Chhattisgarh cabinet expansion: Portfolios allocated to new ministers, reshuffle for others too

RAIPUR: Portfolios were allotted to the three newly inducted ministers in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, alongside a reshuffle of key departments held by existing ministers, bringing the cabinet under Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai to its full strength of 14—the highest permissible for the 90-member assembly.BJP legislators Rajesh Agrawal, Guru Khushwant Saheb and Gajendra Yadav, all first-time MLAs, were sworn in earlier in the day by Governor Ramen Deka at Raj Bhavan leading the cabinet witness a major redistribution of departments.Releasing the list of reshuffled portfolios, chief minister Sai, in a post on X, said, “The allocation of departments among ministers has been done. With clear division of work and responsibilities, my cabinet colleagues are ready with new energy to serve ‘Chhattisgarh Mahtari (mother).’

All ministers are fully committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people, realizing our resolutions, and contributing wholeheartedly to building a developed Chhattisgarh, in line with the dream of a developed India envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji.”Portfolios allotted to new ministers Gajendra Yadav got school education, cottage industry, and law & legislative affairs, Guru Khushwant Saheb was assigned with skill development, technical education & employment, and scheduled caste development while Rajesh Agrawal was given tourism, culture, religious trust & endowment.

Previously, these departments were being handled by the CM and deputy chief ministers—school education, cottage industry, tourism, culture and endowment were with CM Sai; law & legislative affairs with deputy CM Arun Sao; technical education & employment with deputy CM Vijay Sharma; skill development with Kedar Kashyap; and Scheduled Caste development with Ram Vichar Netam.Reshuffle among existing ministersCM Vishnu Deo Sai took charge of water resources which was earlier with Kashyap.

He will continue to hold key portfolios including mineral resources, general administration, energy, public relations, aviation, good governance, electronics & IT, public grievances, and all unallocated departments.Kedar Kashyap will continue with forest, climate change, cooperative and Parliamentary affairs department and has been was additionally allocated with transport portfolio which was earlier with CM.Deputy CM Arun Sao retained public works, public health engineering and urban administration, with additional portfolio of sports & youth welfare, earlier with Tank Ram Verma.While deputy CM Vijay Sharma would continue with Home, jail, panchayat and rural development, science and technology departments, Ram Vichar Netam continues with Scheduled Tribe, agriculture development and farmers’ welfare, animal husbandry, fisheries and biotechnology. Tank Ram Verma along with his revenue, disaster management and rehabilitation departments, got higher education, earlier with CM.Lakhan Lal Dewangan, with his departments of commerce & industry, public sector undertaking, labour, was additionally given commercial tax (excise) which was with the CM.Shyam Bihari Jaiswal holds health & family welfare, medical education, twenty point implementation portfolios and was additionally given OBC & minorities development, which was earlier with Netam.The portfolios of other ministers including O P Choudhary continues with finance, commercial tax except excise, housing & environment, planning & statistics, Laxmi Rajwade with women & child development, social \welfare), and Dayaldas Baghel with food civil supplies, consumer protection, remained unchanged.