Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday allocated portfolios among his cabinet members with the JD(U) veteran retaining key departments like home. General administration, cabinet secretariat and election are the other portfolios which will remain with the chief minister.
Portfolio allocations
Deputy Chief Minister Tar Kishore Prasad (BJP) - Finance, commercial tax, environment, forestry and climate change, information technology, disaster management and urban development
Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi (BJP) - Panchayati raj, other backward classes, extremely backward classes and industries.
Mangal Pandey (BJP) – Health, art, culture and youth affairs and road construction
Amarendra Pratap Singh (BJP) - Agriculture, cooperatives and sugarcane industry
Rampreet Paswan (BJP) - Public health engineering
Jibesh Kumar (BJP) - Labour, tourism and mines
Ram Surat Kumar Rai (BJP) - Revenue, land reforms and law
Vijay Kumar Chaudhary (JDU) - Parliamentary affairs, rural works, rural development, water resources and information and public relations department
Ashok Choudhary (JDU) - Building construction, science and technology, social welfare and minorities affairs
Bijendra Prasad Yadav (JDU) - Power, prohibition and excise, planning and development, and food and consumer protection
Mewa Lal Chaudhary (JDU) - Education
Sheela Kumar (JDU) - Transport
Mukesh Sahni (VIP) - Animal husbandry and fisheries
Santosh Kumar Suman (HAM) - Minor water resources and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Welfare
A 14-member council of ministers headed by Nitish Kumar was administered the oath of office at the Raj Bhavan by Governor Phagu Chauhan on Monday. The BJP has replaced Sushil Modi as the deputy chief minister, bringing in two new faces for the post multiple-term BJP MLAs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi.
Five ministers were from the JD(U), which is headed by Kumar, while one each was from smaller allies Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
As per the rule, a maximum of 36 ministers can be appointed to the 243-member Bihar Assembly.
