Yogi Cabinet count rises to 56; he still has 37 portfolios

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, August 23

Despite adding 18 new faces and taking the total number of ministers in his Cabinet to 56, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has still kept 37 departments with himself.

While allocating portfolios, Yogi adopted the stick and carrot policy by stripping some controversial and “below-average” performing ministers of their portfolios and awarding others with additional departments.

The CM kept 11 major departments, including home, information, revenue, housing and mining, for which he has not even appointed a junior minister. The portfolios of the two Deputy Chief Ministers remain untouched.

High-profile health has been taken away from Siddhartha Nath Singh, who has been given khadi and textile.

Similarly, the CM has downgraded Nand Gopal Nandi from stamp and registration ministry to political pension and minority welfare. Cricketer-turned-politician Chetan Chauhan has also lost sports and he has been allocated civil, defence and army men welfare.

New entrants Ram Naresh Agnihotri and Kamla Rani Varun have been given important excise and technical education departments, respectively. Another newcomer, Satish Dwivedi, will look after basic education.

Among the gainers are Rajendra Pratap Singh alias Moti Singh, who gets rural and integrated development. Elevated to Cabinet rank, Mahendra Singh has been given newly created jal shakti.

Jai Pratap Singh has been given the more important medical education and family welfare instead of excise. Ashutosh Tandon, son of BJP veteran and MP Governor Lalji Tandon, has been given urban development and planning instead of medical education.