Naveen Patnaik keeps key departments

After taking over as the chief minister of Orissa for the third time in a row, Naveen Patnaik retained key departments like home and general administration with him, while making changes in the portfolios of several ministers.

After taking over as the chief minister of Orissa for the third time in a row, Naveen Patnaik retained key departments like home and general administration with him, while making changes in the portfolios of several ministers.

HT Image

Patnaik has also kept water resources, works and forest and environment departments with him while allotting portfolios late last night, official sources said today.

While choosing ministers, the BJD supremo sidelined party hoppers and rewarded loyalists of his charismatic father Biju Patnaik.

The Chief Minister allowed Prafulla Chandra Ghadei to retain finance department while giving him additional charge of Excise.

Ghadei is one of the six cabinet ministers this time, who was in Patnaik's previous cabinet when BJD had shared power with BJP. BJD has become the first ever regional party to come to power on its own in the state this time.

The five other ministers are Raghunath Mohanty, Pramila Mallick, Suryanarayan Patra, Ananga Uday Singh Deo and Debi Prasad Mishra.