Uttarakhand CM distributes portfolios among ministers

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami distributed portfolios among the members of his cabinet on Tuesday, making no changes in the ministries held by them earlier.

However, some ministers, including Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Yashpal Arya and Dhan Singh Rawat, were given the charge of some more departments in addition to the ones already held by them.     Plum portfolios such as excise, PWD, power and medical health, which were held by former chief ministers Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat, have now been distributed among these ministers, who were said to be unhappy with Dhami's elevation to the top post.

Dhami himself holds the home, finance, state estate, revenue, justice, technical education, civil aviation, information, planning, secretariat administration, general administration, personnel and vigilance, and industrial development (mining) portfolios.

In addition to irrigation, minor irrigation, watershed management, culture, religious affairs and tourism, Satpal Maharaj was given the charge of the PWD, while power was added to Harak Singh Rawat's existing responsibilities as the minister for forest, environment conservation and climate change, labour, skill development and employment, AYUSH and AYUSH education.

Bansidhar Bhagat retained the legislative and parliamentary affairs, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, urban development, housing and information and science and technology portfolios.

Yashpal Arya now also has the charge of the excise department, in addition to transport, social welfare, minority welfare and election.  Bishan Singh Chufal has been given the charge of drinking water, rural construction and census, while Subodh Uniyal retains the charge of agriculture and farmer welfare. Arvind Pandey has the charge of school education (basic and secondary), sports and youth welfare, Panchayati Raj and Sanskrit education.

Ganesh Joshi holds the charge of soldier welfare, industrial development, micro, small and medium enterprises as earlier.

Dhan Singh Rawat holds the cooperatives, protocol, disaster management and rehabilitation, and higher education, medical health and medical education portfolios, while Rekha Arya has been given the women empowerment and child development, animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries departments.

Yatishwaranand has been given the charge of language, reorganisation, sugarcane development and sugar industry and rural development. PTI ALM RC