Cabinet reshuffle: Pawar retains Agriculture; changes in Oil, Surface Transport

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday made a few changes in his Cabinet, though keeping untouched the important portfolios nor making any new inductions from the Congress allies.

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, chief of key ally National Congress Party (NCP), retained his portfolio despite sharp criticism over upward trend of food inflation, an issue that has been a spoiler for the Manmohan-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

However, two key changes in the economic ministries ? Petroleum and Surface Transport, were effected.

Murli Deora was shifted from Petroleum to Corporate Affairs Ministry, while Praful Patel has to shift from Civil Aviation to Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Jaipal Reddy became the new Oil Minister, while Kamal Nath took charge of Urban Development Ministry, leaving Surface Transport.

However, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Foreign Minister SM Krishna continued with their present portfolios.

No new minister was inducted from the DMK after the party?s MP A Raja was made to resign as the Telecom minister over the 2G scam.

The UPA?s second biggest party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), also did not get any additional berth in the reshuffle.

List of Cabinet Ministers and their new portfolios:

Praful Patel: Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Shriprakash Jaiswal: Coal Ministry

Salman Khursheed: Water Resources and additional charge of Minority Affairs

Minister of State (Independent Charge):

Ajay Maken: Youth Affairs and Sports

Beni Prasad Verma: Steel

Professor KV Thomas: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

Ministers of state:

Ashwani Kumar: Planning and Parliamentary Affairs and Science and Technology and Earth Sciences

KC Venugopal: Power

Ministers whose portfolios have been changed/ dropped:

Cabinet ministers:

Sharad Pawar: Agriculture and Food Processing Industries

Virbhadra Singh: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Vilasrao Deshmukh: Rural Development and additional charge of Panchayati Raj

S Jaipal Reddy: Petroleum and Natural Gas

Kamal Nath: Urban Development

Vayalar Ravi: Overseas Indian Affairs and additional charge of Civil Aviation

Murli Deora: Corporate Affairs

Kapil Sibal: Human Resource Development and additional charge of Communications and Information Technology

BK Handique: Development of North-Eastern Region

CP Joshi: Road Transport and Highways

Kumari Selja: Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and additional charge of Culture

Subodh Kant Sahay: Tourism

MS Gill: Statistics and Programme Implementation

Pawan Kumar Bansal: Parliamentary Affairs and additional charge of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences

Minister of State (Independent Charge):

Dinsha Patel: Mines

Ministers of State:

E Ahamed: External Affairs

Harish Rawat: Agriculture and Food Processing Industries

V Narayanasamy: Parliamentary Affairs and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Prime Minister?s Office

Gurudas Kamat: Home Affairs

A Sai Prathap: Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Bharatsinh Solanki: Railways

Jitin Prasada: Road Transport and Highways

Mahadev S Khandela: Tribal Affairs

RPN Singh: Petroleum and Natural Gas and Corporate Affairs

Tusharbhai Chaudhary: Road Transport and Highways

Arun Yadav: Agriculture and Food Processing Industries

Pratik Prakashbapu Patil: Coal

Vincent Pala: Water Resources and Minority Affairs