Rajasthan cabinet portfolios allocated, Gehlot keeps home, finance

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh on early Thursday allocated portfolios to the Council of Ministers, three days after 23 ministers took oath, with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot keeping key departments including Home, Finance and Personnel.

The allocation of portfolios took place at 2 a.m., a statement said.

Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot gets PWD and Rural Development, the statement said.

General Administration, Information Technology and Telecommunications are also with Gehlot while Science and Technology, and Statistics have been allotted to Pilot.

B.D. Kalla has been given Power, Public Health Engineering, Culture and Archaeology, while Pratap Singh Khachariyawas got two departments -- Transportation and Soldiers' Welfare.

Shanti Dhariwal has been given the Urban Development, Housing and Legal departments.

Raghu Sharma has got the Medical and Health, Ayurveda, ESI, Information and Public Relations departments.

Parsadi Lal was allotted Industries and State Ventures while Master Bhanwarlal has been given Social Justice and Empowerment and Disaster Management.

Lalchand Kataria gets Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, while Pramod Jain Bhaya has received Mining and the Cow Ministry.

Vishwendra Singh will look after Tourism Ministry, while Harish Chaudhary has got Revenue and Irrigation.

Ramesh Chand Meena has been given the Food and Civic Supplies department, Udailal Anjana has got co-operative and Indira Gandhi Canal Project while Saleh Mohammad gets the Minorities and Waqf departments.

Govind Singh Dotarasa has got Education, Mamta Bhupesh has been alloted the Women and Child Development department and Arjun Sungh gets the Bamania Tribe Regional Development Department.

Bhanwar Singh Bhati has got the Higher Education depatrment (independent charge), Sukhiram Vishnoi has Forest department (independent charge), Environment, Department of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.

Ashok Chandna gets the Youth and Sports department, Tikaram Juli has been given the Labour department (independent charge), Bhanjanlal Jatav gets the Department of Home Defence and Civil Defence (Independent charge) and Department of Printing and stationery (Independent Charge).

Rajendra Singh Yadav has been allotted Planning (Manpower), (Independent Charge), State Motor Garage Department (Independent Charge) Language Department (Independent Charge), Social Justice and Empowerment and Disaster Management and Assistance.

Earlier, throughout Wednesday, the files related to portfolio were being transferred from Delhi to Jaipur and vice-versa due to difference of opinion between the Congress members.

On Wednesday morning, Pilot met Congress President Rahul Gandhi while in the later half, Gehlot went to Delhi with the files.

After an eight-hour long meeting in Delhi, the portfolio distribution process was eventually a success around 2 a.m. on Thursday.

--IANS

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