Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday defended his move to appoint 10 parliamentary secretaries, saying that they will assist the Cabinet ministers in discharging their duties.
Appointment of parliamentary secretaries is nothing new. It is in practice since 1964. Currently there are about 21 parliamentary secretaries at the Centre. The Punjab government has appointed 17 parliamentary secretaries, he told reporters, after his reaction was sought to JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda’s objection to the appointments. Earlier, the chief minister administered the oath of office and secrecy to 10 Congress legislators as parliamentary secretaries at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha.
The parliamentary secretaries will get the Minister of State rank status and they will report to the Cabinet ministers they are attached to. The parliamentary secretaries will discharge duties allotted by the ministers concerned.
Names of the parliamentary secretaries and the Cabinet ministers they are attached to are as follows: K Govindaraj (chief minister); Raju Algur (housing minister); Makabul Bagawan (urban development minister); Umesh G Jadhav (minister for health and family welfare); Doddamani Siddalingappa (water resources minister); A S Shivalli (social welfare and backward classes development minister); Shakuntala Shetty (women and child development minister); C Puttaranga Shetty (rural development and panchayat raj minister); H P Manjunath (minister for large and medium industries); E Tukaram (PWD minister).
This apart, the chief minister said his partymen will soon hold talks with JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and sort out all issues in the wake of his recent statement regretting having an alliance with the Congress in the BBMP.
Cabinet rank for Umashree
Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare and Kannada and Culture, Umashree, has been elevated to the Cabinet rank. The chief minister’s recommendation has been approved by Governor Vajubai Vala.
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