JOIN US43 TMC leaders sworn in as ministers in West Bengal
At least 43 members of the third cabinet of the Mamata Banerjee government were on Monday sworn-in as ministers during a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan, amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers.
The portfolios of newly elected Ministers was released after the ceremony. There were key changes in the allocation of portfolios.
While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee kept the portfolios Home and Hill Affairs, Personnel and Administration, Health and Family Welfare, Land and Land Reforms, Refugee and Rehabilitation, Information and Cultural Affairs and North Bengal Development, she handed over the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department to senior TMC leader Md. Ghulam Rabbani, a first time Minister.
A major change took place in the School Education and Higher Education Department. Senior TMC leader Partha Chatterjee who served as the Education Minister in the second TMC Government was made Minister of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise, Information Technology and Electronics and Parliamentary Affairs. TMC MLA Bratya Basu who served briefly as the Education Minister in the past was brought back as the Minister of the same department.
Another key change was made in the Food and Supplies Department where TMC MLA Jyoti Priya Mallick was made Minister of Forest, Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources Department. TMC leader Rathin Ghosh was made Minister of Mister of the Food and Supplies Department.
Senior TMC leader and close aid of the Chief Minister Firhad Hakim was made Minister Transport Department and the Housing Department. TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya was made Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department,
Among the fresh faces, Akhil Giri was made Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Fisheries Department, Ratna De Nag was made the Environment Minister and Humayun Kabir was made Minister of Technical Education and Seuli Saha was made Minister of State for Panchayat and Rural Development.
Senior-most TMC MLA Subrata Mukherjee retained the Panchayat and Rural Development. Evan as Amit Mitra did not contest the Assembly elections due to ill health, he retained the Finance Department.
Three TMC leaders Amit Mitra, Bratya Basu and Rathin Ghosh were sworn in virtually. Mitra is unwell and both Basu and Ghosh are recuperating from Covid-19.
Other elected legislators like Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim and Sadhan Pande also took oath at the ceremony, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present along with other state government officials.
Banerjee is scheduled to hold a cabinet meeting at the secretariat later in the day, during which she is expected to allot portfolios to the ministers.
Those who were sworn in include 24 cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state (Independent Charge).
(With PTI inputs)