Odisha Cabinet set for minor reshuffle on Monday

Among the faces that may be inducted are Dipali Das, newly-elected MLA of Jharsuguda and daughter of slain BJD minister Naba Das

Updated on: May 21, 2023, 12:17:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha Cabinet led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik is set for a minor reshuffle on Monday with at least three ministers likely to take oath, people familiar with the matter said.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. (File Photo)

Last week, Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha, school and mass education minister Samir Ranjan Dash, and labour minister Srikant Sahu had tendered their resignation. Arukha, who was appointed Speaker in June last year, resigned from his post citing personal reasons but added that he is open to joining the ministry. Sahu and Dash had to resign after getting embroiled in a case of sexual exploitation of a woman Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and suicide of a party zilla parishad member, respectively.

Revenue minister Pramila Mallick has been given the additional charge of School and Mass Education and Labour departments by the chief minister. The CM had earlier allocated the additional charge of Health and Family Welfare department to finance minister Niranjan Pujari following the murder of Das on January 29.

Official sources said the new ministers are likely to take oath at 9.30am on Monday at the convention hall of the Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. At present, three ministerial berths are lying vacant in the state Cabinet.

Governor, Professor Ganeshi Lal, who is in Haryana now, is scheduled to return to Odisha on Sunday after cutting short his visit.

Among the faces that may be inducted are Dipali Das, newly-elected MLA of Jharsuguda and daughter of slain BJD minister Naba Das. The names of Susanta Singh and Sarada Nayak from western Odisha are in the race too. Senior MLAs like Debi Mishra, Prasanta Muduli and Umakanta Samantaray are also among those in the race for a ministerial berth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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