New Punjab Ministers gets portfolios, Harjot Bains biggest gainer, Arora is IPR Minister, Jouramajra gets health

Monika Malik/Chandigarh

A day after carrying out his first Cabinet expansion by inducting five new faces, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday allotted portfolios to the new ministers, while reshuffling portfolios of the existing Ministers.

With the fresh allocation of portfolios, a farmer-cum-politician Chetan Singh Jouramajra will be heading the crucial department of Health, Medical Education and Research, which has been lying vacant after the expulsion of Dr Vijay Singla from the Cabinet over corruption charges.

Renowned radiologist by profession and a known philanthropist, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar was expected to be given the Health department considering his vast experience in the field. However, he has been allotted Local Government, Parliamentary Affairs, Conservation of Land and Water, and Administrative Reforms.

Two-time MLA Aman Arora has been given the charge of Information and Public Relations, along with Renewable Energy and Housing and Urban Development departments; while Punjabi singer-turned-politician Anmol Gagan Mann has been allotted the departments of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Investment Promotion, Labour and Removal of Grievances.

The cop-turned politician Fouja Singh Sarari will head the ministries of Defence Services Welfare, Freedom Fighters, Horticulture, and Food Processing.

MEET HAYER DIVESTED OF EDUCATION PORTFOLIO; CHEEMA OF COOPERATION; JIMPA IRRIGATION

AAP’s youth leader and first-time MLA Harjot Singh Bains — who is already holding the crucial portfolios of Jails, Mines and Geology — has also been allotted the charge of Education Department, which is one of the key priority areas of AAP Government. Second-time MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, who has been divested of Education portfolio, will now be holding the charge of Governance Reforms, Science and Technology and Environment, Sports and Youth Services. 

Bains has also been handed over the charge of Irrigation Department, after taking it away from Bram Shankar Jimpa, who retained Revenue, Water Supply and Sanitation departments. The Cooperation Department has been taken away from the two-time MLA and former Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema, who continue to hold the Departments of Finance and Planning, Programme Implementation, Excise and Taxation. Chief Minister Mann will now be heading the Cooperation Department.

DHALIWAL GETS AGRICULTURE; BHULLAR ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Along with the portfolios of Rural Development and Panchayats Department, NRI Affairs and Farmers’ Welfare, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has also been given the charge of agriculture portfolio. Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar will now also hold Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, and Dairy Development portfolios. 

Baljit Kaur will have Social Justice, Empowerment, Social Security, Women and Child Development, while Harbhajan Singh ETO has retained the Public Works Department and Power department. Lal Chand Kataruchak would also continue to be Food and Civil Supplies Minister, besides handling Forests and Wildlife.

TOTAL 15 MINISTERS IN MANN’s CABINET

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday carried out the first expansion of his Council of Ministers after the completion of 100 days of AAP Government. Five new Ministers — two-times MLA Aman Arora, radiologist-turned-politician Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, cop-turned-politician Fauja Singh Sarari, a farmer Chetan Singh Jauramajra, and singer-turned-politician Anmol Gagan Mann — were inducted. With this, Punjab Cabinet now has 15 ministers, including the Chief Minister. As per the sanctioned strength, Punjab Cabinet can have a total of 18 Ministers, including the Chief Minister. Three berths are yet to be filled. Now, the Cabinet has two women ministers.

Of the total, nine Cabinet Ministers are from the politically-significant Malwa region, with five from Majha, and just one from Doaba.

A wave of resentment was prevailing among the senior party leaders, especially those who have been elected for the second time, for not finding any space in Mann’s Cabinet. Till now, the Cabinet had only two MLAs, elected for the second term, in its Cabinet — Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

Now, two-time Sunam MLA Aman Arora has also been accommodated, while claims of Principal Budh Ram, Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, and Prof Baljinder Kaur have been overlooked. Two other second-time MLAs — Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Jai Krishan Rouri — have been named Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday directed all the Deputy Commissioners to prepare the complete land data of their respective districts as soon as possible under the Land Bank Policy of the State Government.  Apart from this, directions have also been given to get GIS mapping of the identified land done so that all the data can be made available in digital form.

Holding a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners regarding the land bank through video conferencing here, Khattar said that the entire land of the district, whether it is owned by Haryana Government, Gram Panchayat, Board or Corporation and private land, should also be assessed in detail. He said that the land mapping being done under Swamitva Yojana, Large Scale Mapping Scheme and drone mapping being done in urban areas should also be completed at the earliest, only then the actual land of the district can be assessed.

The CM said that the unutilized land lying with various departments will now come under the government and they will be made a part of the land bank. The land will be owned by the Haryana government and can be easily used for development projects.

During the meeting, while giving directions to the Deputy Commissioners, he  said that the rainy season has just started and the rainy season is going to last for the next two months, which is why cleaning of drains should be ensured to prevent water logging in urban areas. Apart from this, wherever the condition of the roads is deteriorating due to rains, repair or patching work should be done continuously so that the general public does not face any kind of problem in traffic.