BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday distributed portfolios among the Ministers, who were sworn in on the day, after keeping Home, General Administration and Public Grievances. He will also be in charge of any other department specifically not assigned. The next Budget of Odisha will be presented by Niranjan Pujari who has got Finance with Excise while senior Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha has been given Forest and Environment besides Parliamentary Affairs.
Prafulla Kumar Mallik has retained Steel and Mines and Works portfolios. He has also been given Home held by the Chief Minister with Minister of State rank. Senior leader Ranendra Pratap Swain, who has made a comeback to the Ministry, has been allotted Food Supplies, Consumer Welfare and Cooperation.
Padmanabha Behera, another BJD veteran who also made a comeback, has been given Planning and Convergence and Commerce and Transport portfolios. Naba Kishore Das, a new face in the Cabinet, has got Health and Family Welfare while Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti portfolios have gone to Tukuni Sahu, the lone women Cabinet Minister and also a new entrant.
The plum portfolios of Energy, Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises have gone to a new face, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dibya Shankar Mishra. Similarly, Jagannath Sarka has got ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare.
Besides, Samir Ranjan Das has got School and Mass Education portfolio while Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi will be in charge of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature and Culture. Premananda Nayak has got Skill Development and Technical education. The prize portfolios of Water Resources, Information and Public Relations have gone to Raghunandan Das and Padmini Dian has got Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts.Tusharkanti Behera, also a new face in the Ministry, has got Electronics and Information Technology, Sports and Youth Affairs.
