Wednesday, 07 July 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Within a couple of days of assuming charge as a chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami has allocated portfolios to his cabinet colleagues. Though the cabinet ministers have retained most of their major departments, some changes have been made by Dhami who has distributed portfolios like Medical Health, Power and Public Works Department which were earlier held by his predecessors. Observers opine that in the distribution of portfolios, Dhami has tried to both placate the cabinet colleagues who were earlier reportedly dissatisfied while also trying to ensure more focused functioning of the cabinet.
The chief minister has kept the portfolios of Mantriparishad (earlier called Gopan), Personnel and Vigilance, Home, Finance, State Estate, Revenue, Justice, Information, Secretariat Administration, General Administration, Industrial Development (Mining), Technical Education, Civil Aviation and Planning.
Satpal Maharaaz has been allocated his previous portfolios of Irrigation and Minor Irrigation, Watershed Management, Tourism and Culture while Public Works Department is the new department allocated to him. Similarly, Harak Singh Rawat has retained his earlier portfolios of Forest, Environment Conservation and Climate Change, Labour, Skill Development and Employment, AYUSH and AYUSH Education while the Power is a new addition to his portfolios.
Banshidhar Bhagat has been allocated Parliamentary Affairs, Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs, Urban Development, Housing and Information and Science Technology. The portfolios allocated to Yashpal Arya include Transport, Social Welfare, Minority Welfare, Election and Excise. Drinking Water, Rural Construction and Census have been allocated to Bishan Singh while Subodh Uniyal has been allocated Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
Arvind Pandey has been give the portfolios of School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare, Sanskrit Education and Panchayati Raj while Ganesh Joshi has been allocated Soldier Welfare, Industrial Development, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise.
Considering the Covid-19 pandemic, Dhan Singh Rawat has received the important portfolio of Medical Health and Medical Education in addition to Cooperative, Protocol, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, and Higher Education.
Rekha Arya has been allocated Woman Empowerment and Child Development, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries. Yatishwaranand has been allocated Language, Reorganisation, Sugar Cane Development and Sugar Industry, and Rural Development.
