Patnaik allocateds portfolios, keeps home, GA

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday allocated portfolios to his newly sworn-in ministers and kept home, general administration and public grievances departments with him, officials said.

He took oath as chief minister for a record fifth consecutive term along with 20 ministers.

The new Patnaik ministry will have nine ministers of state, an official of the chief minister's office said.

Prafulla Kumar Mallik has retained works, steel and mines departments, while the crucial finance and excise department has been allocated to Niranjan Pujari, a prominent leader from western Odisha, the official said.

Mallik, considered a trusted man of Patnaik, has been given additional charge of home department as a minister of state.

Ganjam strongman Bikram Keshari Arukha is the minister of forest and environment and parliamentary affairs, while Ranendra Pratap Swain has got food supplies and consumer welfare and cooperation departments, the official said.

Padmanabha Behera has been allocated planning and convergance, commerce and transport, while former health minister Pratap Jena has been made the panchayati raj, drinking water, law, housing and urban development minister.

Arun Kumar Sahoo has been given the departments of agriculture and farmers' empowerment, fisheries and animal resources development and higher education, he said.

Tribal leader Sudam Marndi has been made a cabinet minister in charge of revenue and disaster management department and Sushant Singh is the minister for rural development, labour and employees state insurance.

Naba Kishore Das has been given the charge of health and family welfare department and the lone woman Cabinet minister Tukuni Sahu has been given the crucial department of women and child development and Mission Shakti, the official said.

Tribal youth leader Jagannath Saraka has been made a minister of state (MoS) of ST/SC development, minorities and backward classes welfare department and Dibya Shankar Mishra is the new minister of energy, industries, micro, small and medium Enterprises.

Ashok Chandra Panda has been allocated science and technology, public enterprise, social security and empowerment of persons with disability, the official said.

Samir Ranjan Dash has been given the charge of school and mass education, while Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi will be in charge of tourism, Odia language, literature and culture departments.

Premananda Nayak has been allocated skill development and technical education, and Raghunandan Das has been made the minister of state for departments of water resources besides information and public relations, he said.

Tribal woman leader Padmini Dian has been given departments like handloom, textile and handicraft.

Tusharkanti Behera is the minister of state for electronics and information technology, sports and youth services, the CMO official said.