Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third-term government announced the retention of key ministers in their portfolios, following the first meeting of the 30-member Cabinet chaired by Modi on Monday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will continue in their respective roles. The announcements were made a day after the swearing-in ceremony.
Other prominent ministers retaining their posts from the second Modi government include Hardeep Puri (Petroleum and Natural Gas), Ashwani Vaishnaw (Railways and Electronics and Information Technology), Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry), Dharmendra Pradhan (Education), and Sarbananda Sonowal (Ports, Shipping and Waterways). Notably, Vaishnaw has also been assigned the additional charge of Information and Broadcasting.
BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda, returning to the government, has been entrusted with Health and Family Welfare, a portfolio he previously held during Modi’s first term. Nadda will also oversee Chemicals and Fertilisers.
In their first stints as Union Ministers, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will serve as Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, while former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar takes on the roles of Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Minister.
From the allies, TDP’s Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu has been appointed Civil Aviation Minister, Janata Dal-Secular’s H. D. Kumaraswamy will head Heavy Industry and Steel, HAM-S’s Jitan Ram Manjhi becomes the new MSME Industry Minister, and Janata Dal-United’s Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh has been given the portfolios of Panchayati Raj, and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying. Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas chief Chirag Paswan will be the Minister for Food Processing Industries.
