Bhubaneswar: June 5: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today formed his new cabinet. It has 13 cabinet ministers and 8 ministers of state (Independent). Ministers of the last cabinet like Niranjan Pujari, Nab Kishore Das, Prafulla Mallick, Tusharkanti Behera, Ashok Chandra Panda, and Sameer Ranjan Das, have retained their position as Ministers in the new cabinet also.
All were administered their oath of office and secrecy by Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal at Lok Seva Bhawan earlier in the day.
Niranjan Pujari retains Finance Department and got an additional portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs. Earlier he was holding the Excise, and Finance portfolios as the Cabinet Minister.
Ranendra Pratap Swain has taken oath as a cabinet minister and was given the charge of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development. Earlier, he was cabinet minister of Co-Operation, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister.
Pramila Mallik, one of the senior leader of BJD, was given the Revenue & Disaster Management department.
Usha Devi, the MLA from Chikiti Assembly Constituency, is the new Minister of Housing & Urban Development Department.
Pratap Keshari Deb got Industries, MSME, Energy Departments. Earlier, he was appointed as chairman of Odisha State Planning Board.
Jagannath Saraka was elevated to the Cabinet rank with the portfolios ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare, Law. Earlier, he was the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Minister (MoS).
Prafulla Kumar Mallik retains his old departments. He is the Minister of Steel and Mines, Works Department.
Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, was given the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, Cooperation.
Pradip Kumar Amat, was given the charge of Forests and Environment, Panchayatiraj & Drinking Water, Information & Public Relations Departments.
Naba Kishore Das shall retain his old department i.e.Health & Family Welfare.
Ashok Chandra Panda was elevated as the Cabinet Minister and allotted department of Science & Technology, Public Enterprises, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability portfolios.
Tukuni Sahu was given the charge of Water Resources, Commerce & Transport Departments. Earlier, she was the Women & Child Development & (Mission Shakti) Minister.
Rajendra Dholakia, the Nuapada MLA, is the Minister for Planning & Convergence department.
Likewise, Samir Ranjan Das will continue as the School & Mass Education Minister in the Government. Aswini Kumar Patra, the Jaleswar MLA, was given charge of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Excise Departments.
Priti Ranjan Ghadei, the Sukinda MLA, will be the Minister of Rural Development, Skill Development & Technical Education.
Tushar Kanti Behera, will continue as the Electronics & Information Technology, Sports & Youth Services Minister. He has been given the additional charge of Home Department as the Minister of State (MoS).
Srikant Sahu, MLA from Polsara, will be the new Minister of Labour & Employee’s State Insurance department.
Rohit Pujari, the MLA from airakhol Assembly Constituency was given the charge of Higher Education Department.
Rita Sahu, the Bijepur MLA, was given charge of Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department.
Karanjia MLA Basanti Hembram will serve as the Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti Minister.
