Punjab cabinet minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer lost four departments including the key portfolio of mines and geology as chief minister Bhagwant Mann rejigged the portfolios of two of his ministers. Hayer, according to an order, is now left with the sports and youth services department. The minister, who got married to a doctor on November 7, is a two-time MLA from Barnala seat.
In the Tuesday reshuffle, minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra was the major gainer as he was allocated mines and geology, water resources and conservation of land and water – which were earlier with Hayer. Mann will keep the fourth department — science, technology and environment.
Mann now has a total of 11 portfolios, while Jouramajra is presently handling information and public relations, defence services welfare, freedom fighters and horticulture. Mann wrote to Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit, proposing the re-allocation of portfolios and got approval from him.
This marks the eighth reshuffle in the state government. Three ministers, including Vijay Singla, Fauja Singh Sarari, and Inderbir Singh Nijjar, have been dropped since the formation of the government.
In May 2022, Punjab health minister Vijay Singla was arrested by the vigilance bureau and subsequently sacked over alleged corruption charges. Similarly, another minister Fauja Singh Sarari resigned in January this year after his audio tapes went viral.
In May Inderbir Singh Nijjar also resigned from the cabinet minister position. Nijjar, an MLA from Amritsar south, resigned came after he came out with a statement backing Ajit Group editor-in-chief Barjinder Singh Hamdard appeared in the newspapers. Hamdard is under VB scanner over alleged misuse of funds in the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial.
{{/usCountry}}In May Inderbir Singh Nijjar also resigned from the cabinet minister position. Nijjar, an MLA from Amritsar south, resigned came after he came out with a statement backing Ajit Group editor-in-chief Barjinder Singh Hamdard appeared in the newspapers. Hamdard is under VB scanner over alleged misuse of funds in the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial.
{{/usCountry}}In March this year, Sunam MLA and cabinet minister Aman Arora lost two key portfolios, including housing and urban development and information and public relations. Similarly, in June (Plz check) cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was divested of two key departments rural development and panchayat development and agriculture and as of now, he only oversees the NRI department. Even Jauramajra was divested of the health portfolio after he forced Baba Farid University of Health Sciences vice-chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur to lie down on a dirty bed.