Modi 3.0 Most top ministers retain portfolios they had in last govt
New Delhi: Most of the key cabinet ministers in the third Narendra Modi-led government have retained the portfolios they held in the previous BJP dispensation.
While there are some new faces in the cabinet, leaders such as BJP president J P Nadda and Jual Oram have returned as ministers. While Nadda had served in the first Modi government and has this time been made the health minister, Oram returned to the Centre after a gap as the minister for tribal affairs.
Rajnath Singh (BJP): He has seen a long political innings from being a chief minister of Uttar Pradesh to the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has retained the defence portfolio.
Amit Shah (BJP): He has retained the home and cooperation portfolios. He has also served as BJP national president for six years.
Nitin Gadkari (BJP): He has retained the road and highways portfolio. Closely associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from his early days, he is seen as a crusader for bio-fuels. He too has been a national president of the BJP.
Nirmala Sitharaman (BJP): She continues as minister of finance and corporate affairs. A Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, she decided against contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
S Jaishankar (BJP): A career diplomat who has served as India’s envoy to Beijing and later rose to become the foreign secretary. He was the external affairs minister in the second Modi government. He has retained the portfolio.
Piyush Goyal (BJP): He was the minister of commerce and industry, consumer affairs, food and public distribution and textiles as well as Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha, in the previous Modi government. This time, he has retained the commerce and industry portfolio.
Dharmendra Pradhan (BJP): He has served as minister of education and minister of skill development and entrepreneurship. He has retained the education portfolio.
Pralhad Joshi (BJP): The minister of parliamentary affairs, coal and mines in the second Modi government, he has this time been given the consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and the new and renewable energy portfolios.
Sarbananda Sonowal (BJP): He was the minister for ports, shipping and waterways and Ayush. He retained the port, shipping and waterways portfolio.
Virendra Kumar (BJP): An eight-time Lok Sabha member, he was the pro-tem speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha tasked with the oath-taking of members as well as presiding over the election of the speaker. He was minister for social justice and empowerment in the previous Modi government and retained the portfolio this time.
Giriraj Singh (BJP): As a member of the last Lok Sabha, he became the cabinet minister of the newly formed ministry of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries. Later, he was shifted to the rural development ministry. Now, he has been made the minister for textiles.
Jyotiraditya Scindia (BJP): He served as the minister for civil aviation and steel in the second Modi government from 2021 after switching over from the Congress. He has been made the minister for communications and minister for Development of North Eastern Region in this BJP-led NDA dispensation.
Ashwini Vaishnaw (BJP): He was the railways and IT minister in the previous Modi government. This time, besides railways and IT, he also heads the ministry of information and broadcasting.
Kiren Rijiju (BJP): He was the law minister and later became the minister for earth sciences in the second Modi government. He now has been given charge of parliamentary affairs and minority affairs.
Jitan Ram Manjhi (Hindustani Awami Morcha (S)): He has been given the portfolio of micro, small and medium enterprises. His party is part of the BJP-led NDA.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh (JD-U): The leader of the BJP ally has been made the minister for panchayati raj and minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying.
Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu (TDP): He has been given civil aviation portfolio in the NDA government.
Press Trust of India
