Both Dharmendra Pradhan and Piyush Goyal are members of the Rajya Sabha.
Rajya Sabha MP Dharmendra Pradhan, who has been handling the petroleum ministry till now in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second term, will now handle the education and skill development portfolio, following today's cabinet reshuffle. Piyush Goyal, who, too, is a member of the upper house, will handle the textile ministry.
Mr Pradhan will take over from Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', who resigned from his position yesterday. The petroleum ministry will now be headed by Hardeep Singh Puri. Mr Goyal, on the other hand, will replace Smriti Irani who will focus only on the Women and Child Ministry.
Fifty two-year-old Mr Pradhan is the son of former Minister of State Debendra Pradhan. He was promoted as a Cabinet Minister in September 2017. He represents Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha and was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha.
Mr Goyal, 57, has handled the commerce and industry, consumer affairs, and food and public distribution ministries, besides railways, which will now be taken over by Ashwini Vaishnaw, a new entrant and a Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha.
He, too, was elevated to cabinet rank in September 2017 along with Mr Pradhan. A Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, Mr Goyal is also the Deputy Leader of the Rajya Sabha.
Thirty-six new ministers joined Prime Minister Modi's government today, even as four high-profile ministers quit. The mega cabinet reboot was aimed to offset criticism as the country emerges from a fierce second wave of Covid ahead of key legislative elections.
The Prime Minister now has 77 ministers, nearly half of them new.