Yogi Cabinet 2.0: Adityanath Keeps Home, Deputy CM Maurya Rural Development, Finance With Suresh Khanna

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be in-charge of Home, Vigilance and Personnel, among other key departments as the portfolios of the new BJP-led dispensation were announced on Monday. According to the list of portfolios, 34 departments will remain with the chief minister.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has been given the charge of as many as six departments — Rural Development, Rural Engineering, Food Processing, Entertainment Tax, Public Enterprise and National Integration. Another Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak will head Medical Education, Medical and Health and Family Welfare departments.

Suresh Khanna will continue to head Finance and Parliamentary Affairs department and Baby Rani Maurya has been given Women and Child Welfare.

State BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh will head the Jal Shakti department, which coordinates with the Centre and plays a pivotal part in PM Narendra Modi-backed Namami Gange project. Additionally, he will also look after Flood Control.

Jitin Prasada has been given the charge of PWD, which was earlier headed by deputy CM Maurya, while Surya Pratap Shahi has been allocated Agriculture, Agriculture Education and research departments.

Among Ministers of State (MoS) with independent charge, former IPS officer Asim Arun will head the Social welfare, SC/ST Welfare departments. Among other MoS’ (independent charge), Sandip Singh, grandson of BJP veteran Kalyan Singh, will take care of Basic Education, while Daya Shankar Singh got Transport.

IAS-turned-politician Arvind Kumar Sharma, a confidante of PM Modi, has been given Urban Development and Energy among five departments. The BJP allies have also got their share with Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad heading Fisheries, and Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader Ashish Patel looking after the Technical Education department.

Danish Azad Ansari, the lone Muslim minister in the MoS rank, has been allocated Minorities Welfare besides Waqf and Haj departments, and the only Sikh minister of the same MoS rank, Baldev Singh Aulakh, will head Agriculture and Agriculture Education.

The cabinet of Yogi Adityanath was sworn in on Friday during which 52 ministers took oath in a grand ceremony at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. All the 52 ministers were allocated portfolios on Monday.

Following the release of the portfolios, CM Adityanath took to Twitter to extend best wishes to his cabinet colleagues.

According to constitutional provisions, there can be a maximum of 60 ministers in Uttar Pradesh, including the chief minister.

(With PTI inputs)

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