Rajasthan: Cabinet portfolios allocated, Gehlot keeps nine departments including finance and home

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh on Wednesday allocated portfolios to the cabinet ministers with the help of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. It is to be noted that as many as 23 newly elected legislators – 22 of the Congress and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal took oath as ministers in the Rajasthan cabinet formation on Monday.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot kept nine departments with himself, including finance and home, along with excise, planning, personnel, general administration, and information technology.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot was allocated the portfolios of public works, rural development, panchayati raj, science and technology and statistics. Thirteen other Cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state were also allocated portfolios.

BD Kalla has been allocated energy, public health engineering, groundwater, art, culture and archaeology departments, while Shanti Dhariwal was given urban development and housing, and law and parliamentary affairs. Parsadi Lal was named industry minister and Bhanwar Lal Meghwal the social justice and empowerment minister.

Lal Chand Kataria has been allocated agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries departments, while Raghu Sharma was given medical and health, and information and public relations.

Among the ministers of states, Govind Singh Dotasara was allocated education (independent charge), along with tourism and Devsthan. Mamta Bhupesh was given charge of the women and child development department as well as minority affairs and Waqf Board.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot had held meetings with Congress President Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. The portfolio distribution had been pending reportedly over disagreements between Gehlot and Pilot on the allocation of key departments like home and finance.

Also Read: Rajasthan: At least 23 newly elected legislators inducted in Ashok Gehlot’s cabinet