Cabinet Reshuffle Highlights: New portfolios assigned

Highlights of PM Modi’s Cabinet reshuffle: The Council of Ministers of PM Narendra Modi has been restructured. Many new faces were inducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an eye to next year’s assembly elections.

Highlights of the Cabinet Reshuffle: After weeks of speculation about a Cabinet reshuffle or expansion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers resigned today. 43 political leaders were sworn in as union ministers and others have been promoted. A number of ministers, including Ravi Shankar Prasad, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Ravi Shankar Prasad, have been promoted.

Prakash Javadekar has resigned. This reshuffle takes place amid the new coronavirus pandemic, and with an eye to the five state assembly elections that are scheduled for the beginning of next year. Numerous new faces were inducted into the Union Cabinet. Prime Minister Modi met prominent leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party, and the partners of the governing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earlier today to discuss the Cabinet rejig exercise.

They include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbananda Nowal, and Narayan Rane. Union ministers have been elected to include some political leaders from NDA parties such as the LJP’s Pashupati Kumar Paras. This is the first Modi Ministry reshuffle. Modi had at least three times reshuffled his ministerial teams between 2014 and 2019
Kiren Rijiju was appointed the new Culture Minister, while Sarbananda Sonowal would head the Ministries of AYUSH and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ministry.

Bhupender Yadav

a senior BJP leader, has been named the new Labour Minister to replace Santosh Gangwar. The Ministry of Rural Development will be headed by Giriraj Singh, a party veteran.

Anurag Thakur

was appointed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. He will also serve as the Sports Minister. He was sworn in as Union Cabinet Minister earlier today.

Pashupati Paras,

a LJP faction leader and breakaway faction leader, has been named Union Minister for Food Processing. His brother, late founder of LJP Ram Vilas Paswan, was the previous head of the ministry.

Meenakshi Lekhi,

a BJP MP, has been named Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture. She was one of the new members of the Council of Ministers.

The Ministry of Education and Skills Development will be headed by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister. Today, Dr Ramesh Pkhriyal Naishank, the incumbent Education Minister, resigned.

The ministries of Health and Chemical & Fertilizers have been combined. The Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya would lead the new combined ministry. He previously headed the Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will now oversee the Ministry of Science & Technology. It was previously held by Dr Harsh Vardhan, who resigned earlier today as minister.

Jyotiraditya Scindia,

a leader of BJP, was elected Minister for Civil Aviation. Piyush Goyal, who is currently in charge of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, would head the new Textile Ministry.

Hardeep Singh Puri

has been named the new Petroleum Minister to replace Dharmendra Pradhan, who was the incumbent Minister for Civil Aviation and Urban Planning.

Ashwini Vaishnav

was appointed the new Union Minister of Railways, Electronics and Information Technology and Communication.