Maharashtra Cabinet expansion | All 9 NCP Ministers get key portfolios; Ajit Pawar gets Finance and Planning
The Hindu
All nine NCP Ministers who recently joined the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra were allocated key portfolios following the Cabinet reshuffle on July 14.
The Maharashtra Cabinet was reshuffled on July 14 and all nine Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ministers, who joined the Eknath Shinde-led government earlier this month, were allocated key portfolios.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who led the vertical split within the NCP, was allocated the Finance and Planning portfolio.
NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal was allotted the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection departments while Dilip Walse-Patil will now oversee the Cooperation department.
Among other leaders, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil was given the Revenue, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy Development and Sudhir Sachhidanand Mungantiwar will handle Forests, Cultural Affairs, and Fisheries,. Hassan Mushrif will be overseeing Medical Education and Special Assistance.
Dhananjay Munde will be the new Agriculture Minister and Aditi Tatkare will be the new Women and Child Development Minister.
With the new allocations, CM Shinde will now oversee General Administration, Urban Development, Information Technology, Information and Public Relations, Transport, Social Justice, Environment and Climate Change, Mining, and other departments which were not assigned to other Ministers.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis will handle Home, Law and Justice, Water Resources and River Development, Energy, and Parliamentary Affairs.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.