries for Chavan, which should keep them happy and motivated.

The downgrading of Srikant Jena, the lone face from Orissa, to a Minister of State, though he had been a Cabinet Minister in the United Front Government in 1996-98, rankles everyone. Though he has been assured by both Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi that it will be rectified soon, one has to see how soon it can be done.