Biswal sworn in CM

BHUBANESWAR, Dec 6 (PTI, UNI) — The Orissa PCC President, Mr Hemananda Biswal, chosen by the party high command to replace Mr Giridhar Gamang as head of the government, was sworn in as the state’s 16th Chief Minister here today.

Two other members of the outgoing ministry, Mr Basanta Kumar Biswal and Mr Jagannath Patnaik, also took oath along with him as Cabinet Ministers.

The Governor, Mr M.M. Rajendran, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Biswal and the two other ministers at a simple function on the Raj Bhavan lawns.

Party sources said the three-member ministry would be expanded before the commencement of the brief winter session of the assembly beginning on December 10 next.

Most of the ministers of the previous Gamang regime were expected to be retained in the new team.

Asked about the formation of his full-fledged ministry, Mr Biswal said that he was not in favour of frequent reshuffles and would undertake “minor changes”.

There were 28 ministers including the Chief Minister, in the previous government.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the outgoing Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang, former Chief Ministers J.B. Patnaik and Nandini Satpathy, the three AICC emissaries — Motilal Vora, Vayalar Ravi and Ramesh Chennithala — camping here for the last five days, and several former ministers.

The portfolios of new ministers would be distributed later, party sources said.

This is the second time that Mr Biswal has taken up the reins of administration after being made Chief Minister on December 7, 1989 in place of veteran J.B. Patnaik.

He remained at the helm of affairs for about three months after which he had to go out of office following the defeat of the ruling Congress in the 1990 assembly elections.

Mr Biswal also served in the J.B. Patnaik Cabinet installed in March 1995 as one of the two Deputy Chief Ministers, the other being Mr Basanta Kumar Biswal who took oath as a Cabinet Minister today.

Both Mr Basanta Kumar Biswal and Mr Jagannath Patnaik were also ministers under Mr J.B. Patnaik and Mr Giridhar Gamang. While Mr Biswal held charge of Water Resources Development, Agriculture, Cooperation and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Patnaik was Minister for Revenue, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development.

Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, the new Chief Minister attended office in the state secretariat and held discussion with officials.

The new Chief Minister said that his government would give top priority to agriculture and rural development.

He said the prime task before him was to gear up relief and rehabilitation work in the cyclone affected areas.

Asked how he would tackle the problems of relief and rehabilitation with a small Cabinet, Mr Biswal said officers were there to handle the situation.

Several senior ministers of the outgoing Giridhar Gamang government were, however, unhappy over the formation of a new government at this juncture. Former Education Minister Bhagabat Prasad Mahanty, when asked, said repeated change of the Cabinet and the government would have a detrimental effect on the administration and was not beneficial for any political party.