Prez gives additional charge to four ministers

Shobha Karandlaje, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, was assigned the additional charge of the minister of state in food processing industries

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday accepted the resignation of Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel and Renuka Singh from the Union council of ministers and gave additional charge of the portfolios they had to four other Cabinet members, according to an official communique.

Former Union minister for agriculture and farmers' welfare Narendra Singh Tomar at Parliament House during the Winter Session, in New Delhi on Thursday (ANI)

Tomar, Patel and Singh were among 10 BJP MPs who resigned following their victories in the recently-held assembly elections, amid suspense over the party’s choice of chief minister in each state. While Tomar and Patel won the polls in Madhya Pradesh, Singh won the elections in Rajasthan.

“The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignations of Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel and Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution,” the communique said.

It added that on the advise of the Prime Minister, tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda was given the additional charge of the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare – a post earlier held by Tomar.

Likewise, Shobha Karandlaje, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, was assigned the additional charge of the minister of state in food processing industries, earlier held by Patel.

While minister of state (MoS) for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar was given the additional charge of Jal Shakti as MoS, also earlier held by Patel, minister of state for health and family welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar was given additional charge of the minister of state in the ministry of tribal affairs, which was earlier overseen by Singh.