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Punjab cabinet rejig: Chetan Singh gets health portfolio, urban development goes to Aman Arora
The portfolios were announced by Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann through a tweet a day after he expanded his three-month-old ministry, allotting important departments to the new ministers.
Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday allocated portfolios to his five new cabinet ministers and rejigged some others, giving health to first-time legislator Chetan Singh Jauramajra.
The portfolios were announced by the CM through a tweet a day after he expanded his three-month-old ministry, allotting important departments to the new ministers. Aman Arora, a two-time MLA from Sunam, has been given charge of information and public relations, housing and urban development and new and renewable energy resources.
Jauramajra, who represents Samana, is the new health and family welfare, medical education and research and elections minister. A first-time legislator, Jauramajra, who has studied up to Class 12, comes in place of Dr Vijay Singla who was sacked from the ministry by Mann in May over corruption allegations.
Before the portfolios were announced, there was a buzz in official circles that another first-timer Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, a renowned radiologist, may be the new health minister. The Amritsar South MLA has, however, been made the local government, parliamentary affairs, conservation of land and water and administrative reforms minister. Anmol Gagan Maan, who represents Kharar seat, has got tourism and culture affairs, labour, investment promotion and removal of grievance. Fauja Singh Sarari, a retired police inspector who won from Guru Har Sahai seat, has been allocated horticulture, food processing, freedom fighters and defence services welfare departments.
Harjot Bains top gainer
Among the ministers whose portfolios have been rejigged are Harpal Singh Cheema from whom the cooperation department has been taken away. Cheema, who is number two in the pecking order, will hold the charge of finance, excise and taxation, planning and programme implementation. The cooperation department has gone to the chief minister.
Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer is no longer the minister in-charge of school education which he was holding along with higher education. The school education department has gone to Harjot Singh Bains. Hayer has retained higher education and sports and youth affairs, besides which he also been allotted governance reforms, printing and stationery departments and science technology and environment portfolios.
AAP circles have been abuzz with talk of a change in the school education department that has seen a series of protests by different sections of teachers and other employees, besides jobseekers. Along with school education, Bains, the youngest member of the Mann cabinet, is now also in-charge of water resources. Though he lost legal and legislative affairs and tourism and cultural affairs, the first-time minister will continue to handle mines and geology and jails departments.
Agriculture and farmers’ welfare has gone to Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal who continues to retain rural development and NRI affairs. Animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy development department, which were with Dhaliwal, have been given to Laljit Singh Bhullar. The latter will remain the transport minister, but has lost the charge of hospitality department.
Bram Shanker Jimpa has retained revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management, but water resources has been taken from him. There is no change in the portfolios allotted to Dr Baljit Kaur, Harbhajan Singh and Lal Chand Kataruchak. After the AAP swept to power with 92 of the 117 seats in the Punjab assembly, Mann constituted his cabinet with 10 cabinet ministers, eight of them first-timers, but later dropped one of them. The expansion has taken the strength of the state cabinet, including the CM, to 15.
