MP CM distributes portfolios, retains home ministry

Bhopal: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Mohan Yadav divided up the portfolios on Saturday, giving deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda charge of the finance ministry and the other deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla charge of public health. Yadav retained control of the home department.

The state cabinet currently has 31 members, including the chief minister. The maximum number of ministers that can be there in the Madhya Pradesh cabinet is 35.

Yadav, who became chief minister by replacing Shivraj Singh Chouhan after the BJP retained power in the last month’s assembly elections, also retained the General Administration Department (GAD), Public Relations, Jails, Mining, Aviation, Industrial Policies and Investment Promotion besides all other departments not specifically assigned to any minister, said a gazette notification issued by the GAD.

Deputy CM Devda was given the Commercial Tax department besides Finance. Devda was the finance minister in the Chouhan government too.

Rajendra Shukla, the other deputy CM, was allocated Public Health and Medical Education.

Former Union minister Prahlad Patel was allotted Panchayat and Rural Development while senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya was given Urban Development and Housing, and Parliamentary Affairs.

Senior MLA Vijay Shah will handle the Tribal Affairs and Bhopal Gas Tragedy departments. Former MP from Jabalpur, Rakesh Singh, will handle the Public Works Department, while another former parliamentarian Rao Udai Pratap Singh was allotted Transport and School Education.

Sampatiya Uikey was allotted Public Health Engineering (PHE); Karan Singh Verma Revenue; Tulsiram Silawat Water Resources; Aidal Singh Kansana Farmers Welfare and Agricultural Development; Nirmala Bhura was given Women and Child Development; Govind Rajput Food and Civil Supplies; Vishwas Sarang Sports, Youth Affairs and Cooperatives; Narayan Singh Kushwaha Social Justice, Horticulture and Food Processing; Nagar Singh Chouhan Forest, Environment and SC Welfare; Pradyuman Singh Tomar Energy; Rakesh Shukla Renewable Energy; Chaitanya Kashyap Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Inder Singh Parmar Higher Education and Technical Education.

With PTI inputs