By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today ordered a major reshuffle in the state cabinet, which was expanded to its maximum number of twenty-two members, here on Wednesday.
Official sources said that Azad retains the departments of GAD, Home, Estates, Revenue, Information, Hospitality and Protocol, Civil Aviation and Floriculture with himself, while his deputy Muzaffar Hussain Baig will continue to hold the charge of Planning, Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism.
Mangat Ram Sharma has been give Health and Medical Education, Labour and Employment and Ladakh Affairs, while no change has been made in the portfolios of Tariq Hameed Karra, Finance and Housing and Urban Development and Qazi Muhammad Afzal, forest.
Similarly Abdul Aziz Zargar, Muhammad Dilawar Mir and Taj Mohiuddin will continue to hold their own portfolios, without any reshuffle.
Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed will continue to hold School Education, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Haj and Auqaf; sources told News Agency of Kashmir adding that higher education has been taken away from him and given to Gulchain Singh Charak along with ARI and Trainings, whose R&B portfolio of Roads & Buildings and Mechanical Engineering has been entrusted upon Jugal Kishore.
The order, issued here today, further ordered that Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen will retain Transport, Grievances with additional charge of Stationery and Printing.
The newly inducted cabinet minister Mula Ram has been given Rural Development and Panchayats, Abdul Gani Vakil gets Social Welfare.
Power portfolio of Nawang Rigzin Jora has been taken away from him and given to MoS Babu Singh (Independent Charge), while the former has been given Industries and Commerce.
Haji Nissar Ali has been Technical Education and Youth Services and Sports.
Among the junior ministers, Forest, horticulture and higher education has been taken away from Aijaz Ahmad Khan and he has been given Finance, Planning, Rural Development, Panchayats and Revenue (MoS).
Javaid Mustafa Mir gets Rural Development and Panchayats, Science & Technology, Information Technology & Parliamentary Affairs, while Gharu Ram has been given Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Cooperatives and R&B.
PDP’s Manjit Singh has been entrusted with PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, CAPD & Law, while Mohammad Khalil Band gets R&B, Animal & Sheep Husbandry.
The independent charge of industry has been taken away from MoS Ramesh Chander Sharma, while he has now been retained as MoS for Industries & Commerce with PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control.
Peer Mohammad Hussain gets Health, Medical Education, School Education and Fisheries, while G. M. Saroori has been given Forests, CAPD, Tourism, School Education and Social Welfare.