Speed Post News Network
Patna : CM Nitish Kumar on February 9, 2021, expanded his cabinet by inducting 17 Ministers including 9 from the BJP and 8 from JD(U) increasing the strength of the state cabinet to 31. Bihar Governor Fagu Chauhan administered oath of office to the new Ministers at a function at Rajendra Mandap, Raj Bhawan on February 9, 2021, noon.
The most prominent face among the new ministers is Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, the national spokesperson of BJP and a former Union Minister. Shahnawaz became a Member of Bihar legislative council recently. He was the first Minister to take oath followed by former Minister Sharavan Kumar, a senior JD(U) leader, and Madan Sahni. The BJP has again given preference to the new faces. Former ministers Nand Kishore Yadav, Prem Kumar, Vinod Narain Jha, remain sidelined.
The new ministers who took oath on the day are : Shahnawaz Hussain, Sharavn Kumar, Madan Sahni, Pramod Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Jha, Leshi Singh, Samrat Chaudhary, Neeraj Kumar Singh ‘Babloo’, Subhash Singh, Nitin Navin, Sumit Kumar Singh, Sunil Kumar, Narain Prasad, Jayant Raj, Alok Ranjan, Mohd. Jama Khan, and Janak Ram.
Shahnawaz has been allocated the Industry portfolio while Shravan Kumar has been given Rural Development Department. Madan Sahni has become Social Welfare Department Minister while Pramod Kumar has been allocated Sugarcane & Law portfolios.
Sanjay Kumar Jha has been allocated the important portfolios of Water Resources & Information and Public Relation Departments. Leshi Singh has been allocated Food & Consumer Protection Department while Samrat Chaudhay has become Panchayai Raj Minister. Nitin Navin has been given the important portfolio of Road Construction Department.
Neeraj Kumar Singh, who happens to be cousin of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has been given the portfolio of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Subhash Singh gets Co-operative Department while Sumit Kumar Singh, an Indepent MLA from Chakai, has been given Science & Technology Department. Sunil Kumar has become Prohibition, Excise & Registration Department Minister. Narain Prasad has become Tourism Minister. while Jayant Raj, an MLA from Banka District, has become Rural Works Department Ministrer.
Alok Ranjan has been allocated the portfolio of Art, Culture & Youth Affairs Department while Mohd Jama Khan has become Minority Welfare. Janak Ram Ram has been allocated the portfolio of Mines & Geology.
Among the existing ministers, sSenior JD(U) Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, a former Speaker of Bihar legislative assembly, has been given Education and Parliamentary Affairs departments while Mangal Pandey retains Health Department. Amrendra Pratap Singh has been allocated Agriculture Department while Vijendra Prasad Yadav retains Energy, Planning & Development Departments. Ramprit Paswan is PHED Minister.
CM Nitish Kumar holds General Administration, Home, Cabinet Secretariat, Vigilance, and Election, besides departments not allocated to any minister. Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad holds Finance, Commer-Taxes, Urban Development & Housing portfolios. Deputy CM REnu Devi holds Disaster Management, Backward Class & Extremely Backward Class Welfare portfolios. Ashok Chaudhay is Building Construction Department Minister.