New Delhi: Hours after ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, arrested on corruption charges, resigned from the Arvind Kejriwal-led cabinet, Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot was on Tuesday (February 28, 2023) given the additional charge of finance and power while Social Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand was handed over the education and health departments. Sisodia was handling 18 of the total 33 departments in the Delhi government and his portfolios have been divided between Gahlot and Anand as a temporary arrangement. The development came after Kejriwal accepted the resignations of the two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, who played a key role in implementing his governance agenda of good education and health facilities in the capital.


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Gahlot was already in charge of six departments while Raj Kumar Anand held four portfolios.


"Till the time new ministers are appointed, the allotment of additional portfolios for the interim period will see Gahlot taking care of finance, planning, public works department, power, home, urban development, irrigation and flood control, and water along with his existing departments," news agency PTI quoted an official as saying.


"Raaj Kumar Anand will be taking care of education, land and building, vigilance, services, tourism, art culture and language, labour, employment, health and industries in addition to his existing portfolios," the official added.


While Manish Sisodia was arrested on Sunday evening by CBI after nearly nine hours of questioning in the now-scrapped excise policy case, Satyendar Jain, currently lodged in Tihar, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May last year in connection with a money laundering case.


Jain, however, continued to be a minister in the Delhi government without any portfolios. Jain's portfolios, including health, home and urban development were handed over to Sisodia.