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Assam CM allots portfolios to ministers; keeps home, PWD, personnel with self
According to details available with HT, Sarma would be in-charge of home, personnel, public works and all other departments not allotted to any another minister in the Cabinet
A day after taking oath as Assam’s 15th chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday allotted portfolios to his Cabinet colleagues keeping important portfolios to him.
According to details available with HT, Sarma would be in-charge of home, personnel, public works and all other departments not allotted to any another minister in the Cabinet.
He had held the health, finance, education and public works departments in the Sarbananda Sonowal Cabinet and it was expected that he would retain most, if not all, of them in the new government headed by him.
The health portfolio has been allotted to Keshab Mahanta, working president of BJP’s alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), who will also be in-charge of science and technology and information technology departments.
Finance ministry has been given to Ajanta Neog, a former Congress minister who switched to BJP just ahead of election. She will be responsible for the social welfare department as well.
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Ranoj Pegu had been allotted the education portfolio along with the department for welfare of plain tribes and backward classes (those in non-Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas). Parimal Suklabaidya retains forest and environment, fisheries and excise departments.
President of BJP’s state unit Ranjeet Kumar Dass will handle panchayat and rural development, public health engineering, food and civil supplies and consumer affairs ministries.
AGP president Atul Bora has been given agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and veterinary and border area development portfolios. Chandra Mohan Patowary gets transport, industries and commerce, skill development and welfare of minorities departments.
Urkhao Gwra Brahma, the lone United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) representative in the new Cabinet, has been allotted handloom and textile, soil conservation and welfare of plain tribes and backward classes (those in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas.
Ashok Singhal has been given charge of Guwahati development, urban development and irrigation departments while Jogen Mohan got the revenue and disaster management, hills area development and mines and minerals portfolios.
Sajay Kishan will be in-charge of welfare of tea-tribes and labour and employment departments and Bimal Bora got sports and youth welfare, cultural affairs, power and tourism departments.
Pijush Hazarika, a close associate of the CM and the former minister of state for heath, has been allotted water resources, information and public relations and parliamentary affairs departments.
