Abhimanyu loses 3 key depts; Vij gainer

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23

A day after the Cabinet reshuffle, three newly inducted ministers were allocated portfolios today as departments of several ministers were reshuffled.

Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu was the major “loser”, while Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij emerged as a gainer. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar shed five departments.

Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, on the advice of the CM, allocated portfolios to the 14-member ministry, which include 8 Cabinet minister and 5 Ministers of State.

Capt Abhimanyu, who was holding at least 12 ministries, was divested of three important departments with Industries and Commerce and Environment ministries going to the new Cabinet minister, Vipul Goel, who also got Industrial Training.

Capt Abhimanyu’s Labour and Employment Department was given to MoS (Independent charge) Nayab Saini. Saini will continue to be the MoS for Mines and Geology.

Another new entrant to the Cabinet, Manish Grover, was given the independent charge of Cooperation, and Printing and Stationery Departments, earlier held by dropped minister Bikram Thekedar. Grover was attached to Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain as a junior minister.

Another newcomer, Banwari Lal, was given the independent charge of Public Health Engineering, earlier held by Ghanshyam Saraf, who was also shown the door yesterday. Lal was attached with the Chief Minister in the Renewable Energy Department. Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma was left “untouched”, as his two minor departments — Languages and Civil Aviation — were given to Kavita Jain and Rao Narbir Singh, respectively. Rao Narbir also holds the portfolio of PWD, Forests, Architecture and Civil Aviation. Ram Bilas will continue to hold the portfolios of Education, Technical Education, Tourism, Elections, Parliamentary Affairs, Archeology and Museums, and Hospitality. It was a mixed bag for Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar who was divested of the important portfolio of Irrigation and given Mines and Geology.

Khattar sheds 5 depts

Khattar, meanwhile, shed five ministries — Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs, Science and Technology, Mines and Geology, Jails, and Architecture.

Now, he has the charge of Home, Power, Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates, Irrigation and Water Resources, General Administration, Administration of Justice, Electronics and Information Technology, Personnel and Training, Raj Bhawan affairs, Renewable Energy, and any department not allotted to any minister. The department of Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs went to Jain, who continues to hold the Urban Local Bodies and Women and Child Development departments.

Science and Technology went to Vij. Mines and Geology was given to Dhankar, while Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar was given Jails portfolio. Social Justice and Empowerment ministry held by Jain was given to MoS Krishan Bedi. Karan Dev Kamboj continues to hold the charge of the Food and Supplies Department, while he has been attached to the Forests Minister as the MoS.

Jat stir effect?

The divesting of important portfolios from two Jat minister — Capt Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar — seems to be an offshoot of the Jat agitation. The two Jat ministers were accused of keeping the Chief Minister in the dark in the run-up to eruption of violence during the agitation. Even during the reshuffle, Khattar and the high command reposed faith in the Vaish, Punjabi and Dalit communities.