Badal Keeps Important Portfolios To Himself

Besides home and general administration, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has decided to keep a number of other important portfolios, including industry and irrigation and power, with himself. The Chief Minister will also look after excise and taxation.

Badal has entrusted his close confidant Kanwaljit Singh with finance, planning and public relations. Singh was minister of state for home in the previous Surjit Singh Barnala-led Akali government in the state.

Two years ago, he shifted his loyalties from Barnala to Badal. Singh is a retired captain of the Indian army.

Official circles feel that in the allotment of portfolios, Badal has given a step-motherly treatment to Balramji Dass Tandon, the state unit president of the BJP, the alliance partner, who was earlier tipped to be inducted as deputy Chief Minister. Tandon had earlier served as industry minister in the previous Badal government in 1977. Tandon also owns a small industry. He has been allocated health, medical education and local government portfolios this time. The other BJP minister - Madan Mohan Mittal, also former state unit president of the party, has been entrusted with more important portfolios, including food and civil supplies, public health and parliamentary affairs.

The portfolios of other ministers are:

Ranjit Singh Brahmpura : Cooperation.

Parkash Singh Majitha : Revenue and rehabilitation

Gurdev Singh Badal : Agriculture, welfare of scheduled castes and backward classes.

Sarup Singh : Housing, Urban development, labour and employment.

Upinderjit Kaur : Technical education and industrial training, tourism and cultural affairs.

Nirmal Singh Kahlon: Rural development and panchayats.