Cabinet Rejig: PM Modi to monitor Ministry of Science, Amit Shah gets Ministry of Cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will monitor the Ministry of Science and Technology, while Amit Shah to oversee the Ministry of Cooperation in addition to Home Ministry.

Shah will have B L Verma as his deputy in the newly-created Cooperation Ministry, which is also likely to play a key role in furthering the Modi government's social development agenda going forward.

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Meanwhile, political parties in Kerala on Friday came down heavily on the Union government over the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation and termed the move as "an intrusion into the federalism of the country."

Minister for Cooperation and Registration V N Vasavan said it was a state subject as per the Constitution and requested the union government to reconsider the move.

"Creation of a new Cooperation ministry is an infringement upon the federal rights of the state governments. It comes under the purview of the state government. This is an intrusion into the authority of the state governments. Since it's a state subject, the union government should reconsider the move. This amounts to challenging the federal system of our country," Vasavan told reporters.

Fifteen Cabinet ministers and 28 Ministers of State were sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan Wednesday evening.