Portfolios allotted to new Odisha ministers; Naveen keeps Home, Pujari Finance

Bureau,Odishabarta

Bhubaneswar: Hours after 21 MLAs took oath to be a part of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s newly reconstituted Ministry, he allotted portfolios to each of them, keeping departments of Home, General Administration and Pension and Public Grievances with him.

Thirteen MLAs have been inducted in the newly formed State Cabinet during the day and eight others appointed as Minister of State (independent charge). The development came days after Naveen Patnaik Government completed three years of its fifth consecutive term as the Chief Minister.On Saturday, all 20 Ministers of State resigned, paving the way for the reconstitution. Ministers who have been allowed to retain the departments they held before tendering resignation include Jagannath Saraka, Niranjan Pujari, Prafulla Kumar Mallick, Tusharkanti Behera and Ashok Chandra Panda.
Saraka will continue to hold the portfolios of ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare with additional charge of Law, while Pujari has been reappointed as Finance Minister.
Prafulla Mallick will get to keep Steel and Mines and Works departments, Naba Kishore Das the Health and Family Welfare department and Panda Science and Technology, besides Public Enterprise and Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disability.

Tusharkanti Behera, apart from holding the Sports portfolio, will also be responsible for Electronics and Information Technology department. Cabinet Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, who earlier held the Food Supplies portfolio, has been given the charge of Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development.Former Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has been allotted Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, along with Cooperation department, while Pratap Keshari Deb has been given three portfolios Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Energy.

Similarly, Pramila Mallick has been allotted Revenue and Disaster Management department, Usha Devi Housing and Urban Development department and Tukuni Sahu given Water Resources and Commerce and Transport departments.

Rohit Pujari will hold Higher Education portfolio, while Basanti Hembram allotted the departments of Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti.

Among the Ministers of State with independent charge, Samir Ranjan Dash will continue his stint in School and Mass Education department. Aswini Kumar Patra will be a Minister of State in the departments of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature and Culture and Excise.

Sources in the BJD said new and comparatively younger faces have been made ministers, with an eye on 2024 elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly.

Cabinet Ministers

1. Jagannath Saraka — ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare, Law.
2. Niranjan Pujari — Finance, Parliamentary Affairs.
3. Ranendra Pratap Swain — Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development.
4. Pradip Kumar Amat — Forest and Environment, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Information & Public Relations.
5. Pramila Mallick — Revenue and Disaster Management.
6. Usha Devi — Housing and Urban Development.
7. Prafulla Kumar Mallick — Steel & Mines, Works.
8. Pratap Keshari Deb — Industries, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Energy.
9. Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak — Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Cooperation.
10. Naba Kishore Das — Health & Family Welfare.
11. Tukini Sahu — Water Resources, Commerce & Transport.
12. Ashok Chandra Panda — Science & Technology, Public Enterprises, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons With Disability.
13. Rajendra Dholakia — Planning & Convergence.

Ministers of State (independent charge)

1. Samir Ranjan Dash — School & Mass Education.
2. Aswini Kumar Patra — Tourism, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Excise.
3. Priti Ranjan Ghadai — Rural Development, Skill Development & Technical Education.
4. Srikant Sahu — Labour & Employees State Insurance.
5. Tusharkanti Behera — Electronics & Information Technology, Sports & Youth Services.
6. Rohit Pujari — Higher Education.
7. Rita Sahu — Handlooms, Textiles & Handicraft.
8. Basanti Hembram — Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti.

Minister of State

1. Tusharkanti Behera (Home).