NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have earned the reputation of not being able to resist the camera or a microphone thrust at him for a quick byte but some of his ministerial colleagues strike a complete contrast as they shun the limelight and appear to be working in the shadows since they took office more than a year ago.Among the Cabinet ministers who have avoided the media glare, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram takes the cake. The Odisha tribal leader, who many within BJP say harbours ambitions of becoming a chief minister in his state, is neither seen much nor heard much. Sources said he rushes off to Odisha very often to strengthen his position there and is not very active in the capital.Sources said under Oram the Tribal Affairs ministry has become somnolent. It has been in the news only for addition of some new groups as a tribe which is a routine exercise undertaken from time to time and endorsed by Parliament in due course. The bureaucrats in the ministry also appear to gone slow with the minister being away from the capital.Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Kalraj Mishra comes a close second. Though he is more visible than Oram, Mishra- a prominent Brahmin leader from Uttar Pradesh- appears to be keeping a low profile. Party insiders maintain that since he is going to cross the 75-year age cut-off for ministers next year and will have to relinquish office, he wants to ensure a smooth journey till then.Shiv Sena leader and fiery orator Anant Geete, who is Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister, has not been in the arc lights for long. While some say this is due to the strained relations between BJP and SS, others said Geete's wife Ashwinee has been keeping unwell for last several months and he is busy attending to her.Quite a few of the Ministers of State fall in the category of those hardly visible in the corridors of power in Delhi. Labour and Employment Minister (Independent Charge) Bandaru Dattatreya is one such. Though considered an amiable soul, Dattatreya has often failed to field questions from the opposition in Parliament and is not considered a very active minister.The Labour Minister has entertained groups like Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh- an RSS affiliate- and discussed their grievances. However, the general perception in the ministry is that all decisions on important labour and employment issues will be taken by senior ministers.AYUSH Minister (Independent Charge) Sripad Yesso Naik has also been in the shadows except for the International Yoga Day celebrations. "The credit for Yoga day celebrations would go to the whole Modi government and especially to the Prime Minister himself. Naik cannot be given the sole credit for it," one of Naik's ministerial colleagues said.Youth Affairs and Sports Minister (Independent Charge) Sarbanand Sonowal is usually more involved in Assam politics than in handling his ministerial responsibilities, sources said.The list of ministers of state- with a Cabinet Minister lording over them- who are hardly in the news for their ministerial work is longer. In most government in the past, ministers of state have long had the grievance that the Cabinet minister does not allocate them any substantial work, rendering them virtually jobless.MoS for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ram Kripal Yadav has not made much of a mark in the ministry headed by Chaudhary Birendra Singh. Sanwar Lal Jat, MoS, Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation, seems to be overshadowed by Cabinet Minister Uma Bharti- for whom these causes are very dear.MoS for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Mohanbhai K Kundariya and G M Sidddeshwara, who is in the Heavy Industries ministry, are also media and publicity shy.MoS, Panchayati Raj Nihalchand has not been heard or seen for long since he was named in a sexual assault case in Rajasthan. Though he survived the storm, the attention he got in the media due to the case appears to have dampened his enthusiasm.Ministers of State for Road Transport and Highways Radhakrishnan P, Social Justice and Empowerment Krishna Pal, Tribal Affairs Mansukhbhai Vasava, and Mines and Steel Vishnu Deo Sai also keep out of the media glare.As is the norm in ministries which are led by not-so-active leaders, the onus of handling most of the weighty issues is with senior babus. But in most of the cases cited in this story, the babus are hardly proactive. A lame excuse by those defending these ministers argue that the babus have been appointed by the PMO and would not easily toe the minister's line till a go-ahead comes from the top.