Punjab Cabinet Expansion: Chief Minister Allots Portfolios To Ministers

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday allocated portfolios to the five newly inducted ministers a day after the first cabinet expansion of his over three-month-old government.

The chief minister also gave up some of the key departments, including agriculture he held earlier and allocated them to some other ministers.

Among the newly inducted ministers, Chetan Singh Jauramajra has got the key Health department while Aman Arora has been given Housing and Urban Development.

Anmol Gagan Mann was allocated Tourism and Cultural Affairs.

In a tweet, chief minister Bhagnant Mann shared information about the portfolios allotted to the ministers.

Five AAP MLAs were inducted as ministers in the Punjab government on Monday as Mr Mann expanded his cabinet.

It was the first cabinet expansion of the Mann-led government after the AAP came to power in the state following the assembly elections earlier this year.

According to the portfolios allocated, Arora got Information and Public Relations, New and Renewable Energy Resources, and Housing and Urban Development departments.

Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar will handle Local Government, Parliamentary Affairs, Land Conservation and Water, and Administrative Reforms departments.

Fauja Singh will be the minister for Freedom Fighters, Defence Services Welfare, Food Processing and Horticulture.

Jauramajra has been given Health and Family Welfare, and Medical Education and Research departments.

Anmol Gagan Mann, who is the second woman to be inducted as cabinet minister in the Mann-led government, will be the minister for Tourism and Culture Affairs, Investment Promotion, Labour and Removal of Grievances.

The portfolios given up by the chief minister include Agriculture, Horticulture, Housing and Urban Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Public Relations, and New and Renewable Energy Sources.

After Health Minister Vijay Singla was sacked from the state cabinet over graft charges, health and medical education departments were handled by the chief minister.

In the allocation of portfolios, Minister Harjot Bains has been given school education department as well, which was earlier handled by Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

Mr Bains, who gave up Tourism and Cultural Affairs department, will also handle the Water Resources department, earlier held by Bram Shanker Jimpa.

Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who holds portfolios of Rural Development and NRI Affairs, will now also handle Agriculture.

Cooperation department which was earlier held by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema will now be with the CM.

Among other ministers, Cheema retains Finance and Excise and Taxation, Dr Baljit Kaur Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Social Security, Women and Child Development departments, Power department will continue to be with Harbhajan Singh, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, and Forests and Wildlife will remain with Lal Chand, Sports and Youth Affairs and Higher Education will remain with Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

Likewise, Laljit Bhullar has retained Transport department while Bram Shanker Jimpa has retained Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management and Water Supply and Sanitation departments.

Harjot Bains retains Mines and Geology, and Jails departments.

With the induction of five more ministers on Monday, the strength of the state cabinet has climbed to 15, including the chief minister.

After the AAP formed the government, 10 MLAs, including eight first-timers, were inducted as ministers in March.

However in May, Health Minister Vijay Singla was sacked from the state cabinet over graft charges, taking the strength of ministers to nine in the cabinet.

There are 18 berths in the cabinet, including the chief minister.

The Aam Aadmi Party had came to power in Punjab by bagging 92 seats out of a total of 117. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)