By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal on Sunday administered the oath of office to 21 new ministers in the Naveen Patnaik government. The new ministry was sworn in after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asked all his ministers to resign to completely overhaul his ministry keeping an eye on the 2024 elections.
Thirteen ministers were sworn in with Cabinet rank while eight were inducted as ministers of state.
For the first time, the swearing-in ceremony was held in the Lok Seva Bhavan instead of the Raj Bhavan.
Nine ministers of the previous cabinet have been retained in the major overhaul because of their good performance.
The chief minister distributed portfolios among the ministers with Niranjan Pujari getting the parliamentary affairs in addition to finance which he retained. Similarly, Naba Kishore Das also retained the health and family welfare portfolio while Prafulla Mallick with continue with steel, mines and works. Former minister Pratap Deb has rewarded with three heavy portfolios industries, micro, small energy and medium enterprises while portfolios of senior minister Ranendra Pratap Swain has been changed. Swain has now agriculture and farmers’ empowerment, fisheries and animal resources development.
Similarly, former minister Pradip Amat has also been alloted three key portfolios of forest and environment, panchayatiraj and drinking water and information and public relations. While Pramila Mallick will be the new revenue and disaster management minister, housing and urban development portfolio has gone to Usha Devi.
Former minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has been allotted with the food and consumer welfare and cooperation portfolios while Tukuni Sahu has got water resource and commerce and transport departments. Ashok Panda has been promoted as a cabinet minister with the same portfolios of science and technology, public enterprises, social security and empowerment of persons with disability.
Rajendra Dholakia, a new face, has got planning and convergence portfolio. The key portfolio of law along with SC, ST and minority development has gone to Jagannath Saraka.
Among the ministers of state, Samir Ranjan Das will continue with school and mass education while the key portfolio of home has gone to Tusharkanti Behera along with electronics and IT, sports and youth services which he retained. While tourism, Odia language, literature and culture, excise has been allotted to Aswini Kumar Patra, Pritiranjan Gharai has got key portfolios of rural development and technical education.
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While the key portfolio of higher education has been given to new face Rohit Pujari, Srikant Sahu, another new face has for labour and employees state insurance. While Rita Sahu has been given handlooms, textiles and handicrafts while Basanti Hembram has got women and child development and Mission Shakti.
The chief minister has dropped ten ministers of the previous team from the new cabinet. Ministers who have been dropped are Pratap Jena, Dibyashankar Mishra, Arun Kumar Sahoo, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Premananda Nayak, Sushant Singh, Padmanabha Behera, Sudam Marndi, Raghunandan Das and Padmini Dian.
Nine ministers who have been retained include Niranjan Pujari, Prafulla Kumar Mallik, Tukuni Sahu, Naba Kishore Das, Samir Ranjan Dash, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Ashok Chandra Panda, Jagannath Saraka and Tusharkanti Behera. Besides, five senior MLAs who were not in the last cabinet were also included in the new team. They are Pramila Mallick, Usha Devi, Pratap Keshari Deb, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Pradip Kumar Amat.
