New Delhi: Conspicuously, there is no minister for Disinvestment in the new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which poses a big question mark about the fate of the ministry.

In the allocation of portfolios last night, no one was given the charge of Ministry of Disinvestment even though the announcement made by President's office said that all the unallocated portfolios would be with the Prime Minister.

Even the officers and staff appeared to be dumbstruck, not knowing as to whom they were to report.

The silence about the ministry follows the demand by Left parties, which are supporting the Government from outside, for scrapping of the ministry.

A staff member of the Disinvestment Secretary, in fact wanted to know from the scribes themselves as to what was happening about the ministry, particularly in the wake of strong opposition from Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and Communist Party of India (CPI) against privatisation of Navratna and profit-making PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings).

Even the newly appointed Minister for Steel Ramvilas Paswan, on the very first day in office, talked tough on pending disinvestment of two profit-making PSUs MOIL and SIIL under the Steel Ministry.

On the three loss-making entities also, Paswan said, "I will go there personally and review these units. We shall try to turn them around and then decide."

The draft Common Minimum Programme of the UPA Government also said that strategic PSUs like ONGC, GAIL, HPCL, BPCL, NTPC, SAIL and BHEL and other profit-making PSUs would not be privatised and about the others, Government would consider on a case-by-case basis.