Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 3: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today distributed portfolios among his Council of Ministers retaining for himself key Departments like Home, Planning, General Administration Department (GAD), Tourism, Hospitality & Protocol, Irrigation and Flood Control, Information, Civil Aviation, Ladakh Affairs, Panchayat Affairs and some other departments, which have not been allocated to any of the Ministers.
Like the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Dr Nirmal Singh also walked away with three vital portfolios including Power Development Department, Housing and Urban Development, which were held by three Cabinet Ministers in the previous NC-Congress coalition Government including Omar Abdullah, Rigzin Jora and Raman Bhalla. Another BJP Cabinet Minister Bali Bhagat, MLA Domana, has managed two crucial portfolios-Social Welfare and Forests, which were held by two Cabinet Ministers-Sakina Itoo and Mian Altaf in the previous dispensation.
According to the list of portfolios released by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey late this evening, only two out of eight Ministers of State have been given Independent Charge. Both of them belonged to BJP including Chering Dorjey, MLC from Leh, who has been given Independent Charge of Cooperatives but would be Minister of State for Ladakh Affairs.
Another BJP Minister of State Abdul Ghani Kohli, lone Muslim elected representative of the party from Kalakote, has been assigned Independent Charge of Transport and would be Minister of State for Rural Development and Horticulture.
Mufti Sayeed has clubbed two important Ministries of Higher Education and Education and awarded them to his close lieutenant and bureaucrat-turned-politician, Naeem Akhter, who is member of Legislative Council. The Ministries were held by then Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand of Congress and Mohammad Akbar Lone of National Conference in the previous Government. This is for the first time after 2002 coalition headed by Mufti Sayeed that Education Department has been clubbed into the one Ministry.
While Home, GAD, Hospitality and Protocol are generally held by the Chief Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti has also kept with him two significant portfolios of Planning and Tourism, for which there were separate Ministers in the previous NC-Congress Government. However, during PDP-Congress coalition Government, Finance, Planning, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Departments had been clubbed in one Ministry, held earlier by PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig and later by Tariq Hamid Qarra, both of whom were now Lok Sabha members of the party.
The PDP Cabinet Ministers numbering 11 including the Chief Minister have got important portfolios including Home, GAD, Finance, Planning, Tourism, Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), PWD, Education and Technical Education, Irrigation and Flood Control.
The BJP has been allocated Power, Industries and Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare, Forests, Transport and PHE. BJP’s ally, Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference, a separatist turned mainstream politician has been given quite insignificant portfolio of Science and Technology and Animal Husbandry.
As expected, the Chief Minister, has allocated Finance Ministry to Dr Haseeb Drabu, a key negotiator on behalf of the PDP for Government formation with the BJP, who was Economic Advisor to J&K Government during 2002 PDP-Congress coalition Government. He had also served as Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Bank.
Independent MLA from Udhampur, Pawan Gupta, who got the Ministerial berth as Minister of State from BJP quota, would be MoS Finance with Dr Drabu apart from Information Technology.
Dr Drabu has also been given the charge of Labour and Employment and Culture.
However, PDP’s senior most leader after Mufti Sayeed and fourth consecutive time MLA, Abdul Rehman Veeri has been given Horticulture and Haj and Auqaf portfolio only, which was contrary to the expectations that he would bag important portfolio in view of his seniority.
Surprisingly, BJP’s Sukhnandan Kumar, MLA Marh has been allocated the department of PHE only and not given the charge of Irrigation and Flood Control. Generally, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control departments are clubbed and assigned to one Minister. However, Minister of State Abdul Majid Padder, PDP MLA from Noorabad has been allocated the departments of PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Animal Husbandry and Forest as MoS.
BJP MLA from Basohli, Choudhary Lal Singh has managed to retain the portfolio of Health and Medical Education apart from ARI and Trainings, which he had held in 2002 PDP-Congress coalition headed by Mufti Sayeed as Congress MLA from Basohli. He had quit the Government in 2004 to contest Lok Sabha elections. He had joined the BJP last year and was elected from Basohli.
Another BJP first time MLA from Vijaypur, Chander Prakash Ganga has been given Industries and Commerce portfolio.
However, BJP MLA from Domana Bali Bhagat has been allocated two portfolios of Social Welfare and Forest, Ecology and Environment. He is lone Scheduled Caste face in the Mufti Sayeed Ministry.
PDP chief spokesperson and member of Legislative Council, Naeem Akhter, who had played significant role during PDP-BJP negotiations over Government formation, has been awarded with full Education Ministry including Higher Education and School Education.
The Ministry of Technical Education, Information Technology, Youth Services and Sports has gone to PDP’s Imran Raza Ansari, son of late veteran Shia leader Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari.
Javaid Mustafa Mir, a third consecutive time PDP MLA from Chadoora has got Revenue Ministry while Relief and Rehabilitation along with Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry has gone to another prominent PDP leader Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari, a second time MLA from Sangrama.
PDP leader and another second time MLA from Lolab, Kupwara, Abdul Haq Khan will be the new Rural Development Minister.
Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, lone PDP Minister from entire Jammu region, who had won Darhal seat in Rajouri district for second term, will be Minister for CAPD and Tribal Affairs while Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjoora, who had defeated former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather at Charar-i-Sharief, has been appointed as Minister for Agriculture Production. He had earlier served as Chairman of the Legislative Council and is a veteran PDP leader.
However, PDP’s first time MLA from Amirakadal in Srinagar district-Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has bagged the portfolio of Public Works, Floriculture and Parks.
Among eight Ministers of State, two have been given Independent Charge of Cooperative and Transport while rest six will work as MoS only.
Chering Dorjey, who had lost Leh seat on BJP mandate in the Assembly elections but was elected to Legislative Council, has been given Independent Charge of Minister of State for Cooperatives. He would be MoS Ladakh Affairs, a department presently with the Chief Minister.
Abdul Ghani Kohli is another BJP MLA from Kalakote, who has been given Independent charge of Transport Department. Apart from this, he will be MoS for Rural Development and Horticulture.
Independent MLA from Udhampur, Pawan Gupta, who has been made the Minister from BJP quota, will be MoS Finance and Information Technology. He is lone Minister from six Assembly segments of Udhampur and Reasi districts.
Lone Minister from entire Chenab Valley, BJP’s Sunil Sharma, MLA Kishtwar will be MoS for Public Works (R&B) and Revenue.
BJP’s lone woman face in the Ministry, Priya Sethi, a nominated MLA, has been given the charge of MoS for Information, Education and Culture.
PDP’s lone woman face, Asiya Naqash, MLA Hazratbal in Srinagar district will be MoS for Health, Social Welfare and Transport while Abdul Majid Padder, MLA Noorabad will be MoS for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Animal Husbandry and Forest. Another PDP MLA Mohammad Ashraf Mir, who had defeated NC leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from Sonwar in Srinagar district, will be MoS for Industries and Commerce, Power and Housing and Urban Development.
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