Amarinder sworn in as Punjab CM, nine ministers inducted
NEW LEADER: Top Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi attended the ceremony
CHANDIGARH: Amarinder Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Punjab on Thursday. He was administered oath of office and secrecy by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore at an impressive ceremony at the Punjab Raj Bhawan here.
Amarinder, a former Army captain, took the oath in English. This is the second time that Amarinder, 75, has become Chief Minister of the state.
He was earlier in office from 2002 to 2007. Nine ministers, including two women, were also inducted.
The ministers inducted included Brahm Mohindra, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Badal, Charanjit Singh Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
The two women inducted are Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana. Both will be ministers of state with independent charge.
Top Congress leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, attended the ceremony.
Prominent faces at the ceremony included Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kapil Sibal, Raj Babbar, Ambika Soni, Rajeev Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra, Ashok Gehlot, Asha Kumari.
Amarinder’s family members, including his wife and former Union Minister Preneet Kaur, were also present.
Amarinder’s friend from Pakistan, Aroosa Alam, also swearing-in ceremony.
The swearing-in ceremony was kept simple, as desired by Amarinder Singh, in view of Punjab’s financial health.
The low-key swearing-in opted for by Amarinder, who comes from the erstwhile royal family of Patiala, is in sharp contrast to crores of rupees spent by his predecessor Parkash Singh Badal for similar events in 2007 and 2012.
The Punjab government is believed to be under a massive debt of over Rs 200,000 crore, as claimed by the Congress during campaigning.
The Congress swept the elections with 77 seats in the 117-member assembly.
Within hours of assuming office, the Congress government in Punjab on Thursday ordered transfers and attended the postings of 12 top bureaucrats, appointing 1984-batch IAS officer Karan Avtar Singh as the new Chief Secretary.
The new Chief Secretary — who assumed charge on Thursday — replaces 1982-batch IAS officer Sarvesh Kaushal.
Kaushal has been made Special Chief Secretary-cum-Director General of Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration.
The new Chief Secretary will also act as Principal Secretary of the Departments of Personnel, General Administration and Vigilance as well as Investment Promotion.
Supreme Court lawyer Atul Nanda was appointed the new state Advocate General. Himmat Singh has been posted as Special Chief Secretary, Horticulture, apart from Special Principal Secretary, Forests and Wildlife.
Karanbir Singh Sidhu has been posted as Special Chief Secretary, Revenue and Rehabilitation and Irrigation, a state government spokesman said here. Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice.
He will also look after Agriculture and Removal of Grievances Departments. Kalsi will also be the Principal Resident Commissioner (Investment Promotion and Industrial Liaison) at Punjab Bhavan, New Delhi, and Additional Chief Secretary, Governance Reforms.
Satish Chandra has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Finance and Cooperation. Tejveer Singh has been posted as Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary, In-formation and Public Relations, and Secretary, Civil Aviation.