Health portfolio goes to Govind Thakur

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 8

In a minor reshuffle, Health and Family Welfare Department has been taken from Rajiv Saizal and given to Education Minister Govind Thakur.

Interestingly, in the order issued by the General Administration department (GAD) today, the department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj is held by two ministers – Virender Kanwar and Saizal. The education department held by Govind Thakur is neither shown against his name or with any other minister. As such nobody is education minister in the Jai Ram cabinet.

The change in the portfolio by the Chief Minister comes immediately after the BJP suffered a setback in the municipal corporation as it won only Mandi while Congress bagged Palampur and Solan. In Dharamsala though BJP has got more seats but has not got majority on its own.

With Covid outbreak, the Health Department has assumed great significance and probably the Chief Minister does not seem to be happy with the performance of Saizal, who had been given the portfolio when Vipin Parmar, the then health minister, was made Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha following Rajeev Bindal’s resignation.