Ministers from U.P. in Modi 3.0: Rajnath retains defence, Jayant gets skill dev, education

PM Modi allocated portfolios to 71 ministers, including 10 from Uttar Pradesh. Rajnath Singh remains Defence Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri is now Petroleum Minister.

A day after taking oath for the third consecutive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday allocated portfolios to his 71 ministers, including 10 from Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath for the third consecutive term on June 9. (Agency)

While Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh has been retained as the defence minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, the other cabinet minister who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, has been made Union petroleum and natural gas minister.

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary, a first timer, is the minister of state (independent charge), skill development and entrepreneurship and the minister of state, education. Among the Union ministers of state (MoS), Pilibhit MP Jitin Prasada has got the ministry of commerce and industry besides the ministry of electronics and information technology.

Maharajganj MP Pankaj Chaudhary has been retained as MoS finance. Apna Dal (S) president and Mirzapur MP Anupriya Patel has been made the MoS, health and family welfare, and also the MoS, chemicals and fertilizer.

Agra MP SP Singh Baghel has become the MoS, fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying and also the MoS, panchayati raj. BJP MP from Gonda Kirtivardhan Singh is now the MoS, environment, forest and climate change and also MoS, external affairs.

Rajya Sabha MP BL Verma has been made the MoS, consumer affairs, food and public distribution and also the MoS, social justice and empowerment. Bansgaon MP Kamlesh Paswan becomes MoS, rural development.