Bengal Portfolio Allocation: CM Suvendu Keeps Home, Hills Department; Women Welfare Moved From Agnimitra Paul

Kolkata: The portfolio allocation for ministers in the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Suvendu Adhikari in Bengal has finally been finalised. The state government on Wednesday officially announced the allocation of portfolios among the 35 new ministers, 10 days after they were sworn in as part of the first cabinet expansion on June 1.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has retained key portfolios such as Home and Hills Affair, Information and Culture, Electricity, Land and Land Revenue, Personnel and Administrative Reforms. Senior BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta has been given the crucial responsibility of the Finance Department.

Senior MLA Tapas Roy, who left the Trinamool Congress two years ago, has been assigned the Industries and Commerce Department. Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee, a senior physician and first-time MLA from Bidhannagar, has been given the Health and Family Welfare Department.

ALSO READ: TMC Rift Deepens As Rebel MPs Attend CM Suvendu's Administrative Meeting Amid Crossover Buzz

Noapara MLA and former MP Arjun Singh has been given the responsibility of the Transport and Labour departments. The Education Department has been split again. Jagannath Chatterjee has been given the responsibility of Technical Education, including Higher Education, and Skills and Training.

Meanwhile, the School Education Department has been assigned to Deepak Barman, a senior MLA from North Bengal. Along with school education, Barman has also been given the responsibility of the Housing and MSME departments.

The Agriculture Department has been given to Dudh Kumar Mandal. Shankar Ghosh, MLA from Siliguri in North Bengal, has been assigned the Parliamentary Affairs Department as well as the Tourism Department. Manoj Oraon, also from North Bengal, has been given the Forest and Environment Department.

Dr Ajay Kumar Poddar, MLA from Kulti near Asansol in West Bardhaman district, has been given the charge of Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Public Works Department (PWD).

Murshidabad MLA Gaurishankar Ghosh has been given the Backward Welfare Department, Public Education Extension and Library Services. Arup Kumar Das has been given the Irrigation and Water Resources Department.

Indranil Khan Gets Sports Department

Indranil Khan, a minister with independent charge, has been assigned the Sports and Youth Department, a portfolio previously held by Nishith Pramanik. Pramanik will now hold the North Bengal Development and Water Resources Investigation and Development departments.

ALSO READ: From Suvendu's Switch To BJP To Ritabrata's Revolt, How Abhishek Banerjee Factor Hurt Mamata's TMC

Women Welfare Department Taken Away From Agnimitra Paul

Cabinet Minister Agnimitra Paul has been relieved of the responsibility for the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department. This responsibility has been assigned to Minister of State (Independent Charge) Malati Rava Rai. In addition to the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department, Rai has been assigned the Self-Help Groups and Self-Employment Department and the Program Monitoring Department.

The BJP formed the government by winning 207 out of 294 seats in the assembly election results announced on May 4. Subsequently, on May 9, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and five ministers were sworn in at Kolkata's historic Brigade Parade Ground in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following this, 35 other ministers were sworn in at Lok Bhavan on June 1 as part of the first cabinet expansion. Since then, speculation had been rife about the ministers' portfolios, which has now been put to rest 10 days later.

(With Inputs From Rajiv Kumar Jha)