Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday dropped Sports and Youth Welfare Minister K V Ramalingam from the State Cabinet and inducted former minister R B Udhayakumar as the new Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare. Udhayakumar will be sworn in on December 11 at a simple function in Raj Bhavan. The Chief Minister has shuffled the portfolios of three Ministers.
A Raj Bhavan communiqué here said that Commercial Taxes Minister B V Ramanaa has been allocated the Revenue portfolio hitherto looked after by Thoppu N D Venkatachalam while Venkatachalam will take over the portfolios of Environment and Pollution Control from M C Sampath. Sampath will be sworn in as the new Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration.
Ramanaa will look after the portfolios of revenue, district revenue establishment, deputy collectors, weights and measures, debt relief including legislation on money lending, chits and registration of companies.
Udhayakumar was appointed the Information Technology Minister when AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa took as Chief Minister of the State for the third term in May 2011. He was dropped from the Cabinet on November 4, 2011. Later, he was relieved as the secretary of party’s Students Wing. However, after a gap of six months, Udhayakumar was appointed the secretary of MGR Youth Wing in the party. Now, he has been elevated as a Minister.
K V Ramalingam was given Public Works portfolio in the Cabinet headed by Jayalalithaa in May 2011. On November 11, PWD portfolio was given to Finance Minister O Panneerselvam as additional portfolio and Ramalingam was made the Sports and Youth Welfare Minister. A couple of days ago he was relieved of his party post — Secretary of Erode Urban district.