Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated 43 of his colleagues who took oath today in the refreshed Union cabinet. Thirty-six new ministers joined the government and seven got promoted.
"I congratulate all the colleagues who have taken oath today and wish them the very best for their ministerial tenure. We will continue working to fulfil aspirations of the people and build a strong and prosperous India. #Govt4Growth," PM Modi tweeted after the oath ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Today's cabinet expansion brought in former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP MPs Narayan Rane and Jyotiraditya Scindia, among others, and drop as many as 12 ministers including Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.
This is the first reshuffle in the Council of Ministers by PM Modi since he won a second term in May 2019. A month-long review was carried out by PM Modi and the BJP central leadership, leading to today's changes in the Union cabinet. These meetings were held amid widespread criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic.
Today's induction includes seven ministers from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, where assembly election will be held next year.
With this reset, PM Modi has brought in young faces and has also given representation to various social groups and regions in the reshuffle.
Seven more women leaders have also joined the government, taking the total number of women leaders in the Union cabinet to 11. They are Meenakashi Lekhi, Shobha Karandlaje, Anupriya Singh Patel, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Annpurna Devi, Pratima Bhoumik and Bharati Pravin Pawar.
The government said "20 per cent" ministers - a fifth of the council of ministers - had been dropped and the message was performance-linked.
