Odisha CM reshuffles ministry, allocates portfolios

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday inducted 10 new faces into his ministry, including six Cabinet and four Ministers of State. Two MoS were elevated to Cabinet rank.

The new Cabinet ministers are Niranjan Pujari, Surya Naryan Patro, Prafulla Samal, Pratap Jena, Sashi Bhusan Behera and Maheswar Mohanty. Prafulla Mallick and Ramesh Chandra Majhi have been elevated.

The Ministers of State are Sushant Singh, Nrushingha Sahu, Chandra Sarathi Behera and Ananta Narayan Das.

The Chief Minister later allocated portfolios to his ministers, retaining the four portfolios of Home Department, General Administration, Water Resources and Works.

Sashi Bhusan Behera was given charge of the Finance and Excise Department while Parliamentary Affairs and Rural Development was allocated to Bikram Keshari Arukh.

Damodar Rout, who earlier was in charge of Excise, got Agriculture and Public Enterprises while Pradeep Maharathy got the Panchayati Raj Department. Bijayshree Routray has been given the charge of Forest and Environment Department.

Usha Devi has been appointed the new Planning, Coordination and Technical Education Minister while Surya Narayan Patro will be the Food Supplies and Cooperation Minister.

Maheswar Mohanty has been allocated the Revenue portfolio, Niranjan Pujari Industry and Urban Development and Badri Narayan Patra School and Mass Education.

Prafulla Mallick, who retained the Steel and Mines Department, also got charge of Energy Department.

Pratap Jena was named the new Health Minister while Ramesh Majhi has been given charge of SC/ST Development Department.

Prafulla Samal has been named the Women and Child Welfare Minister.

There was no change in the portfolios of Ashok Panda and Snehangini Chhuria, who retained Tourism and Culture Department, and Handloom and Textile portfolios respectively.

Among the Ministers of State, Nrusingha Charan Sahu has been allotted Commerce and Transport, while Chandra Sarathi Behera has been given charge of Sports and Youth Affairs and IT.

Ananta Das has been given charge of Higher Education and Susanta Singh Labour and ESI Department.

Earlier, the new ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor S.C. Jamir at the Raj Bhavan here.

"Six new Cabinet ministers and four MoS were sworn in today (Sunday). Besides, two MoS were elevated to the rank of Cabinet ministers," Patnaik told reporters.

Except Behera, other five new Cabinet Ministers have been earlier a part of the Naveen Patnaik government, which has ruled the state for 17 years.

The resignation of 10 ministers on Saturday paved the way for a reshuffle in the three-year government led by Patnaik.

These ministers are Pradip Kumar Amat, Debi Prasad Mishra, Lal Behari Himirika, Jogendra Behera, Pushpendra Singhdeo, Arun Kumar Sahoo, Sanjay Dasburma, Sudam Marndi, Pranab Prakash Das, and Pradeep Panigrahi.

Pradip Kumar Amat, who resigned as Finance and Health Minister, is likely to become the assembly Speaker. Nirajnan Pujari, earlier the Speaker, has been inducted as a minister.

--IANS

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