INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Thursday assigned portfolios to his Cabinet colleagues, keeping finance and mining with himself and giving the crucial home department to
senior leader Tamradhwaj Sahu.The newly-appointed ministers, who took oath early this week, have been allocated portfolios, a government
public relation officer said.Besides finance and mining, Mr Baghel, heading the first Congress government in Chhattisgarh in 15 years, will
handle general administration department, energy, public relations, electronics and information technology portfolios along with the
departments not allocated to any other minister, he said.Minister TS Singh Deo has been given key departments like panchayat and rural
development, health family welfare, medical education, planning, economics and statistics, 20point programme and commercial taxes
(GST).Similarly, Mr Sahu will head important departments like home, public works department (PWD), jail, tourism, dharmsva (religious) and
culture.Mr Sahu, 69, is the oldest minister in the cabinet.The lone minister from the Muslim community, Mohammad Akbar, has been has been
allotted transport, forest, housing, environment, food civil supplies and consumer protection departments.The youngest minister in the
cabinet, Umesh Patel is 34
Mr Patel has been given the charge of higher education, technical education, skill development and janshakti niyojan, science and
technology, sports and youth welfare departments.Minister Jaisingh Agrawal got revenue and disaster management, rehabilitation, registrar
and stamp departments while the only woman minister, Anita Bhediya, will head women and child development and social welfare
departments.Parliamentary work, law and legal affairs, agriculture and bio-technology, animal husbandry, fisheries and water resources
departments were handed over to minister Ravindra Choubey.Senior tribal tribal leader and minister Kawasi Lakhma will look after commercial
tax (excise) and industries.Shiv Kumar Dahariya was given labour, urban administration and development departments, while Rudra Kumar Guru
has been assigned public health and engineering along with village industries departments.Senior leader and minister Premsai Singh Tekam
will look after school education, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward class and minorities welfare along with cooperative
department.The Congress returned to power in the state after 15 years, dislodging the Raman Singh-led BJP government in the November
polls.The Congress bagged 68 of the 90 seats in the Assembly, while the BJP won only 15 seats.Mr Deo and Mr Sahu were sworn in as ministers
along with Mr Baghel on December 17.Last Tuesday, Mr Baghel had expanded his Cabinet by inducting nine more ministers, who had taken oath at
a function in Raipur.The total strength of the Cabinet now stood at 12, including the chief minister.
