Chhattisgarh CM Sai Allocates Portfolios, Deputy CM Vijay Sharma Gets Home Ministry

Deputy CM Vijay Sharma gets state Home Ministry, while O P Choudhary gets finance ministry. 

Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai. ( Image Source :PTI )

Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday allocated portfolios, keeping GAD, mineral resources with himself, news agency PTI reported. Deputy CM Vijay Sharma gets state Home Ministry, while O P Choudhary gets finance ministry. The strength of the state cabinet is 12.

According to a gazette announcement released by the General Administration Department, Sai will also manage the Energy, Public Relations, Commercial Tax (Excise), and Transport ministries, as well as any other departments not expressly allocated to any minister.

Home and Jail, Panchayat and Rural Development, Technical Education and Employment, and Science and Technology were all assigned to Vijay Sharma.

Arun Sao, another Deputy Chief Minister, will be in charge of the departments of Public Works, Public Health Engineering, Law and Legislative Affairs, and Urban Administration.

In addition to Finance, Commercial Tax, Housing and Environment, and Planning, O P Choudhary was allocated departments of Economics and Statistics.

Brijmohan Agrawal, a senior party MLA and minister, was assigned the departments of School Education, Higher Education, Tourism and Culture, Parliamentary Affairs, Dharmik Nyas (religious trust), and Dharmsva.

Ram Vichar Netam will be the minister in charge of Agriculture Development and Farmer Welfare, Scheduled Tribes Development, Scheduled Castes Development, Other Backward Classes (OBC) Development, and Minorities Development.

Dayaldas Baghel, the cabinet's lone minister from the Scheduled Castes community, was awarded the portfolios of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection. Baghel, 69, is the most senior member in Sai's government.

Laxmi Rajwade (31) is the cabinet's youngest and sole female minister, in charge of the portfolios of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare.

Kedar Kashyap will be in charge of the Forest and Climate Change, Water Resources, Skill Development, and Cooperative Departments, while Lakhanlal Dewangan would be in charge of Commerce and Industry and Labour.

Shyam Bihari Jaiswal was entrusted the departments of Public Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, and Twenty Point Implementation.

Tankram Verma will be the minister in charge of the departments of Sports and Youth Welfare, Revenue, and Disaster Management.

The BJP reclaimed control in the state after defeating the Congress in the November Assembly elections. 

On December 22, nine MLAs were sworn in and joined the Chhattisgarh cabinet at a ceremony at Raipur's Raj Bhavan, presided over by Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan. Brijmohan Agrawal, an eight-term MLA, and previous Ministers Ramvichar Netam, Kedar Kashyap, and Dayaldas Baghel were among those selected as ministers, along with OP Choudhary, Tank Ram Verma, Laxmi Rajwade (all first-time MLAs), and second-time lawmakers Shyam Bihari Jaiswal and Lakhanlal Dewangan.