Cabinet ministers Anil Vij, Kanwar Pal Gujjar and Devender Singh Babli emerged as “losers” as the Haryana Government reallocated departments. The recent merging of departments had necessitated the reallocation.
Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Chandigarh, January 10
Cabinet ministers Anil Vij, Kanwar Pal Gujjar and Devender Singh Babli emerged as “losers” as the Haryana Government reallocated departments. The recent merging of departments had necessitated the reallocation.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has left Public Health Engineering; Information Technology, Electronics and Communications; and Environment and Climate Change.
Doesn’t bother me
It doesn’t matter to me. I will continue to work even if left with no dept. Anil Vij
Vide a notification, dated January 1, the government had dissolved the Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Department and the functions of this department, Electronics Manufacturing, Private IT and Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (HARTRON) have been brought under the purview of the Industries and Commerce Department.
The Environment and Climate Change Department has been merged with the Forests and Wildlife Department.
Khattar has got the newly formed Social Justice, Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and Antyodaya (SEWA); and Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship departments. The Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Department has been formed by merging the Skill Development and Industrial Training; Employment and Youth Affairs departments. The CM has also got Sports after Minister of State Sandeep Singh faced sexual harassment charges. Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, who is from alliance partner Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), has no change in his profile and continues to hold seven departments.
Vij lost Technical Education and Science and Technology. Both these departments have been merged recently with Higher Education. However, he continues to have Home; Health; Medical Education and Research; and AYUSH.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I will continue to work even if I am left with no department,” said Vij. Gujjar lost the Higher Education Department. He will continue to have School Education; Parliamentary Affairs; Hospitality; Environment and Forests & Wildlife; and Heritage and Tourism.
The Department of Archaeology and Museums has been recently merged with the Department of Tourism to form the Heritage and Tourism Department. Earlier, Gujjar was holding Art and Cultural Affairs too, but it has been merged with the Department of Information, Public Relations and Languages, and the merged department is with the CM now. He got Environment and Climate Change from the CM’s quota. Gujjar could not be contacted for comments. Cabinet Minister Mool Chand Sharma has got the Higher Education Department but Skill Development and Industrial Training has been taken away from him and has gone to the CM. He will continue to have Transport, Mines and Geology, and Elections. There is no change in the profile of three Cabinet ministers — Ranjit Singh (Independent) and BJP’s Jai Parkash Dalal and Dr Kamal Gupta. Cabinet Minister Dr Banwari Lal has been divested of the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department, but gets Public Health Engineering from the CM’s quota. As Archaeology and Museums has been merged with the Heritage and Tourism Department, JJP’s Babli has been left with only Development and Panchayats.
Minister of State Om Prakash Yadav continues to have Sainik and Ardh Sainik Welfare as independent charge. However, he will now have SEWA, which is attached with the CM.
There is no change in the profile of BJP’s Minister of State Kamlesh Dhanda.
Minister of State Anoop Dhanak, who is from the JJP, lost the Employment Department but continues to have Labour as an independent charge. Other departments with him will remain attached with the Deputy CM.
Minister of State Sandeep Singh is left with Printing and Stationery.
Not the first time
- CM Khattar took away CID from Anil Vij in Jan 2020
- Vij also lost Local Bodies Dept to Kamal Gupta when latter joined Cabinet in Dec 2021
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