Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 4: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today allocated portfolios among her Council of Ministry and retained for herself the charge of significant Departments of Home, GAD, Tourism, Planning, Information, Hospitality and Protocol, Civil Aviation etc.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh retains his two portfolios of Power Development and Housing and Urban Development Departments.
While majority of Ministers retained their portfolios, BJP’s Bali Bhagat, who was earlier Forest and Social Welfare Minister, got Health and Medical Education.
Choudhary Lal Singh, the BJP leader, who earlier held the portfolio of Health and Medical Education, will now be Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister while Sajjad Lone, who was earlier Animal and Sheep Husbandry Minister, has been allocated the portfolio of Social Welfare, ARI and Trainings. Lone, a People’s Conference leader, is the Cabinet Minister from BJP quota.
New entrant from BJP Sham Choudhary has got PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, which was earlier held by dropped Minister Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar.
Abdul Gani Kohli, another BJP leader, who was Transport Minister, will now hold charge of Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, which was previously with Sajjad Lone. BJP leader Sunil Sharma will hold Independent charge of Transport among other Departments.
PDP leader Abdul Rehman Veeri, who earlier held the charge of Haj and Auqaf, has been allocated Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs. Public Works was earlier held by dropped Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari.
Another PDP leader Basharat Bukhari, who was Relief and Rehabilitation and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, will now be Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister. Revenue was earlier held by dropped Minister Javaid Mustafa Mir.
PDP leader Abdul Haq Khan while retaining the portfolio of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, has also got the charge of Law and Justice from Basharat Bukhari.
Chander Prakash Ganga (BJP) has retained Industries and Commerce, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura (Agriculture Production), Dr Haseeb A Drabu (Finance, Culture and Labour and Employment), Chering Dorjey (Cooperatives), Choudhary Zulfikar Ali (Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution and Tribal Affairs), Naeem Akhter (Education) and Imran Raza Ansari (Information Technology, Technical Education and Youth Services and Sports).
Among Ministers of State, Priya Sethi apart from retaining her portfolios of Education, Culture, has got Tourism, whose charge is held by the Chief Minister, Similarly, another BJP leader Ajay Nanda has got charge of Planning, which is held by the Chief Minister.
Previously, there was no MoS of Tourism and Planning in the BJP and charge of both the Departments was held by the Chief Minister.
PDP Minister of State Farooq Ahmad Andrabi has also got Independent charge of Haj and Auqaf, which was held by Abdul Rehman Veeri as the Cabinet Minister in previous Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led coalition Government.
PDP leader Asiea Naqash, MoS, has retained Housing and Urban Development, Social Welfare and Health and Medical Education Department.
BJP leader Sunil Sharma, MoS, has got Independent Charge of Transport Science and Technology, earlier held by his party colleague Abdul Ghani Kohli and Sajjad Lone respectively. He will be MoS of Revenue, Public Works (R&B), Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, Youth Services and Sports.
BJP lone woman Minister Priya Sethi will be MoS of Education, Technical Education, Culture, Tourism, Horticulture, Floriculture and Parks while new entrant from BJP Ajay Nanda, MoS, will hold charge of Finance and Planning, IT, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, CAPD, Tribal Affairs, Relief and Rehabilitation and Labour and Employment.
PDP new entrant in the Council of Ministry Zahoor Ahmad Mir, MoS, will hold the charge of Forest, Ecology and Environment, Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Cooperatives and Fisheries Department.
Farooq Ahmad Andrabi, another first time MoS from PDP, will hold charge of Haj and Auqaf (Independent), PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, PDD and Industries and Commerce.
List of portfolios
Cabinet Ministers Department Assigned
Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh Power Development and Housing
(Deputy Chief Minister) and Urban Development
Abdul Rehman Veeri Public Works and Parliamentary
Affairs
Chander Prakash Industries and Commerce.
Ghulam Nabi Lone Agriculture Production.
Bali Bhagat Health & Medical Education
Abdul Haq Khan Rural Development &
Panchayati Raj and Law & Justice
Lal Singh Forest, Ecology & Environment.
Syed Basharat Ahmed Revenue, Relief & Rehabilitation.
Bukhari
Sajad Gani Lone Social Welfare, ARI & Trainings.
Haseeb A Drabu Finance, Culture & Labour &
Employment.
Chering Dorjay Cooperatives.
Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali Consumer Affairs & Public
Distribution & Tribal Affairs.
Sham Lal Choudhary PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control.
Naeem Akhtar Education.
Abdul Gani Kohli Animal Sheep Husbandry &
Fisheries.
Imran Raza Ansari Information Technology, Technical
Education and Youth Services
& Sports
Ministers of State Department Assigned
Ms Asiea Naqash Housing & Urban Development,
Social Welfare, Health & Medical
Education
Sunil Kumar Sharma Science & Technology & Transport
(Independent charge), Revenue,
Public Works (Roads and
Buildings), Rural Development &
Panchayati Raj, Agriculture
Production, Youth Services
& Sports
Farooq Ahmad Andrabi Haj & Auqaf (Independent Charge),
PHE & Irrigation & Flood Control,
Power Development, Industries
& Commerce.
Smt Priya Sethi Education, Technical Education,
Culture, Tourism, Horticulture,
Floriculture & Parks.
Zahoor Ahmad Mir Forest, Ecology & Environment,
Animal & Sheep Husbandry,
Cooperative and Fisheries.
Ajay Nanda Finance & Planning, Information Technology, Law, Justice
& Parliamentary Affairs, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution Tribal Affairs, Relief & Rehabilitation & Labour & Employment.
All other departments/ subjects not assigned to any of the above Ministers shall remain with the Chief Minister.
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