Ram Kripal Yadav, Rupala take charge at Krishi Bhavan

Junior ministers, including Ram Kripal Yadav and Parshottam Rupala, assumed charge of their respective ministries at Krishi Bhavan here on Friday.

The Ministers moved from one room to the other in different floors along with senior leaders like B.S. Yeddyurappa, new Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Ananth Kumar, who was assigned Parliamentary Affairs ministry in the latest reshuffle carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav (from Bihar) assumed charge as did Parshottam Rupala, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, as junior minister of Agriculture and of Panchayati Raj.

Karnataka MP Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi took charge as the new junior minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, the post earlier held by Ram Kripal Yadav.

"It's a celebration mood here as we make a new beginning under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the new Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after Jigajinagi assumed charge after a brief puja ceremony in the chamber.

After taking charge, Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav said: "The good work done by outgoing minister Chaudhary Birender Singh will be carried forward."

"The last two years have seen change in rural economy. A lot of transparency has been brought in the implementation of schemes like MG-NREGA," Yadav said.

"Prime Minister himself works hard. All ministers are working hard to transform India and help realise the dream of Prime Minister," he said.

Yadav was allocated the Rural Development Ministry in Tuesday's cabinet reshuffle. He earlier held the portfolio of Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Yadav replaces Sudarshan Bhagat, who has moved as Minister of State in the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry.

The cabinet reshuffle also saw Birender Singh moving out to the Steel Ministry as cabinet minister with Narendra Singh Tomar swapping portfolios with him.

New MoS Agriculture Sudarshan Bhagat said the focus will be to increase the production of foodgrains with less production cost as well dairy products so that farmers may get doubled income.

Rupala, who has been Agriculture Minister in Gujarat, said his priority will be to execute Centre's roadmap for the development of agriculture sector and famers' welfare.

Besides Rupala and Bhagat, Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh will have another junior minister in the form of Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia to assist him.

--IANS

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