New Delhi: In the portfolio allocation on Thursday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma retained the key departments for his National People’s Party (NPP) and gave the less important ones to alliance partners BJP, HSPDP and UDP.
According to a notification issued by Chief Secretary DP Wahlang, CM Sangma kept Finance, Forest, Political, Personnel, IT, and Mining and Geology departments for himself, allocated Home, PWD, District Council Affairs, and Parliamentary Affairs departments to Prestone Tynsong, one of the two deputy chief ministers, and gave Urban Affairs, Transport, Industries, and Prison and Correctional Services to another deputy CM Sniawbhalang Dhar.
M Ampareen Lyngdoh, the only woman in the Meghalaya cabinet, got Health and Family Welfare, Law, Information and Public Relations, and Agriculture departments.
BJP minister AL Hek was allocated Veterinary, Fisheries, Printing and Stationery, and the Secretariat Administration departments, while UDP's Paul Lyngdoh was given Social Welfare, Tourism, Arts and Culture departments. His party colleague Kyrmen Shylla was allocated Excise, Revenue and Legal Metrology.
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HSPDP's Shakliar Warjri got Sports and Youth Affairs, Labour, Registration and Stamps departments, the notification said.
Meanwhile, in the first cabinet meeting after Conrad Sangma was sworn in as the chief minister, the government approved a bill to formally repeal the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021.
CM Conrad Sangma chaired the cabinet meeting, that also approved an amendment of the contingency fund bill 2023, an ordinance of which was approved by the cabinet earlier this year.
“We have now brought both the ordinances in the form of bills which would be ratified in the upcoming budget session,” news agency PTI quoted CM Sangma as saying.
“Apart from myself and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, the cabinet has also approved proposals to have ministers Ampareen Lyngdoh, Marcuise and Paul Lyngdoh as official spokespersons of the cabinet,” the CM added.