Sukh Ram's son inducted into Himachal cabinet

The two-month-old Congress government in Himachal Pradesh was expanded Saturday with the induction of former telecom minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma into the cabinet.

Sharma, who has got portfolios of rural development and panchayati raj and animal husbandry, was minister of state from 1993-97.

With his induction, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's cabinet has been expanded to 11 from 10.

Sharma, a three-time legislator and a Rajya Sabha member, is currently a legislator from Mandi.

There is still one vacancy in the cabinet. Virbhadra Singh has said the next expansion would be after the state's budget session beginning March 12.

Official sources said in the next cabinet expansion the chief minister is keen to induct four to five legislators as chief parliamentary secretaries too.

Virendra Singh, who had been chief minister in 1983, 1985, 1993, 1998 and 2003, took the oath of office for the sixth time Dec 25, 2012, with his nine cabinet colleagues.

The Congress won a majority with 36 seats in the 68-member assembly.