(NDTV)
A number of key portfolios — including health, law, Information and Technology and railways — have gone to new ministers and junior ministers who were elevated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers that underwent a reboot today. The total strength of the Council of Ministers is now 78, including the Prime Minister. The current reshuffle has boosted the number of cabinet ministers from 21 to 30 and the number of junior ministers from 23 to 45. There are fewer junior ministers with Independent charge — the figure has dropped from nine to two.
As the country braces for the third wave of Covid following a debilitating second surge, Mansukh Mandaviya has been given the challenge of leading the containment efforts as the head of the crucial health ministry. His junior minister will be Dr Bharati Pawar. In addition, he would retain the Ministry of Chemical Fertilizers.
Newcomer Ashwani Vashnaw, the Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, has been given charge of the Railways and IT ministry. An MBA from Wharton School, Pennysylvania University and MTech from IIT Kanpur, he has held leadership roles across major global companies such as General Electric and Siemens.
The crucial Law and Justice ministry has gone to Kiren Rijiju, a law graduate who earlier handled the Youth Affairs & Sports and the Ayush ministry and was also the Minister of State for Minority Affairs.
Jyotiraditya Scindia — one of the BJP’s high-profile acquisitions from the Congress — has been given charge of the Civil aviation ministry at a time the sector is struggling under the Covid onslaught. The ministry was once handled by his father Madhavrao Scindia, who died in a plane crash in 2001. Ramchandra Prasad Singh of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United, which joined the PM Modi’s government for the first time, has been made part of the cabinet with the steel portfolio. Anurag Singh Thakur, who earlier handled the ministries of finance and corporate affairs, has been given charge of crucial Information and Broadcasting ministry. Additionally, he will handle Youth Affairs and Sports.
