New power minister will find it tough to fit into Piyush Goyal's shoes

For Raj Kumar Singh, the country's former home secretary and new Power & New and Renewable Energy Minister, keeping the momentum going for the massive reforms initiated by his predecessor, Piyush Goyal, would be an uphill task. He is expected to join office on Tuesday.

Singh's new job will require him to keep pace with the ever-changing renewable energy technologies and updating policies accordingly. This was how Goyal used to work. India has a target of producing 175 GW renewable energy by 2022. Under Goyal, India was adding solar capacity at a record pace. The country also dreams about running all cars on electricity in another eight years. These are not easy targets to achieve. He has spent almost his entire career as an administrator of security and social sector ministries. He got accolades for reforms in the road sector in his home state, Bihar, during his stint as Principal Secretary between 2006 and 2009. But there, most infrastructure was funded through the state's capital outlay and not private investors and his main job during the stint was to keep anti-social elements away, not to seek and facilitate investments.

Both the ministries allocated to him in the present NDA government face unique challenges. For example, the conventional power sector is facing the problem of under-utilisation of capacity, whereas the renewable segment is facing huge challenges related to transition. For instance, the states are not allowing the signing of power purchase agreements because of fall in tariffs bid in central government's auctions of wind projects. Also, solar power producers are facing the challenge of viability. Goyal, because of his understanding of investment banking, understood the challenge of risk in solar energy, and tried to work around them. It will be a challenge for Singh to continue at Goyal's pace.  The fear is that this may derail the country's renewable energy programme.

Another challenge Singh may face is that most of the bureaucracy in the renewable energy ministry is new. Upendra Tripathy retired in October last year and is now posted at the International Solar alliance. The last secretary, Rajeev Kapoor, moved to petrochemicals in July. Anand Kumar is the present secretary. Similarly, in power, the Secretary, A.K. Bhalla, joined at the same time. The problems for Singh do not stop here. The joint secretaries who were the real movers and shakers in Goyal's regime, Tarun Kapoor (behind the solar push) and  Jyoti Arora (who executed reforms in power sector, including anchoring UDAY) are back to their home cadre. It will be a task for Singh to bring new talent and develop a knowledge pool and simultaneously maintain the momentum created by Goyal.

Another challenge is building rapport with the various outfits of the RSS which are working to push renewable and energy sector reforms at local levels. These include execution of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana, distribution reforms (especially to cut down on electricity thefts), rooftop projects, and pushing domestic manufacturers. Goyal had personal equations with several top RSS leaders, but Singh is not popular among his BJP colleagues (both at Centre as well as in the state), though he is respected for his upfront approach and able administration. Singh has been rewarded for his efforts to bring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar back in the NDA fold, for which he worked along with Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and present Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi. Kumar, after his retirement, offered him a job as advisor (infrastructure), but he refused and subsequently joined the BJP.

His action during his stint in administrative services still haunts several BJP and RSS leaders and makes them uncomfortable. This include his 1990 arrest of Lal Krishna Advani as DM of Samastipur and later as home secretary openly expressing his views about certain RSS leaders' apparent involvement in blasts in Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid and Ajmer dargah. But he made up for both. He joined Advani-led home ministry as joint secretary. The top RSS leader, who was presented as a kingpin, subsequently facilitated his entry into the BJP in 2014. Post the split with the BJP, the JD (U) offered him a ticket to contest Lok Sabha polls from any seat of his choice, but this RSS leader brought him to the BJP's fold. Later, as a BJP MP, he attended several programmes of the think-tank led by this RSS man. Still, he will have to do more to build bridges with the leadership there.   

He might have built his image as an able administrator but his stint as power minister will test his understanding of finances and ability to see the future and react in advance.