Badal allocates portfolios, son keeps home, excise

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Thursday evening allocated portfolios to the new ministers in his government. Badal’s son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal retained the crucial home and excise and taxation departments.

The chief minister kept the departments of power, personnel, cooperation, vigilance and science and technology to himself.

Sukhbir Badal is also in charge of sports and youth welfare, civil aviation and housing.

Badal’s son-in-law Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon has retained the food and supplies and information technology departments.

Sukhbir’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia has been given revenue and rehabilitation, information and public relations and NRI Affairs.

Another relative of Badal, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, has been given the irrigation portfolio. Sekhon held this ministry in the previous (2007-12) government also.

Parminder Singh Dhindsa, son of former union chemicals and sports minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, has been made Punjab’s finance minister.

Others include Bhagat Chunni Lal (BJP), who is the local government and medical education and research minister, S.S. Phillaur is the tourism and jails minister, Ajit Singh Kohar is transport minister, Gulzar Singh Ranike is the animal husbandry minister and Jagir Kaur, the lone woman in the ministry, is minister for rural water supply and sanitation and defence services.

Madan Mohanb Mittal (BJP) is the new health minister, Tota Singh is the agriculture minister, S.K. Jyani (BJP) is the forest, wildlife and labour minister, S.S., Malooka is the new education minister, Anil Joshi (BJP) is the new industry and commerce minister, Surjit Singh Rakhra is rural development and panchayats minister and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon is public works department (PWD) minister.

The Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance won the recent assembly elections in the state. The alliance got 68 seats in the 117 member assembly.