Gajendra Shekhawat takes charge as Union Culture and Tourism Minister

New Delhi: BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday took charge as the Union Culture and Tourism Minister.

Soon after taking charge as Culture minister, he told reporters that his ministry will contribute towards the vision of making a Viksit Bharat.

"In transitioning from India to Bharat, under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi we have been taking giant steps in shedding our colonial cloak & reinstating our glorious cultural heritage. As I take charge of this immensely beautiful ministry of culture, I am both humbled & proud to be given this opportunity to preserve, protect & promote the vibrance of Bharateeyata both across our country and the world," he said on X.

"Our nation’s growing soft power is in its rich cultural fabric and its myriad manifestations in the form of art, music, dance, textiles among others. Let’s work together to strengthen it in this Amritkaal and make culture a strong thread to weave #ViksitBharat," he added.

He later assumed charge of the Ministry of Tourism.

Born in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer in 1967, Shekhawat was elected to the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha and again to the 18th Lok Sabha in the recently-held general elections from Jodhpur.

Shekhawat served as Union Jal Shakti Minister in the previous government.