Ranchi, Dec. 6: Chief minister Arjun Munda seems to be a competent manager who knows how to do the balancing act well.

The bitter lessons of the previous NDA government made him master not only the art of keeping his flock together, but also to keep all others in the 81-member house in good humour.

The recent example happens to be the proposal to accord cabinet minister?s status to the members of the tribal advisory council (TAC).

Sources in the chief minister?s secretariat said Munda had himself proposed that the tribal advisory body members should be accorded the status of a cabinet minister and enjoy the same facilities.

Accordingly, a formal proposal was sent to the finance department for approval.

?Jharkhand being a Schedule V state and having a sizeable number of tribals, the tribal advisory council is a constitutional body. The council will function with the chief minister as its chairperson. All crucial policy decisions related to tribal welfare have to be cleared and approved by the council. Hence, the chief minister decided that the members should be accorded the status of cabinet ministers,? welfare minister Ramesh Singh Munda said.

The welfare minister is the vice-chairperson of the council. Other members in the council include, BJP heavyweight and Khijri legislator Karia Munda, Chandresh Oraon, Congress MLAs Thomas Hansda and Sukhdeo Bhagat, Joba Manjhi (UGDP), Sunil Soren, Sushila Hansda and Amulya Sardar of JMM, Putkar Hembrom, Neelkanth Singh Munda, Sameer Oraon, Tala Marandi, and Koche Munda of BJP.

But the move suffered a setback with finance minister Raghubar Das turning down the proposal. Das, however, refused to comment.

Sources in the government said not only Das, many others in the Munda council of ministers did not approve of the idea of according cabinet status to the TAC members.

?This will mean an additional burden on the government,? said a cabinet minister.

The council meeting, scheduled to be held on December 4, was deferred even though Munda was in the city.