Raman Singh cabinet sworn in, Paikra new home minister

Raipur: Nine MLAs, including five ministers from previous cabinet, were on Wednesday sworn in as ministers in Raman Singh-led government in Chhattisgarh.

While Singh retained Brijmohan Agrawal, Punnulal Mohile, Amar Agrawal, Rajesh Munat and Kedar Kashyap, the new inductees are state unit BJP president Ramsewak Paikra, former Assembly speaker Premprakash Pandey, Ramshila Sahu and Ajay Chandrakar. They were administered the oath of office by Governor Shekhar Dutt at Raj Bhawan in the presence of several local politicians and their family members. An MLA from Pratappur seat (ST), Paikra replaced Nankiram Kanwar as Home Minister, a challenging job in the Naxal-affected state, and will also look after Jail and Public Health Engineering department. Five-time MLA Brijmohan Agarwal had held several portfolios as minster in previous two regimes of Raman Singh. He is entrusted with the charge of agriculture, animal husbandry, fish rearing and water resources. Brijmohan retained his Raipur City (South) seat in the just-concluded election. Another veteran and a prominent ST leader Punnulal Mohile will continue to look after the portfolios of Food and Civil Supply, Rural Industries and Cooperative department so will Amar Agrawal with the portfolios of Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Commercial Tax with the additional charge of Labour department. Kashyap, an MLA from naxal-affected Bastar region where BJP faced reverses, will continue to look after his previous portfolio of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development. Kashyap is also given additional charge of OBC and Minorities Development, and School Education departments. The only woman inductee is Ramshila Sahu. Sahu, who won Durg (Rural) seat, is entrusted with the responsibility of Women and Child Development, along with Social Welfare Department. Meanwhile, the first session of the newly elected Chhattisgarh Assembly is likely to begin from the first week of the January next year, a senior official said.