Promoted Pradhan has twin task of delivering Odisha, pushing skill India

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi promoted petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan to the cabinet rank, and handed the additional assignment of the skill development ministry.

Pradhan now has the twin task of delivering Odisha for the BJP and give a new push to Skill India Mission, issues close to PM’s heart. He is chief ministerial aspirant in Odisha, and enjoys the confidence of BJP’s current leadership. Odisha-born Pradhan is a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar, and his meteoric rise has caused several heartburns among the BJP leaders in the coastal state.

His promotion as the cabinet minister is largely because of the successful implementation of the scheme to provide free LPG cylinders to BPL families - another pet scheme of the Prime Minister. Before the rollout of the scheme, more than 10 million families returned subsidy on LPG cylinders, passing on the benefits to deserving families from poor economic status.

“I am humbled at the trust & confidence reposed on me by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Party President & senior leadership of the Party,” Pradhan tweeted. “This is the beauty & strength of our democracy that an ordinary person like me has been given such huge responsibility.”

If he impressed the PM with his energy in the petroleum ministry, he won praises from party chief Amit Shah for his active involvement in organisational matters. Pradhan was a key strategist for the BJP in Uttarakhand, a state the party won with three fourths majority earlier this year.

Pradhan’s detractor, tribal leader Jual Oram, is currently a cabinet minister in the Modi government.

With Pradhan also becoming the cabinet minister, the race for the leadership in Odisha is expected to get more intense in coming months.

ODISHABORN PRADHAN IS A RAJYA SABHA MEMBER FROM BIHAR, AND HIS METEORIC RISE HAS CAUSED SEVERAL HEARTBURNS AMONG THE BJP LEADERS IN THE COASTAL STATE