The Suvendu Adhikari administration announced the allocation of portfolios for its newly expanded Council of Ministers, with Dr. Swapan Dasgupta being assigned the Finance Department and Tapas Roy taking charge of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises on Wednesday.
The announcement comes days after the Chief Minister expanded his cabinet on June 1. A total of 35 MLAs were sworn in as ministers, taking the strength of the Council of Ministers to 41.
Key departments allocated to senior ministers
Among the major appointments, Dr. Sharadwat Mukherjee was given the Health and Family Welfare Department, while Dudh Kumar Mondal was assigned to the Agriculture Department.
Journalist-turned-politician Jagannath Chattopadhyay was entrusted with Higher Education and Technical Education, Training and Skill Development. Dipak Barman was given charge of School Education, along with Housing, MSME, and Textiles.
Dr. Shankar Ghosh was appointed Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism Minister, while Arjun Singh received the Labour and Transport portfolios.
Several other senior ministers were also assigned key departments. Dilip Ghosh will oversee Panchayats and Rural Development and Agricultural Marketing. Agnimitra Paul was given Urban Development and Municipal Affairs. Kalyan Chakraborti will head Information Technology and Electronics, Science and Technology, Biotechnology, Food Processing Industries, and Horticulture.
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Ministers of State also receive responsibilities
The government also allocated portfolios to three Ministers of State with independent charge.
Dr. Indranil Khan was given Youth Services and Sports, along with Consumer Affairs. Malati Rava Roy was assigned Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Self-Help Group and Self-Employment, and Programme Monitoring. Rajesh Mahata received Animal Resources Development and Fisheries.
Among Ministers of State, Anandamay Barman was attached to the Finance and Transport portfolios, while Sumana Sarkar was assigned to the Health and Family Welfare portfolio. Purnima Chakraborty received Information and Cultural Affairs and Tourism, and Gargi Das Ghosh was given Power and Renewable Energy-related responsibilities.
The portfolio allocation completes the formation of the new cabinet and sets the stage for the BJP-led West Bengal government to begin functioning with its full ministerial team following the recent expansion.
FAQs:
1. Who has been appointed West Bengal’s Finance Minister?
Swapan Dasgupta has been given charge of the Finance Department.
2. How many ministers were inducted in the recent cabinet expansion?
A total of 35 MLAs were sworn in, taking the council’s strength to 41 ministers.
