Kapil Sibal to fill two vacant Cabinet slots

Sibal has been given temporary charge as minister for science and technology, and earth sciences, a post he held in UPA I. Presently, he holds the human resource development portfolio. He will assume his additional responsibilities on Thursday.

However, no one has been appointed so far as the minister of state for parliamentary affairs and the department of personnel and training, which is the parental organisation for the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The strategically important department of space and atomic energy will be looked after by the prime minister himself till a new minister of state in the PMO is appointed. Chavan was also the junior minister in the parliamentary affairs ministry, which will also remain vacant.