New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS): India's new power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took charge of his new assignment Monday and described his job as a "daunting" one.

Forty-one-year-old Scindia, who takes over as minister of state with independent charge of the power ministry, expressed hope that he would be able to perform his duties well.

"It is a daunting challenge, and I look forward to the support and guidance of ministry officials and colleagues in other departments," the MP from Madhya Pradesh told reporters after assuming charge.

Describing the power sector as "extremely strategic and important" for the nation's economy, he said: "It is a very important ministry and it is a very big challenge, a very big charge."

Promising to work for ensuring electricity connectivity and bandwidth at the grassroot level, Scindia said his work would be carried out in coordination with peers in other ministries.

"(I will) ensure that there is greater coordination with colleagues in both the coal and environment ministries, to ensure that generation and execution of projects happens at a fast pace," he said.

"First, I will understand and absorb as much information as I can and then move forward, the way I did in the telecommunications and commerce and industry," he said.

Scindia, considered a key member of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's youth brigade, also had a word of praise for his leader.

"He (Rahul) has a very modern bent of mind... he believes in meritocracy... he, in every possible way, is opening every possible door, and breaking every possible

wall to allow actual participation from the 1.2 billion people in the country in public schemes," he said.