Bengaluru: Finally, after about 48 hours of swearing-in of 25 Ministers and hectic lobbying among the Congress and JD(S) Ministers for preferred portfolios, the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka has been finalised and Governor’s approval is awaited.
CM H.D. Kumaraswamy told reporters yesterday that he had sent the allocation of portfolios of his Cabinet to the Governor. “I have already sent the portfolio allocation list of 25 Cabinet Ministers inducted on June 6. The list was sent to Governor this afternoon and Gazette Notification is expected on his arrival to the city from Ahmedabad,” he said.
This was the first Cabinet expansion effected by Kumaraswamy who was sworn-in as CM on May 23 along with KPCC President Dr G. Parameshwara as Deputy Chief Minister.
While the CM has kept for himself plum portfolios such as Finance, Excise, Energy, Infrastructure, Textiles, Cabinet Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information and Public Relations, and Public Enterprises, his Dr. Parameshwara has been given the crucial Home portfolio and Bengaluru Development (BBMP, BDA, BWSSB, BMRDA), Youth Empowerment and Sports.
In a significant move, seven Ministers who served in the Siddharamaiah Cabinet have not been given their previous portfolios. While Water Resources and Medical Education portfolios have been allocated to senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, Revenue and Skill Development have been given to Congress veteran R.V. Deshpande.
Priyank Kharge has been given the significant Social Welfare Department while first-time Minister R.R. Shankar has been allocated Forest and Ecology and Environment. Another first-time Minister N.H. Shivashankar Reddy has been given Agriculture.
Kannada actress Jayamala has been given Kannada and Culture, Women and Child Development, Empowerment of Differently-abled and Senior Citizens portfolios.
While K.J. George bagged Major and Medium Industries, IT/BT and Science and Technology, Krishna Byre Gowda has been given Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Law & Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
In the JD (S) camp, H.D. Revanna has been given Public Works, and G.T. Devegowda (GTD) has been allocated Higher Education. The Co-operation portfolio has been given to Bandeppa Kashampur. Transport has been allocated to D.C. Thammanna, C.S. Puttaraju gets Minor Irrigation, Venkata Rao Nadagouda, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, S.R. Mahesh, Tourism and Sericulture, S.R. Srinivas, Small Scale Industries and N. Mahesh, Primary and Secondary Education.
This post was published on June 9, 2018 6:43 pm