Chhattisgarh Cabinet expansion: In a major development in Chhattisgarh’s political domain, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday assigned portfolios to nine ministers in his newly formed cabinet. The strength of the state cabinet is 12.
According to a gazette notification issued by the CMO, Vishnu Deo Sai has retained the General Administration Department, Mineral Resources, Energy, Public Relations, Commercial Tax (Excise), and Transport. He will also hold all other unallocated portfolios.
Meawnhile, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma has been given key departments of Home and Jail, Panchayat and Rural Development, Technical Education and Employment and Science and Technology. Deputy CM Arun Sao will handle Public Works, Public Health Engineering, Law and Legislative Affairs and Urban Administration departments.
Check full list here:
- CM Sai has assigned the Finance Ministry, a pivotal portfolio with a significant impact on the state's economic policies, to IAS-officer-turned MLA OP Chaudhary. He will also handle Commercial Tax, Housing and Environment and Planning, Economics and Statistics departments.
- Minister Brijmohan Agrawal has been allocated School Education, Higher Education, Tourism and Culture, Parliamentary Affairs and Dharmik Nyas (religious trust) and Dharmsva departments.
- Ram Vichar Netam will be the minister for Agriculture Development and Farmer Welfare, Scheduled Tribes Development, Scheduled Castes Development, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Minorities Development departments.
- The lone minister from the Scheduled Castes community in the cabinet, Dayaldas Baghel, was assigned Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection. The 69-year-old Baghel is the oldest member in the Sai's cabinet.
- The youngest and only woman minister in the cabinet, Laxmi Rajwade (31) has been given the charge of the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare departments.
- Kedar Kashyap has been given Forest and Climate Change, Water Resources, Skill Development and Cooperative Departments.
- Lakhanlal Dewangan will handle Commerce and Industry and Labor departments.
- Shyam Bihari Jaiswal was given Public Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Twenty Point Implementation departments.
- Tankram Verma will be the minister for Sports and Youth Welfare and Revenue and Disaster Management departments.
Assembly Election Results 2023:
The BJP came back to power in the state by ousting the Congress in the Assembly polls held on November 7 and 17. Results were declared on December 3. The BJP won 54 seats in the 90-member Assembly, while the Congress emerged victorious on 35 seats, down from the 68 it won in the 2018 edition.
Also Read: Chhattisgarh Cabinet Expansion: Nine BJP MLAs take oath as ministers in Vishnu Sai's govt
