Gogoi allocates portfolios to new Assam ministers

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today allocated portfolios to the 14 ministers inducted into his cabinet in the recent reshuffle. Senior most minister in the Gogoi cabinet and former chief minister Bhumidhar Barman has been allocated Revenue and Disaster Management, Administrative Reforms and Training, along with Implementation of Assam Accord.[caption id=“attachment_2054083” align=“aligncenter” width=“380”]  Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. PTI[/caption] Another senior minister Sarat Barkotoky has been given Education, Pension and Public Grievance, CMO officials said. Ajanta Neog, a minister in Gogoi’s cabinet for the last two terms, retains Public Works Department (Roads & Building, NH) but has been given additional charge of Planning and Development, Judicial, Legislative and Law. Nazrul Islam retains Food and Civil Supplies and CA, Health and Family Welfare, the officials said. Rokybul Hussain retains Panchayat and Rural Development besides being allocated agriculture, Horticulture and Food Processing along with Parliamentary Affairs. Chandan Kumar Sarkar, a new face in the Gogoi cabinet, has been allocated Irrigation and Soil Conservation. Khor Singh Engti has been given Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Cooperation and Hill Areas. Sukur Ali Ahmed, another new entrant to the Gogoi cabinet, has been assigned Public Health Engineering and Welfare of Minorities Development. Ajit Singh has been given the transport department but he also retains his earlier departments of Excise, Sports and Youth Welfare. Basanta Das retains his earlier portfolio of Fisheries and also given Water Resources and Scheduled Castes Welfare. Atuwa Munda, also a new entrant to the Gogoi cabinet, has been given the charge of Environment and Forest and Tea Tribes Welfare, the CMO officials said. The three Ministers of State with Independent Charge, are Sumitra Doley Patir (Tribal Welfare, Housing and Tourism departments), Girindra Mallik (Mines and Minerals, Jail and Border Areas) Bismita Gogoi (Cultural Affairs, Handloom, Textiles and Sericulture and Backward Classes Welfare). Following dissidence from a section of ministers and Congress MLAs, Gogoi effected a major reshuffle for the first time of his three and half year old ministry on 22 January and 14 new ministers were sworn in. All 14 ministers of the earlier cabinet had resigned on January 19. Only six members of the previous cabinet found a place in Gogoi’s new council of ministers. Assam is entitled to a ministerial strength of 18. PTI