On the one hand, the main opposition party in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress, is trying to save its clan, while on the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, which came to power in the state for the first time, has divided the portfolios of its ministers. Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has kept the Home and Electricity departments with himself. Swapan Dasgupta has been made the Finance Minister, while the Sports Department has been given to Dr. Indranil Khan in place of Ashok Dinda.
Chief Minister Shubhendu, after several rounds of meetings with BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya, distributed the portfolios among the new ministers in the state. The Home Department will remain with the Chief Minister. Besides, Law and Justice, Land and Land Revenue and Electricity departments will also remain under the Chief Minister. Apart from the departments of Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation, he will have the portfolios of Power, Information and Cultural Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
Swapan Dasgupta has been made the new Finance Minister of the state. According to sources, the top leadership of BJP was also liking Swapan as Finance Minister from the beginning. Apart from 13 cabinet ministers, 22 have been made ministers of state and 3 have been made ministers with independent charge in the government.
Sharad Mukherjee becomes state health minister
BJP leader from North Bengal and former party general secretary Deepak Burman has been made the School Education Minister, while the responsibility of the Higher Education Department has been handed over to Jagannath Chatterjee. Along with technical education and skill development, the higher education department is also under him. Separate ministers have not been made for higher education, school education, technical education etc. Shankar Ghosh has the responsibility of tourism department.
The Chief Minister announced the nomination of Sharadwat Mukherjee, a doctor by profession, as the new Health Minister of the state. Kumargram MLA Manoj Kumar Orao got the responsibility of Forest and Environment Department. Gauri Shankar Ghosh has been given the responsibility of Backward Class Development Department. He also has the departments of Public Education Extension and Library Services.
Arup Kumar Das has been given the responsibility of Irrigation Department, while MLA from Kharda Assembly Dr. Kalyan Chakraborty has got the responsibility of Food Processing and Horticulture Department, Science and Technology, Biotechnology Department and Information Technology and Electronics Department. Ajay Kumar Poddar has been made the Minister of Public Health Engineering and Public Works Department.
Indranil Khan becomes Youth and Sports Minister
Senior BJP leader and Mayureshwar MLA Dudhkumar Mandal has been assigned the agriculture department. While Arjun Singh has been made the Labor and Transport Minister. Cricketer-turned-politician Ashok Dinda has got agriculture marketing as well as micro, small and medium enterprises and textile departments. Minister of State Kalita Majhi has got the responsibility of Housing Department. Minister of State Gargi Das Ghosh has been assigned the portfolio of Energy as well as Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources.
Along with the Minister of State (Independent Charge), 3 MLAs have been made ministers. Minister of State (Independent Charge) Malti Rava Roy has got the portfolios of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare. Whereas Dr. Indranil Khan has been made Minister of State (Independent Charge), Youth Services and Sports. Whereas Rajesh Mahata has got the Department of Animal Resources Development and Fisheries.
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