Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 22: President Pranab Mukherjee on the recommendations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi today ordered that Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh would be assigned the independent charge of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in addition to his existing portfolios.
The charge of additional Departments to Dr Singh, who represents Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat of Jammu and Kashmir, was given after Sarbananda Sonowal, who held these departments as Minister of State with Independent Charge, resigned to take over as Chief Minister of first BJP Government in Assam.
The President had accepted the resignation of Sonowal on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Dr Jitendra Singh already holds the charge of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space.
Earlier, in the day, Sonowal was elected BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Guwahati and has been invited by Governor P B Acharya to form the Government.
In today’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, the Prime Minister praised Sonowal for taking time out to visit NIS Patiala to check on the sportspersons’ training for the Rio Olympics despite elections in Assam.
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