Industry portfolio for Deshpande

In a minor reshuffle of portfolios, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday gave the Industries and Commerce portfolio to his senior Cabinet colleague R V Deshpande, who was the Minister for Higher Education and Tourism.

The Industries portfolio was with the chief minister all these days. The chief minister has taken back the Higher Education portfolio from Deshpande and kept it with himself. Deshpande will continue to hold Tourism portfolio. Governor Vajubhai Vala has issued a notification in this regard.

Deshpande has been given the Industries portfolio following the government's recent decision to organise Global Investors' Meet (GIM) in Bengaluru in November this year. Moreover, the chief minister, who is already burdened with key portfolios like Finance, DPAR and Bengaluru Development, was finding it difficult to handle the Industries and Commerce department, sources in the government said.

Deshpande, who had served as Industries Minister for 10 years in the past, too was not comfortable with Higher Education portfolio. He had urged the Chief Minister to give the Industries and Commerce, the sources said.