Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel allots portfolios to newly inducted ministers

Gandhinagar: Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel alloted portfolios to the newly inducted ministers in the first cabinet meeting of newly formed government held in Gandhinagar yesterday evening. The ministers will take charge of their departments today. Mr Patel was sworn in as the chief minister of Gujarat for the second consecutive term yesterday. Along with the him, 16 ministers were also sworn-in yesterday. These include 8 cabinet ministers, 6 ministers of state and two ministers of state with independent charge. There is only one female member in the new cabinet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several union ministers attended the ceremony. The portfolios of most of the ministers who were a part of Bhupendra Patel's first government have been retained. Chief minister Bhupendra Patel has kept important portfolios such as General Administration, Home and Police Housing, Revenue and Disaster Management, Urban Development and Urban Housing, Panchayats,



Roads and Buildings and Information and Broadcasting with himself. Finance, Energy and Petrochemicals have been given to Kanubhai Desai while Rishikesh Patel has been allocated Health, Family Welfare and higher and Medical Education, Law, Judiciary.

Raghavji Patel will look after Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, while Industry, and MSME, have been given to Balwant Singh Rajput. Muloobhai Bera will look after tourism, forest and environment, along with climate change whereas Kuberbhai Dindor has been given tribal development, primary, secondary and adult education and the only woman cabinet minister Bhanuben Babaria will look after social justice and empowerment, along with women and child welfare. Harsh Sanghvi will be the minister of state for homes. He has also been given independent charge of Home Guard and Gram Raksha Dal, while Jagdish Vishwakarma has been given independent charge of Cooperation and others.