A day after the 14-member Nitish Kumar cabinet took oath the new ministers were on Tuesday assigned their portfolios. Nitish himself retained home as well as general administrative department and vigilance, while his deputy Tarkishore Prasad got the finance, commercial taxes, forest and environment department, urban development department and disaster management department.
Another deputy CM Reenu Devi got industry, panchayati raj as well as extremely backward castes welfare department.
The experienced BJP face Mangal Pandey got two important portfolios of health and road construction department—plus he will also look after Art & Culture Department. He was health minister in the last ministry too.
The human resources development portfolio went to Mewalal Chaudhary, former vice chancellor of Sabour Agriculture University.
Former speaker Vijay Chaudhary has been made minister of rural development department, water resources department, information and broadcasting department as well as rural engineering department.
Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Bijendra Yadav retained power portfolio. Besides, he got excise, fertilizer, foodgrains and consumer affairs department. HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son Santosh Manjhi, an MLC, got minor irrigation and SC, ST welfare department.
VIP chief Mukesh Sahni, who lost election from Simri Bakhtiyarpur, got animal husbandry and fisheries.
Rampreet Paswan has been entrusted with the responsibility of PHED. Ram Surat Rai got law and revenue. Jivesh Kumar got tourism, labour and mining department.
The agriculture, sugarcane and cooperative department portfolio went to Amrendra Singh.
Sheela Kumari got transport department, Ashok Chaudhary got minority welfare, science and technology as well as building construction department.
As the responsibility of minority welfare department has gone to Ashok Chaudhary it seems that there is little scope for the induction of any Muslim face in the near future.
Apart from this there is no member from the Kayastha in the cabinet though the caste has reposed full faith in the NDA. The other three upper castes, the OBCs, EBCs and Dalits got due representation.
