CM Yediyurappa reshuffles cabinet, allocates portfolios to 7 new ministers

Bengaluru: A week after expanding his cabinet, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Thursday effected a minor reshuffle and allocated portfolios to seven newly-inducted ministers triggering another wave of displeasure among a section of party leaders.

Among the new ministers, Umesh Katti gets Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs while S Angara has been given Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport. Murugesh Nirani will be the Mines and Geology Minister and Arvind Limbavali has been given charge of Forest department, according to an official gazette notification issued by Raj Bhavan.

Among others, R Shankar has been allotted Municipal Administration and Sericulture portfolio while MTB Nagaraj is the Excise Minister and C P Yogeshwar in charge of Minor Irrigation department.

In a surprise move to send a clear message that he is in clear control of things, Yediyurappa divested J.C. Madhuswamy, a key member of his camp, of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Minor Irrigation and allocated him Medical Education, Kannada, and Culture departments.

Health Minister K Sudhakar was relieved of Medical Education which he was given just three months ago after it had been taken away from Social Welfare Minister B Sreeramulu.

Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation department has been given to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai as additional charge.

The Forest department has been taken back from S Anand Singh, who has been given Tourism in addition to Environment and Ecology.

CC Patil, earlier in charge of Mines and Geology, has now been given Small Scale Industries and Information and Public Relations.

Leader of the House in Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojari, has been relieved of Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport department and given Muzrai and Backward Classes Welfare Department.

Haj and Wakf department has been taken back from Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan, while Labour Minister A Shivaram Hebbar has been divested of the Sugar portfolio.

K Gopalaiah has been divested of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs and made in charge of Horticulture and Sugar departments.

K.C. Narayana Gowda has been given Youth Empowerment, Sports, Haj and Wakf departments, but divested of Municipal Administration, Horticulture and Sericulture.

The Chief Minister has kept the Departments of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Cabinet Affairs, Finance, Bangalore Development, Energy, Intelligence, Planning, Programme Monitoring Statistics, Infrastructure Development and all unallocated portfolios with himself.

Yediyurappa had inducted seven new ministers on January 13 and dropped Excise Minister H Nagesh amidst growing displeasure over his style of functioning.

The cabinet strength now is 34, including Chief Minister and 33 ministers.