Goa Cabinet reshuffle: Days after induction, Digambar Kamat gets PWD, Tawadkar tribal welfare

3 hours ago 3

ARTICLE AD BOX

goa cabinet While Kamat, who served as the chief minister of Goa from 2007 to 2012 during the last Congress government in the state, has been allocated the portfolios of public works department (PWD), captain of ports, and legal metrology, former speaker Tawadkar has been allocated tribal welfare, art and culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday allocated portfolios to Digambar Kamat and Ramesh Tawadkar, days after they were inducted into the Cabinet.

While Kamat, who served as the chief minister of Goa from 2007 to 2012 during the last Congress government in the state, has been allocated the portfolios of public works department (PWD), captain of ports, and legal metrology, former speaker Tawadkar has been allocated tribal welfare, art and culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs.

The PWD had previously been retained by Sawant since Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral resigned to ‘accommodate’ Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira in the Cabinet in November 2023. Sequeira, who had been holding environment, law and judiciary, legislative affairs and captain of ports portfolios, resigned from the Cabinet last Wednesday citing “personal reasons”, paving the way for a cabinet reshuffle. Sequeira and Kamat were among the group of eight ‘turncoat’ MLAs who switched over to the BJP from the Congress in September 2022.

Meanwhile, Art and Culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs portfolios that Tawadkar has been given were earlier held by former minister Govind Gaude, who was dropped from the Cabinet in June after he levelled corruption allegations in the department of tribal welfare – a portfolio then held by Chief Minister Sawant. In his first stint as a minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led Cabinet in 2012, Tawadkar held tribal welfare and sports and youth affairs portfolios.

Kamat told the media: “I’m thankful to the chief minister, who has shown confidence in me by allocating these portfolios. I will try to see that I work hard and sincerely, so each of these portfolios are used for the betterment of the people of Goa and the state.”

He also said that since he had been the chief minister in the past, he has the experience of handling most of the portfolios. “So, it is not a new thing for me. PWD also…I held in between. Whichever portfolio I have handled, I have tried to do justice to that portfolio,” the Margao MLA added.

Sawant also reshuffled some portfolios in the Cabinet, with Subhash Phal Dessai being allocated the department of drinking water, in addition to the portfolios of social welfare, river navigation and empowerment of persons with disabilities, that he has been holding. Phal Dessai has been relieved of the Department of Archives and Archaeology.

Story continues below this ad

Power Minister and senior MGP leader Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar has been assigned museums as well as Goa Gazetteer and historical records as additional portfolios, while he has been relieved of housing.

The portfolios of environment, law and judiciary and any other unallocated departments, will be looked after by the chief minister.

Read Entire Article