Modi Cabinet Reshuffle: Scindia Gets Civil Aviation, Vaishnaw Given IT

Cabinet reshuffle: Newly-inducted minister Mansukh Mandaviya has been given the health portfolio.

Ashwini Vaishnav has been allocated Ministry of Railways, while Jyotiraditya Scindia has been given charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla

Video Editors: Abhishek Sharma, Mohd Irshad Alam

Soon after the mega overhaul of PM Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers, the newly-allocated portfolios were announced on Wednesday, 7 July, with Ashwini Vaishnaw being allocated Ministry of Railways, and Jyotiraditya Scindia getting charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

In the 77-member strong Council of Ministers, there are 30 Cabinet ministers, two ministers of state with independent charge, and 45 ministers of state.

Vaishnaw will also be Minister of Communications as well as Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, while Dharmendra Pradhan has been given Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Newly-inducted Cabinet minister Mansukh Mandaviya has been given the health portfolio along with Ministry of Chemical Fertilizers, while Hardeep Puri will be the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Housing and Urban Affairs.

Meanwhile, Kiren Rijiju has been given charge of the crucial Ministry of Law and Justice.

IB Ministry to Anurag Thakur, Environment to Bhupender Yadav

Anurag Thakur has been appointed Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, and will also handle the Youth Affairs and Sports portfolio alongside.

Sarbananda Sonowal has been given charge of the Ports, Shipping and Waterways portfolio, and will also handle the AYUSH ministry.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has gone to Pashupati Paras, while the Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Labour and Employment ministries have been allocated to Bhupender Yadav.

Ramchandra Prasad Singh will be the new Steel Minister, while Narayan Tatu Rane will be Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Piyush Goyal remains the minister for Commerce and Industry, and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. In addition, he will now head the Ministry of Textiles, which earlier belonged to Smriti Irani. The latter, however, has retained the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

While Amit Shah will be looking after the newly-formed Ministry of Cooperation, in addition to handling the Ministry of Home Affairs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister.

45 Ministers of State, 2 With Independent Charge

Among ministers of state (MoS), only two – Rao Inderjit Singh and Jitendra Singh – have been designated as MoS with independent charge.

Meenakshi Lekhi has been made MoS in the Ministry of External Affairs, while Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been allocated the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship as well as Ministry of Electronics and IT as MoS.

Uttar Pradesh Apna Dal party leader Anupriya Patel is MoS in Ministry of Commerce and Industry, while Pankaj Chaowdhary is MoS in Finance Ministry.

Thirty-five year-old West Bengal BJP leader Nisith Pramanik has become MoS in the Home Ministry as well as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. His state colleague John Barla has been made MoS in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.