Gujarat CM allocates portfolios to ministers

Finance and health goes to Nitin Patel, Anandiben retains revenue

Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi on Saturday made portfolio allocations for the ministers with Cabinet rank and ministers of state.

The chief minister himself retained portfolios such as general administration, administration reform and training, industry, home, climate change, ports, information and broadcasting, Narmada, Kalpsar, science and technology and some other policies and departments which are not allotted to other ministers.

The finance ministry has been given to Nitin Patel, who replaced Vajubhai Vala as the finance minister. Patel will also head other portfolios like health, medical education, family welfare and transport.

Anandiben Patel has retained her past portfolio of revenue, while she has also been allotted additional portfolios of famine relief, land development, rehabilitation, reconstruction, roads building, capital plan, urban development and urban housing.

Former minister of state for industries, Saurabh Patel, has been allocated Cabinet portfolio for energy and petrochemicals, mines and minerals, salt industries, printing, planning, tourism, civil aviation, labour and employment.

Former education minister, Ramanlal Vora, has been given social justice, sports, youth and cultural affairs.

Education, higher and technical education, law and justice, food and civil supply, consumer affairs, panchayat, rural housing and rural development have been allotted to Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

Former speaker of the Assembly, Ganpat Vasava, is now minister for forest and environment, tribal development, women and child welfare and parliamentary affairs.

Cabinet portfolios of agriculture, cooperatives, fisheries and water resources (barring Kalpsar), water supply, animal husbandry and cow care have been given to Babubhai Bokhiria.

Controversial BJP leader and former fisheries minister, Purshottam Solanki, has been given a minister of state berth, with a portfolio of labour and employment.

Parbatbai Patel was given health, family welfare and child welfare. Vasuben Trivedi is MoS for education, women and child welfare, while Pradipsinh Jadeja is the MoS for law, justice, parliamentary affairs, tourism, pilgrim development and coordination with NGOs, NRI and protocol.

Liladhar Vaghela has been allotted MoS portfolio of animal husbandry, fisheries, cow care, welfare of educationally backward classes. Rajnikant Patel is the MoS for home, police housing, border security, home guards, nagrik sarankshan, gram rakshan dal and prohibition.

Others MoS include Govindbhai Patel for agriculture, food and civil supply, consumer affairs, forest and environment. Nanubhai Vanani is the new MoS for water supply, water resources (barring Kaplsar).

Jayantibhai Kavadia has been entrusted with the portfolios of panchayat, rural housing and rural development.