NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday night allocated most economic ministries to members of his Congress party, which dominates the 79-member three-tier government, hours after most of the ministers took oath of office and secrecy at the presidential palace here.
Three economic ministries, however, went to Tamil Nadu ally DMK, with A. Raja retaining communications and IT, Dayanidhi Maran given textiles, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's son M.K. Azhagiri put in charge of chemicals and fertilizers.
Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Praful Patel, a confidant of NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, also got to retain the civil aviation ministry as minister of state with independent charge.
The top six ministries were announced May 23 with Pranab Mukherjee (Finance), S.M. Krishna (External Affairs), A.K. Antony (Defence), P. Chidambaram (Home), Sharad Pawar (Agriculture) and Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress (Railways).
The allocation of portfolios among 13 of the 19 cabinet ministers who had taken oath last week and 59 ministers who took oath Thursday appeared to be based on proven track record as well as ability to deliver.
Of the former chief ministers, Virbhadra Singh (Himachal Pradesh) is the steel minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh (Maharahstra) the minister of heavy industries and public enterprises, and Ghulam Nabi Azad (Jammu and Kashmir) the health and family welfare minister.
Outgoing commerce minister Kamal Nath has been put in charge of road transport and highways, a ministry that will play a vital role in infrastructure development. Anand Sharma gets the commerce and industry portfolio that Kamal Nath held earlier.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, another former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, was allocated the ministry of new and renewable energy. Among two other former chief ministers, Sushil Kumar Shinde got the power portfolio and M. Veerappa Moily the law and justice ministry.
Among those who retained their ministries were S. Jaipal Reddy (urban development), Vayalar Ravi (overseas Indian affairs), Murli Deora (petroleum and natural gas), Subodh Kant Sahay (food processing industries) and M.S. Gill (youth affairs and sports).
Kapil Sibal, former science and technology minister, one of three ministers from Delhi, has been given human resource development ministry, which was formerly with Arjun Singh.
Meira Kumar is now the minister of water resources, Ambika Soni the minister of information and broadcasting, Mallikarjun Kharge the minister of labour and employment, and B.K. Handique the minister of mines and minister of development of North Eastern Region.
First-timer C.P. Joshi from Rajasthan will be minister of rural development and minister of Panchayati Raj. Kumari Selja retains the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation but also gets the tourism portfolio while G.K. Vasan from Tamil Nadu is the minister of shipping.
Chandigarh's three-time MP Pawan K. Bansal will be the minister of parliamentary affairs, Mukul Wasnik the minister of social justice and empowerment and Kantilal Bhuria the minister of tribal affairs.
Among ministers of state with independent charge, Prithviraj Chavan will take care of science and technology, ministry of earth sciences as well as the Prime Minister's Office besides the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions and also parliamentary affairs.
Sriprakash Jaiswal will be minister of state (independent charge) of the ministries of coal and also statistics and programme implementation, Salman Khursheed will hold corporate affairs and also minority affairs.
Dinsha J. Patel gets the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises
Krishna Tirath will take charge of women and child development. Jairam Ramesh will be the minister of environment and forests.
CABINET MINISTERS
1. Shri Virbhadra Singh Minister of Steel
2. Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
3. Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad Minister of Health and Family Welfare
4. Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde Minister of Power
5. Shri M. Veerappa Moily Minister of Law and Justice
6. Dr. Farooq Abdullah Minister of New and Renewable Energy
7. Shri S. Jaipal Reddy Minister of Urban Development
8. Shri Kamal Nath Minister of Road Transport and Highways
9. Shri Vayalar Ravi Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs
10. Smt. Meira Kumar Minister of Water Resources
11. Shri Dayanidhi Maran Minister of Textiles
12. Shri A. Raja Minister of Communications and Information Technology
13. Shri Murli Deora Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
14. Smt. Ambika Soni Minister of Information and Broadcasting
15. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Minister of Labour and Employment
16. Shri Kapil Sibal Minister of Human Resource Development
17. Shri B.K. Handique Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region
18. Shri Anand Sharma Minister of Commerce and Industry
19. Shri C.P. Joshi Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj
20. Kum. Selja Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Minister of Tourism
21. Shri Subodh Kant Sahay Minister of Food Processing Industries
22. Dr. M.S. Gill Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
23. Shri G.K. Vasan Minister of Shipping
24. Shri Pawan K. Bansal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
25. Shri Mukul Wasnik Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
26. Shri Kantilal Bhuria Minister of Tribal Affairs
27. Shri M.K. Alagiri Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
1. Shri Praful Patel Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Civil Aviation
2. Shri Prithviraj Chavan Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Earth
Sciences and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
3. Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Coal and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
4. Shri Salman Khursheed Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Minority Affairs
5. Shri Dinsha J. Patel Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
6. Smt. Krishna Tirath Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Women and Child Development
7. Shri Jairam Ramesh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests
MINISTERS OF STATE
1. Shri Srikant Jena Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
2. Shri E. Ahamed Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways
3. Shri Mullappally Ramachandran Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs
4. Shri V. Narayansamy Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
5. Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
6. Smt. D.Purandeswari Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development
7. Shri K.H. Muniyappa Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways
8. Shri Ajay Maken Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs
9. Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles
10. Shri Namo Narain Meena Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance
11. Shri M.M. Pallam Raju Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence
12. Shri Saugata Ray Minister of State in the Ministry of Urban Development
13. Shri S.S. Palanimanickam Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance
14. Shri Jitin Prasad Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
15. Shri A. Sai Prathap Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel
16. Smt. Preneet Kaur Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs
17. Shri Gurdas Kamat Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
18. Shri Harish Rawat Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment
19. Prof. K.V. Thomas Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
20. Shri Bharatsinh Solanki Minister of State in the Ministry of Power
21. Shri Mahadev S. Khandela Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
22. Shri Dinesh Trivedi Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
23. Shri Sisir Adhikari Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development
24. Shri Sultan Ahmed Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism
25. Shri Mukul Roy Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping
26. Shri Mohan Jatua Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
27. Shri D. Napoleon Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
28. Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
29. Shri S. Gandhiselvan Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
30. Shri Tusharbhai Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
31. Shri Sachin Pilot Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
32. Shri Arun Yadav Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
33. Shri Pratik Prakashbapu Patil Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
34. Shri R.P.N. Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
35. Shri Shashi Tharoor Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs
36. Shri Vincent Pala Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources
37. Shri Pradeep Jain Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development
38. Ms. Agatha Sangma Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development