Kejriwal rejigs portfolios, Sisodia gets tourism

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday reallocated portfolios of his cabinet ministers.

A notification issued by the Delhi government’s general administration department said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has been divested of the charge of the revenue department and registrar of cooperative societies.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot has also got the revenue department while water minister Rajendra Pal Gautam has now been given charge of the registrar of cooperative societies, the notification said.

Party officials said the deputy chief minister had requested Kejriwal to allow him to shed some portfolios. Sisodia, however, will continue to look after education, finance and other departments.

Sisodia has instead been given the portfolios of tourism and arts, culture and languages from Gautam. Tourism will be one of the focus areas of the AAP government along with education and health, an official said.

The government also plans to make rural Delhi intrinsic to its development agenda.

Other than tourism and art, culture and languages portfolios, Sisodia will look after nine departments and also all other departments that has not specifically been allotted to any minister.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, however, continues to not hold any portfolio.