Half-a-dozen chief parliamentary secretaries (CPSes) were administered oath by the Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh here on Monday.
All are relatively young MLAs . Two are from the Shimla, the home district of the chief minister, and one from Hamirpur. Jagjivan Pal is from the Sullah assembly seat, Kangra; Rakesh Kalia, Gagret, Una; Nand Lal, Rampur Bushahr, Shimla; Rohit Thakur Jubbal, Kotkhai, Shimla; Sohan Lal, Sundernagar, Mandi; and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Badsar, Hamirpur.
The CPSs will be attached to the following ministeries and departments. Jagjivan Pal , IPH . Rakesh Kalia Ayurveda .Nand Lal ,Health. Rohit Thakur , Power and Agriculture . Sohan Lal, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal gets Rural Development .
After the oath ceremony the Virbhadra said , "Since these CPSs are relatively young , I hope they will play a pivotal role in the development of the state."
One berth is still vacant in the Virbhadra cabinet and there is much speculation here about who all are in the run for this vacancy .
When asked he said , "The ministerial berth will be filled in at an appropriate time ."
Asked about declining to accept the honorary doctorate by the Himachal Pradesh university , the six time chief minister said , "I don't need an honorary degree from the HP university as I have been awarded enough by the people of the state ."
