LUCKNOW: Keeping the key Home ministry with himself to improve the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday allocated portfolios to his ministerial colleagues.
He also kept the Mining department, which was in news for allegedly being mired in corruption during the previous Samajwadi party regime, an issue which the BJP had raised vociferously during the election campaign. It was then headed by the tainted Gayatri Prajapati, who is presently in jail.
Adityanath, who was reported to have discussed the allocation of ministries with the BJP’s central leadership in Delhi yesterday, has kept over three dozen departments with himself which might be distributed later. The crucial Finance ministry has been allocated to Rajesh Agarwal, a six-time MLA and former deputy speaker of UP Assembly. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya has been given the Public Works Department (PWD), Food Processing, Entertainment Tax and Public Enterprises Department. The other Deputy CM, Dinesh Sharma was given Higher and Secondary Education, Science and Technology, Electronics and IT departments. Sidhharth Nath Singh has been assigned the charge of the Medical and Health while Surya Pratap Shahi got Agriculture, Agriculture Education and Agriculture Research. Another senior minister Suresh Khanna will look after Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development. Young face Shrikant Sharma will handle the Power department, while Swami Prasad Maurya has been entrusted with Labour portfolio. The lone Muslim face in the council of ministers, Mohsin Raza been made the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Electronics, IT, Muslim Waqf and Haj. Among the ministries that the chief minister has kept are the Information, Housing and Urban planning, Food and Civil Supplies, Personnel, Institutional Finance, Estate etc according to the list released by Governor Ram Naik today. The Adityanath government, having 25 cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state (independent charge) and 13 ministers of state, was sworn in on Sunday.—PTI
