Bhopal: In a major cabinet reshuffle, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav allocated the portfolios to his ministers on Saturday, keeping the Home Department with himself and giving the Finance Ministry to Deputy Chief Minister M Jagadish Deora. The second Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla was assigned to the Public Health Department.
The cabinet expansion, which took place on Friday, saw the induction of 28 new ministers, taking the total number of ministers in the state to 31. The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet can have a maximum of 35 ministers per the constitutional limit.
According to a gazette notification issued by the General Administration Department, Yadav retained all those departments with him, except the General Administration Department (GAD), Public Relations, Jail, Mining, Aviation, Industrial Policies, and Investment Promotion, which were not specifically allotted to any minister.
Yadav became the state’s Chief Minister after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the assembly elections held last month, ending the 15-year rule of Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
Key Portfolios
Deputy Chief Minister Deora, who was also the Finance Minister in the previous Chauhan government, got the additional charge of the Commercial Tax Department.
Second Deputy Chief Minister Shukla, a senior leader of the BJP, was given the responsibility of the Public Health and Medical Education Department, which is crucial in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Union Minister Prahlad Patel, who is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was entrusted with the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, which oversees various welfare schemes and rural infrastructure projects.
Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is also the party’s national general secretary and in-charge of West Bengal, was given the Urban Development and Housing and Parliamentary Affairs Department, which deals with the development of cities and towns and the coordination with the central and state legislatures.
Vijay Shah, who is a tribal leader and a former minister, was allocated the Tribal Affairs and Bhopal Gas Tragedy Departments. The former deals with the issues and welfare of the tribal communities, while the latter handles the compensation and rehabilitation of the victims of the 1984 gas leak disaster.
Former Jabalpur MP Rakesh Singh, who is also the president of the state BJP unit, was given the Public Works Department, which is responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and buildings.
Another former MP Rao Uday Pratap Singh, who is a loyalist of Yadav, was given the Transport and School Education portfolio. The former oversees the regulation and development of the transport sector, while the latter manages the policies and programs related to school education.
