Jai Ram reshuffles his cabinet, retains nine key departments
POWER PLAY Mahender Singh Thakur gets revenue, Dr Rajiv Saizal health, Virender Kanwar agriculture, Ram Lal Markanday technical education and IT
SHIMLA:: Two days after the induction of three ministers into the Himachal Pradesh cabinet, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur reshuffled his team, keeping nine departments, including home and finance, with himself.
The nine portfolios with the CM are finance, home, general administration, planning, personnel, public works, tourism, excise and taxation.
Mahender Singh Thakur will take care of revenue, which was earlier held by the CM, and continue to head the Jal Shakti, horticulture and sainik welfare departments.
Suresh Bhardwaj has got town planning, housing, parliamentary affairs, law and legal remembrance. Bhardwaj, who previously held the education department, has been allocated cooperation. Sarveen Chaudhary, the lone woman minister in the cabinet, has been given social justice and empowerment. Earlier, she held town and country planning and housing. Ram Lal Markanday has got technical education, tribal development, information technology and redressal of public grievances. Virender Kanwar has been allocated agriculture, while he will continue to hold his previous portfolios of rural development, panchayati raj and fisheries.
Jai Ram Thakur’s trusted lieutenant Bikram Singh has got transport besides industries, labour and employment.
Govind Singh Thakur is the new education minister of the state. He has got the charge of higher education, elementary education, language, art and culture. Dr Rajiv Saizal will look after health and family welfare and ayurveda. The CM held the charge of the health department earlier. Newly inducted minister Sukhram Chaudhary has got the charge of multi-purpose power projects and non-conventional energy, while Rakesh Pathania will look after youth services and sports and forests. Rajinder Garg has been allocated food and civil supplies and printing and stationery. The cabinet reshuffle was effected late on Friday after clearance from the party high command in Delhi. The CM spoke to BJP chief Jagat Parkash Nadda.