Raj ministers get portfolios: Gehlot keeps nine, Pilot 5

Jaipur, December 27

Newly inducted Rajasthan ministers have been allocated portfolios, with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlok assigning nine departments, including the key finance and home, to himself.

According to the orders issued by the Cabinet Secretariat here, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has been given the charge of public works, rural development, panchayati raj, science and technology and statistics departments.

Apart from the CM and his deputy, 13 cabinet and 10 ministers of state were allocated portfolios by Governor Kalyan Singh late on Wednesday night on the advice of Gehlot. The allocation was done after Gehlot and Pilot held meetings with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The decision had been pending due to reported disagreement between Gehlot and Pilot over allocation of key portfolios such as home and finance.

Besides finance and home, the CM also kept the charge of excise, planning, personnel, general administration and information technology department, among others with himself.

BD Kalla has been given energy, public health engineering, ground water, art, culture and archeology departments, while Shanti Dhariwal was assigned urban development and housing, law and parliamentary affairs departments.

Parsadi Lal was named industry minister, and Master Bhanwar Lal Meghwal is in charge of social justice and empowerment department.

Agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries departments are with Lal Chand Kataria while medical and health, information and public relations departments are with Raghu Sharma. Pramod Bhaya is the mines minister.

Vishvendra Singh got tourism and devsthan department, Harish Chaudhary was allocated revenue, while Ramesh Chand Meena was given food and civil supply department.

Besides being made the cooperative minister, Anjana Udailal was also given the Indira Gandhi canal project department. Pratap Singh was given the charge of transport and soldier welfare departments while Shale Mohammad was made minority affairs and waqf minister.

RLD’s Subhash Garg was allocated technical education (independent charge), Sanskrit education (independent charge), medical and health, information and public relations departments. — TNS/PTI